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Military
![B-24 Liberator #4111761 'The Squaw' 'Sleepy' 343rd BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. Survivor of 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid. Returned to the USA for war bonds tour. The Squaw art work was toned down for the war bond tour. Flown by pilot Royden LeBrecht [pictured].](http://www.americanairmuseum.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/media/media-14396.jpeg?itok=nzJpZc1H)
B-24 Liberator #4111761 'The Squaw' 'Sleepy' 343rd BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. Survivor of 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid. Returned to the USA for war bonds tour. The Squaw art work was toned down for the war bond tour. Flown by pilot Royden LeBrecht [pictured].
# 42-40753 ~ B-24D 'OLE KICKAPOO' - Command Pilot 2nd Lt. Lloyd Hughes, Copilot 2ndLt. Ronald Helder, and Crew 1943. Aircraft was lost at Campina, Ploesti with both pilots and all crewmen, except two, KIA. Two crewmen survived the crash, WIA on "Operation Tidal Wave" 1 Aug 1943 - Pilot Lt. Lloyd "Pete" Hughes was awarded the Medal Of Honor for his determination to press on and bomb his target without regard to his life and safety. His copilot, Lt. Ronald Helder was awarded The Distinguished Service Cross. - All crewmen on 'Ole Kickapoo' were awarded The Distinguished Service Cross and The Distinguished Flying Cross for their bravery, skill, and sacrifice in participation with Operation Tidal Wave. Pilot: 2Lt Lloyd H. Hughes, Jr. KIA : Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously Co-Pilot: 2Lt Ronald L. Helder. KIA : Distinguished Service Cross posthumously Navigator: 2Lt Sidney A. Pear. KIA : Died of wounds August 6, 1943, surgery hospital in Campina, Rumania : Distinguished Service Cross posthumously Bombardier: 2Lt John A. McLoughlin. KIA : Escaped burning wreckage - Died of wounds on August 3, 1943, surgery hospital in Campina, Rumania : Distinguished Service Cross posthumously Engineer/Top Turret Gunner: T/Sgt Joseph E. Mix. KIA : Distinguished Service Cross posthumously Radio Operator: T/Sgt Louis N. Kase. KIA : Distinguished Service Cross posthumously Waist Gunner: S/Sgt Malcolm C. Dalton. KIA : Distinguished Service Cross posthumously Waist Gunner: S/Sgt Edmond H. Smith. WIA POW : Distinguished Service Cross Tail Gunner: S/Sgt Thomas A. Hoff. WIA POW : Distinguished Service Cross Tunnel Gunner: Sgt Avis K. Wilson. KIA : Distinguished Service Cross posthumously Full names: Pilot: 2Lt Lloyd Herbert Hughes, Jr. Co-Pilot: 2Lt Ronald Lee Helder Navigator: 2Lt Sidney Allen Pear Bombardier: 2Lt John A. McLoughlin Engineer/Top Turret Gunner: T/Sgt Joseph Elzie Mix Radio Operator: T/Sgt Louis Norman Kase/Kassowitz Waist Gunner: S/Sgt Malcolm Clay Dalton Waist Gunner: S/Sgt Edmond Howard Smith Tail Gunner: S/Sgt Thomas Albert Hoff Tunnel Gunner: Sgt Avis Kenneth Wilson
B-24D - Lt. Roydon LeBrecht Command Pilot - 'The 'Squaw'. Flew on the Ploesti mission in the lead line of airplanes of the 98th Bomb Group attacking the refinery, code nemed, White IV. LeBrecht followed Col. John Kane in the 98th's Lead ship, 'Hail Columbia', through the flak nest south of Ploesti and on south all the way to the British airbase at Nicosia, Cyprus and home the next day to Beghazi. lt. After the "Tidal Wave" mission, Lt. LeBrecht and 'The Squaw' flew back to the U.S. and went on a War Bond Tour.
B-24D 'The Squaw' 41-11761 with pilot Lt. Royden LeBrecht and the 9th AF Pilots War Bond Tour - 1943
Crew standing and sitting atop of the famous B-24 Liberator, #4111761 "The Squaw", that successfully covered 71 missions without a casualty.
L to R Capt Royden L LeBrecht, 1LT Albert J. Mickish (L), Perry, OK - bombardier aboard B-24D serial 41-11761 "The Squaw" of the 343rd Bomb Sq, 98th BG. Standing with him is MSGT John R. Dowdy. Taken during a stopover at Fort Worth Army Air Field, part of a two-ship team with "The Blue Streak" visiting the local Consolidated factory on a War Bond tour.
Back Row L to R Gen Hoyt S Vanderberg P 1st Lt Royden L Lebrecht, Denison, TX C 1st Lt Clinton H Killian, Roosevelt, Utah N 1st Lt Grover A Zink, Qron, Kansas B 1st Lt Albert J Mickish, Perry, OK Lt Col Robert H Parham Radio T/Sgt JohnR Reilly, Utica, NY Front Row L to R E T/Sgt Harold F Weir, Lapeer, MI Rad Ast S/Sgt Paul E Davidson, Springfield, Mo Ast Eng S/Sgt John A Givens Jr, Louis, Mo Crew Chief M/Sgt Paul T Bashis, Cambridge, Mass Tail S/Sgt John Gunnu, Albany, NY Gunner S/Sgt Adney J Harmon, Sacco, Maine
![Major Joe M. Kilgore [L] and Captain Royden L Lebrecht [R] posing in the pilot's enclosure of B-24 #4111761](http://www.americanairmuseum.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/media/media-14407.jpeg?itok=w3TNDL50)
Major Joe M. Kilgore [L] and Captain Royden L Lebrecht [R] posing in the pilot's enclosure of B-24 #4111761 "The Squaw", a famed Liberator of 71 missions in the Middle East.
Captain Royden L Lebrecht, pilot of the famous B-24 #4111761 "The Squaw", standing next to the plane's insignia. Lebrecht commented, "She's a good old gal" as he winks at the camera.
Captain Royden L Lebrecht, pilot of the famous B-24 #4111761 "The Squaw", pointing to ack-ack holes in the much traveled combat ship. Fort Worth, TX.
Lt. Royden Louis LeBrecht was a B-24 Command pilot of the B-24D, #4111761, The 'Squaw' in North Africa in 1942-43. Lt. Lebrecht flew on Operation Tidal Wave, the Aug 1 1943 Ploesti raid, with the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bombardment Group, and the 344th Bomb Squadron. After bombing his target at Ploesti and escaping the Ploesti area, Lt. Lebrecht joined his airplane with Col. John Kane's damaged B-24D, "Hail Columbia' and several other shot up B-24s south of Ploesti and diverted south to land on the British airfield at Nicosia, Cyprus. After the mission LeBrecht returned to USA for war bonds tour with A/C #4111761, the 'Squaw'.
Military | First Lieutenant | B-24D Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
First Lieutenant Gilbert Benny Hadley was a B-24D Liberator bomber pilot with the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, "The Pyramiders", and the 344th Bombing Squadron, from Texas, 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 | Colonel | Commanding Officer, Command Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
John Riley Kane (January 5, 1907 – May 29, 1996) was a colonel in the United States Army Air Corps and later the United States Air Force. He received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Congressional Medal of Honor in World War II, for his...
Military | Colonel | Bombardier Navigator | 98th Bomb Group
Lt. Harold Korger was a bombardier in the 344th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bomb Group, 9th Air Force. He flew on the famous mission, Operation Tidal Wave, Aug 1, 1943, to knock out the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. ...
Military | Captain | B-24 Command Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Lt. Royden Louis LeBrecht was a B-24 Command pilot of the B-24D, #4111761, The 'Squaw' in North Africa in 1942-43. Lt. Lebrecht flew on Operation Tidal Wave, the Aug 1 1943 Ploesti raid, with the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bombardment Group, and the 344th...
Military | First Lieutenant | B-24D Command Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Pilot Lt. Sam Neeley flew his B-24D, named, 'Raunchy' on "Operation Tidal Wave", the famous bombing raid to destroy the German held oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania, one of the most desperate and daring bombing raids of WWII.
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Military | First Lieutenant | B-24 Command Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
1st Lt. Robert James Nespor, Jr. was a B-24D command bomber pilot in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bombardment Group, "The Pyramiders", and the 330th Bombing Squadron. For the huge mission to bomb the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania, on Operation...
