Site Information & FAQ

Website Genesis

Marc Poole, while a student at Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, established the website in 1999. Marc was motivated by the wartime experiences of his Uncle, Johnny Butler, who was a 547th Bomb Squadron pilot during Summer 1943. See Marc's original introduction page HERE⇗ (a real "blast from the past").

In 2004, Marc turned over operation of the site to Fred Preller, whose father was a 546th Bomb Squadron co-pilot in Summer 1944.

Staff Volunteers Include:

• Cindy Farrar Bryan, Author, Researcher. Her father George Edwin Farrar was a Waist Gunner on the Buslee Crew. He was the sole survivor of that crew when they were involved in a mid-air collision on the 28 September 1944 mission to Magdeburg, Germany, becoming a POW for the remainder of the war. Email Cindy Bryan
• John Edwards, 384th Bomb Group Heritage Association Historian and Research Director. John is an aviation researcher who, thru friendships with 384th Veterans, formed a bond with the 384th family. Email John Edwards
• Keith Ellefson, Researcher, Website Editor. Keith's Uncle Raymond Orlando Wisdahl flew 35 missions as a Ball Turret Gunner with the 384th. Keith has taken a serious interest in data validity and completeness. Email Keith Ellefson
• Janis Engwer, Website Editor. Jan's father, Donald Leroy Engwer, was a Ball Turret Gunner in the 544th Bomb Squadron from October 1943 to April 1944. He flew 27 credited combat missions including one that ended with a ditching in the North Sea. Email Jan Engwer
• Phil Hettel, Researcher. Phil's Uncle Joseph George Rachunas flew 25 combat missions primarily as a tail gunner with the 384th, was shot down and became a POW on his last mission. Email Phil Hettel
• Mark Meehl, 384th Bomb Group Heritage Association Archivist, Researcher. Mark's father Paul E Meehl served as a 384th ground Crew Chief from early 1943 thru the end of the war. Mark specializes in ground personnel, and also maintains the master log of all combat sorties. Email Mark Meehl
• Marc Poole, 384thBombGroup.com Webmaster Emeritus, founder of the original 384th website. His uncle, Johnny Addison Butler, was a 547th Pilot until shot down in September 1943, but evaded capture and escaped to Switzerland. Marc now serves in an advisory capacity, with occasional forays into research. Email Marc Poole
• Fred Preller, 384thBombGroup.com Administrator. Fred tries to keep all the pieces of the website working smoothly together, but occasionally breaks things. His father Robert Henry Preller was a 546th BS Co-pilot from May to September 1944. Email Fred Preller
• And - all who contribute materials, suggestions, and who report factual errors and website problems.

I also would like to mention that, while Marc Poole is not an active website staff member, I continue to be grateful for his effort and his vision. We do, however, call on him from time-to-time to consult and provide updated graphics. And, not to put too fine a point on the importance of Marc's contributions, I just want to note in passing that the website he established as a one-man part-time operation as a student now requires a staff of five "part-time" volunteers to maintain. I'm just sayin'...

... leading naturally to ...

ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME! If you have an interest in helping to preserve the heritage of the 384th, whether you are a computer whiz or not, there are tasks in the (overflowing) Official 384thBombGroup.com Job Jar to suit all capabilities. To inquire about opportunities, just click on the Webmaster email button at the bottom of the page.

Fair Use Policy

All materials on this site are intended for unrestricted private use. Please copy and use as needed to compile a Veteran's memory book, or to support your WWII research. If you wish to incorporate anything from this site in a mass market commercial product, or post it on-line in any form, please request authorization in advance. Be aware that copyright may be retained by the original contributor, so that additional time may be needed to secure clearance.

Acknowledgement

In all instances of approved use, the following statement (or its equivalent) should be placed near the copyright content:
"Source: 384thBombGroup.com" and document acknowledgements should credit “The 384th Bomb Group Heritage Association (https://384thBombGroup.com)”.

Privacy Policy

This website does not collect personal information on visitors. If you contribute information, your contact information is retained with your contribution - it is not made available to others without your explicit advance consent.

Website Questions

• Why is the page I am trying to view displaying error messages, or is all scrambled up? We have not implemented an effective isolated test environment for website changes, so when changes are being made on existing pages during routine maintenance or periodic upgrades, we need to upload the changed page to the server to test it out. Sometimes the modifications are not done exactly right, and this shows up as something rong on the page in question. When that happens, we diagnose the error and correct it as quickly as possible. This usually takes a couple of minutes, so if you see something rong it will probably be fixed quickly. Then all you have to do is reload the page. However, if you see a problem that persists for more than a few minutes - let's say 10 minutes - please let the webmaster know by sending a message using the email button at the bottom of any (working) page.
• Can I copy the information on the website? Yes, you can copy any information on the website - if you intend it for personal/family use, such as in a veteran's memory book or as a record in an on-going research effort.
• Can I copy information and post in on my own website? No - the preferred way to do this is to put a link on a page on your website to the page on this site that contains the information in question. If you have a special requirement in this regard, please contact the Webmaster using the email button below to discuss your need.
• Is commercial use of information from this website permitted? Yes - but only with specific prior authorization by the Webmaster (email button below). Note also that rights to some website content are retained by the contributor, and permission must be obtained from them: the Webmaster will provide all necessary assistance.
• Is the website complete? In a word: no. And it will likely never be. Some information simply does not exist, and some is privately held by people who don't know this site needs it.
• Why isn't "so-and-so" listed in the personnel database? Personnel are added as documentation becomes available and as time permits. You are welcome to contribute whatever information you know about a 384th Veteran. Just visit the Personnel Search page and download the "Personnel Database Questionnaire."
• Can I contribute materials, documents, artifacts, photographs, and/or stories to the website? Yes. Please contact the Webmaster (email button below). Materials will be converted to digital images and displayed on the website, with appropriate identification and linkage to personnel and events. All materials will be returned to the contributor, or, if requested, transferred to the 384th Bomb Group Archives.
• How accurate/complete is the information presented on the website? All information is as accurate and complete as sources, practicality and time permit. Most personnel database information has been confirmed by consulting multiple sources. But every data item is entered by manual means, so transcription errors are relatively common and errors do occur...
• What should I do if I notice a factual error on the website? Please report all such errors to the Webmaster (email button below), along with the source of your conflicting information.
• How do I request a new feature or capability for the website? Just send a message to the webmaster, using the email button at the bottom of any page.

