Following recent government announcements the museum is currently closed, there is plenty to explore in our online archive.
The American Air Museum is a charity - Find out how you can support us
Squadron
B-24D 'RAUNCHY' - B - 24 - D - CO - SN #41-11819 - 9th AF - 98th BG - 344th BS. - Lost on OPERATION TIDAL WAVE, August 1,1943. Ploesti Romania. - MACR 169 - Pilot Lt. Samuel R. Neeley. Copilot - Lt. Herman H. Henslee. KIA - Aug 1943
Capt. John S. Young - from Dallas, Texas - 9th AF - 98th Bomb Group - 344th Bomb Squadron. Lt. Young was assigned to fly with Col. John R. "Killer" Kane as his Kane's copilot for the Ploesti mission, Operation Tidal Wave. Kane and Young successfully led their two following bomb groups, the 44th Bomb Group, and the 389th Bomb Group, to their Initial Points, and all of the groups found and bombed their targets, which had been heavily compromised by being bombed beforehand by remnants of the 93rd Bomb Group and the 376th Bomb Groups. - In spite of being hit by flak and heavily damaged approaching, and over, their target at Ploesti, none of the crew members were seriously wounded. They all survived the mission and returned to Cyprus Island, where they also survived crash landing their B-24, 'Hail Columbia". Aug 1, 1943
This photo is the B-24D, 'THE VULGAR VIRGIN' - SN #41- 24198 - 9th Air Force, 98th Bomb Group, 344th Bomb Squadron, flown by command pilot Lt. Wallace C. Taylor. Lt. Taylor, flying just off the wing and slightly behind Col. John Kane in 'Hail Columbia' over White IV, entered a wall of smoke with 'Hail Columbia' and several other B-24s. When the small group of B-24s exited the smoke, 'THE VULGAR VIRGIN" was gone. It was shot down and lost Over the Astra Romano refinery after taking two direct flak hits. Approaching the smoke cloud, Lt. Taylor called for bailout over White IV. He was the only one of the four crewmen who bailed out at the low altitude of approximately 200 to 500 feet, who survived and became a prisoner of war - POW. The rest of the crew were KIA - August 1, 1943 - Note - Another B-24D flown on the Ploesti mission, was also named, 'THE VULGAR VIRGIN'. It was aircraft SN #42-40608 from Britain and the 8th Air force - the 93rd Bomb Group - and the 328th Bomb Squadron. It was flown by Lt. Claude Alvin Turner from the 8th Air Force. Lt. Turner and his crew survived the Ploesti mission, were hit by flak over their target and flew to Chorlu, Turkey, where they landed and were interned after the Ploesti mission, Aug 1, 1943. Lt. Turner and his crew were released by the Turks and returned to Britain after the Ploesti mission. He and his crew were shot down and KIA over the North Sea, Nov 13, 1943.
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.
Lt. Royden LeBrecht's B-24D, The "Squaw" . Royden flew The "Squaw" on the desperate mission to destroy Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. Aug 1, 1943. Both Lebrecht and The "Squaw" survived the mission. LeBrecht joined up with several straggler aircraft from his 98th Bomb Group and several of the 376th Bomb Group's pilots and planes south of Ploesti, who had followed their leader, Col. Addison Baker and broke away from Col. Kieth Compton's Lead to fly north and bomb Ploesti's refinery, "White IV", after Compton turned hid Lead aircraft away from Ploesti toward Bucharest. LeBrecht and his crew made it all the way south, following Col. John Kane's lead airplane, 'Hail Columbia', where they landed safely at the British Air base at Nicosia, Cyprus. Ploesti was Royden Lebrecht's last combat mission. After the mission, he returned to the U.S. and went on a year long war bond tour, flying his favorite B-24, 'The "Squaw" '.
B-24D 'KICKAPOO' , originally assigned to Lt. John S. Young, 9th AF, 98th BG, 344th BS. 'KICKAPOO' crashed and was lost on takeoff for the Ploesti mission. with both replacement pilots, Lt. Robert Nespor of the 98th BG and Lt. John C. Riley of the 93rd BG and all but two of the replacement crew for the Ploesti mission KIA Aug 1, 1943 - the first casualties of Operation Tidal Wave over Ploesti, Romania.
