Russell Gackenbach was born and raised in Allentown PA, and attended local schools. In 1941, he was employed as an inspector of bomb and shell casings at Bethlehem Steel Company in Bethlehem, PA.
He enlisted as a private in the Army Aviation Cadet Program and was called to active duty on January 30, 1943. He had basic training at Miami Beach, FL. After completing navigation training at Pan American Airways at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, FL, he received a commission as a second lieutenant and wings as a navigator on February 12, 1944. After a short assignment at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, he was transferred to Boca Raton Air Force Base. There he pursued courses in radar bombing.
On July 6, 1944, he was assigned to the 504th Bomb Group at Fairmont Air Force Base, NE. There he was assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron. He became navigator-radar operator for crew B-10 flying B-17s. During September, the entire 393rd Bomb Squad was transferred to Wendover Air Force Base, UT and transitioned to the new B-29s.
At Wendover, the training was under tight security for a specialized project, later known by the codename, ‘Silverplate’. The B-29s were modified, and the Central Fire Control System, except for the tail guns, were removed. In December, the 393rd Bomb Squad became the nucleus of the 509th Composite Group.
On January 10, 1945, crew B-10 was placed on several weeks temporary duty at Batista Field, Cuba for over water flight training. In Cuba, training was concentrated on improving navigation and bombing capabilities, both in the daytime and at night. Simulated combat missions were also added to the schedule. In April 1945, new factory-modified planes were received. During this extensive training period, special 10,000 pound bombs called, “pumpkins” were dropped.
After training in the US was completed in June, the 509th was transferred to Tinian in the Mariana Islands. At the new base some additional specialized training was completed before participating in local raids on Japan. The secretive and specialized training finally culminated in the atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
He was navigator in the photographic plane, Necessary Evil, on the Hiroshima mission and the weather plane, Enola Gay, over Kokura, during the Nagasaki mission. He received the Air Medal for participation in the Hiroshima mission. He was discharged from the Army Air Force as a 1st lieutenant in April 1946.
After discharge, he entered Lehigh University in Bethlehem PA, and in 1950 received a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering. He was employed as a materials-corrosion engineer for a large chemical-pharmaceutical firm in New Jersey for 35 years and retired in 1985 as principal materials engineer. He served as a consultant for 10 years before he moved to Melbourne, FL.
He is survived by his daughters Carol Jarosz(Thomas) and Janis Riley(Michael) and grandson Michael Patrick.
Arrangements will be handled by Florida Memorial Funeral Home, Rockledge, FL.
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