2nd Lt.

Nathan Herschel "Mike" Mazer

Ordnance Officer (MOS 4532 - Aviation Ordnance Officer)

28 December 1942 – 21 May 1945

544th Bomb Squadron

384th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

Serial Number: O-1551902

Missions credited - 5 (official records)

Nathan Mazer was born 11 March 1911 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was one of four children. Nathan graduated from high school and was a skilled athlete in track and field, boxing, and baseball.

Mazer's military career began in July of 1941 when he joined the United States Army. There, he trained on North American AT–6 trainers as an aerial gunner. Later, he flew B-25 sub-patrol missions as a sergeant bombardier, and eventually he was inducted into Officer's Candidate School.

Mazer passed his schooling and commissioned a Lieutenant. He was one of the first to be assigned to the 384th Bomb Group and was assigned to the group on 28 December 1942 as an Ordnance Officer.

On 12 April 1943, Mazer was commissioned a First Lieutenant.

Mazer's role as an Ordnance Officer involved briefing gunners, stocking, unloading, issuing, and storing bombs for aircraft. This role also involved maintenance work and unloading bombs at Grafton Underwood's Bomb Dump.

Although Mazer was not an airman, he flew several missions over France, Germany, and Norway. He earned combat credit for 5 of those missions where he served as an observer, passenger, and waist gunner. Overall, 2nd Lt. Mazer is reported to have submitted 17 requests to fly, with many of them being refused. It's widely assumed that he flew many other missions unofficially for which there are no records, indeed this is confirmed in a speech given by his one time Commanding Officer, Col. Dale O. Smith - "He never got caught flying, he was the greatest stowaway in the history of the 8th Air Force". 2nd Lt. Mazer is mentioned several times in Smith's excellent autobiography, "Screaming Eagle - Memoirs of a B-17 Group Commander" - it is clear Smith held him in extremely high regard, and trusted him implicitly. This is maybe one of the reasons that many flight requests were turned down, as his experience and understanding was vital to the Group.

On one of 2nd Lt. Mazer's 'unofficial' missions onboard B-17F Broadway Rose on 16th November 1943, the aircraft ran out of fuel and the pilot, Capt. James Meritt, had to land at RAF Catfoss, a Royal Air Force station (although note on photo states RAF Manston, records state Catfoss). The entire crew had to spend the night away from their home base at Grafton Underwood. When 2nd Lt. Mazer returned to Grafton Underwood the next day, his beloved dog, Dempsey, had been stolen, never to be seen again.

2nd Lt. Mazer was Jewish and since religion was designated on soldiers' dog tags, his friends gave him the nickname "Mike O' Mazer" and made him a new set of tags that designated his religion as Catholic should he be shot down over occupied territory, hopefully hiding his true religion and avoiding any subsequent repercussions.

2nd Lt. Mazer was a courageous man and well-respected by everyone in the 384th Bomb Group. He was such a great role model that the aircraft Fightin' Hebe (B-17G # 42-98000) was named after him and his fighting spirit. 

He had a brilliant mind and engineered and installed an experimental chin turret for the B-17, West End. The chin turret featured six 50 calibre machine guns that could be controlled by the pilot. This new addition to West End proved successful and served in many combat missions. West End later crash-landed at a Royal Air Force field on its 27th combat mission as a result of extensive flak damage.

For his time with the 384th alone, 2nd Lt. Mazer was awarded the Air Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster. He was also awarded the Bronze Star for Valor for his heroic actions diffusing a live bomb that fell from a B-17 onto the landing area. During the fall, the bomb's fuse was damaged, leaving the firing pin exposed. 2nd Lt. Mazer called for a Jeep and gently cradled the bomb as he drove it back to the ordnance shop where he safely diffused it. He did not receive an award for this until forty years later when he ran into his former commanding officer.

After WWII, Mazer remained in the United States Air Force and also served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. During the course of his distinguished career, Mazer served in leadership roles in the Air Force Attaché in Turkey and Norway, a B-36 wing of the Strategic Air Command at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, and he also served in the first active Minuteman Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. Nathan Mazer retired as a Colonel on 31 May 1964.

After retiring, Nathan Mazer served in many roles for the Air Force Association, including Vice President, National Secretary and Director, and Director Emeritus. Nathan Mazer was also a proud member of the Jewish War Veterans of America.

Nathan Mazer lived to be 95, and he rests in honour at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. 

Research courtesy of Mikayla Leech on behalf of 384^th Bombardment Group Museum.

With kind thanks to the 384th Bomb Group website (384thbombgroup.com) for permission in using material from their records in the making of this story. It holds a wealth of information, documents and photographs of their activities during World War 2.