267. One of Pensacola's Most Decorated WWII Heroes 1944

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Sep 10, 20194 min read

One of the most publicized Pensacola warriors of WWII was Sergeant Charles "Charlie" Henry Pohlmann Jr. He was born on February 1, 1923, the son of Charles Sr. (1889–1956) and Ruth Amelia Thorn 1899–1962). At the time of his birth, his father was supporting the family as a machinist at the shipyard while living at at 1413 East Brainard Street. Charlie would attend Pensacola High School before transferring to the Gulf Coast Military Academy in Biloxi, MS, graduating in 1941. Returning home, he followed in his father's footsteps and became a mechanic working on airplanes at NAS in Squadron #4. However, with the advent of WWII, Charlie enlisted in the US Army Air Corps on March 10, 1943 and was sent to Camp Blanding, FL for processing. He was trained as an engineer and a waist gunner and assigned to the 757th Bomber Squadron, 459th Bomb Group with the 15th US Army Air Force in November 1943. On July 28, 1944, the high command ordered a massive air strike on two oil refineries at Polesti, Romania. Charlie's B-24 bomber was on their 13th mission and was only one of 345 others making the attack that day. However, the enemy flak was intense over the target and losses began to mount. Suddenly, Charlie's bomber was hit and began loosing altitude. With his crew wounded and knowing his plane would not survive the flight home, the pilot ordered them to bail out. However, the 19-year old tail gunner “Sgt. Donald Russell 'Mac' Lea,” from Missouri was badly wounded and already unconscious. Charlie removed his flak jacket, put his own parachute on, then strapped Mac into his chute. He dragged the gunner to the escape hatch and pushed him out then quickly followed. He clung to the unconscious airman until they were free of the bomber then pulled Mac’s ripcord. Charlie delayed the opening of his own chute to give him time to fall free of his comrade, but also be able to land nearby to assist him. He related this story to this writer in 2001 and told me he was not captured, but was “I was scared as hell.”

Since their bombing mission had taken them close to the border of Yugoslavia, the last ones out of the plane, such as Charlie and Mac, came down many miles into Yugoslavia. Charlie's badly wounded comrade was in very serious condition and there was nothing he could do for him. Immediately upon landing, Yugoslavian partisans took them to a shelter to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Germans. Charlie left his medical kit with the villagers who were willing to give Mac aid. They carried him into a schoolhouse and tied his hands and arms down to a table and attempted to remove the piece of shrapnel out of his chest. Sadly, Mac died in the process. A young Yugoslavian boy walked up to Charlie and handed him a scrap of paper that stated, “Chuck, go with this boy, Buck.” He knew that “Buck” was Buchanan, one of his fellow crewmen. He followed the boy for about three hours and then the boy stopped and pointed in the direction he guessed he was supposed to go. He walked along for a bit, then he saw a horse tied to a tree with a rope. He decided to commandeer the animal so he walked up and used the rope to make a makeshift bridle and rode off without a saddle. After riding along for about an hour and a half his butt was so sore he decided to forego the horse. He hopped off and whacked the horse on the rump as it ran back home. After walking for a bit, he approached a partisan, but neither could speak the others language. The partisan made gestures indicating that he had something to drink and eat for the downed American flyer. Out of his pack, he took a piece of roasted meat that was as tough as leather. To wash it down, he offered him a drink that was crystal clear and looked and tasted more like kerosene than anything else. He continued on his journey and spent the night on the side of a hill overlooking a valley. The next morning, he watched a sharp firefight between two unknown forces. In the middle of the melee, he slipped off in the opposite direction. Soon he ran into their pilot John B. Edwards, who was from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Edwards survived the war, but was killed in a tragic earthquake in Mexico in approximately 1985. For 48 days, they walked along continually picking up other crew members until they reached safety 200 miles away. In the meantime, his parents had been notified by the war department that he was missing in action. But on Labor Day, he telegraphed his folks that he was now safe and sound as of August 28, 1944. Upon his return to his command, he was presented with the Silver Star, a medal he cherished, but refused to talk about for the rest of his life. Charlie would return home safely after the war to marry Willie Rae Quick (PHS Class of 1944) on February 23, 1946, the daughter of Annette Douglas (1910-1990) and Raymond Quick (1900-1944). After his discharge on May 21, 1946, he returned to his job as a machinist at NAS. Sadly, the Pensacola hero passed away on January 9, 2002 and buried in Bayview Cemetery where he was finally joined by Rae last week on August 27, 2019.