25. Jimmy Stewart avoided cushy gigs and deliberately sought combat
Higher ups sought to shunt Jimmy Stewart into PR and use him in bonds drives. Stewart, however, wanted to fight. After many clashes, he managed a transfer to a B-24 heavy bomber group, which joined the US Eighth Air Force in Britain in autumn of 1943. On December 13th, 1943, Stewart flew his first combat mission, piloting the lead B-24 of the group’s high squadron as they bombed U-boat facilities in Kiel, Germany. A few days later, he flew lead bomber for the entire group as it bombed Bremen. By February, 1944, Stewart had been promoted to major, and was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross. The following month, he led an entire Bomb Wing during a raid on Berlin.