I love history. And though I write inspirational prairie romance novels, a recent venture has me hoping the Lord gives me a novel story set during World War II.

This past week while working in a shed at our farm, my husband heard a different sounding plane and went outside to investigate. He looked up to see not one, but two World War II planes flying overhead. He quickly called me at home (three miles away) to see if I had seen them, which unfortunately I hadn’t.

I decided to google WW II planes in our state and found that four restored WW II planes called the Wings of Freedom were on tour at an airport just over an hour’s drive away. It didn’t take long for us to decide to plan a quick trip to see them.

Now, I don’t generally like the term “cool”, but that’s exactly what these planes were “COOL!” We were able to walk through (in some instances squeeze through) both a B-17 and a B-24 Bomber.

WW II B-17 Bomber

The interior was every bit as fascinating as the exterior, with lots of gizmos and gadgets, and challenging-to-maneuver entries and exits.

B-17 Cockpit

B-17 rear gunner post

B-24 Bomber

This is the only flyable B-24 in the world. It was destined for the junk heap, until a group called the Collings Foundation took it “under their wing” and restored it. A list of all those who served on this aircraft is posted on the side of the plane. It flew 130 missions without a crew member being lost or injured. Amazing!

Wing spans were an incredible 110 feet in length!

B-24 Cockpit

Lower gunner compartment

The smallest of the 10 crew members got the job of being the lower gunman due to the cramped space inside the compartment. Unfortunate for those who were claustrophobic!

B-25 Liberator

We also saw a B-25 Liberator and a P-51 Mustang. These two planes were available for rides at the meager cost of $450 per half-hour!! Needless to say, we admired them from afar. But then, it costs $4000 to keep all 4 planes in the air each hour of flight! These were the two planes my husband witnessed flying over our farm. Somehow, he missed the larger two. And I missed all four! So thankful we had the opportunity to tour them and even watch them take off for their next destination!

P-51 Mustang

While it’s sobering to recall the purpose for these incredible machines was to drop bombs on towns and people during the war, it is also exhilarating to know that these very aircrafts carried the men, and possibly women, who fought to retain our freedoms in this and other nations. God bless them for their sacrifice!

**I hope you’ve enjoyed this detour from my usual posts and were as fascinated by these historic planes as I’ve been. Find out more about them and The Collings Foundation HERE.

**Read how God works in the lives of Cynthia’s characters in her Inspirational, Historical Romance (Prairie Sky) Series.

UNDER THIS SAME SKY ~ BOOK ONE

~ She thought she’d lost everything ~ Instead she found what she needed most ~

Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

UNDER PRAIRIE SKIES ~ BOOK TWO

~ Beyond shattered dreams lies a realm of possibilities ~

**Connect with Cynthia Roemer on Facebook, Goodreads and Twitter. Read more of her writing at: Putting on the New Blog.