Sgt.

Delbert P. McNasty

Mascot

544th Bomb Squadron

384th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

May 1943 - August 1943

Sgt. Delbert P. McNasty was an original crewmember of the 384th Bomb Group, 544th Bomb Squadron, and also one of the group’s mascots. He was with the 384th from their time at Salt Lake City, to Wendover, to Scribner, and eventually in England at Grafton Underwood, between May 1943 and August 1943. 

 Delbert was purchased at a petshop in Salt Lake City by 384th bombardier, 2 Lt. Robert J. Kennedy and his wife Gloria. They paid only $10 for him, but Delbert would prove to be priceless. 

 On the flight over to England, Delbert flew with 2 Lt. Kennedy, and pilot, 2 Lt. Jesse Hausenfluck, and his crew. They were Crew #3 on the 384th’s original assignment orders. 

 The flight would be at an altitude that made oxygen necessary - an issue for a puppy where no 'puppy size' oxygen mask was available. The solution - Delbert was placed in a parachute bag with an oxygen hose pumping air inside the bag. However, Delbert kept escaping from the bag and possibly was affected by the lack of oxygen at high altitudes. This was Delbert’s first and only flight, and he did not fly on any combat missions. Delbert also got "locked" in a suitcase for two days when the crew had their layover in Scotland before arriving at Grafton Underwood, to hide him away. It was thought that this and the lack of oxygen at high altitude made Delbert the character that he was. 

 At Grafton Underwood, Delbert spent his time in both the officers’ and noncommissioned officers’ headquarters. He was even afforded his own private latrine... the airmen’s shoes. He was brought before a Sergeants court-martial for his shoe-desecrating actions, for violating the 96th Article of War, “committing a public nuisance,” but he was found not guilty. He even committed the offense again, while on trial for his court-martial, and he barked the entire time, but he was nonetheless still found not guilty.  

 When Delbert wasn’t spending time with the men, or desecrating their shoes, he could often be found invading the mess hall. One day, Delbert’s mess hall invasion caused some tension between the mess officer and Delbert’s co-pilot, 2 Lt. Donald MacKenzie. The mess officer threatened to kill Delbert, so MacKenzie pulled out his .45 and threatened to kill the mess officer if he laid a hand on Delbert. Colonel Budd Peaslee calmly intervened on Delbert’s behalf, and asked the mess officer to overlook Delbert’s offense as “they were all under a lot of tension,” Delbert included. 

 Delbert’s antics didn’t stop there. He also drank a chemically-treated footbath, got quilled by a hedgehog, and even got hit by a truck, as another favorite pastime of his was sitting in the middle of the road and not moving, even when two-ton trucks were barreling towards him. The 384th’s doctors took care of him after he got hit by the truck, but they said his legs were never straight again afterwards.

 When the men would fly out on their missions, Delbert would often herd cows in a nearby field. Once, he even herded thirty cows behind the squadron orderly room and kept them there for two hours. After herding the cows, and doing his part for his country, Delbert would then head home to the barracks and wait around for his fellow crewmates to return. As soon as he heard the aircraft nearing the base, he would run out to the runway to greet them and welcome them home. 

 On the 5th of July 1943, the American flag was formally raised at Grafton Underwood, and the British troops officially handed the base over to the Americans. Royal Air Force Flight Lieutenant Bryan Cooper spoke to Colonel Budd Peaslee, saying, “From this base, American bombers struck their first blow against our common enemy. A great tradition of hard-hitting has been built up since then by American units on this field, and I am proud to have the honor of handing over the station to you, Colonel Peaslee, under whose leadership the 384th Heavy Bombardment Group has already added new lustre to that record, under the severest conditions of serial warfare.” Before Colonel Peaslee could respond, Delbert proudly spoke on his behalf and barked his thoughts on the momentous occasion. 

 After Delbert had his chance to speak, Colonel Peaslee was finally able to respond, and said, “It is indeed an honor and a privilege to accept this station in the name of my government. On behalf of the members of this station, I wish to express our appreciation for the cooperation and sincere spirit which have always been apparent in the RAF personnel here. These individuals have been of invaluable assistance and will be missed indeed. I am happy to call you friend and Ally.” Delbert sat proudly, wagging his tail in agreement. 

 Many believed that all the tragedy and loss started taking a toll on Delbert, and that war-weariness was the cause of his erratic behavior. Within the 384th’s first few days of combat, they had already lost over a hundred men, forty of whom were from Delbert’s squadron, the 544th. 

 On 17 August 1943, tragedy really hit close to home for Delbert when his original crew were shot down on a mission to Schweinfurt, Germany. 2 Lt. Jesse Hausenfluck was piloting his crew on the aircraft, "Vertical Shaft", when they were shot down by enemy aircraft and crashed in Niederheimbach, Germany. 2 Lt. Hausenfluck was Killed in Action alongside his co-pilot, 2 Lt. Donald MacKenzie. The rest of the crew survived and were taken Prisoners of Wars. The officers on the crew were sent to Stalag Luft 3, and the noncommissioned officers were sent to Stalag XVII-B, where they would spend the remainder of the war. 

 The following day, Delbert moved in with pilot, 2 Lt. Thomas Jefferson Estes, and his crew. Sadly, Delbert kept going back to the S-1 barracks where 2 Lt. Hausenfluck and his crew stayed to see if his friends had returned. 

 A week later, Delbert was adopted by a woman from the Red Cross, and never saw his friends from the 384th Bomb Group again. Delbert’s time at Grafton Underwood was short, but he left a lasting impact on all who knew him.

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 the Group’s activities during World War 2.