41-11761 - Sleepy - The Squaw

Object Number - UPL 54691 - The Squaw's Command Pilot Lt. Roydon LeBrecht smiles at his new, upgraded nose art painting on his B-24D. This was the second version of The...
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
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with

- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Ninth Air Force Fifteenth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment

- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment

- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Ninth Air Force Twelfth Air Force Fifteenth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People

- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot

- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 343rd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 06151631
- Highest Rank: Master Sergeant
- Role/Job: Crew Chief

- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 343rd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 17074993
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Gunner

- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 343rd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 37188518
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Gunner

- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 343rd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 12037573
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
Missions

- Date: 1 August 1943
- Official Description: 177 B-24’s, of IX Bomber Command (including Heavy Bombers on loan from Eighth AF) are dispatched to bomb oil refineries at Ploesti and nearby Campina. The operation (TIDALWAVE) is costly, 54 planes and 532 airmen being lost, but damage to the targets...
Aircraft

- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - Sleepy - The Squaw
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 98th Bomb Group 343rd Bomb Squadron

- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - Hail Columbia - Little Chief Big Dog - Grumpy
- Unit: 376th Bomb Group 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron

- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - Joisey Bounce - Utah Man
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 330th Bomb Squadron

- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - Hadley's Harem
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron

- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - The Sandman
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 345th Bomb Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Other Survived Ploesti |
Ploiești, Romania | 1 August 1943 | B-24D Liberator, 41-11761, The Squaw, flew on the Ploesti mission, returning to Cyprus, piloted by Royden Lebrecht. 1 Aug 43 |
Other Assigned |
Benghazi, Libya | 343rd Bomb Squadron, 98th Bomb Group, 9th Air Force. | |
Other War Bond Tour |
Fort Worth, TX, USA | B-24D Liberator, 41-11761, The Squaw, returned to Fort Worth, Texas, USA for a war bond tour. |
Revisions
Changed the order of the nicknames per info in the Description section.
Punctuation, spelling, and wording changes. - Kickapoo
Black Sunday-Ploesti - Michael Hill
Black Sunday-Ploesti - Michael Hill
Best Web - B-24 - 41-11761 - Sleepy - The Squaw
Details added. - Kickapoo
Added Details - Kickapoo
Black Sunday - Michael Hill
Changed all instances of aircraft name into sentence case to as per best practice for accessibility.
Best Web - B-24 - 41-11761 - THE SQUAW
Best Web - B-24 - 41-11761 - 'Sleepy - 'The Squaw'
Best Web - B-24 - 41-11761 - 'Sleepy - 'The Squaw'
Best Web - B-24 - 41-11761 - 'Sleepy - 'The Squaw'
Best Web - B-24 - 41-11761 - 'Sleepy - 'The Squaw'
Best Web - B-24 - 41-11761 - 'Sleepy - 'The Squaw'