Stephen Korba entered the US Army Air Corps in October 1942 where he served as a flight engineer and top gunner aboard a B-17 at the rank of Tech Sergeant in the 8th Air Force. During a bombing mission over Schweinfurt, Germany on October 14, 1943, his plane was riddled with bullet holes but was able to return to base safely. Unfortunately, however, 60 US planes were lost in the mission. During a bombing mission on a German U-Boat base near Kiel, Germany, Stephen’s B-17 was shot down and forced to crash land in the North Sea. Since the B-17 is capable of flying at altitudes of 30,000+ feet where the air temperature is a staggering -32 degrees Fahrenheit, he got frostbite in both of his legs. He was later captured by German soldiers and spent the first 18 days of imprisonment on just bread and water before spending another 20 days inside a boxcar. He was held prisoner at Stalag XVII B, located near Krems, Austria where he lost 106 pounds. After returning to the United States, he was sent to Texas to train on a B-29 with the intention of bombing Japan but the war ended before he was redeployed. Stephen left the Air Corps in May 1946.

This clip is taken from the documentary, “The Veterans Breakfast Club,” by Chris Rolinson. It was recorded in 2012 at the Veterans Breakfast Club, Moon Township, Pennsylvania.

I Am Proud To Be A Veteran

By Stephen Korba

I am proud to be a Veteran, getting through war as a prisoner of war to the Germans.  After graduating from Neville High School I enlisted in the Army Air Force.  They sent me to Texas to be a mechanic.  Then off to Las Vegas to Gunnery School.  In 1943, the crew was assembled of 10 men in Kansas for B-17 Bomber training.

They sent us to Thurleigh (a B-17 Air Base north of London).  At the end of 1943, we were called to bomb Kiel, the submarine base in the North Sea.  We were shot down during the mission, the flak got us and had two engines on fire and we had to leave formation.  We were told there were 900 planes on that mission.  We landed in 4 feet of water near the Island of Sylt.  The Island was right there and was full of German soldiers that came running and shooting over our heads.  They searched us and took everything away from us including our flight jackets.  Then a small boat picked us up and put us down the hold.  They took us to the seaport of Emden Germany and 18 days we survived on bread and water as the Germans tried to get military information, 12 days in a Boxcar and then 3 weeks in Mooseburgh.  I got a dose of lice from another prisoner.  Then they opened up Stalag XVIIB and put 4100 American soldier prisoners together.

We were there 17 months, the absence of normalcy, especially on holidays, made the men extremely creative~~~on Thanksgiving we ate horsemeat and potatoes and 3 men got sick from eating fermented raisins.  Jerry Soup was often the main source of food for the men. This soup consisted of potatoes, hot water, some grass, rutabagas, dehydrated cabbage. To this day, I still hate rutabagas. On December 1 1944, we received half parcels of food from the Red Cross.  What a place to be on your birthday!  In March a bout of typhus hit the Russian Side of the Camp and 11 men died.

In April for 30 days straight, we were marched out of Kermes, as the Allied Forces approached the area.  The 6th Armor Division liberated us and they took us to the Seaport in France on the Queen Mary under the Article of War back to the United States.  We landed in Camp Shanks in New York.  In New York, we were there for 38 days eating Eggnogs.  We were flown to Texas and were to be schooled on B-29s, but the A-Bomb was dropped and the war was over.  I came out of the Service as a Technical Sergeant.

One Night, One Plane, and Four Men Who Flew It, by Andy Marchese

National POW/MIA Recognition Day – Sept. 17

Stephen Korba, age 91, of Neville Island, passed on Wednesday, February 25, 2015. Born November 18, 1923, in Zelienople, a son of the late Michael and Elizabeth Korba; beloved husband of the late Evelyn (Shermock) Korba; grandfather of Carol Baker; great-grandfather of Breanna; brother of the late Margaret Korba; cousin of Leo Laffey, Jr., Melissa Cooper and the late Leo Laffey, Sr.; and good friends of the Potts and Brough Family.

He was a veteran of World War II serving in the Army Air Corps and was a prisoner of war from January 4, 1944, to May 2, 1945, and was a Purple Heart recipient. He was a conductor for the P&LE Railroad from 1945-1987.