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Nose art of B-24 Liberator 41-11840, The Witch, of the 343rd BS 98th BG 9th AF, lost on Ploesti 1st Aug 43 raid, made a forced landing near the border of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia following a running fight with enemy fighters. Six of the crew became POWs in Bulgaria, the other four evaded and joined with Yugoslav partisans for almost a year. MACR 173.
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The B-24D Liberator, # 41-11840, 'The Witch', of the 8th Air force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 343rd Bomb Squadron. Lost on Ploesti raid, Made a forced landing near the border of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia following a running fight with enemy fighters. Six of the crew became POWs in Bulgaria, the other four evaded and joined with Yugoslav partisans for almost a year. MACR 173.
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Nose art of B-24 Liberator 41-11840 'The Witch' of the 343rd BS 98th BG 9th AF, lost on Ploesti 1st Aug 43 raid, made a forced landing near the border of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia following a running fight with enemy fighters. Six of the crew became POWs in Bulgaria, the other four evaded and joined with Yugoslav partisans for almost a year. MACR 173.
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RH Side - Walt Disney Character - "Snow White Theme" - LH Side - Unique Mission Markers - "Witch Holding a Bomb"
Survived Operation TIDAL WAVE, Ploesti Romania. Aug 1, 1943 -
Force-Landed near Bulgaria/Yugoslavia Border - MACR 173 - Pilot Julian T. Darlington (389th BG)
The aircraft, 41-11840, named, The Witch, was in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 343rd Bomb Squadron left. It deployed for duty in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations in July, 1942. It's pilot, Lt. Glade Jorgenson, played a supporting role in an effort made by Capt. Rollo Lawrence and his crew, to interest other 343rd Bomb Squadron crews to use characters from Walt Disney's "Snow White" movie as a theme for naming their nine ships after, "Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs". But, the proposal met a cool reception from the other 343rd crews, and only two of the aircraft were so named, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". The only two were, 41-11913, Rollo Lawrence's airplane, and, 42-40364, Glade Jorgenson's airplane. The 343rd Squadron flew south to Benghazi, Libya, and started combat operations from Palestine in Aug, 1942.
The aircraft, 41-11840, named, The Witch, was lost on the low level Ploesti mission on Aug 1, 1943, flown by Pilot Lt. Julian Darlington, and his replacement crew, on loan to the 98th Bomb Group, from the 389th Bomb Group. Following a running fight with enemy fighters, leaving Ploesti, The Witch's crew made a forced landing near the border of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia. Six of Darlington's crew members became POWs in Bulgaria. The other four crewmen evaded capture and joined with Yugoslav partisans for almost a year before returning home. The other survivors were the tail gunner, Stanley Horine, and Pilot Julian Darlington. They were POWs together in Bulgaria. 1 Aug 43. - FTR - Failed To Return - 6 POW - 4 RTS - MACR 173.
Service
Aircraft
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B-24 Liberator
The B-24D, The Pink Elephant, 42-40364, was in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, "The Pyramiders", and the 343rd Bomb Squadron. First named, The Pink Elephant, 42-40364, was the second B-24D, that was later renamed, Snow White and the Seven...
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Units
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Group
The 98th trained for bombardment missions with B-24 Liberators during the first half of 1942.
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Squadron
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...
People
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 389BG 8AF USAAF. TDY to 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 173
Awards: DFC, PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Lt. Julian Darlington was assigned to the the 8th Air Force, and the 389th Bomb Group, TDY to the 9th Air Force, USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti mission in the B-24D, The Witch, 41-11840. - Shot down. Prisoner of War (POW). 1 Aug 43. MACR 173.
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 389BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY to 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Evaded (EVD). MACR 173
Awards: DFC, WWII Victory, EAME.
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 389BG 8AF USAAF. TDY 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Evaded (EVD). MACR 173
Awards: DFC, PH, WWII Victory, EAME.
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Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 389BG 8AF USAAF. TDY to 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Evaded (EVD). MACR 173
Awards: DFC, WWII Victory, EAME.
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
SSgt Ned Aubry Howard was assigned to the 389th Bomb Group, and the 8Air Force in the USAAF, TDY to the USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti bombing mission in the B-24D, The Witch, 41-11840. 1-Aug-43. Shot down. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 173
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator/Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Evaded (EVD). MACR 173.
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Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 98th Bomb Group
First Lieutenant Bernard "Bernie" Elmer Leimbach flew on the mission to Ploesti, Romania, and served as the Navigator on the B-24D Liberator bomber, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', SN #42-40364 Y. He was Killed in Action (KIA) on the Ploesti Raid...
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 389BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY to 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 173
Awards: DFC, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
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Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 389BG 8AF USAAF. TDY to 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 173
Awards: DFC, PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
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Missions
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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...
Events
Event |
Location |
Date |
Failed To Return (FTR) |
Bulgaria / Yugoslavia |
1 August 1943 |
Failed To Return - This aircraft was lost on the low-level Ploesti mission 1 Aug 43. It made a forced landing near the border of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia following a running fight with enemy fighters. Six of the crew became POWs in Bulgaria, the other four evaded and joined with Yugoslav partisans for almost a year. MACR 173.
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