Dayton E. Closson Short Snorter
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The Short Snorter Project
Dayton E. Closson, from Trenton, New Jersey, flew B-26 bombers as Co-Pilot, Bombardier, and Nose Gunner with the 9th
Air Force based in England. His son, Bradley Closson, sent photos of his father’s short snorter and wrote,
His plane tail marking was a broad diagonal yellow band. My dad was “tight-lipped” about his service
as were most of the guys “that really did it”. I remember as a kid in the late 1950’s seeing “scabs” and
“blood” on his shins from time to time, and asking him what had happened to which he would reply,
“Just some flak finally getting out.” But there were never any “war stories” around the camp fire. As
best I can tell the airplane tail marking that he said were his was from the 598th Bomber Squadron,
397th Bomber Group, 9th Air Force. I asked the Military Awards section of the Air Force to send me a
listing of his medals and they were kind enough to send me the medals as well, which I made into a
shadow box for a gift to him. A photo is attached. I know he flew from England before, during, and after
the invasion of Europe and then from France but I do not know the timing of the events. At least once
his plane was shot up so badly they did not make it back to their home base and had to spend a night
at an English air base. When they got back to their home base the next day they found that all of their
personal effects had been collected for shipment home and all of their government issued gear had
been “reissued”. The speed at which that those events took place gave me some idea of the accepted
perish-ability of the B-26 and the “routineness” with which the plane crews accepted the loss of others
in their squadron.
Dayton E. Closson (photo courtesy Bradley Closson)
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Brass plate reads: Lt. Col. Dayton E. Closson United States Army 10-4-41 to 29-6-48 United States Air Force 30-6-48 to 30-6-61
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Navigator Wings Bombardier Wings
National Defense Medal Army Good Conduct
Air Force Gunner Wings Medal
Air Medal
Europe-Africa-Middle American Campaign
East Campaign Medal Medal
Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon
American Defense Medal WW2 Victory Medal
Armed Forces Reserve Medal
Longevity Service Award Ribbon