Lt. Rolf Slen was the navigator of one of the original B-24 crews of the 866th Bomber Squadron.  As the lead navigator for his squadron on the 28 July, 1945 mission to bomb the battleship Haruna, he figures prominently in the action and in the oral and written history of the men who experienced that raid. His pilot in command, Lt. Emil Turek, wrote that it was Slen who was the most important member of the crew when they routinely flew bombing missions of one or two thousand miles or more from the Palau Islands to the Philippines or from Okinawa to China and Japan.

Lt. Slen, now 98 years of age, has written four short memoirs that chronicle his role in WWII. Originally written for his family and friends, he has graciously consented to sharing them on this website (in work) with just two redactions due to sensitivity of that information and concern for the families of fallen comrades in arms. Several wet also submitted to an archive at Florida State University, which holds many historical records from the 494th Bombardment Group.