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History of the Diary

1. Veteran/Position/Squadron/Crew:
   2nd Lt. Charles J. Mellis, Jr.
   B-17 Co-Pilot
   603rd Squadron
   Ross Howden Crew
2. Original Diary Location:
   The handwritten original diary is with Gordon Mellis.
3. Copies at Key Repositories:
   8th AF Heritage Museum in Savannah: No
   Hertfordshire Archives: No
   398th's Wally Blackwell: No
   398th's Lee Bradley: No
   398th's Jack's Books: No
   398th's Dave Jordan: electronic
   398th's Allen Ostrom: No
   398th Web Site/Archive: electronic
   
4. Period Covered:
   Begins on 13 May 1944 with the crews embarkment from Sioux City, Iowa to the arrival in Nuthampstead followed by 32 combat missions from 20 June 1944 to 27 September 1944. The diary also includes numerous entries for non-mission days at Nuthampstead.
5. When written:
   Written at the end of the day or shortly after each event from 13 May 1944 to 27 September 1944. According to his wife and son, Gordon, this is the only diary Charles J. Mellis, Jr. ever made. He decided to keep a diary account of his overseas service experiences and began the diary just before departing for England, with the last entry made right after his last mission. His wife told Gordon that she is pretty sure that he wrote all of the entries shortly after each event, but in any case the diary itself was complete when he returned to the States at the end of his tour as she remembers reading it upon his return; so the entries are pretty much contemporaneous with the actual events.
6. Transcriber to Electronic Text:
   In early 2007 Gordon Mellis transcribed the original Mellis diary to electronic text for the 398th Web Page. Gordon Mellis is the son of Charles J. Mellis, Jr, 603rd Co-Pilot.
7. Contact Information:
   Comments or corrections about this diary can be sent to the 398th Comment Coordinator.
8. Epilogue:
   Not available.