8th Air Force
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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42-40629
B-24 Liberator
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![B-24 Liberator #42-40629 'The Scorpion' 565th BS, 389th BG, 8th AF, pilot Capt Kenneth M Caldwell [ front and centre with cap ] and crew. Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya.](http://www.americanairmuseum.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/media/media-15374.jpeg?itok=OmRCWkfZ)
B-24 Liberator #42-40629 'The Scorpion' 565th BS, 389th BG, 8th AF, pilot Capt Kenneth M Caldwell [ front and centre with cap ] and crew. Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya.
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Nose art of B-24 Liberator #42-40629 'The Scorpion' 565th BS, 389th BG, 8th AF, flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya.
B-24 Liberator #42-40629 'The Scorpion' 565th BS, 389th BG, 8th AF, flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid piloted by Capt Kenneth M Caldwell, returning safely to Libya.
Service
Units
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389th Bomb Group
Group
The 389th Bomb Group, known in more familiar terms as "the Sky Scorpions", flew strategic bombing missions in B-24 Liberators from Hethel, England. They also sent detachments to join bases in North Africa at Benghazi No. 10, Libya, between 3 July 1943... -
565th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Kenneth Caldwell
Military | Major | Co-Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 42-40629. Shot down by FW 190 fighters near Orleans, France on 7 Jan 44 in B-24D 42-41013 'Trouble N' Mind' Killed in Action (KIA). -
John Fino
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 389th Bomb Group
Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 42-40629. -
Howard Gibson
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 42-40629 -
Bernard Greeley
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 389th Bomb Group
Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 42-40629. -
Arthur Greenhalgh
Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight Engineer; Waist Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 42-40629. -
Otis Hamilton
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 42-40629. -
Stell Meador
Military | Major | Navigator | 389th Bomb Group
Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 42-40629. -
William Nessler
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 42-40629. -
Lavell Smith
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 42-40629. -
Jack Wood
Military | Major General | Chief of the British-American Air Component, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Forces Mission to Franc | 389th Bomb Group
Born in Fairbault, Minn., in 1907, we won his wings by 1929. He rose swiftly through the ranks achieving the rank of Colonel and took command of the 20th Combat Bomb Wing of the Eighth Air Force. The following November he was named executive of the...
Missions
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Operation Tidal Wave
1 August 1943
Operation TIDAL WAVE. B24D Liberators attack the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. The bombers flew low to avoid radar detection and dropped time delayed bombs. Out of the 177 B-24s that took part in the raid 167 managed to attack their targets. 57 B...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Survived Ploesti | Ploiești, Romania | 1 August 1943 |
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Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid piloted by Capt Kenneth M Caldwell, returning safely to Libya. Flying in the Scorpion as navigator was Jack Wood, Commander of the 389th BG. As navigator he directed the whole group's formation to the target. |
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| Assigned | Benghazi, Libya | |
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565th BS, 389th BG, 8th AF, TDY 9th AF. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 17 March 2019 22:49:28 | Dieterle | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
John T. Correll, "Twenty-Seven Minutes Over Ploesti," Air Force Magazine, Feb. 2015, p. 77. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 25 April 2015 17:13:34 | Al_Skiff | Created entry with serial number, aircraft type, production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, description, events, unit associations, person associations, mission associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.freewebs.com / http://www.b24bestweb.com / http://home.comcast.net |
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