B-24 LIBERATOR 42-72843 "Strawberry Bitch".
B-24D - the 'KICKAPOO' with crew and Pilot Lt. John S. Young on far right before the mission to bomb Ploesti, 1943. John Young and his regular crew member's lives were spared when Group Leader Col. John R. Kane reassigned them to fly with him in 'Hail Columbia' on Operation Tidal Wave over Ploesti. - 'KICKAPOO' crashed and burned on takeoff for the Ploesti mission, killing the two replacement pilots and all but two of it's replacement crew. - Aircraft Destroyed - Lete, Libya - 1 Aug 1943 'KICKAPOO''s reassigned crew for the Ploesti bombing mission : --- 1st Lt. Robert J. Nespor - Pilot - (KIA) - Died two weeks later from his burns 2nd Lt. John C. Riley - Co Pilot (KIA) Detached Service from 93rd BG 2nd Lt. Russell W. Polivka - Navigator (WIA) D.S. from 93rd BG T/Sgt. Vaun D. Wenrich - Engineer/Top Turret (KIA) D.S. from 93rd BG T/Sgt. Armand R. Massart - Radio Op (KIA) D.S. from 93rd BG S/Sgt. George W. Lawlor - Gunner (KIA) D.S. from 93rd BG S/Sgt. Edwin G. Sliwa - Gunner (KIA) D.S. from 93rd BG S/Sgt. Eugene R. Garner - Gunner (WIA) D.S. from 93rd BG S/Sgt. John P. D'Armour - Gunner (KIA) D.S. from 93rd BG
Capt. John S. Young on War Bond Tour 1945
Col. John R. Kane Group Leader and Pilot of the 'Hail Columbia' with his copilot Lt. John S. Young on the mission to bomb Ploesti, August 1, 1943
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 Liberator heavy bomber squadron under Third Air Force.
The squadron's training was short and it deployed to Egypt in July 1942 over the South Atlantic Ferrying Route transiting from Morrison Field, Florida though the Caribbean Sea to Brazil. It made the Atlantic crossing from Brazil to Liberia, then transited east across central Africa to Sudan. The air echelon of the group reformed with the ground echelon which traveled by the SS Pasteur around the Cape of Good Hope, joining with the air echelon of the squadron, the 343d Bombardment Squadron and group headquarters at St Jean d'Acre Airfield, in Palestine.
Combat in the Middle East
Upon arrival in the Near East, the squadron became part of United States Army Middle East Air Force, which was replaced by Ninth Air Force in November. It entered combat in August, attacking shipping and harbor installations to cut Axis supply lines to North Africa. It also bombed airfields and rail transit lines in Sicily and mainland Italy. The squadron moved forward with Ninth Air Force to airfields in Egypt; Libya and Tunisia supporting the British Eighth Army in the Western Desert Campaign. Its support of this campaign earned the squadron the Distinguished Unit Citation.
98th Bomb Group Liberators attacking Ploesti
On 1 August 1943, the squadron participated in Operation Tidal Wave, the low-level raid on oil refineries near Ploesti, Romania. Alerted to the vulnerability of the Ploesti refineries by a June 1942 raid by the HALPRO project, the area around Ploesti had become one of the most heavily defended targets in Europe. Upon takeoff to Ploesti the B-24, 'Kickapoo' lost an engine shortly after takeoff and crashed with it's two pilots, Lt. Robert Nespor, Lt. John Riley, and all but two of it's crew KIA, the first casualties of Operation Tidal Wave. The 344th Squadron pressed its attack on the Astra Romana Refinery through smoke and fire from bombing by the 93rd's Bombardment Group's earlier attack and heavy flak defenses. The squadron's actions in this engagement earned it a second Distinguished Unit Citation.
When the forces driving East from Egypt and Libya met up with those moving westward from Algeria and Morocco, the 344th, established as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron and trained by Third Air Force. Deployed to Egypt in June 1942 over South Atlantic Transport Route transiting from Morrison Field, Florida though the Caribbean to Brazil; performed trans-Atlantic crossing from Brazil to Liberia, then transited east across central Africa to Sudan. Lastly the group reformed with the ground echelon which traveled by ship around the Cape of Good Hope, joining with air echelon in British Palestine.
