The Silver King's War

Send a text This episode is Part One of the Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from Europe in May 1945.  The European Theater of Operations war is days from its end.  Stanley's Unit has been living near Venlo, Holland, which is near the German border and the 397th Bomb Group's HQ . Sara Belle, the King's mother, has news of a letter from Jim Fomby's father. T...

Send a text This episode is Part Three of the Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from A-72 , north of Paris , in April 1945.  Spring is finally sunny and warm.  Stanley and his guys play baseball and swim in a nearby canal.  His unit moves to Venlo, Holland .  The King celebrates his 22nd birthday with cards and packages from home, and a timely liquor ration. Contact us: thesilv...

Send a text This episode is Part Two of the Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from A-72 , north of Paris ,  in April 1945.  Stanley is optimistic about the war's end in Europe.  D-Day in early June 1944 seems long ago.  Our hero is busy with full days as the Acting Squadron Bombardier.  It's a job that requires a captaincy.  And, with the news of FDR's death at W...

Send a text This episode is Part One of the Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from A-72, north of Paris , in April 1945.  Morale is high as the Air Corps is working hard and the German army is retreating. The mail service is steady.  And Stanley shares a recent adventure with his crew when engine trouble required them to land in Germany, near an American field hospital in Koble...

Send a text This episode is Part Three of the Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from A-72, north of Paris, in March 1945.  Stanley's still dreaming about his R&R on the French Riviera in Cannes. The mail is good, his silver bars arrived, and his rotation as Duty Bombardier is significant.  His unit remains busy and he's struggling with the disappearance of his &qu...

Send a text This episode (publication date: June 23, 2022, the centennial birthdate of Stanley's wife, Shirley June Gordon, in Chicago, Illinois)) is Part Two of The Silver King's letters from A-72, north of Paris.  Stanley's Riviera return is an understandable let-down.  However, the mail is streaming in now and he's working hard as he continues to be the lead bombardier for a...

Send a text This episode (publication date: Father's Day, June 19, 2022) is Part One of Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones," from his Army Air Corps base, A-72, north of Paris, in March 1945.  March is an intense month that begins with 7 days of rest and recreation on the French Riviera in Cannes.  His HQ hotel is the Martinez for $1 per day.   He has 14.5 missions. Contact us: t...

Send a text This episode is Part Two of the Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from A-72, north of Paris,  in February 1945.  The mail & package  delivery service is much better.  Stanley reports a promotion: he's now the lead bombardier for a six-ship element.  He has nine missions. And, as we know, is just days from his silver bars as a First Lieutenant, Air Corps, in...

Send a text This episode is part one of Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones," from February 1945 at A-72 north of Paris. It's a cold winter. The King has a very recent (January 15) letter from home. The family news is good: his sister, Leona, and niece, Margie, are healthy.  Stanley's missing home, feeling far away, and happy to report that the Russians are forty miles from B...

Send a text This episode is part three of The Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from January 1945 at A-72 north of Paris. It's cold and the King is soothing the family's concerns about war-time mail service. The latest letter from home, written December 27, is filled with  Sara Belle's motherly curiosity about Stanley's early December Paris visit.  Contact u...

Send a text This episode is the second of Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones," from January 1945, at A-72, north of Paris. The King is effusive with grateful words about a fresh cable from his parents for the new year.  Our humble warrior wants his family to know how important their support is for his work. As a bonus, he reports on the latest package filled with stationery, cigarette...

Send a text This episode (published on Memorial Day: May 30th, 2022) is the first of The Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from January 1945 in northern France.  It's winter, bitter cold, with blizzards and mud.  When Stanley's not flying he's sitting near the fire in his room, reading, writing and playing bridge. The holiday season and his unit's liquor rat...

Send a text This is episode is part three in Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones," from A-72, north of Paris, during December 1944.  The weather is brutal, the Battle of the Bulge rages, and the 597th flies air support for the Army's ground war. He and his fellow warriors feel good about their work.  It's just before xmas and the King has received a sturdy box of goodies from...

