Thirty Missions to Marie

This is a true story that follows Captain Edouard J. Jacques, a WWII Bombardier and Distinguished Flying Cross recipient, and his crew from childhood through thirty bombing missions over Germany with the 755th Squadron, 458 Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force from 1944 through 1945.

It’s a remembrance of ordinary men doing extraordinary feats in their quest to defeat the seemingly invincible Third Reich. Included in their stories are those they left behind — their wives, girlfriends, and family. Their stories mirror that of thousands of young Americans who served on the B-24 heavy bombers in WWII and have not had their history documented.

These are the stories of young men from Rhode Island, Utah, South Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Neumarkt, Germany. Their backgrounds are as diverse as the places from which they came. Through interviews, their stories are told, and it is apparent that while not similar in background or culture, they were similar in their strength of character and love of country. Those who are no longer with us had their stories told by those interviewed.

Those aviators who survived the war were the fortunate ones who returned home to their families, wives, girlfriends, and to a grateful nation.

The history of the battle for Europe, 1944-1945, is told in detail.

Arthur G. Capaldi is a Municipal Court Judge and practicing attorney in the town of Coventry, Rhode Island. He earned his B.A. in Political Science and History from Providence College in 1965. Judge Capaldi obtained a law degree in1968 from Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts, and began the practice of law in the same year. He has been a judge for twenty-six years. Since graduating from college, he has been a student of World War II, concentrating on the European Theatre of War. Most of his writing experience is in the field of law. He wrote many decisions for Special Education and for the Court. He is also a lifelong diarist, and he writes poetry and paints in oils for personal pleasure. Judge Capaldi lives in Coventry with his wife, Patricia. They have three children and 3 grandchildren.