Veterans Voice: Westerly couple recalls the 'miracles' of Feb. 10, 1945

John and Mary Stellitano (known as Guy and Mimi to their families) celebrated their 78th anniversary on May 29. John will be 100 years old next March, while Mary turns 98 this December. 

Things did not look good for 21-year-old B-17 bomber pilot John Stellitano and his crew that February day in 1945. They had just completed a four-hour flight to their target —Leipzig, one of the most heavily defended cities in all of Germany.

Enemy anti-aircraft fire was brutal, and accurate. Three of their four engines were damaged and they were limping back to Allied lines on one engine. Bad weather was closing in and they could no longer see the ground.

That same day, back in Westerly, Rhode Island, John’s 20-year-old wife, Mary, went into labor with their first child, daughter Sherron.

Many years later, Mary wrote: “I know now she was the angel flying with my husband and his crew that day, as it was one of the worst missions they had ever been on. Many bombers were lost, and my husband‘s plane was badly hit by flak.

“I think miracles do happen! My husband and his crew will always remember that day and our daughter’s birthday.”

How this story started

John Stellitano was born March 28, 1923, in Westerly.

Raised on Pierce Street, he went on to excel at Westerly High School, graduating in 1941. He lettered in basketball baseball, and was captain and quarterback of the football team. His yearbook entry described him as “the most athletic boy in the class.”

In high school, he also met the love of his life, Mary Capalbo. She was a year behind him in school and they had gone steady for two years.

Stellitano went on to URI (Rhode Island State College then). He studied aeronautical engineering and played freshman football.

“Little did I know I was only going to be there for four months,” he said many years later.

“I was pretty much oblivious to what was going on in the world. We didn't really concern ourselves with Adolf Hitler, or the taking over of Poland or anything like that.

“We were college freshmen with typical freshman concerns.”

That all changed on Dec. 7, 1941.

John and a dozen or so of his fraternity brothers were listening to the radio when President Franklin Roosevelt announced the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The “day of infamy” speech was especially traumatic to them. “We looked at each other and seriously considered terminating our formal education at the university and applying for duty in the military that day,” Stellitano said.

Mimi was home with her Dad that Sunday.

“President Roosevelt came on,” she said. “We were all stunned. As seniors in high school, we knew there was a war over in Europe, but we figured it wasn't going to harm us. We had no idea.”

Most of John’s fraternity brothers enlisted at practically the same time. “Some went into the Marines, some went in the Navy,” he said. “I chose Air Corps, because my major was in aeronautical engineering.”

John goes to war

He enlisted in the Air Corps in February 1942 and was inducted at Fort Devens. Over the next two years, his training took him to Mississippi, Wisconsin, Arizona, California and Texas. Finally, in early May 1944, he earned his wings and was commissioned as a flight officer, assigned to multi-engine, heavy-bombardment aircraft.

John and Mary got married a couple of weeks later. “We were going to wait until he got out of college,” she said. “Then we decided we’d get married while he's in service, not realizing what the war was all about.

“We figured, 'Let's just get married.' The parents tried to talk us out of it. But we said, ‘No, we're gonna get married.’

“And I got pregnant right away,” she added.

The newlyweds went to Florida, where Stellitano received specific training on the B-17. “This was very intense, replicating everything we would have to do to fly and navigate an aircraft to a target and bomb it,” he said.

Each crew picked up a new plane right off the assembly line and flew it to a particular air base in England.

Their air base was Deopham Green, about 100 miles northeast of London. Stellitano and his crew were assigned to the 728th Bomb Squadron, 452nd Bomb Group.

When they arrived in late November 1944, their unit was suffering from a shortage of crews.

Consider this statistic: The 8th Air Force in Europe lost more men than the entire U.S. Marine Corps did in World War II.  

“I started flying combat missions in December,” Stellitano said. “We flew almost daily for about 17 days. When I wrote home, I said we were still in training to relieve Mimi’s concerns. But by then, we had 17 missions, meaning we moved from rookies to seasoned veterans in less than three weeks.”

John named his plane "Little Mary,” for his wife of course.

“We were only hit by fighters six times out of the 36 missions we flew, and we were lucky to survive those attacks,” Stellitano said.

Back to Feb. 10, 1945

Because they could not see the ground, they did not know the terrain below them, and they were losing altitude fast. Their one functioning engine was straining, and the crew chief warned it might explode at any moment.

“We had to make a decision; fly as far as we could or jump,” Stellitano said. “The crew wanted to bail out.

“But if we jumped, we would most likely land in enemy territory, and end up as POWs.”

If they flew on, they increased their chances of reaching friendly lines.

“We decided to stay with the aircraft and we finally broke out of the clouds at about 700 feet. We saw a big open field and decided we would try to bring her in. We crash landed going into the ground at 114 miles an hour, wheels up [I will never forget that speed].”

They had landed just 15 miles into friendly territory.

“We were lucky that nobody got hurt, no scratches, nothing. God must have been watching over us … or perhaps a guardian angel.”

It was two weeks before Stellitano finally made it back to Deopham Green.

That was when he learned Sherron had been born — two weeks early. He knew Mary was pregnant with their first child, but the due date wasn't until Feb. 24.

“It was just fate that we were in trouble on Feb. 10 and our baby was born the same day.

“People will ask me when was Sherron born, and immediately I say Feb. 10, 1945. If you ask me about Kathy or Stevie, I scratch my head and try to remember what the date was.

Completing the mission

The shortage of crews was fortunate in a way because Stellitano and his crew were in combat only from December 1944 to March 1945. “In that short period, we flew 36 missions — enough to get us home.”

