42-40765 'Valient Virgin'
B-24 Liberator
Flew the 1st Aug 43 Ploesti mission in the B formation, returned safely to Libya.
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B-24 Liberator
Assigned to Col. Walter T. Stewart of the 330 Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, USAAF for the mission to bomb the refineries at Ploesti Aug 1,1943. Col. Stewart named this plane, 'Utah Man', to underscore his Utah Morman background to all the Texans in the 98th Bomb Group. Col. Stewart took command of the 93rd Bomb Group over Ploesti after his Group Leader, Col. Addison Baker and Maj. John Jerstad were shot down and killed approaching their target of opportunity, White IV. Stewart in 'Utah Man' was one of several stragglers who followed Col. John Kane in 'Hail Columbia' south and away from Ploesti and returned with the entire group of planes, minus Lt. Gilbert hadley in 'Hadley's Harem', who drowned, caught in his plane after attempting to ditch in the ocean off the Turkish coast, before getting to Nicosia, Cyprus after the mission. Stewart made it home to Benghazi the next day. After returning to England 'Utah Man' was repainted as, 'Joisey Bounce', and failed to return (FTR) mission to Bremen, en route to target, suffered a mid air collision with the B-24 #42-40765, the 'Valient Virgin' with ten crewmen KIA. Nov 13 1943. MACR 2179.
B-24 Liberator
Flew the 1st Aug 43 Ploesti mission in the B formation, returned safely to Libya.
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B-24 Liberator
Crew of "The Sandman" on the Ploesti raid:
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B-24 Liberator
The B-24D, named 'Hadley's Harem' was Lt. Gilbert Hadley's personal airplane and the one he flew on the mission to destroy Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti Romania in 1943.
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B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator #4111761 'The Squaw' flew on the 1st Aug 43 Ploesti raid, recovering to Cyprus, piloted by Royden L Lebrecht. On completion of its tour, returned to Fort Worth, TX, USA for a war bond tour.
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D, 'Hail Columbia', # 41-11825, originally served in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 344th Bombing Squadron. It was, first, the 344th Squadron's CO, Col. John R. Kane's, personal aircraft until Kane became the 98th Bomb Group's...
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D Liberator 41-11768, 'KICKAPOO', was piloted by Lt. John S. Young from Dallas, Texas as part of the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 344th Bombing Squadron, which arrived in North Africa in early 1943. This airplane and was Lt...
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D Liberator 42-40629, 'The Scorpion', with the 8th Air Force, the 389th Bombardment Group, and the 565th Bomb Squadron, flew on the Ploesti oil refinery raid, "Operation Tidal Wave" piloted by Lt. Kenneth M. Caldwell and Col. Jack Wood...
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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Group
93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated 1-March-1942 at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. On 15-May-1942 the Group moved to Ft. Myers, Florida to continue advanced flight training and also to fly anti-submarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico; they...
Squadron
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 93rd Bomb Group
Collided with another aircraft 13 November 1943 in B-24 42-24226 'Utah Man. ' Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Sergeant | Navigator | 93rd Bomb Group
Collided with another aircraft 13 November 1943 in B-24 #42-24226 'Utah Man', Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Technical Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 93rd Bomb Group
Collided with another aircraft 13 November 1943 in B-24 42-24226 'Utah Man. ' Killed in Action (KIA). Also had flown on famous Ploesti raid of 1 Aug '43
Military | Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 93rd Bomb Group
Collided with another aircraft 13 November 1943 in B-24 #4224226 'Utah Man. ' Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Lieutenant | Bombardier | 93rd Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 93rd Bomb Group
Collided with another aircraft 13 November 1943 in B-24 #4224226 'Utah Man. ' Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | First Lieutenant | B-24D Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
First Lieutenant Gilbert B. Hadley was a B-24D Liberator bomber pilot with the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, "The Pyramiders", from Texas, and the 344th Bombing Squadron, based at Cairo, Egypt, Tobruk, and Benghazi, Libya, in the Mediterranean...
Military | Second Lieutenant | B-24D Co-Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
2nd Lt. Ronald Lee Helder was a B-24 pilot in the 8th Air Force, the 389th Bomb Group, and the 564th Bombing Squadron in WWII. He flew as Co-pilot with his friend, Command Pilot Lt. Lloyd H. Hughes, in the B-24D Lt. Helder called, 'Ole Kickapoo',...
Military | Second Lieutenant | B-24 Command Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 93rd Bomb Group
Was shot down by enemy aircraft while on a bombing run to Bremen, Germany. Collided with another aircraft 13 November 1943 in B-24 42-24226 'Utah Man' as it was spiraling down. Prisoner of War (POW) from Nov. 1943-May 1945.
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...
Military site : airfield
Planned as an RAF bomber airfield, Hardwick was used first by the 310th Bomb Group, equipped with B-25 Mitchells. In December 1943, the B-24 Liberators of the 93rd Bomb Group moved in, and remained until the end of the war, flying over 330 missions....
Military site : airfield
Military site : airfield
Military site : airfield
Military site : airfield
Event | Location | Date |
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Manufactured | San Diego, TX 78384, USA | 1943 |
Built at Consolidated. |
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Delivered | Texas, USA | 1943 |
Delivered to USAAF. |
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Assigned | Hardwick, Cambridge CB23, UK | 1943 |
Assigned to 330BS, 93BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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Crashed | Bremen, Germany | 13 November 1943 |
Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Bremen, en route to target suffered a mid air collision with B-24 42-40765. 10 x KIA. 13-Nov-43. MACR 2179. |
Date | Contributor | Update |
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07 November 2020 22:56:48 | Kickapoo | Changes to aircraft associations |
Sources | ||
He Brought Us Home -- Capt. John S. Young |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
07 November 2020 22:28:53 | Kickapoo | Changes to description, aircraft associations, person associations and place associations |
Sources | ||
Black Sunday -- Michael Hill Into The Fire -- Duane Schultz |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
07 November 2020 22:11:18 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
Sources | ||
He Brought Us Home -- Capt. John S. Young |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
05 August 2019 08:34:05 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
Sources | ||
Date | Contributor | Update |
05 August 2019 07:36:55 | Kickapoo | Changes to nicknames and person associations |
Sources | ||
B24bestweb.com |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
07 August 2016 17:04:44 | Al_Skiff | Changes to nicknames, description, events, aircraft associations and place associations |
Sources | ||
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbmsn.asp?SN=41-24226 |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
12 March 2015 12:17:40 | Al_Skiff | Changes to nicknames |
Sources | ||
Date | Contributor | Update |
12 March 2015 12:15:12 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, events, unit associations and mission associations |
Sources | ||
Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:40:01 | AAM | AAM ingest |
Sources | ||
MACR 2179 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |