Captain
Senger was born in Harvey, North Dakota on 13 May 1915.
Upon completion of high school in Harvey, he worked
as a meat cutter and salesman for several years before
entering the service.
In
October 1940 he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force,
and after training at several Canadian bases was sent
to England as a bomber pilot. He served in the ETO as
a Canadian Flight Lieutenant from March 1941 until October
1943, at which time he was commissioned as Captain in
the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was assigned as an instrument
pilot with the 8th Air Force, returning to the United
States upon rotation in November 1943.
After
processing at Santa Monica, California, he was assigned
to Headquarters, AAF Training Command, then to Selman
Field, Alabama, and later to Lockbourne Army Air Base.
He was then sent to Alamogordo, New Mexico, and from
there was assigned to the 61st Squadron of the 39th
Bomb Group as an Airplane Commander and leader of "A"
Flight.
Among
the foreign decorations he received were the British
Distinguished Service Order, British DFC, British Pathfinder's
Award, 1939-1942 British Campaign Ribbon, British Allied
Defense Ribbon, Canadian Service Ribbon, and the American
Volunteer Ribbon (Canada). During his service with the
RCAF, Captain Senger flew 46 pathfinder combat missions
as pilot of Lancaster and Stirling bombers. |