Earlier in the war, the magic number was 25 missions; you may recall the famous Memphis Belle, the first bomber and crew to reach that goal in 1943. As the war swung in the Allies’ favor, that number was increased to 30 missions, then 35.

When they finished those missions, they had the option of learning to fly B-29s to help finish the war against Japan, or they could request a discharge and go home.

“For me, that was a no brainer,” Stellitano said with a laugh. “I just requested a discharge and came home as fast as I could.”

He was discharged in April 1945.

His first impulse was to become a pilot with a major airline. He asked for an application and they sent him a big package.

“The work you had to do was just mind boggling," he said. "I was a hot pilot who had just flown some 5,000 hours in multi-engine aircraft and now I'm going to have to go back to flight school and start all over again.”

That changed his thinking.

He spoke with his old coach and mentor, Bill Mudge. “He got me interested in working with youngsters. He convinced me that teaching would be a good career for me. And it turned out that it was.”

John returned to the University of Rhode Island and earned a bachelor of science degree in education. He taught at Lockwood High School in Warwick before returning to Westerly. There, he taught math and physics, but also began coaching football and basketball.

During his 11 years as basketball coach, his teams won four state championships — 1955, 1956, 1958 and 1960. They also won eight straight Class A championships. Westerly honored him by proclaiming April 30, 1965, as “John Stellitano Day.” The Westerly High School fitness center is named in his honor.

He also continued to expand his educational credentials, earning a master’s degree and a doctorate in educational administration. He accepted an administration position at Roger Ludlowe High School in Fairfield, Connecticut, where he remained until his retirement in 1991.

John and Mary have three children, Sherron (married to Robert Fair), Steven (married to Kathryn Ennis) and Kathryn (married to Michael Ladd). They have seven grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

One of those grandchildren, Nick Stellitano, flew Harrier jets for the Marines, serving three combat deployments in Iraq.

“We flew 150 mph on a bomb run,” John said. “Nick flew between 400-500 mph on his missions. That’s a little faster than I want to go.”

John and Mary still reside in Westerly and also spend time at their cottage in Misquamicut. John still appreciates visits from his former students and players, and for many years, he was a frequent speaker at school and community events.

His message: Freedom doesn't come easily. And it's the responsibility of every generation to take that upon themselves.

“Luckily enough, we lived to enjoy the aftermath of the war and to enjoy the family we have. Both Mary and I thank God for that.

“I just would like to see our national leaders, state leaders and local leaders all try to bring back the respect we used to have for one another, so that we can resolve the difficulties that our country is now facing.”

Veterans Voice: Celebrating new benefits for military pensioners

Announcements

Service members and veterans are sought for a “Learn to Weld Training Program” that will be held from Aug. 29 to Sept. 2 in The Steel Yard at 27 Sims Ave. in Providence. Attendees will learn foundational welding and employable soft skills through an artistic curriculum. Participants will receive a $250 stipend and a certificate of completion. To apply, email workforce@thesteelyard.org, call (401) 273-7101 or visit thesteelyard.org/job-training.

A free summer writing workshop for veterans is being offered by the Providence Clemente Veterans Initiative (PCVI). Marine Corps veteran Lucas Pralle will teach this class on a videoconference from 6 to 8 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 11, except for Labor Day weekend. To apply, click on https://pvdvets.org/summer-writing-seminar or contact Mark Santow, director of the PCVI, by email at pvdclementevets@gmail.com.

Ocean Therapy available free to veterans through Oct. 16. One-on-one sessions as well as an eight-week program are available. Break Through Waves combines yoga, mindfulness and breathing exercises with surf therapy or stand-up paddle boarding. For details or to sign up visit www.breakthroughwaves.com

The Narragansett Bow Hunters organization at 1531 Ten Rod Rd. in North Kingstown is offering archery lessons at no charge at an indoor range. Equipment such as bows, arrows, arm guards, targets, finger tabs along with instructions will be provided. For information, call (401) 295-7228 or visit narragansettbowhunters.org.

Calendar

Aug. 27, 8 a.m.: Sixth annual Coventry-West Greenwich Elks Veterans Fundraiser Golf Tournament at Coventry Pines Golf Cours at 1065 Harkney Hill Rd. in Coventry. Shotgun start. Nine holes with cart at $75 per person. Includes prizes and raffles, and a gift bag for all players. Steak fry after the tournament at the Elks Club at 42 Nooseneck Hill Rd. in West Greenwich. Make checks payable, by Aug. 19, to BPOE #2285, and mail to Lori Ashness, 111 Tomahawk Trail, Cranston 02921. For details, call (401) 573-5063, or email ashnessla@gmail.com.

Sept. 15, 4:30-7:30 p.m.: Learn to surf cast for free at Scarborough Beach. The Providence Vet Center is teaming up with the Narragansett Surf Casters to offer a class to 15 service members and veterans. All the equipment you need to learn to catch fish from shore, along with instruction, will be provided by members of the Surf Casters. Sign up with Justyn Charon by phone at (401) 739-0167 or via email at Justyn.Charon@va.gov.

Sept. 17, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Rhode Island National Guard Resource Fair at Camp Fogarty in East Greenwich. Resources and connections provided to help service members and their families.

To report the outcome of a previous activity or to add a future event to our calendar, please email the details (including a contact name and phone number/email address) to veteranscolumn@providencejournal.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Veterans Voice: RI couple recalls their 'miracles' of Feb. 10, 1945