“BUZ” HOWELL
How I got my nickname ‘Buz’ :
“I got my nickname in England when I was a Flight Chief and “buzzed” up tothe Armament shack taxiing Jim Leisters Spitfire (HL-L) back to its revetment which already contained two Spitfires and some ground crewmen.It
lost all brake air pressure as I started down into the revetment, and to avoid crashing into them, I kicked hard left rudder, popped the throttle,
and swung left onto the grass. The wing tip hit a transformer cage beside the revetment and spun the plane back to the right in a ground loop
retracting both landing gear. I had cut the engine, so the propeller and engine were not damaged, but the wings were wrinkled beyond repair. CO
Major Fred M. Dean told me, “Under the circumstances, you did everything a pilot could have done to prevent injury to personnel and greater aircraft
damage.” I later heard the Spits cost the U.S. $26,000 each from the Brits. And I was known as “Buz” ever since this unexpected ‘buzz job’.”
~ Elmer J. “Buz” Howell, SMSgt, USAF (Ret.)
West Hampnett Airdrome, CHICHESTER, ENGLAND - 1942