Richard Benjamin Lewis

Military
media-22488.jpeg UPL 22488 Richard B. Lewis - 1943 (Photo courtesy of Dick Lewis, from his book "Angel On My Wing")

Added photo

Object Number - UPL 22488 - Richard B. Lewis - 1943 (Photo courtesy of Dick Lewis, from his book "Angel On My Wing")

Richard Lewis was a Pilot in the 493rd Bomb Group/862nd Bomb Squadron. He and his original crew were assigned B-24 Serial #42-50650 at Dow Field, Bangor, Maine on 19 May 1944. They flew it to England and probably were on board it for their first mission on 18 July 1944. Dick Lewis flew 34 missions (and an aborted one) from 18 July to 6 October 1944. The first 10 ones were flown on B-24s, among which Serials #42-94865 ("Baby Bug") and #42-94937 ("Call Me Savage"). Flying on B-17s for the rest of his tour, he piloted, among others, "Tempest Turner" # 43-38216, named after Hollywood actress Lana Turner.

Dick Lewis described his most memorable mission [ 16 August 1944 to Halberstadt, Germany ] when he visited the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum: "10th mission in B-24s, lost engine #1 and #2 -Flew back to base on 2-(what a beast) lost 9000 feet but made it ok-took both me and co-pilot, locking our knees, holding rudder all the way in to fly straight-no gas gauges so flew from one Air Sea Rescue Boat to another all the way back."

Dick Lewis has written a book about his life, his war tour in WWII and his service in the Korean War called 'Angel On My Wing' (published in 2009 by High Pitched Hum Publishing).







Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

The insignia of the 493rd Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 493rd Bomb Group 862nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 32065491
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 493rd Bomb Group 862nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 32183352
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 493rd Bomb Group 862nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-713117
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Navigator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 493rd Bomb Group 862nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-702146
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Navigator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 493rd Bomb Group 862nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 18161287
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Flight Engineer; Top Turret Gunner

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Unit: 493rd Bomb Group 862nd Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Baby Bug, Baby Bug II, Baby Bug III
  • Unit: 490th Bomb Group 493rd Bomb Group 801st Bomb Group 406th Bomb Squadron 850th Bomb Squadron 862nd Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Call Me Savage
  • Unit: 490th Bomb Group 493rd Bomb Group 849th Bomb Squadron 862nd Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Tempest Turner
  • Unit: 34th Bomb Group 493rd Bomb Group 18th Bomb Squadron 862nd Bomb Squadron

Missions

  • Date: 6 November 1944
  • Date: 5 November 1944
  • Date: 4 November 1944
  • Date: 2 November 1944
  • Date: 30 October 1944

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Arkansas City, Kansas 2 April 1922 the son of Benjamin and Eula Lewis

Enlisted

Saint Louis, Missouri, United States 25 June 1942 as a Private in the Air Corps
Farmington, Missouri, United States

Revisions

Date
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources

Connected to group photo in front of 43-38216

Date
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources

"Angel on My Wing" by Richard B. Lewis
NARA WWII Enlistment records

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

See this article published by the Daily Journal in Park Hills, Missouri: http://dailyjournalonline.com/news/local/book-by-dick-lewis-tells-of-ex…

Date
ContributorLucyM
Changes
Sources

As told to me by Dick Lewis.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / self, http://493bgdebach.co.uk/roster_list.php

Richard Benjamin Lewis: Gallery (5 items)