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Military site : airfield
British Mallala Airbase Benghazi, Libya 1942
# 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
Wheelus Air Base was a United States Air Force base located in the Kingdom of Libya. At one point it was the largest U.S. military facility outside the United States with an area of 20 sq miles right on the coast off Tripoli. The base had its own beach club, the largest military hospital outside the US, a multiplex cinema, a bowling alley and a high school for 500 students. The base also had its own radio and TV station as well as a shopping mall and fast food chain outlets. At its height it had over 15,000 military personnel and their dependents on base. Wheelus Air Base was originally built by the Italian Air Force in 1923 and was known as Mellaha Air Base. Today the facility is known as Mitiga International Airport.
Prior to the war, the airbase was constructed in 1923 and used by the Italian Air Force. In 1933 the roads around the air base and the neighbouring Mellaha Lake became the new home for the popular Tripoli Grand Prix motor race.[1]
Mellaha was used by the German Luftwaffe during the North African Campaign, with the Germans using it for short range recon units, as well as coastal and naval recon units. Special weather recon units also existed at Mehalla. The main Luftwaffe unit stationed at the base was the 2nd Staffel of the Aufklärungsgruppe (H) 14 or 2.(H)/14.
The squadron was equipped with twelve single-engined Henschel Hs 126, an aircraft with 2-man crews, which could cover approx 710 km, with a maximum speed of 360 km/h, as well as three Fieseler Fi 156 Storch liaison aircraft, and a Junkers Ju 52 for transport of men and materiel.
The airbase was captured by the British 8th Army in January 1943.
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The US Army Air Force began using Mellaha as a base in January 1943. It was used by the 376th Bombardment Group (Heavy) of the 12th Air Force for B-24 bomb missions into Italy and southern parts of Germany.
In addition, Mellaha Field was used by Air Transport Command. It functioned as a stopover en route to Benina Airport near Benghazi or to Tunis Airport, Tunisia on the North African Cairo-Dakar transport route for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel.[2]
On 15 April 1945 Mellaha AAF was taken over by USAAF’s Air Training Command. It was renamed Wheelus Army Air Field (AAF) on 17 May 1945 in honor of USAAF Lieutenant Richard Wheelus who had died earlier that year in a plane crash in Iran.
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Group
Constituted as 376th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 19 Oct 1942 and activated in Palestine on 31 Oct. Began combat immediately, using B-24 aircraft. Operated with Ninth AF from bases in the Middle East, Nov 1942-Sep 1943, and with Twelfth AF from Tunisia...
Military | Colonel | B-24 Command Pilot | 376th Bomb Group
Norman Appold graduated from the Aviation Cadet Training Program in 1942, commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. After completing pilot training, he served as a B-24 pilot in the 376th Bomb Group Association, completing 63 missions.
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Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Commanding Officer | 93rd Bomb Group
Lieutenant Colonel Addison Baker was the Commanding Officer of the 93rd Bomb Group from May 17, 1943, he was killed in Action over Ploesti during Operation Tidal Wave on 1 August, 1943.
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 93rd Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW)/ crashed on 8/1/43 while TDY to 9th AF for Ploesti Raid in B-24 'Pudgy' 42-40613 Prisoner of War (POW) in Rumania.
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Lieutenant General | B-24 Command Pilot - Squadron Commander - Commanding Officer | 376th Bomb Group
Keith Karl Compton (December 9, 1915 – June 15, 2004) was an American Air Force Lieutenant General who was Vice Commander in Chief, Strategic Air Command. He flew as Command Pilot with Gen. Uzal Ent on Operation Tidal Wave in the B-24D, 'Teggie Ann'...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 376th Bomb Group
Scott Farrington served as a tail gunner with the 515th Bomb Squadron of the 376th Bomb Group. He flew on the crew of Donaldson Hurd, flying 'Dopey Goldberg', during the Ploesti raid on 1 Aug 1943. He was shot down with Hurd over Foggia Italy a couple...
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 | 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...
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D, 'The Duchess', was in the 8th Air force, the 93rd Bomb Group, and the 330th Bombing Squadron in Britain. - Transferred temporarily to the 9th Air Force in North Africa and flew on Operation Tidal Wave to bomb the oil refineries at Ploesti,...
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
Shot down by a Me-109 over Ploesti. Two of the crew KIA, eight became POW's. MACR 154
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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
Not to be mistaken for the B-24D # 41-11613, named, 'Florine JuJu' / '71 Liberandos' / '71 Teggie Ann' / '71 The Blue Streak'.
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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
Started out on the 1 Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, piloted by Lt Hoover Edwards and aborted near Corfu with turbo supercharger problems. Converted to a transport on 17 Aug 43.
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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...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 29 April 2019 13:44:08 | Kickapoo | Changes to media associations |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 December 2018 04:25:34 | Kickapoo | Changes to media associations |
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Personal Archive |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 November 2016 22:35:53 | 466thHistorian | Created entry with name, known as, latitude, longitude, usaaf from date, usaaf to date, construction date and history |
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