World War II vet narrowly avoided flight on ill-fated bomber

Plans for a simple lunch date proved incredibly lucky Monday morning for World War II veteran Ira Weinstein of Glencoe.

Weinstein, 92, and his grandson, Max, were supposed to be among those aboard the restored B-17 bomber that made an emergency landing Monday morning in an Oswego farm field and then burst into flames.

All seven people aboard escaped and only one minor injury was reported.

“I’m damn glad I wasn’t on it,” Weinstein said Monday afternoon. “I’ve lived my whole life that way. I’ve been lucky my whole life.”

Weinstein said he and his grandson initially planned to ride in the Liberty Foundation’s World War II “Liberty Belle” bomber last week, but the flight from the Aurora Municipal Airport in Sugar Grove was canceled due to “problems with one of the engines.”

On Saturday Weinstein was notified the aircraft had been repaired and was offered another opportunity for a ride Monday morning.

Weinstein and his grandson ultimately decided to forego the two hour-plus car ride to Aurora for the flight.

“We were not anxious to go,” he said. “The next thing I know, the phone rang and it was my son-in-law asking if it was the same plane Max and I were supposed to be on.”

Weinstein, a bombardier who flew in B-24 Liberators during World War II, took an unassigned mission on Sept. 27, 1944, so he could make it home for his wife’s birthday on Christmas Day.

On the brink of completing 25 missions, Weinstein was shot down over Germany by Luftwaffe planes and taken as a prisoner of war.

Turned over by the mayor of the German town Nentershausen to Luftwaffe forces instead of the SS, who likely would have killed him because he is Jewish, Weinstein eventually was able to return to his home in the U.S.

During his time in the military Weinstein said he saw countless planes crash “in and out of the air” and is immensely impressed with the skill of the B-17 pilot who put the “Liberty Belle” down in the field.

“I can only tell you he did an amazing job to get that plane on the ground and those people out of there,” Weinstein said.

After hearing the news Weinstein said he has no plans to schedule another ride. He says his wife already has made it clear he won’t be going on any more World War II planes.

“And I think she’s right,” Weinstein said.