Capt. Stanley E. Stuber - T. Sgt. Harold Stuber

Monona, Ia. - Home in Monona after 13 months in Africa, Sicily and Italy, and wearing the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and 13 Oak Leaf Clusters, is Captain Stanley E. Stuber.

An AAF - 38 Lightning pilot in the 15the Army Air Force, Capt. Stuber was awarded the Silver Star for "gallantry in action" Aug. 30, 1943, when his AAF P-38 group was escorting medium bombers to targets near Naples, preparing the way for Allied invasion.

The citation telling Capt. Stuber's part in this mission said, "Separated from the formation he alone turned and broke up an attack of three enemy fighters, when he saw the three hostile fighters about to shoot down a crippled P-38. Without hesitation he attacked, drawing their fire to himself, and engaged them with such determination that the damaged P-38 was able to find safety with nearby friendly aircraft. Proceeding on to rejoin his squadron, Capt. Stuber attacked and destroyed an enemy fighter which was closing in on the rear of an element of P-38's which was not aware of the danger. A few minutes later he again observed two enemy fighters diving to attack a single engine P-38 from behind. Subjecting himself to the gunfire of the covering enemy aircraft, Capt. Stuber attacked, drove off the enemy fighter, and as he circled back, closed in on another attacking aircraft and shot it down into the sea."

During the invasion at Salerno, Italy in September 1943, in which his patrol flight P-38's engaged enemy fighters over the beachhead, Capt. Stuber's plane was badly shot. After it began to burn, he bailed out. Seriously burned he was given friendly care by the Italians in a local hospital, until he was found a week later by the Intelligence Corps, and flown to Africa, where he was hospitalized for two months, recovering from the burns. For this action he was awarded the Purple Heart.

Continuing to fly after recovering, Capt. Stuber shot down two enemy fighters in a furious dogfight over southern Austria on Jan. 7, 1944. For his leadership in this aerial battle, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Since then, until a few weeks ago when he was granted leave, Capt. Stuber has continued to lead his squadron of P-38's and often the entire group of fighters to targets in Germany, Austria and the Balkans, escorting the heavy bombers of the 15th Army Air Force.

The Captain, who is 22, is the son of Mrs. Roy Koth of Monona. His wife, the former Marjorie Pape, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Otto Pape, of Monona, has been living in Glendale, Calif, working in the Lockhead (sic) war plants there, while her husband has been in service. She came to Monona to meet him. They are leaving this weekend for California. He has been granted a 90-day leave.

His brother, Tech. Sgt. Harold Stuber, was able to obtain leave to be at home this week at the same time as the Captain. Sgt. Stuber has been in electonic maintenance service at Langley Field, Virginia since December when he returned from 13 months in Radar with a squadron of Liberator Bombers on anti-submarine patrol in the Atlantic, off the coasts of England and Africa. The squadron won fame in the "Coffin Corner" engagement with enemy submarines in Spanish waters, "sinking quite a few", as Sgt. Stuber expressed it.

~Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, Thursday evening edition, June 29, 1944
~transcribed by S. Ferrall