By mid-August 1945, George Edwin Farrar was back in the states, but I do not know if he had returned home to Atlanta, Georgia by this time or not.  The Army Air Forces sent him a letter on the 16th inquiring about the death of crewmate Sebastiano Peluso, presumably at the request of the Peluso family.  The Peluso family must have finally received word that their son had died in the mid-air collision between Lazy Daisy and Lead Banana, on which he was the radio operator on September 28, 1944.

Peluso was the last crew member identified from the wreckage of the two flying fortresses.  James Brodie, pilot of the Lazy Daisy, was also not identified early on.  Notification of his death had not come until July 6.

Unfortunately, Farrar would not have much information to offer to the Peluso family as he had been knocked unconscious in the collision, coming to in free fall and just in time to deploy his parachute.  He was told in prison camp that he was the only survivor of his crew.  He had no information on the other crew members other than they were in position at the time of the collision.  One thing he did say when I asked repeatedly as a child how he came to be the only survivor, was that all the other boys thought they were out of harm’s way and had already removed their chest chutes when the collision occurred, but that he had left his on.

August 16, 1945
Headquarters, Army Air Forces
Washington

SUBJECT: Staff Sergeant Sebastiano J. Peluso, 12182596
TO: Staff Sergeant George E. Farrar, 14119873
79 East Lake Terrace Northeast
Atlanta, Georgia

1. This headquarters has received a request for details of the death of Staff Sergeant Sebastiano J. Peluso, 12182596, radio operator of your aircraft, B-17G, Serial Number 43-37822, which disappeared on 28 September 1944.

2. Request that you forward to this headquarters any information you may have concerning the circumstances of the death of Staff Sergeant Sebastiano J. Peluso, or any details you may be cognizant of regarding his status after your Fortress disappeared.

BY COMMAND OF GENERAL ARNOLD:
N. W. REED
Major, Air Corps
Chief, Notification Branch
Personal Affairs Division
Asst Chief of Air Staff

© Cindy Farrar Bryan and The Arrowhead Club, 2014