{"id":51788,"date":"2020-09-03T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-03T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/bayfield-woman-recounts-little-known-stories-about-world-war-ii-anniversary\/"},"modified":"2020-09-03T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-09-03T15:00:00","slug":"bayfield-woman-recounts-little-known-stories-about-world-war-ii-anniversary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/bayfield-woman-recounts-little-known-stories-about-world-war-ii-anniversary\/","title":{"rendered":"Bayfield woman recounts little-known stories about World War II anniversary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Bayfield
Bayfield resident Erika Svor spoke this week about her father, Tony Svore, who flew a historic mission during World War II. The top painting is of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator that father flew during the Japanese surrender.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Bayfield resident Erika Svor grew up hearing World War II stories.<\/p>\n

Her father, Tony, fought in the last official battle of the war then flew documents halfway around the world to the U.S. secretary of war in Washington, D.C., to mark the official surrender of Japan on Sept. 2, 1945 \u2013 75 years ago this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad was a really humble, kind person,\u201d Svor said. \u201cA lot of this stuff, I never knew until I started helping him clean out his desk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Svore\"
Svore<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The end of WWII took place over several months. Germany surrendered in May 1945, but the war raged on in the Pacific. In the middle of those battles was Ferdinand Luther \u201cTony\u201d Svore, a pilot with the U.S. Army Air Forces. Not only did Svore fight in the war\u2019s last official skirmish, he delivered Japan\u2019s surrender to the Truman administration.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Sept. 2) is a holiday, but we don\u2019t think of the reason for the holiday,\u201d said Svor, who dropped the \u201ce\u201d in her last name.<\/p>\n

World War II started Sept. 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. The war\u2019s death toll is unclear. Counts range from 60 million to 80 million people, about 3% of the world\u2019s population at the time, according to History.com<\/a>. Most were civilians, including 6 million Jews killed in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust.<\/p>\n

While stationed in the Pacific Ocean theater, Svore commanded two bombing squadrons, and flew 88 bombing missions and 44 rescue missions in the Philippines. The missions were part of Gen. Douglas MacArthur\u2019s plan to take back the region.<\/p>\n

In August 1945, the war\u2019s final month, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two cities in Japan. Japanese forces surrendered Aug. 14 but continued to fight Allied forces. On Aug. 17, 17 Japanese planes ambushed three American planes, including Svore\u2019s, while they were on a photography mission.<\/p>\n

\"Erika
Erika Svor recounts her father&#x2019;s military service, including the historic delivery of Japan&#x2019;s surrender papers to the Truman administration in Washington, D.C.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The Japanese forces shot down one American plane and damaged the second, Svor said. Svore\u2019s plane was the only one left. The Japanese planes made 12 passes, killing one American gunner and critically injuring another, before Svore was able to fly into higher altitude and hide in clouds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the official last battle of World War II,\u201d she said, based on Air Force Registry documents.<\/p>\n

After Japan\u2019s official surrender, MacArthur chose Svore and his crew to deliver the surrender papers to the Truman administration in Washington, D.C. \u2013 a 30-hour flight halfway around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like going out for a Sunday drive because there were no attacks, there was no fear,\u201d Svor recalled her father saying.<\/p>\n

The flight was not without incident. During one patch of rough weather, the crew saw St. Elmo\u2019s fire, a luminous ball of plasma, on the propellers, and ice temporarily caused the plane to lose power, Svor said.<\/p>\n

\"Erika
Erika Svor shows a photo Tuesday of her father, Tony Svore, standing next to the Consolidated B-32 Dominator, called Direct from Tokyo, that her father flew at the end of World War II.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Erika
Erika Svor shows the pilot&#x2019;s notes of a bombing mission that her father, Tony Svore, kept during World War II.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Later, Svore and his co-pilot delivered their plane, a B-32 bomber called Direct from Tokyo, to its resting place in Kingman, Arizona. Midflight, they took a brief side trip through the Grand Canyon, according to Echoes of the Dominator<\/em>, a book that recounts WWII history, including Svore\u2019s last battles and flight to the U.S.<\/p>\n

Svor said she has photos showing both pilots, with cameras in hand, taking pictures as they flew the plane through the canyon \u2013 with just 30 feet from wingtip to canyon wall.<\/p>\n

Svore died from the flu when he was 100\u00bd years old, riding tractors until the day before he died, his daughter said.<\/p>\n

His death marked the end of life with a long career of service. During 43 years in the military, he fought in the second World War and the Korean War and rose to head of procurement for all of Europe. He earned the Legion of Merit and 15 Bronze Stars for heroic achievements.<\/p>\n

He also said the only country he hadn\u2019t been to was Bhutan, Svor said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t believe that my heavenly father had watched over dad during all of these missions,\u201d Svor said.<\/p>\n

From her father, Svor learned to always be thankful, not only for going through the struggle, but for reaching a goal and getting to a \u201cbrighter side,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got bedtime stories \u2013 they always ended up happily,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you had known my dad, he was quiet, but everybody that knew him just considered him an extraordinary man.\u201d<\/p>\n

smullane@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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