Lyden H. Rien Boeing Flying Fortress School Collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: 2022-01-31

Content Description

The Lyden H. Rien Boeing Flying Fortress School Collection consists of materials related to Rien's military service during World War II as a B-17 mechanic.

The bulk of the collection consists of U.S. Army Air Corps Technical School training materials from the Boeing Flying Fortress School, part of the Boeing School of Aeronautics, from when Rien trained as a B-17 mechanic in 1942. The materials include a two-volume training manual that is interspersed with handwritten notes and diagrams, as well as a student notebook with lecture notes and worksheets. The manual covers such subjects as electrical fundamentals, airplane structures, hydraulic systems, propellers, aircraft instruments, and aircraft engine operation. Rien's diploma from the U.S. Army Air Corps Technical School dated September 25, 1942 as well as two group portraits of men in the Boeing School of Aeronautics class of 34-42 are also present.

The collection also contains an Army Air Forces scrapbook that includes notes and diary entries about his service; 45 black-and-white photographic snapshots depicting fellow servicemen, primarily at leisure; printed ephemera such as theater and event programs, brochures from sites visited in England, ticket stubs and a leave pass; as well as numerous clippings.

Dates

Creation: 1941-1945

Creator

Rien, Lyden Herman, 1915-1997 (Person)

Language of Materials

All materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Biographical Note: Lyden H. Rien

Lyden Herman Rien served as a B-17 mechanic during World War II.

Rien was born in Plum City, Wisconsin on September 30, 1915 to Herman and Margriet Rien. He lived and was educated there through high school and worked on his family's farm. With the onset of World War II, he registered for the draft in 1940 and then enlisted on April 15, 1942. He was trained through Boeing's Flying Fortress School as a B-17 mechanic. From collection materials it appears he completed training in both Seattle, Washington and Oakland, California. He served with the Army Air Corps in the 8th Air Force, 95th Bomb Group, 336th Bomb Squadron. He appears to have trained or been stationed in Rapid City, South Dakota and then served at the RAF Horham airfield in England. He was discharged September 19, 1945.

Rien was married to Mildred Kristine Rien. He died June 30, 1997 and is buried in Minneapolis, Minnesota.