B-24 Liberator
B-24D-CO Liberator 41-11819 "Raunchy" of 344th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group. Lost on the August 1,1943 low-level mission to Ploesti, Romania. She was hit by AAA over the target and exploded at an altitude of 150 feet and crashing into a field. Pilot Samuel R Neeley, 8 KIA, 2 POW MACR 169.
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
Lt. Sam Neeley's B-24D, "Raunchy", and it's crew. Pilot Lt. Sam Neeley is in the front row, second from right, smiling. Lt. Neeley and most of his crew were killed (KIA), over Ploesti, after "Raunchy" snagged a barrage balloon cable on their right wing, pulling an explosive charge on the cable down, which detonated on contact with the wing and blew the wing off, crashing the airplane into the ground. Lt. Neeley and seven of his crewmen were killed in the crash. 8 (KIA). Two crewmen, SSgt Schiffmacher and SSgt Allen, survived the crash and were captured wounded. 2 (WIA) (POW). August 1, 1943 1
B-24D - Raunchy - Mechanics /Gunners crewmen. 1943
The B-24D Liberator, Raunchy, 41-11819, was in the 344th Bomb Squadron, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 9th Air Force, based in Benghazi, Libya, North Africa, during early 1943.
Raunchy, flown by Lt. Sam Neeley, in Flight 1, of the B-24Ds in the 98th Bomb Group's planes over Ploesti, was destroyed and 8 of it's crew were killed - 8 KIA, with 2 exceptions, who survived the airplane's crash and were captured - 2 WIA/POW. Operation Tidal Wave, the famous bombing mission to destroy the German held oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania, was one of the most desperate, dangerous, and daring bombing raids of WWII. The 98th Bomb Group took 67 percent casualties over their targets. Lt. Samual Neely, close friends with both Col. John Kane and Lt. John Young, who were flying off to Neeley's right side, was one the several hundred airmen killed over Ploesti. 1 Aug 1943
Lt. Neeley, and his crew, flew in Flight 1, the 1st wave of the 98th Bomb Group's bombers attacking White IV. Neeley was flying at tree top level on the far left side of Flight 1. Raunchy had already been heavily hit by the AA flak guns when Neeley hit a barrage balloon cable immediately after his bomb release. One of Raunchy's wings hit and did not break the cable, but pulled an explosive charge on it down into the airplane's wing that detonated and blew the wing off, sending the bomber crashing down to the ground, killing Lt. Neeley and most of his crew, who died instantly. Somehow, and by some kind of miracle, Sam Neely's radio operator and another gunner, though badly wounded, survived the crash and were rescued to became POWs. Most of the crew members' remains were never recovered or identified. 1 Aug 1943. MACR-169.
Raunchy - Lost on the low level mission to Ploesti, Romania (FTR). Lt. Sam Neeley hit a barrage balloon cable over his target and was impacted by an explosive charge on the cable, which exploded at an altitude of 150 feet. Raunchy crashed into a field with all crewmen, except two, killed in the crash and fire. The only two survivors of the crash were SSgt. William W. Schiffmacher and SSgt. Nick Allen. 8 (KIA) - 2 (WIA) (POW). 1 Aug 1943. MACR 169.
Raunchy's Crew Over Ploesti:
1st Lt. Samuel R. Neeley - pilot (KIA)
2nd Lt. Herman H. Henslee - Copilot (KIA)
1st Lt. Joel I. Corn - Navigator (KIA)
2nd Lt. Eugene L. Rodgen - Bombardier (KIA)
Sgt. Karl T. Edelen - Engineer/Top Turret Gunner (KIA)
Sgt. Robert P. Schultz - Gunner (KIA)
Sgt. William W. Schiffmacher - Radio Operator (POW)
Sgt. Alfred D. Cason - Gunner (KIA)
Sgt. Nick A. Allen - Gunner (POW)
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. As he was approaching his target refinery, code named, "White IV", Hadley's...
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D Liberator, Raunchy, 41-11819, was in the 344th Bomb Squadron, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 9th Air Force, based in Benghazi, Libya, North Africa, during early 1943.
...
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D, Hail Columbia, 41-11825, was assigned to the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 344th Bombing Squadron. It was first assigned to 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, named, 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 was...
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D Liberator, 42-40629, The Scorpion, in the 8th Air Force, the 389th Bombardment Group, and the 565th Bomb Squadron, flew on Operation Tidal Wave, the bombing mission on the oil refineries, piloted by Lt. Kenneth M. Caldwell and Col. Jack Wood...
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...
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Gunner Sgt. Alfred D. Cason DFC MIA/KIA
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Military | First Lieutenant | B-24D Command Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Name Gilbert Ben Hadley
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Military | First Lieutenant | Radio Operator | 98th Bomb Group
Lt. Raymond B. Hubbard was assigned to the 9th Air force, the 98th Bombardment Group, and the 344th Bombing Squadron in Libya, North Africa, 1943. He flew in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying as a Waist Gunner and Radio...
