The B-24D Liberator bomber, 41-11761, was first named, Sleepy, by the men in the 8th Air Force and the 93rd Bomb Group in the U.K. It was, later, renamed, The Squaw, by it's Command Pilot, Lt. Royden LeBrecht, after being transferred to the 9th Air Force and the 98th Bomb Group at Benghazi, Libya. Lt. LeBrecht flew, The Squaw, on the famous Ploesti bombing mission, returning safely to Nicosia, Cyprus, after joining up with and covering several shot up and damaged straggler B-24s, including, John Kane's, Hail Columbia, Lt. Gilbert Hadley's, plane, Hadley's Harem, and Lt. Robert Sternfels', The Sandman. LeBrecht, then, flew, The Squaw, back to home base at Benghazi, Libya, a day, or so, later. After the Ploesti mission and the completion of his combat tour, Lt. Lebrecht and his crew returned to the U.K. and, then, to Fort Worth, Texas, USA, flying, The Squaw, for a national war bond tour with Lt. Walter Stewart , flying, Bomerang, and Lt. John Young and his crew, flying, The Blue Streak, respectively, on the tour. 1944



The Squaw, was in the 9th Air Force (The Force For Freedom) - the 98th Bomb Group (The Pyramiders) - and the 343rd Bomb Squadron. The Squaw, was flown on the Ploesti mission by Lt. LeBrecht, and returned safely to Nicosia, Cyprus, providing armed escort cover for a small group of the 98th Bomb Group's flak damaged stragglers, Hail Columbia, and Gilbert,"Gib", Hadley's plane, Hadley's Harem, which was running so short of fuel and engine oil that Hadley had to turn back from following the group of stragglers all the way to Cyprus. Approaching the Turkish coast, the last of his three running engines seized up, and he crashed just off the southern coast as he was descending to ditch his plane in the ocean, killing Hadley and all but two of his crew. Aug 1, 1943. The Squaw, flown by Lt. LeBrecht and his crew, with, The Blue Streak, and, Bomerang, flown respectively, by Lt. John Young, and Lt. Walter Stewart, all flew from the U.K back to Fort Worth, Texas, a few months after the Ploesti mission for a nation wide war bond tour to the Consolidated factories. 1944