Stanley Mazeika graduated from Nashua High School, Class of 1937. In high school, he had a nickname – “Shooky” because he never sat still. The inscription in his yearbook states, “…his constant activity made the teachers wonder whether or not he could be still, or if he had to be up to some deviltry.” Deviltry or not, throughout 3 years, 1 month, and 7 days of active military service, doing a job with a high mortality rate, “Shooky” managed to avoid being seriously hurt. But in the spring of 1944, he came close.

It was April 29, 1944. Ball turret gunner, Staff Sergeant Stanley Mazeika was on mission #15, a bombing run over Berlin. The target: a railroad station. Their job: drop fifty-one, 100lb incendiary bombs to destroy the station. As they approached the target, flak started splattering all around them. Mazeika wrote in his journal: “Was hit by flak on way to target. Flak went thru steel helmet and in head. Helmet sure saved my life. Was in hospital 2 days because of wound.” Their B-24 sustained 10 flak holes… Mazeika received one helmet hole… and a Purple Heart.

From the time he got to England in February 1944, (possibly before) until May 28, 1944, Mazeika served in the Eighth Air Force, 20th Wing Group, 448th Bombardment Group, 715th Squadron, based in England. He apparently flew on at least on a couple different planes, a B-24H and B-24J 

Mazeika had an MOS of 748; a Military Occupational Specialty or job description described as Flight Maintenance Gunner. This role involved assisting the pilot in operating a multiple-engine plane, maintaining mechanical functioning, firing aerial guns in combat, and making limited repair in flight. Additionally, the Mechanic-Gunner was responsible for noting readings of engine and navigation instruments, reporting any malfunctions, and transferring fuel as needed to maintain balance of the airplane. 

While stationed in England, Mazeika flew the following:

• 7 missions in February 1944
• 10 missions in March 1944
• 10 missions in April 1944
• 1 mission in May 1944

During his time with the 448th, Mazeika kept a log of his missions. The following are a few of the more poignant excerpts:

Mission #1

• Place: Tours, France
• Target: Airfield and Hangers
• Date: Feb 5, 1944
• Light flak
• No fighters
• No holes in ship
• 10 – 500lb bombs

Mission #2

• Place: Pas De Calais, France
• Target: Rocket Gun Emplacements
• Date: Feb 13, 1944
• Very heavy flak
• No fighters
• 36 holes in ship
• 10 – 500lb bombs
• 2 engines knocked out by flak (#1 and #3)
• Came home with 2 engines

Mission #4

• Place: Berlin Germany
• Target: Aircraft factory
• Date: March 6, 1944
• Heavy flak
• Saw one enemy fighter
• 3 holes in ship
• 52-100lb bombs

(Author’s Note: It’s not surprising seeing heavy flak around an aircraft factory. And by this time, the Luftwaffe was pretty thin so not surprising to see only one German fighter.)

Mission #6

• Place: Fredrichshaven, Germany (on Swiss border)
• Target: Plane factory and airfield
• Date: March 16, 1944
• Moderate flak
• No enemy fighters
• 5 holes in ship
• 52-100lb incendiary bombs

Once again, American flyers were seeing less and less German fighters going into 1944. Germany had lost a lot of planes and most importantly, most of their experienced pilots. Not to mention a severe shortage of fuel.

Mission #9

• Place: Ludwigshaven, Germany
• Target: Chemical factory
• Date: April 1, 1944
• Moderate flak
• No enemy fighters
• No holes in ship
• 6-1000lb demo bombs

Almost ran out of gas over channel. Prepared ditching by throwing guns and all other loose articles overboard. Made England OK and landed at English base with no gas in tanks.

Mission #10

• Place: Brunswick, Germany
• Target: Aircraft factory
• Date: April 8, 1944
• Very heavy flak, rockets and arial bombs. Saw about 30 enemy fighters. Were attacked by two.
• 35 holes in ship.
• 10-500lb demo bombs

Mission #15

• Place: Berlin Germany
• Target: Railroad station
• Date: April 29, 1944
• Heavy flak
• Approx 30 German fighters
• 10 holes in ship
• 52-100lb incendiary bombs

Was hit by flak on way to target. Flak went thru steel helmet and in head. Helmet sure saved my life. Attacked by about 30 ME109’s. Bombardier got one. Was in hospital two days because of wound.

Then, on May 28, 1944 – S/Sgt Mazeika transferred from the Eighth Air Force to the 15th Air Force, 459th Bomber Group, 758th Bomb Squadron, 20th Bombardment Wing. The15th Air Force served the Mediterranean Theater and was operated from bases in southern Italy conducting strategic bombing campaigns in Germany, Italy, France and other countries.