Send a text This episode continues Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones," from A-72, north of Paris. It's mid-December 1944.  He's returned from Paris with vivid descriptions that he shares with his family.  The mail is all packages (important food) and no letters.  He's hoping for more news about the growing Bernstein family. His sister, Leona, has a new baby girl: Margi...

Send a text This episode is the first of The Silver King's letters, "Dearest One," from Europe in December 1944.  Stanley has the news about his new niece, Margie Bernstein.  And, he's preparing for his first trip to Paris. The surprise German counter attack in mid-December (Battle of the Bulge) will have Stanley's unit flying hard and often.  He will fly two missions on C...

Send a text This is the third episode in The Silver King's letters from Europe in November 1944.  It's almost December and he reports on recent letters from Birmingham and Chicago. His sister Leona, who wrote a recent letter, is expecting her second child and the King is anxious for news. Stanley's war is real as he writes about mail service, food requests, liquor rations and cigare...

Send a text This episode is the second part of The Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from Europe in mid-November 1944.  Stanley's war is real now as combat missions begin from A-72, north of Paris.  The 597th squadron is flying from a just-abandoned German airfield.  He's happy to report that the mail from home is finally reaching his new APO.  However, the requests c...

Send a text This episode is the first of Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones," in November 1944, from A-72, north of Paris.  The Silver King saw Germany for the first time on November 5, 1944.  A night mission with clear skies and no enemy encounters, Stanley delivered his first bombing payload over Homburg.  The New York Times published a brief story about the mission on Monday, Novem...

Send a text This episode of "Dearest Ones," (published on Stanley's 99th birthday: April 23, 1923) includes The Silver King's thoughtful and thorough letters from A-72, north of Paris, in late October 1944.  He's bunking with six officers, sleeping late, eating well, playing baseball, waiting for his bags and mail, requesting goodies from home, and hoping the weather will...

Send a text This episode continues Stanley's "Dearest Ones," the letters he wrote to his family throughout the Second World War.  It's mid-October 1944 as he reaches his bomb group at A-72, north of Paris.   The Germans occupied the air field weeks before The Silver King's arrival.  He's in the Ninth Air Force, assigned to the 397th Bombardment Group, 597th Bombardmen...

Send a text This episode begins The Silver King's war writing, "Dearest Ones,"  from Europe.  Our hero, Stanley Silverfield, The Silver King, wrote hundreds of letters to family and friends in Birmingham, Baton Rouge, Chicago and New York City, throughout his Second World War. The Europe letters start as Stanley, a Second Lieutenant in the U. S. Army Air Corps, describes a comfortab...

Send a text This bonus episode is an historic overview of The Cunard Line's RMS (Royal Mail Ship) Queen Mary.   The Silver King, Second Lieutenant Stanley L. Silverfield, rode this ocean liner to his war in late September 1944.  His POE was New York harbor's Brooklyn Terminal.  Stanley wrote effusively about this Atlantic crossing.  He enjoyed the simple pleasures of life as an Air Corps...

Send a text This episode is the third arc summary for The Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from Columbia Army Air Base in South Carolina and Barksdale Army Air Base in Shreveport, Louisiana.  Stanley was flying on the B-17 and B-25 for advanced bomber training.  Just before shipment to his POE for the European Theater of Operations, he was moved to Barksdale Field for new, adv...

Send a text This episode concludes The Silver King's letters, "Dearest Ones," from Barksdale Army Air Base in Shreveport, Louisiana. The flying hours are intense as the bombardiers push to complete their work before shipment to their Port of Embarkation in New York harbor.  Stanley is ready for his role in the European Theater of Operations. First, however, the big city awaits our h...

Send a text This is the second episode of Stanley's letters, "Dearest Ones," from Barksdale Army Air Base in Shreveport, Louisiana.   The Silver King continues his training to fly the B-26 in Europe. " It's hot as hell," tough to sleep, and the swimming pool offers relief.  The country club days are done. His commanding officer has timely advice for this young air cad...