Assigned to the newly formed IX Bomber Command, the squadron operated from airfields in Egypt; Libya and Tunisia supporting the British Eighth Army in the Western Desert Campaign. Also staged long-range strategic bombardment of enemy maritime shipping targets in the Mediterranean Sea and Italian ports, also military and industrial targets in Sicily, Italy, and the Southern Balkans, including attacking the Nazi-controlled oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania.
Reassigned to Fifteenth Air Force in southern Italy; continuing strategic bombardment raids on Occupied France; Southern Germany; Austria and targets in the Balkans. In the summer of 1944, the squadron participated in the invasion of southern France, assisted in the Soviet advance into the Balkans, and supported the partisans and guerrillas in Yugoslavia and neighboring countries.
The squadron returned to the United States in May 1945 where it was redesignated as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment squadron and began training for deployment to the Central Pacific Area. Training continued until November when the unit was transferred to Merced Army Air Field, California and reassigned to the 444th Bombardment Group,[3] where it replaced the 678th Bombardment Squadron, which was converted into a reconnaissance unit. The squadron was inactivated at what was now Castle Field in March 1946.
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...
Group
The 98th trained for bombardment missions with B-24 Liberators during the first half of 1942.
...
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Pilot B-24 Liberator 41-11803 'Rosie Wrecked Em', 344th BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid on the wing of Col. Kane, having to abort before the target because of mechanical problems.
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 344BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti in B-24 41-24198; Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 166
Awards: PH.
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Turret Gunner | 100th Bomb Group
Obituary for Luther Bailey
...
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 344BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid in B-24 42-40208 'Sad Sack'. 50 x combat missions. ETD
Awards: SS, DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying in the Lead B-24D Liberator # 41-11825, 'Hail Columbia' piloted by Col. John R. "Killer" Kane and Lt. John S. Young.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 344BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid in B-24 42-40208 'Sad Sack' with William Banks crew. ETD
Awards: AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right waist gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid in B-24 42-40208 'Sad Sack'.
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Gunner Sgt. Alfred D. Cason DFC MIA/KIA
...
Military | Captain | 98th Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 344BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti in B-24 41-24198; Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 166
Awards: DFC (OLC), AM (7OLC), PH.
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.
...
B-24 Liberator
B-24D-CO Liberator - 'Raunchy'
...
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
Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid piloted by Francis E Weisler, aborting before the target.
...
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
B-24 Liberator #41-11803 'Rosie Wrecked Em', 344th BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid on the wing of Col. Kane, having to abort before the target because of mechanical problems.
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator #41-23656 'Rowdy Ann' 344th BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, aborting before the target, pilot Allen B Gaston. A/C Renamed from 'Rowdy II' - Transferred to 376th BG / 512th BS. Returned to the States on...
B-24 Liberator
Equipped with radar and was used in a sea search role early in its career and may have been operated by other than the 343rd BS.
...
B-24 Liberator
Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid piloted by William D Banks, safely diverting to Cypress.
...
Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 03 November 2020 08:29:01 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Black Sunday ---- Michael Hill |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 October 2020 08:38:50 | Kickapoo | Changes to category and citations |
| Sources | ||
Wikipedia - The 344th Bomb Squadron |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 October 2020 08:34:11 | Kickapoo | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
Wikipedia - The 344th Bomb Squadron |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 October 2020 08:26:02 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Wikipedia - The 344th Bomb Squadron |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 28 February 2019 23:54:34 | Kickapoo | Changes to person associations and commanding officers associations |
| Sources | ||
Black Sunday ~ Michael Hill |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 August 2018 11:18:49 | Kickapoo | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
Black Sunday - Michael hill |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 12 March 2018 11:29:13 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Burning Hitler's Black Gold by Robert Sternfels |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 12 March 2018 11:25:20 | Kickapoo | Changes to description and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
Burning Hitler's Black Gold by Robert Sternfels |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 10 March 2018 08:32:21 | Kickapoo | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
Burning Hitler's Black Gold by Robt. Sternfels |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 November 2016 02:46:47 | 466thHistorian | Created entry with type, name, motto, description, air forces, aircraft types, unit encompassing associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
12th & 15th Air Forces - Gerard Paloque |
||