This 'n That

• How do I find/meet 384th people? First of all, you are encouraged to become a member of the 384th Bomb Group Heritage Association (visit 384TH BGHA⇒Membership⇗). As a member, you will receive the quarterly newsletter and other communications. You will also be added to the membership roster with other members. A link to the "384TH BOMB GROUP HERITAGE ASSOCIATION" on Facebook can be found at the bottom of every page.
• Where can I buy 384th Bomb Group (H) memorabilia? While this website is non-commercial, the 384th Bomb Group Heritage Association offers various items on the 384TH BGHA⇒Marketplace/PX page⇗.

Technical Stuff

• Why is the date displayed on the home page incorrect? This is especially true for early risers in Europe, because the date is calculated based on a clock/calendar in the USA Pacific Time Zone, and is adjusted for Daylight Saving Time. I would guess that website visitors in the Far East practically always see the rong date. Until a reliable means of automatically determining your time zone becomes available, this condition will persist. Additionally, note that the date displayed on the home page does not update automatically: you will have to refresh the page to get it to update. Automatic homepage date update at midnight (server time) was implemented in December 2018.
• Should I use Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, or whatever other browser you customarily use, to view this website? Any browser you normally use should work just fine. Please report any problem you experience when using the website to the Webmaster (link below), and be sure to mention what device and browser, including version and operating system, you are using.
• Minimum Browser Window Width? Pages on this website now require a minimum browser window width of 900 pixels. Isn't that interesting? All that means is that if some of the content on the right side of a page runs off the browser window, just drag your browser window a bit wider, until the all content is visible, or just maximize the window size. To some degree, the site is responsive to mobile device size; you may need to rotate the device for better viewing.
• Minimum Browser Window Width For The Photo Gallery? The Photo Gallery has its own rules. It is implemented using a standard software package (Piwigo), meaning the webmaster has little control over the amount of space it requires for proper display. The effect and the solution are the same as for the website: drag your browser window a bit wider, until all the content is visible, or just maximize the window size. The good news, however, is that the gallery is implemented with a "responsive" template that should give good results on small devices, such as phones and tablets.

Standards & Consistency

We believe it is our responsibility to make the site easily usable by all visitors. One technique we use in pursuit of this goal is to have consistency in presentation of information, and in the way the site behaves. Listed below are some of the standards we apply to achieve this goal.

• Page Layout: Every page (except the "Sortie Report" and "Personal War Service Record" pages) uses the same layout design, including placement and function of the top menu, header, and footer.
• Color Scheme: Pages dealing strictly with the historical record of the 384th Bomb Group (and the necessary administration functions) use the "Blue on Blue" color palette as you see on this page. All pages related to the activities and functions of the 384th Bomb Group Heritage Association, the postwar organization started by the Veterans themselves, use the "Khaki and Olive Drab" color palette. Pages relating to activities in the UK - the Museum, for instance - use the "UK Flag" color palette (mostly red, white, and blue, with cream shaded backgrounds).
• Top Menu Standards:
  • UPPERCASE vs. Title Case: A menu item with a label in all uppercase will have a dropdown "Topic" menu, while a menu item with a Title Case label (initial caps only) will only open the selected page.
  • Page Opening Cue: While most of the pages accessed from the Top Menu will be opened within the same browser window, some will be directed to a new tab or window. That condition will be signified by the appearance of the ⇗ symbol following the link.
  • Page Opening Tip: If a link label does not clearly identify some aspect of the information or function of the link, we will provide additional information in a small box that will appear when you hover your cursor over it.
• Links on Pages:
  • Page Opening Cue: Some of the pages accessed from within a website page will be opened within the same browser window, while others will be directed to a new tab or window. That condition will be signified by the appearance of the ⇗ symbol following the link.
  • File Download Cue: We also use the ⇓ symbol following a link that downloads a file. Whether it opens within your browser tab or window, or is merely downloaded and stored on your file system is dependent on your browser settings.
  • Page Opening Tip: If a link label does not clearly identify some aspect of the information or function of the link, we will provide additional information in a small box that will appear when you hover your cursor over it.

Please note that some pages may not fulfill these standards due to the evolutionary nature of the website. If you notice such an instance, please don't hesitate to let us know; use the Webmaster email button at the bottom of that page.