Fred Hinders
World War II
Fred Hinders was born on April 19, 1917 (some sources indicate 1916), in Little Rock, IA in the far northwestern part of the state to Harm and Hattie Hinders. Fred was raised in nearby Osceola County. On December 27, 1937 (some sources indicate 1936), Fred was married to Nina Davids from Sibley, IA. When he registered for the military draft on October 16, 1940, he was employed as a mechanic by Melvin Implement in Melvin, IA.
Fred first joined the Naval Reserve in April, 1942, after the Pearl Harbor attack. He was sent for training at the US Navy Training School at Great Lakes Training Center near Chicago, IL and assigned US Navy serial number 621 71 16. He was trained as a fireman and was apparently inducted into the regular US Navy on December 23, 1942. However, he was discharged about one week later on December 31, 1942.
On January 19, 1943, Fred was inducted into the US Army as a Private and assigned serial number 37 656 673. He was sent for training at Camp Haan, CA east of Los Angeles. This base had been constructed to train troops for duty with coastal artillery batteries. By the time Fred arrived, training had been expanded to include anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) and he was assigned to Battery A of the 226th AAA SLT (Searchlight) Battalion. These units were trained to use searchlights to identify and blind enemy positions and aircraft. By August 27, 1943, Fred had again been discharged and he returned to Iowa.
On November 27, 1943, Fred was inducted into the US Army Air Corps at Camp Dodge, IA near Des Moines. He was assigned to the 883rd Bombardment Squadron of the 500th Bombardment Group which was being formed at Gowen Field near Boise, ID. By late December, 1943, Fred and his unit were flying B-17’s at Clovis Army Air Field in New Mexico. He was a flight engineer utilizing his long-standing skills as a mechanic. On April 16, 1944, the unit was transferred to Walker Army Air Field near Hays, KS and transitioned into early models of the B-29 Superfortress. That training continued until late July, 1944, when the unit began preparing to go overseas.
The 883rd Bombardment Squadron left the United States on August 13, 1944, and arrived at Isely Field on Saipan, Mariana Islands on September 19. They entered combat on November 11, 1944, during a bombing attack on a submarine base in the Truk Islands. On November 24, they participated in the first attack on Japan by B-29’s from the Marianas. They continued to conduct daylight raids on Japan. The 500th Group was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for a raid on the Mitsubishi engine plant at Nagoya in January, 1945, and received another for an incendiary attack on Osaka in March, 1945. The Group continued strategic bombing raids and leaflet drops until the Japanese surrender in August, 1945.
After V-J Day, Fred and his unit dropped supplies to Allied prisoners and flew damage assessment missions. By October, 1945, they were preparing to return to the United States. Fred arrived in the US on November 29, 1945, at March Field, CA. He was discharged as a Technical Sergeant on December 6, 1945.
By 1947, Fred and his family were living in Templeton and he was employed as a mechanic at Pape Implement. After the closing of Pape Implement, he worked at a similar job in Audubon. He died of a heart attack at home in Templeton on May 13, 1963 at age 46. He was buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Templeton.