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-24D command pilot in the 9th Air force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 344th Bomb Squadron. He flew his B-24D, he named, The Squaw, on Operation Tidal Wave, the large mission to destroy the German held oil refineries at...
Military | Flight Officer | B-24D Co-Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
James Rex Lindsey
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Military | First Lieutenant | B-24D Command Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Pilot Lt. Samual Neeley was a B-24 Bomber pilot in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations in WWII. He served in the 9th Air force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 344th bomb Squadron in North Africa, flying bombing and strafing missions, mostly against...
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 | 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...
1 August 1943
Operation TIDAL WAVE. B-24D 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...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| FTR Failed To Return | 1 August 1943 | |
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Lost on Ploesti oil refinery raid. 1st Aug 1943. Immediately after bomb release A/C struck an AA balloon cable attached with an explosive device which upon detonation caused a wing to disintegrate. 8 KIA 2 POW. The Radio operator and a Gunner survived the crash and became POW. Pilot Samuel R Neeley, MACR 169. |
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344th BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. |
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| 10 September 2021 22:02:05 | Kickapoo | Changes to markings and description |
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Revised "Markings". - Kickapoo |
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| 19 August 2021 11:49:57 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
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The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August, 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2021 11:44:32 | Kickapoo | Changes to description and person associations |
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Details and wording additions. - Kickapoo |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2021 11:35:26 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
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Word changes and additions. - Kickapoo |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2021 11:28:55 | Kickapoo | Changes to markings and description |
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Word additions and changes. - Kickapoo |
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| 19 August 2021 11:05:48 | Kickapoo | Changes to markings and description |
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Spelling, word spacing. - Kickapoo |
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| 17 August 2021 13:07:35 | Emily | Changes to nicknames, markings and description |
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Changed all instances of aircraft name into sentence case to as per best practice for accessibility. |
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| 16 August 2021 21:31:07 | Kickapoo | Changes to markings and description |
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Detail, wording, and spacing changes for clarity and accuracy - Kickapoo |
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| 14 August 2021 10:33:47 | Kickapoo | Changes to nicknames, markings and description |
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Details, wording, and spelling changes. - Kickapoo |
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| 11 June 2021 15:52:20 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
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Wording changes for clarity - John S Young Jr |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 June 2021 14:24:42 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
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Spelling corrected in biography - John S Young Jr |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 June 2021 14:20:18 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
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Punctuation changed for clarity - John S Young Jr |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 June 2021 14:18:10 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
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Wording and punctuation altered for clarity - John S Young Jr |
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| 06 June 2021 18:39:20 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
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Puctuation for clarity. |
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| 06 June 2021 18:37:01 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
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American Air museum In Britain |
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| 06 June 2021 17:07:50 | Kickapoo | Changes to markings |
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Best Web - B-24 - 'Raunchy' |
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| 06 June 2021 17:06:11 | Kickapoo | Changes to production block number, markings, description and place associations |
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Black Sunday - Michael Hill The Great Ground-Air battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart Best Web - B-24 - 'Raunchy' |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 May 2021 19:24:26 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
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Added punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity. |
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| 02 February 2021 03:50:07 | Kickapoo | Changes to aircraft associations |
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Into The Fire - Duane Schultz |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 February 2021 03:48:18 | Kickapoo | Changes to aircraft associations |
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The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 February 2021 03:44:48 | Kickapoo | Changes to aircraft associations |
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The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart ---- Black Sunday - Michael Hill |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 February 2021 03:41:45 | Kickapoo | Changes to aircraft associations |
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The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 February 2021 03:39:40 | Kickapoo | Changes to aircraft associations |
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The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 February 2021 03:34:41 | Kickapoo | Changes to aircraft associations |
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Black Sunday - Michael Hill |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 February 2021 03:31:28 | Kickapoo | Changes to nicknames and aircraft associations |
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Black Sunday - Michael Hill |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 February 2021 03:29:45 | Kickapoo | Changes to aircraft associations, unit associations and person associations |
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Black Sunday - Michael Hill |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 December 2020 12:10:59 | Kickapoo | Changes to description and person associations |
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Black Sunday - Michael Hill |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 December 2020 10:27:14 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
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Ploesti The Great Air-Ground Battle of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 October 2020 14:06:38 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
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Black Sunday -- Michael Hill ---- Into The Fire -- Duane Schultz |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 October 2020 14:04:01 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
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Black Sunday -- Michael Hill ---- Into The Fire -- Duane Schultz |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 October 2020 13:55:29 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
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Black Sunday -- Michael Hill ---- Into The Fire -- Duane Schultz |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 November 2016 04:46:16 | 466thHistorian | Changes to nicknames and place associations |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 March 2015 16:58:03 | Al_Skiff | Created entry with serial number, aircraft type, production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, description, events, unit associations, mission associations and media associations |
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AAM Database. |
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