George Robert Hamann

Their Story

George Robert Hamann was born February 16, 1919, in Davenport, the son of George and Veva Hamann.^[1] He graduated from Davenport High School in 1937 and from Grinnell College in 1942.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps February 16, 1943, and served 33 months in World War II, including 21 months in England and Europe with the 585th Bombardment Squadron. George’s term of enlistment was for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law.^[2]  He was a corporal and an administrative and technical clerk with the Ninth Air Force B-26 Marauder Group. His group was commended by the commander of the Third Army, Lt. General George S. Patton, for pre-invasion attacks, precision bombing of enemy strong points on D-Day, and support of ground operations.^[3]

After the war, he married Verna Leona Nagel on October 20, 1946, in Grinnell, Iowa. He was employed as an administrator with the Davenport Board of Park Commissioners, from April 1946 until retiring in February 1978. In 1969, he made $11,913 as the assistant park director.^[4] In 1951, George and his son, Bob, built their own house without any previous building experience.^[5] George’s wife stayed in that house for 70 years and died in that house in 2021.^[6] George was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church and was an active member of the Davenport Y.M.C.A. until he became ill in 2007.^[7]

The U.S. Air Force was part of the Army during World War II and was also called the Army Air Forces or the Air Corps.^[8]  The 585^th Bomb Squad was activated as a B-26 Marauder medium bombardment squadron in mid-1943.^[9] It was trained under Third Air Force and deployed to Europe in March 1944, initially being stationed in England and assigned to IX Bomber Command.

After D-Day, the squad moved to France and Belgium; advancing eastward as Allied ground forces advanced. It supported the Eighth Air Force strategic bombardment missions over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe, striking enemy airfields. It also participated in the Western Allied Invasion of Germany, March – April 1945; the combat ending with German Capitulation in May 1945. It became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe performing occupation duty in Germany while the squadron demobilized personnel in 1945. The squadron was reassigned to the United States and inactivated in March 1946.

At the end of 1945, George was discharged from the AAF under the point system.^[10] Under this system, called the Adjusted Service Rating Score, each soldier was awarded a number of points based on how long they had been overseas, how many decorations they received, how many campaigns they had taken part in, and how many children they had.^[11] George had been an armorer and received the European Theater ribbon with six battle stars (served in six campaigns^[12]), the American Theater ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, and Presidential Unit Citation.

George R. Hamann died at the age of 89 Sept. 15, 2008, at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice in Bettendorf.