Bayfield resident Erika Svor grew up hearing World War II stories.
Her father, Tony, fought in the last official battle of the war then flew documents halfway around the world to the U.S. secretary of war in Washington, D.C., to mark the official surrender of Japan on Sept. 2, 1945 – 75 years ago this week.
“My dad was a really humble, kind person,” Svor said. “A lot of this stuff, I never knew until I started helping him clean out his desk.”
The end of WWII took place over several months. Germany surrendered in May 1945, but the war raged on in the Pacific. In the middle of those battles was Ferdinand Luther “Tony” Svore, a pilot with the U.S. Army Air Forces. Not only did Svore fight in the war’s last official skirmish, he delivered Japan’s surrender to the Truman administration.
“(Sept. 2) is a holiday, but we don’t think of the reason for the holiday,” said Svor, who dropped the “e” in her last name.
World War II started Sept. 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. The war’s death toll is unclear. Counts range from 60 million to 80 million people, about 3% of the world’s population at the time, according to History.com. Most were civilians, including 6 million Jews killed in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust.
While stationed in the Pacific Ocean theater, Svore commanded two bombing squadrons, and flew 88 bombing missions and 44 rescue missions in the Philippines. The missions were part of Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s plan to take back the region.
In August 1945, the war’s final month, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two cities in Japan. Japanese forces surrendered Aug. 14 but continued to fight Allied forces. On Aug. 17, 17 Japanese planes ambushed three American planes, including Svore’s, while they were on a photography mission.
The Japanese forces shot down one American plane and damaged the second, Svor said. Svore’s plane was the only one left. The Japanese planes made 12 passes, killing one American gunner and critically injuring another, before Svore was able to fly into higher altitude and hide in clouds.
“That was the official last battle of World War II,” she said, based on Air Force Registry documents.
After Japan’s official surrender, MacArthur chose Svore and his crew to deliver the surrender papers to the Truman administration in Washington, D.C. – a 30-hour flight halfway around the world.
“It was like going out for a Sunday drive because there were no attacks, there was no fear,” Svor recalled her father saying.
The flight was not without incident. During one patch of rough weather, the crew saw St. Elmo’s fire, a luminous ball of plasma, on the propellers, and ice temporarily caused the plane to lose power, Svor said.
Later, Svore and his co-pilot delivered their plane, a B-32 bomber called Direct from Tokyo, to its resting place in Kingman, Arizona. Midflight, they took a brief side trip through the Grand Canyon, according to Echoes of the Dominator, a book that recounts WWII history, including Svore’s last battles and flight to the U.S.
Svor said she has photos showing both pilots, with cameras in hand, taking pictures as they flew the plane through the canyon – with just 30 feet from wingtip to canyon wall.
Svore died from the flu when he was 100½ years old, riding tractors until the day before he died, his daughter said.
His death marked the end of life with a long career of service. During 43 years in the military, he fought in the second World War and the Korean War and rose to head of procurement for all of Europe. He earned the Legion of Merit and 15 Bronze Stars for heroic achievements.
He also said the only country he hadn’t been to was Bhutan, Svor said.
“I couldn’t believe that my heavenly father had watched over dad during all of these missions,” Svor said.
From her father, Svor learned to always be thankful, not only for going through the struggle, but for reaching a goal and getting to a “brighter side,” she said.
“I got bedtime stories – they always ended up happily,” she said. “If you had known my dad, he was quiet, but everybody that knew him just considered him an extraordinary man.”
smullane@durangoherald.com
