On this date in 1922, Loretta Lang was born in Williston, North Dakota. After graduation, Loretta worked for the Williston Press-Graphic newspaper. On New Year’s Day in 1942, Loretta married Stanley Lord before he joined the Navy. Stanley was sent to the Pacific war front, and Loretta moved to the West Coast.
Loretta found a job in Renton, Washington, building B-29 bombers. She became an inspection checker on B-29s before they were flown out. Loretta found the job very enjoyable and worked at the plant for nearly a year. Although she knew the plane intimately, she was not allowed to take a flight on one. More than anything, she wanted the experience of flying in one of the giant planes.
On July 22, 1945, a B-29 was moved out onto the apron for a test flight. Loretta saw her chance. She snuck out unnoticed and crawled up into the bomb bay. After several minutes, the crew climbed aboard. Loretta crouched behind a bomb rack and went unseen. Soon, the Superfortress moved onto the runway and roared off.
Unknown to Loretta, this was not a simple test hop but an extended, high-altitude flight. Luckily, she did not stay in the bomb bay but opened the door into the crew compartment. Had Loretta stayed in the bomb bay, she could have perished from lack of oxygen.
When the crew spotted her, they asked, “Where did you come from?!” “The bomb bay,” Loretta replied.
Most of the crew got a kick out of their stowaway, but the pilot was not happy. Instead of turning back, they continued their high-altitude tests, with Loretta marveling at the view outside the windows. She was treated to the sight of Mount Rainier rising above a cloud layer that resembled a field of snow.
The pilot finally reported the stowaway and brought the plane in for a landing. Loretta was told to report to the main office and was suspended until further notice.
The whole incident probably would have blown over, but somehow the press got the story, and it ended up in newspapers across the nation, including Williston’s Press-Graphic. Loretta had to be fired.
Shortly before Loretta Lord passed away at the age of 95, she said stowing away on a B-29 was one of the highlights of her life, and she never regretted it, even though it had cost her job.
Dakota Datebook by Scott Nelson
Sources:
- Book – The Lost Tails of Old Williston by Bill Shermorry (The Girl Who Dared To Stow Away On A B-29 Bomber)
- Ames Daily Tribune, Ames Iowa, 3 Aug. 1945, Page 3
- Loretta (Lang) Lord obituary, 17 Aug. 2017, Jones n Jones – Betts Funeral Home
