We are currently working on a site-wide upgrade which will be completed in October 2022
You will not be able to search, add or edit information in the American Air Museum archive while this takes place.
You can find out more about our plans here
B-24 Liberator
B-24D Liberator, 42-40629, "The Scorpion", in the 8th Air Force, the 389th Bomb Group, and the 565th Bomb Squadron, with it's pilot, Capt. Kenneth M Caldwell, photo front and center with cap, and crew. Capt. Caldwell flew "The Scorpion" on the Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya. Aug 1,1943 Lt. Caldwell was shot down by FW190 fighters near Orleans, France in the B-24D, 42-41013 named, "Trouble". Caldwell and his crew were killed in action (KIA). Jan 7, 1944.
Nose art of B-24 Liberator #42-40629 'The Scorpion' 565th BS, 389th BG, 8th AF, flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya.
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 observing, who successfully bombed their target, and returned safely to Benghazi, Libya. Both Lt. Caldwell and Col. Wood were awarded Distinguished Service Cross medals for their valor and determination in accomplishing their mission by finding and bombing their heavily defended target at Campina, Romania. August 1, 1943.
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D, 41-24226, Joisey Bounce, was assigned to Pilot Lt. Walter Travis Stewart in the the 330th Bomb Squadron, the 93rd Bomb Group, and the 8th Air Force, for the large mission to bomb the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. Col. Stewart changed...
B-24 Liberator
Originally assigned to the 8th AF, the 44th BG, and the 506th BS. "Trouble", flew on the low level mission to bomb the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania (piloted by Lt. Gordon Stevens of the 44th Bomb Group). Transferred to the 389th and taken over by...
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D, named, Hadley's Harem, was Lt. Gilbert Hadley's personal airplane and the one he flew, with his CoPilot, Lt. James Lindsey, on the mission to destroy Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. As Hadley was approaching his target refinery,...
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 at Benghazi, Libya, North Africa, in 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 Lt. John S. Young's regularly assigned B-24D, after his 98th Bombardment Group moved out of Egypt, to the air bases at Benghazi, Libya. John Young was from Dallas, Texas, like so many of the men...
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D, 42-40753, was a Consolidated B-24D bomber from the 389th Bombardment Group, of the 8th Air Force, and the 564th Bomb Squadron from England. It's Command Pilot on Operation Tidal Wave, was 2nd Lt. Lloyd Hughes, and his crew. They flew on...
Group
The 389th Bomb Group, known in more familiar terms as "the Sky Scorpions", flew strategic bombing missions in B-24 Liberators from Hethel, England. They also sent detachments to join bases in North Africa at Benghazi No. 10, Libya, between 3 July 1943...
Squadron
Military | Major | B-24D Co-Pilot - Command Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Lt. Kenneth M. Caldwell from the 8th Air Force, the 389th Bombardment Group, and the 565th Bomb Squadron took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti with Col. Jack W. Wood, observing, on 1-Aug-43, flying the B-24D, 42-40629, named, THE...
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 565BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1-Aug-43, flying B-24 42-40629. ETD.
Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 565BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1-Aug-43, flying B-24 42-40629. 13 x combat missions. ETD.
Awards: DFC, AM (2OLC), PH, WWII Victory, EAME
Military | Technical Sergeant | B-24 Radio Operator | 389th Bomb Group
TSgt. Bernard Patrick Greeley was a B-24 Radio Operator assigned to to the 565th Bomb Squadron, the 389th Bomb Group, in the 8th Air Force, USAAF. Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the bombing mission on the Ploesti oil refineries flying the B-24D, 42...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight engineer / Top turret | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 565BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1-Aug-43, flying B-24 42-40629.
Awards: DFC, AM (OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 565BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1-Aug-43, flying B-24 42-40629.
Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Second Lieutenant | B-24 Command Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Lloyd Herbert Hughes Jr., better known to his friends, as "Pete," flew his fifth mission, as pilot of a B-24D Liberator bomber in an attack against the Axis oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania. He was killed August 1, 1943 when his plane was severely...
Military | Captain | Navigator | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 565BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1-Aug-43, flying B-24 2-40629.
Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 565BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1-Aug-43, flying B-24 42-40629.
Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 565BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1-Aug-43, flying B-24 42-40629.
Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Survived Ploesti | Ploiești, Romania | 1 August 1943 |
|
Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid piloted by Capt Kenneth M Caldwell, returning safely to Libya. Flying in the Scorpion as navigator was Jack Wood, Commander of the 389th BG. As navigator he directed the whole group's formation to the target. |
||
| Assigned | Benghazi, Libya | |
|
565th BS, 389th BG, 8th AF, TDY 9th AF. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 15 May 2022 17:39:29 | Al_Skiff | Changes to unit associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 May 2022 22:57:55 | Kickapoo | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
Details added. - Kickapoo |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 December 2021 22:32:41 | Kickapoo | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
Added detail - Kickapoo |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 September 2021 08:29:00 | Kickapoo | Changes to markings and description |
| Sources | ||
Best Web - B-24 - 42-40609 - The Scorpion |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 August 2021 10:56:58 | Kickapoo | Changes to markings |
| Sources | ||
Punctuation changes to airplane names - Kickapoo |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 August 2021 10:55:37 | Kickapoo | Changes to nicknames, markings and description |
| Sources | ||
Punctuation changes to names - Kickapoo |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 June 2021 06:05:13 | Kickapoo | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
Aircraft name punctuation removed - John S Young Jr |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 December 2020 17:03:44 | Al_Skiff | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 December 2020 08:52:18 | Kickapoo | Changes to markings |
| Sources | ||
Halls Of Valor - Kenneth Marion Caldwell |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 December 2020 08:50:54 | Kickapoo | Changes to markings |
| Sources | ||
Halls Of Valor - Kenneth Marion Caldwell |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 December 2020 08:49:42 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Hall Of Valor - Kenneth Marion Caldwell |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 December 2020 08:45:43 | Kickapoo | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Halls Of Valor - General Jack Weston Wood |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 December 2020 05:30:41 | Kickapoo | Changes to markings |
| Sources | ||
Black Sunday - Michael Hill |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 December 2020 05:27:24 | Kickapoo | Changes to markings and description |
| Sources | ||
Black Sunday - Michael Hill |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 December 2020 10:23:02 | Kickapoo | Changes to aircraft associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
Ploesti The Great Ground-Air Battle of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 December 2020 10:14:46 | Kickapoo | Changes to aircraft associations and person associations |
| Sources | ||
Ploesti The Great Ground-Air Battle of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 March 2019 22:49:28 | Dieterle | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
John T. Correll, "Twenty-Seven Minutes Over Ploesti," Air Force Magazine, Feb. 2015, p. 77. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 25 April 2015 17:13:34 | Al_Skiff | Created entry with serial number, aircraft type, production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, description, events, unit associations, person associations, mission associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.freewebs.com / http://www.b24bestweb.com / http://home.comcast.net |
||
