Earl Junior Hitt graduated from Bartlesville High School in 1938. He worked for Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville, Oklahoma until the outbreak of World War II.

He volunteered for pilot training in the Army Air Corps, was accepted, and received his commission as a 2nd Lt. and his Pilots wings on 6 September 1942; Primary flight training was at Hicks Field near Fort Worth, Texas; Basic flight training was at Goodfellow Field near San Angelo, Texas; and Advanced flight training was at Foster Field near Victoria, Texas.

After receiving his commission, he was assigned to the 309th Bomb Group, 376th Bomb Squadron at Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina, for training in North American B-25 Mitchell bombers.

In October 1942, the 345th Bomb Group was formed at Columbia as a part of the 5th Bomber Command. On 24 November 1942, Earl was assigned to the 498th Bomb Squadron of the 345th BG as a pilot in preparation for overseas duty.

On 9 March 1943, Lt. Earl J. Hitt and Miss Margaret Jane Berg were married at the Methodist Church in Walterboro, South Carolina. In attendance were Lt. Joe F. Armijo (Earl's copilot) and Lt. and Mrs. Donald Landsness (Earl's bombadier and his wife).

The squadron flew to Savanah, Georgia to pick up new B-25 bombers about two weeks prior to departing for overseas. The 345th BG departed Walterboro Army Air Base for the Pacific (APO #929) in April 1943. The crews flew their aircraft from Walterboro via El Paso, Texas to Sacramento, California where the aircraft were outfitted for Pacific duty with the 5th Air Force.

The 345th BG departed Hamilton Field, San Francisco, in early May 1943 and flew non-stop to Honolulu, Hawaii. After a short rest, the 345th BG flew via Christmas and other islands to Brisbane, Australia. Following a short training period in Australia the group flew to its first combat location at Port Moresby, New Guinea.

On arrival in New Guinea, Earl's crew nicknamed their B-25D serial #41-30040 the "Hitt and Miss". The "Hitt and Miss" flew its first combat mission on 29 June 1943. After some 60 combat missions, the last being flown in February 1944, Earl was transferred to Headquarters, V Bomber Command, as Assistant Operations Officer. Earl was promoted to Captain on 9 March 1944 and returned to the U.S. in June 1944. He was placed on inactive duty in August 1945, and he was placed in the retired reserve in 1963; with the rank of Major.

Earl J Hitt