Remembering WW II pilot J. Howard Dise

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: Easton, Talbot, Maryland, United States

Surname/tag: Dise

Profile manager: Jerimee Richir

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EASTON He was that calm, mild-mannered presence behind the counter at Watkins Auto Supply for as long as anyone could remember.

He could help customers with their auto parts, but his real job at the auto supply store was keeping the books. He was a reserved, placid, peaceful fellow, and you would never guess, looking at J. Howard Dise, that he flew a B17 Flying Fortress 51 times over Italy, Romania, Yugoslavia and Austria, dropping bombs on the enemy in World War l1. Dise is one of several Talbot County heroes who are being showcased in a special World War II exhibit at the Talbot County Historical Society now through September. Five weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, J. Howard Dise found himself sitting in a chair, taking the exam at the Easton Armory for enrollment in the "flying cadet class." He was 21 years old and had been quietly working as a clerk in the Elmer Fox clothing store in the town's business district. Easton had turned out to be a pretty interesting place for Dise. Another sales clerk working on Washington Street had caught his eye. Margaret Lomax worked in her uncle Calvin Lomax's jewelry store where Crackerjacks is now. It was inevitable that they would get to know one another. She became a war bride in 1942, marrying Dise before he went to Europe.

Dise apparently scored pretty well on the flying cadet exam. By the next year, he had become part of the 99th Bombardment Group of the 15th Air Force, which moved to Algeria in May 1943. From there, the 99th distinguished themselves, flying bombing missions over targets in Italy, Sicily and Sardinia. By December of that year, aircrew bases had moved again and were conducting missions throughout Europe.

In terms of war, the ife of a B17 crew member was probably about as dangerous as it could get. Prior to 1944, a crewman's tour of duty was set at 25 missions. It is estimated that the average crewman had only a one in four chance of actually completing that tour of duty, according to eyewitnesstohistory.com. In April 1944, Dise was involved in a particularly treacherous mission to bomb the WienerNeustadt Aircraft Factory in Austria, concentrating on the Fluggen Fabrick Work portion of the plant, according to documents. It was known to be part of a complex that produced German Messerschmitt fighter aircraft. On April 23, Dise's B17 Flying Fortress, which was nicknamed the "Rabid Rabbit" after Bugs Bunny, was one of 36 B17s that took off for Wiener Neustadt. They were heavily loaded with "maximum bomb tonnage," according to the unit citation which was issued later. Approaching the target, they remained in tight formation, according to the account, despite the fact that they were "attacked by 25 highly aggressive single and twin engine enemy fighters" firing rockets, cannon and machine guns to break up the formation. They were also fired upon by about 100 enemy antiaircraft guns from below, according to the account. "The gallant crews battled their way through the enemy fire, bringing their damaged aircraft over the target for a highly successful bombing run," the citation read. "they maintained a compact formation, dropping their bombs in a well concentrated pattern in the immediate target area, scoring numerous direct hits and destroying many buildings." There were also five enemy aircraft demolished on the ground and three damaged.

Every one of the 36 B17s made it back to the base, according to the account, although an amazing 31 of them were riddled with flak and bullet holes.

The mission was considered highly successful, and an ireparable blow had been dealt to the enemy, crippling their single engine fighter plane production, the citation read.

For Dise, it was probably one of his most memorable missions, but he flew in 50 more, double the average number for a B17 crew member and surviving through tremendous odds. A page from his list of combat missions shows him flying from March to July 1944 nearly every day or every other day to bomb targets in Yugoslavia, Italy, Germany and Austria. Most of the bombing raids lasted for over seven hours, according to the log. In the course of his service, Dise became flight commander and pilot instructor, was awarded the Air Medal, four Oak Leak Clusters for meritorious achievement, the Unit Citation Badge for outstanding performance and two Bronze Service Stars. He ended the war as a lieutenant in the Army Air Force. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, as Allied forces invaded northern France by landing on the beach in Normandy, Dise and his crew were tied up transferring "high officials" of the U.S. government to Russia.

His daughter, Monica Dise Kelly, said that when he came home, he briefly worked as a painter for his uncle, then got a job at Watkins Auto Supply, which grew to operate at four locations. He was the accountant for the company, mainly working out of the main location at the head of Goldsborough Street in the business district, she said. He worked there until his death in 1985.

"He was just very quiet," Kelly said. "He quietly came out of this clothing store, went off to war for 2 and a half years, came back and sat behind a desk, and just kind of picked up where he left off."

After the war, she and her three younger brothers were born.

Dise became a commander at the Easton V.EW. in the 1950s and enjoyed activities as a veteran. He looked forward to watching sports with his favorite teams being the Orioles and the Baltimore Colts before they moved. He liked fishing with his three sons.

Dise would talk about his war experiences, Kelly said, but he wouldn't be the one to bring it up. She said they would go through his war scrapbook and he would answer questions if she asked.

She said Dise kept in touch with the "Rabid Rabbit's" tail gunner, Gentry Holmes, in the years after the war. Holmes and his wife live in Washington, D.C., came to visit Dise, and have come to visit Kelly. Kelly said talking to them has made her think of "a hundred questions" she wished she could ask her father now. After the war, Dise learned the "Rabid Rabbit" was fiown to Colorado and scrapped. Kelly said that with 51 missions, there ought to be a movie made about the "Rabid Rabbit." "After all, they made a movie about the 'Memphis Belle,' and that plane only got 25," Kelly said.

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James Howard Dise (1921-1985)
- Daughter: Monica (Dise) Kelly

Remembering WW II pilot J. Howard Dise

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