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ACHTUNG, THUNDERBOLT!Some people who lived through the Second World War — especially the veterans — never were completely able to shake it from their minds. For two such veterans who were on opposite sides during the conflict, Route 66 was their final showdown.
EAST ANGLIA, ENGLAND — JULY, 1944LIEUTENANT KEN REED WAS THE SECOND LAST PILOT through the open door of the briefing room of 405th Fighter Group. He looked around, then sat with four others he knew on wooden chairs in the middle of the large metal Quonset hut. The entrance door shut behind him. He chatted a bit with the pilots, who kidded him about always being last for everything. Last one to get out of bed in the hut. The last one to get dressed. The last one to eat. What they couldn’t figure out was how could someone like th
