Henry S. Mirrow (Hank) entered service shortly after Dec... 7 like most American men.  He tried to get into the navy flight training however they turned him down due to his eyesight but the Air Corp took him.  He went to basic training in Boca Raton Florida and then went to flight training where he washed out due to severe vertigo. So the Army Air Corp sent him to Yale University where he when to aircraft maintenance engineering qualifying as an aeronautical engineer. Hank went over to Burtonwood where he was assigned to HQ of the 401^st AD  his function was an Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Officer. Second Lt. Mirrow was soon advanced in rank to 1^st. Lt. and became one of the bases ground safety officers and he remained at this post for the balance of his service.  He got the opportunity to travel all over the U.K. visiting other air bases and instructing the ground and air crews on safety issues.  He went as a ride along on a combat mission his first but not last trip to Germany .  Shortly after VE day he was sent to Berlin where he and his associates were attacked by Hitler youth gangs. The officers had to pull out their issued side arms to fend off the gang and were given commendations for their efforts. Not many air men were able to get a Bronze Star that was reserved for ground combat troops.  Hank stayed at Burtonwood at a time that he said was totally sad, the destruction of all of their aircraft. They took bulldozers with cables attached looped them around the fuselage of a plane and pulled, it just cut them in half and off to the scrap yard they went.  That was disarmament.  Hank returned home to Chicago in the spring of 46.  Got married to my mom and had my sister and then me. He passed away when I was young so many of the stories I heard are just recollections but we have the photos of Burtonwood, Warrington, London, and other places he went to confirm the history. 

 

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