The 459th Bombardment Group was constituted on 19 May 1943 and activated for combat on 1 July 1943 utilizing B-24 bombers. The 459th moved to Italy during Jan-Feb 1944 and assigned to the 15th Air Force. Their main focus, between March 1944 and April 1945 was strategic bombing runs on such targets as oil refineries, munitions factories, aircraft factories, industrial areas, airfields, and communications centers in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, Rumania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Greece. The group was inactivated on 18 August 1945.

While with the 15Th Air Force in Italy, Mazeika flew the following:

• 5 missions in June 1944
• 7 missions in July 1944

During his time with the 459th, Mazeika continued his mission log. The following are a few of the more poignant excerpts:

Mission #17

• Place: Vienna, Austria
• Target: oil refinery
• Date: June 16, 1944
• Intense flak
• Encountered three enemy fighters
• 10 holes in ship
• 10-500lb demo bombs
• No. 1 engine was knocked out by flak at target

Mission #20

• Place: Craious, Romania
• Target: Railroad yards
• Date: June 24, 1944
• A milk run
• No flak
• No enemy fighters
• 10-500lb demo bombs

(Author’s Note: The likely reason for this mission being a “milk run” is that everyone was busy on the Normandy coast where the allies conducted their famous D-Day landing two and a half weeks before.)

Mission #22

• Place: S.E. Germany (Odertal) (Only got as far as Hungary)
• Target: Oil refinery
• Date: June 30, 1944
• 10-500lb demo bombs
• Didn’t get to target because of heavy clouds
• Enemy planes dropped steel nets on us to foul our propellers 

(Author’s Note: Sgt Mazeika didn’t say if the steel nets worked or not so we must assume that the nets never entangled their propellers.)

Mission #23

• Place: Budapest, Hungary
• Target: Railroad yards
• Date: July 2, 1944
• Moderate to heavy flak
• No enemy fighters
• 2 holes in ship
• 16-250lb demo bombs

A piece of flak went thru our left tire. When landing at home base, ship ran off the runway and into a hay field.

Mission #27

• Place: Odertal, Germany
• Target: Synthetic oil plant
• Date: July 7, 1944
• Heavy and accurate flak
• About 5 enemy fighters
• 1 hole in ship
• 40- 100lb incendiary bombs
• Flew over part of Poland today.

Mission #34 (Last mission in Mazeika’s log)

• Place: Avignon, France
• Target: Railroad bridge
• Date: July 17, 1944
• Moderate and accurate flak
• No enemy fighters
• No holes in ship
• 10-500lb demo bombs

Mazeika’s total missions add up to 40. Perhaps some were not combat missions because he was credited with 32 combat missions, two missions more than was needed to be discharged. However, while he was with the 15th Air Force, he received what appears to be another Citation and a third Oak Leaf Cluster for his participation in Aerial Combat. It also notes that he was engaged in 50 missions over enemy territory. Regardless of the number of combat missions he actually flew, he was extremely lucky not to be shot down. The loss rate for military personnel in the Army Air Force was the highest of any military branch. There were over 8,000 US heavy bombers lost over Europe. Consider also that each bomber carried a crew of ten men.

Mazeika was awarded the following:

• Marksman – Pistol
• Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
• Purple Heart
• European, African, Middle Eastern, Theater Campaign Ribbons

Service Schools Attended:

• Engine Mechanic – 15 weeks – Miami, FL
• Aerial Gunnery – 6 weeks – Laredo, TX

After the war, Mazeika went to work at Nashua Corporation starting August 23, 1950 as a winding machine operator in the Coating Division.  Eventually, he became a fully qualified coating machine operator. He was appointed Acting Foreman in April, 1958 and assumed his duties as a Third Shift Foreman in March 1959. In his career at Nashua Corporation, he became a member of the Nashua Corporation’s Foremen’s Association, The Triangle Club, and the Nashua Industrial Management Club.

Working in the Coating Division exposed Mazeika to a number of industrial chemicals at a time before the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Or he might have been exposed to asbestos somewhere else in the facility. Either way, Mazeika fell very sick, contracting lung cancer/mesothelioma.  His mesothelioma diagnosis was quite obvious on his VA hospital records. Unfortunately, and for whatever reason, the claim for his class action lawsuit was never recognized or paid. Staff Sergeant Stanley Mazeika died a young man at only 56 years old on November 27, 1977; two weeks before his only grandson Shawn was born.

In a parting statement, daughter Patty St. Laurent noted, “Trying to find something else to say about my father is tough. It was so long ago and he has been gone a long time. What I remember is, both my parents were good people. I know they loved me. I was an only child so they doted on me. I was never lacking for love… or anything else I needed or wanted.”