B-24 Liberator #42-40402 'The Sandman' 98th Bomb Group 344th Bombing Squadron piloted by Lt. Robert Sternfels flying just on the bomb run on White IV over Ploesti Aug 1, 1943
Lt. Robert J Nespor, killed in action on 1 August 1943. Lt. Nespor was reassigned to fly Lt. John S. Young's regular airplane, 'KICKAPOO' with his copilot. Lt. John Clark Riley for the Ploesti mission to bomb the oil refineries. Nespor and Riley were killed just after takeoff when 'KICKAPOO''s #4 engine failed and caught on fire. The plane's wing hit a concrete pole on landing cartwheeling the plane into the ground in flames. All but two of the plane's crew were KIA, with two WIA. 1 Aug 1943. Both pilots, Lt. Nespor and Lt. John C. Riley were posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart for their bravery and sacrifice for the Ploesti mission.
B-24D 'Kickapoo' crash Lete Airfield - Aug 1, 1943 - killing pilots, Lt. Robert Nespor and Lt. John C. Riley - #4 engine failure - 8 KIA / 2 WIA
Lt. Gib Hadley's # 41-24311 'Hadley's Harem' in Benghazi 1943. After the Ploesti mission, Gilbert "Gib" Hadley and his 'Harem' left the straggler formation of 'Hail Columbia' leading 'The Sandman', and 'Utah Man' before he could get to Nicosia Cyprus because of his failing airplane and ditched at sea just off the Turkish coast. Hadley was pinned in his cockpit and drowned, 1 August 1943.
'Hadley's Harem' was First Lieutenant Gilbert "Gib" Hadley, the well liked young pilot in the 344th bomb Squadron of the 98th Bomb Group, and 9th Air Force.
Captain John S. Young copilot of the 'Hail Columbia' with Col. John R. Kane on the mission to bomb Ploesti, August 1, 1943
Capt. John S. Young at the Consolidated Factory, Fort Worth, Texas, 1945
Capt. John S. Young on War Bond Tour 1945
B-24D the 'KICKAPOO' and crew with 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 - 1 Aug 1943
'Hail Columbia' at Lete Airfield, Benghazi, 1943. One of five lead aircraft for the Ploesti bombing mission, flown by Group Leader Col. John R. Kane, command pilot, and Lt. John S. Young, his copilot. The airplane was extensively damaged by German flak over Ploesti. After joining up with several other crippled straggler B-24s exiting the battle area, including Lt. Robert Sternfels in 'The Sandman', Col. Walter Stewart in 'Utah Man', and Lt. Gib hadley in 'Hadley's Harem'. 'Hail Columbia' continued leading the crippled ships out of Romania, south, over the Pindus mountains, and was able to limp as far as Nicosia, Cyprus, minus Lt. Hadley, whose failing B-24 caused him to attempt a ditching off the Turkish coast, and was drowned and went down with his plane with most of his crew. The rest of the planes following 'Hail Columbia' landed safely at the British airbase at Nicosia. Col. Kane and Lt. Young crash landed 'Hail Columbia' on the British airbase after hitting a ditch across the runway there. The plane was written off as a total loss. 1 Aug 1943.
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.[4] The squadron was inactivated at what was now Castle Field in March 1946.[3]
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.
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Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Turret Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Obituary for Luther Bailey
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Military | Captain | 98th Bomb Group
Military | Second Lieutenant | 98th Bomb Group
Received the DFC on 15 July 1943 per General Order 1847
Military | First Lieutenant | B-24D Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
First Lieutenant Gilbert B. Hadley was a B-24 pilot and was killed participating in Operation Tidal Wave, the mission to knock out the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. Hadley was assigned to the 9th Air force, the 98th Bombing Group known as 'The...
Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | 98th Bomb Group
Received DFC on 15 July 1942 per General Order 1847
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 | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | 98th Bomb Group
Received DFC on 15 July 1942 per General Order 1847
Military | First Lieutenant | Command Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
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Military | Second Lieutenant | 98th Bomb Group
Received DFC on 15 July 1942 per General Order 1847
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
This aircraft originally served in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 344th Bomb Squadron as 'HAIL COLUMBIA'. It was 344th's CO Col. John R. Kane's personal aircraft until Kane became the 98th Bomb Group CO and turned it over to Herman ...
B-24 Liberator
Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid piloted by Francis E Weisler, aborting before the target.
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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...
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.
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 28 February 2019 23:54:34 | Kickapoo | Changes to person associations and commanding officers associations |
| Sources | ||
Black Sunday ~ Michael Hill |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 August 2018 11:18:49 | Kickapoo | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
Black Sunday - Michael hill |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 12 March 2018 11:29:13 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Burning Hitler's Black Gold by Robert Sternfels |
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| 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 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 10 March 2018 08:32:21 | Kickapoo | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
Burning Hitler's Black Gold by Robt. Sternfels |
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| 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 |
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