Oral history interview of John Birkhead. John Birkhead was drafted into WWII (1943-1945) in the Army Air Corps. He also served in the Army 75th Infantry Division. He was a Staff Sergeant and served as a tail gunner. He was action in the European Theater, with the 448th BG replacement crew 8th Air Force. He was a prisoner of war from December 1944-April 1945. He jumped out of a damaged B-24 on December 24, 1944, and was captured by the Germans. He weighed 165 pounds when captured, but only 100 when liberated. He stayed 3 weeks in a field hospital in Paris, getting 8 shots of penicillin.