• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
General Aviation News

General Aviation News

Because flying is cool

  • Pictures of the Day
    • Submit Picture of the Day
  • Stories
    • News
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Products
    • NTSB Accidents
    • ASRS Reports
  • Comments
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ad
  • Events
  • Digital Archives
  • Subscribe
  • Show Search
Hide Search

WWII POW reunited with last B-26

By General Aviation News Staff · January 27, 2015 ·

Barney Wasowicz’s B-26 Marauder was shot down by a German Focke-Wulf 190 over occupied France in 1944. He then spent 16 months as a German prisoner of war. Watch as Wasowicz is reunited with “North American’s only intact B-26.”

After the war, Wasowicz chose once again to serve others by becoming a Detroit firefighter. Now, some 71 years later, Wasowicz said, “Eventually I forgot about the war. I think everything would have become a blur if I hadn’t run across the opportunity to see the last B-26 bomber. When John Stonecipher of Guidance Aviation heard about my story, he offered to fly me to Fantasy of Flight to see it.”

fw190_airwolfhound
Focke-Wulf 190

 

The video covers Wasowicz’s flight to visit the only flying B-26 in existence, a flight that sparks the memories of a living hero of the Greatest Generation.

Martin B-26 Marauder
Martin B-26 Marauder
Images courtesy: Airwolfhound, Mark Jones Jr.

Reader Interactions

Share this story

  • Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit Share on Reddit
  • Share via Email Share via Email

Become better informed pilot.

Join 110,000 readers each month and get the latest news and entertainment from the world of general aviation direct to your inbox, daily.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Curious to know what fellow pilots think on random stories on the General Aviation News website? Click on our Recent Comments page to find out. Read our Comment Policy here.

Comments

  1. Daryl DeBetta says

    February 1, 2015 at 6:00 pm

    Absolutely Wonderful Story…I for one am extremely grateful for that mans sacrifice

  2. Steven Sirrine says

    January 28, 2015 at 9:35 pm

    Thank you Guidance Aviation for doing that for him, and us as well. Sure brought tears to my eyes.

  3. Bk Shadi says

    January 28, 2015 at 12:16 pm

    I am sure this old pilot hates wars now and wishes no more wars are ignited any more any where around the globe

  4. Thierry Annez says

    January 28, 2015 at 12:09 pm

    And another great veteran’s story who flew the B26, just like my dad did ! They called this plane the Widow maker (lots of fatal accidents during training) and also the Flying prostitute … because it had few visible means of support …

  5. Jeff Sloan says

    January 28, 2015 at 7:20 am

    What a great story! I only wish some of the Dimwits in Washington D.C. and the FAA had half of this gentleman’s integrity and fortitude.

  6. Tom Zecha says

    January 28, 2015 at 6:26 am

    Beautiful story! Only comment is that the aircraft was built by Martin Aircraft Company at Martin State Airport in Baltimore, MD. It was not built by North American (that was the B-25).

  7. Milomir Brkic says

    January 28, 2015 at 3:39 am

    Nice story!!

© 2025 Flyer Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Writer’s Guidelines
  • Photographer’s Guidelines