Roll Call
Ten men flew the Howling Banshee. Arnold, at twenty, was the youngest among them.
Pilot's Story
Arnold A. Piskin · Pilot
Arnold A. Piskin told this story himself — from a kid on the Lower East Side who had never been on a plane, to the pilot of a B-24J Liberator over Germany at twenty years old. He kept a diary through the war; these are his words.
Would you believe that I learned to fly a plane before I was able to drive a car?Read his story
The Aircraft
The Consolidated B-24J Liberator was a four-engine heavy bomber — long-ranged, heavily armed, and built in greater numbers than any other American aircraft of the war. Arnold and his crew flew one out of Horsham St. Faith.
Explore the Liberator- 300+
- mph top speed
- 36,000'
- service ceiling
- 4,000
- mile range
- 110'
- wingspan
- 4
- P&W engines
Why We Built This
Growing up, I knew little about my dad's years in the Army Air Corps during WWII as the pilot of a B-24J Liberator named Howling Banshee. Dad rarely shared his stories with my three brothers and me — but after he attended the 50th Anniversary of VE Day and the 2nd Air Division Reunion in Norwich, England, he returned home eager to tell his experiences anew.
I was fortunate to have met his engineer Don Shannon and his co-pilot Joe Zanella. I not only listened to their stories but was inspired to preserve them — and more — here.
8th Air Force · 2nd Air Division · 96th Bomb Wing · 458th Bomb Group · 753rd Squadron