Military | Colonel | B-24D Pilot | 93rd Bomb Group
In 1941, Stewart was a 24 year-old, U.S. Army Air Force cadet at the University of Utah. "We were pulling guns around with horses as a plane flew overhead. Jack Adamson, who had been my mission companion, said to me, `There's a war coming.' Later that...
Military | Major | Navigator / Nose Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Norman Whalen joined the Army Air Corps in 1941. After graduating from Navigator School in Monroe, Louisiana, he received his commission as a Second Lieutenant and was assigned to the 9th Air force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 344th Bombing Squadron...
Group
The 98th trained for bombardment missions with B-24 Liberators during the first half of 1942.
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Squadron
The 344th Bombing Squadron was first activated at MacDill Field, Florida as one of the original three squadrons assigned to the 98th Bombardment Group. The 344th soon moved to Barksdale Field, Louisiana, where it began to train as a Consolidated B-24...
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D 'Joisey Bounce' was assigned to Pilot Col. Walter T. Stewart of the 330 Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, for the famous mission to bomb the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania, Aug 1,1943. Col. Stewart changed his assigned plane...
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D, named 'The Sandman' and flown by Lt. Robert Sternfels in the 9th Air force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 345th Bomb Squadron, flew on the famous mission to destroy the German held oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. Lt. Sternfels flew in...
B-24 Liberator
- Not to be confused with #42-30406, 'THE VULGAR VIRGIN' of the 8th Air Force - 93rd Bomb Group - 328th Bomb Squadron - Also flew on the Ploesti mission by Pilot Lt. Claude Turner - Interned Turkey Aug 1, 1943 - Lt. Turner escaped from the Turks and...
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
# 42-40753 - B-24D 'OLE KICKAPOO' - A Consolidated B-24D bomber from the 389th Bombardment Group of the 8th Air Force, and the 564th Bomb Squadron from England, with it's Command Pilot, 2nd Lt. Lloyd Hughes, and his crew, who flew on "Operation Tidal...
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...
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Born | Denison, TX, USA | 21 April 1919 |
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April 21, 1919 Royden Louis Lebrecht born in Denison, Texas. He is son of Louis H. and Myrtle Azola Walton Lebrecht. [Source: City of Denison birth records]Dennison, Texas, USA. |
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| Survived Ploesti | Ploiești, Romania | 1 August 1943 |
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Pilot B-24 #4111761 'The Squaw' flew on the 1st Aug 43 Ploesti raid, diverted to Cypress. |
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| Assigned | Benghazi, Libya | |
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343rd Bomb Squadron, 98th Bomb Group, 9th Air Force. |
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| War Bonds Tour | ||
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Returned to Fort Worth, TX, USA for war bonds tour with A/C. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 26 February 2021 00:29:30 | Kickapoo | Changes to biography, events and person associations |
| Sources | ||
Grayson County Texas - GenWeb Family - LeBrecht Family Chronology |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 October 2020 09:48:49 | Kickapoo | Changes to role |
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Ploesti -- James Dugan & Carroll Stewart |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 October 2020 09:23:03 | Kickapoo | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
Ploesti -- James Dugan & Carroll Stewart |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 October 2020 09:18:34 | Kickapoo | Changes to aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
Ploesti -- James Dugan & Carroll Stewart |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 October 2020 08:18:16 | Kickapoo | Changes to nickname, biography, awards and events |
| Sources | ||
Black Sunday - Michael Hill |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 October 2020 07:05:12 | Kickapoo | Changes to role, biography, person associations, unit associations, place associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
Black Sunday - Michael Hill |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 October 2020 06:46:33 | Kickapoo | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Black Sunday - Michael Hill |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 31 March 2015 18:56:01 | Al_Skiff | Changes to events and media associations |
| Sources | ||
USAAF Photo. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 31 March 2015 16:30:53 | Al_Skiff | Changes to aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
USAAF Photo. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 31 March 2015 16:06:01 | Al_Skiff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
USAAF Photo. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 31 March 2015 16:03:52 | Al_Skiff | Created entry with surname, middlename, firstname, nationality, highest rank, role, biography, events, unit associations, aircraft associations, mission associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
USAAF Photo. |
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