John Lancaster joined the military at the start of 1945 and served as a co-pilot with the 8th Air Force in England. He flew missions for the Office of Strategic Services, formed during World War II and the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Lancaster delivered packages into enemy territory — “We didn’t know what was in them,” he says — and transported secret agents.
After six missions, he was given a new passport and a sport coat and transferred to another flight crew. Soon after, most of his old crew perished on a mission to Norway.
Lancaster flew three missions with his new crew, delivering packages to the underground.
Once, on a stop-over in Stockholm, Lancaster and his crew found themselves dining in the same restaurant as several German soldiers.
“They knew who we were,” he says. “But Sweden was neutral. They couldn’t do anything. They could look at our airplane beside theirs. We were not scared.”
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