Gola Goifield Gibby

Military ROLL OF HONOUR
media-51874.jpeg UPL 51874 SSgt. Gola G. Gibby was an engineer and the top turret gunner on his assigned B-24D, Buzzin' Bear, also named, Seeds Of Satan, and Miss Delores. ~ Sgt. Gibby flew on and survived Operation Tidal Wave over Ploesti, Romania, 1 Aug 1943. But he was later killed in action over Foggia, ltaly, when his B-24D, Buzzin' Bear, was shot down by an ME-109 German fighter. (KIA) 16 Aug 1943.

FindAGrave Memorial - SSgt. Gola G. Gibby

Object Number - UPL 51874 - SSgt. Gola G. Gibby was an engineer and the top turret gunner on his assigned B-24D, Buzzin' Bear, also named, Seeds Of Satan, and Miss Delores. ...

SSgt. Gola G. Gibby took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1-Aug-43, as engineer and top turret gunner on the B-24, 41-24229, named, Buzzin' Bear. 1-Aug-43.



On a later mission over Foggia, Italy, Sgt. Gibby was killed in action (KIA), when Buzzin' Bear was shot down by a German ME-109 fighter. The attack was on the Foggia airfields, under TDY to the 9th Air Force in, 41-24229. Buzzin' Bear failed to return. FTR). 16-Aug-43.



Gola G. Gibby was the son of Donlad 'Doc' H. and Esther Gibby of Nantahala, Swain County, North Carolina. His mother died before his third birthday and he lived with his father and grandparents in Nantahala, North Carolina. Gola attended grammar school and worked on the farm raising livestock. He joined the US Army Air Corps on 21-Nov-41 in Missoula, Montana and listed his hometown as Madisonville, Tennessee.



Staff Sergeant Gola Gibby was trained as a flight engineer assigned to the B-24D Liberator bomber, serial number 41-24229, named, Buzzin' Bear. He was assigned to the 67th Bomb Squadron, the 44th Bomb Group, in the 8th Air Force, stationed in Shipdham, England, and on temporary assignment (TDY) to the 9th Air Force in North Africa. The B-24, in which he was a flight engineer, was named, Buzzin’ Bear, also, Seeds Of Satan, and Miss Delores. He would serve with the same crew until the crash of Buzzin' Bear, which killed four of his ten man crew (KIA) and left the other six, prisoners of war (POW) in Italy under German occupation. However, two crew members were able to escape captivity and returned to duty.



Sgt. Gibby was involved in the large bombing mission to destroy the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. He had made previous bombing raids on several locations in Europe and Italy including targets at Foggia, Italy.



After surviving the Ploesti mission, on Mission 45, his bomber, in Squadron 67, returned to Foggia to strike the enemy airfield there again when the, Buzzin’ Bear, was shot down by a German Messerschmitt 109 fighter. Gibby tried to bail out but did not get clear of his B-24 and was killed in action (KIA). 16-Aug-43.



The following is an account from the 44th Bomb Group Roll of Honor and Casualties:



“Lt. Leighton C. Smith, flying, Buzzin' Bear, a plane which was almost as famous as the B-24D, Suzy Q, in the 44th Bomb Group from Britain, the Flying Eight Balls, and was the third 67th Squadron ship lost on August 16, 43. Like, Suzy Q, the Bear was lost with hardly anyone observing her end. But, unlike Suzy Q, there were some survivors from Buzzin' Bear. During the mission, Lt. Smith began having difficulty maintaining formation due to turbulence, heavy flak explosions, and the fierce, persistent fighter attacks that were inflicting considerable damage on the 67th Bomb Squadron. "The fighters knocked out our our flight controls on their second pass. Soon, it became obvious to me that bailout was our only solution. At that instant, Smith gave the bailout signal."



“Then one of the fighters hit our 400 gallon bomb bay tank of 115 octane gas. Four chutes were observed from the other planes around us, all from the front of the plane, while those in the rear continued to shoot at the German fighters. Those rear gunners never got out, riding their aircraft to the ground. Two of these gunners were former ground crewmen, killed in action (KIA). 16-Aug-43.



The co-pilot, Lt. Milliner, wrote, “Up the coast of Italy, our formation was loose and relaxed. This changed on the approach to the target. Everyone tightened up and prepared to drop their bombs. At that moment, heavy flak started coming up at us concentrated on the lower aircraft. The 67th Squadron was flying high cover, so we did not get much flak, immediately, but the flight behind us picked up some. The lower flight consisted of Hager, Batemen, and Curelli. At that moment, my mind wandered, and I started thinking about what the mess hall might serve for dinner when we got back. Everything seemed to be okay, and we were having a fine day until the fighters appeared, just after we left the target, when I snapped back to reality. Our gunners opened up on them, and holes began to appear in our wings. Our #2 and #3 engines started taking hits. The fighters were accurate and determined. The enemy planes I saw were all 109s, and they were attacking Austin and Whitlock from the rear."



“But, I was trying to spot the fighters attacking us. No one came in at us from our front side. They all came in from 6 and 4 o’clock. I couldn't see these, but I knew they were there because small caliber rounds were glancing off my windows at about 45 degree angles up. These had to be coming from the attacks from 4 o’clock low under the Bear. After the first couple of attacks, the intercom must have been shot out because it got real quiet. I took my off my earphones and looked back at the flight deck. McCabe was sitting up on the deck with a scared look on his face. I didn't have time to question him, but I thought that he was supposed to be at the waist guns.



“Then, I looked over at Lt. Hill's plane and saw him push his nose into a steep dive. Evidently, my pilot, Lt. Smith, missed seeing this maneuver and wanted to know where Hill went. I figured Hill wasn't hit that bad, but was taking evasive action. I leaned over and told Smith to give the Buzzin' Bear everything it had and emphasized, ‘Whadya say, let's get the hell out of here ?’ Smith throttled up just as another AA burst hit us from 4 o’clock. I heard a pop in the bomb bay and turned to look. McCabe was now gone from the deck. A fire broke out at the base of the bomb bay fuel tank and started to spread. Then, another German 109 unloaded his guns into us from about 1000 feet and 6 o’clock. It seemed like a wall of lead was hitting us. And that wasn't good !"



“The Bear shuddered. I heard it groan and creak like airplane structures do when they're stressed. Our nose was moving upward. I looked at Leighton Smith. He was trying to make sure his chute harness was okay. So, I grabbed the controls and pushed the yoke forward to push the nose back down and pushed the bail out alarm because I wasn’t sure Smith had hit it. I shouted for Smith to go out of the top hatch because the bomb bay doors were closed, and the fire in the bomb bay was so intense, I couldn't even see the it ! About that time, Smith dived for the back door and I saw him disappear into the fire. I was sure that, no way, he could make it out of that fire alive. But, he did, suffering second degree burns on his face, hands and neck for his trouble. Finally, getting my own wits together and realizing there was no saving the Bear, I reached for the latch on the top hatch and dropped it immediately. The suction from the opening caused the fire to fill up the flight deck and go up and out of the top hatch. This, I hadn't counted on ! But, it was too late to do any more counting. I dove for the opening and hung there and then swung my feet out on top of the fuselage and toward the rear of the plane. My right leg was hanging over the leading edge of the wing, but I had no problem running and jumping off the rear side of the wing just past the number two engine. My clothes were on fire when I left the hatch, but once out of the hatch, the rush of air put the flames out, leaving me with burns on my face, neck, armpits, and legs. My clothes, especially my shirt, crumbled and fell apart. Big blisters had popped up on my neck as l bailed off the back of the left wing. This wasn't turning out to be a very good day. l had completely forgotten about what the mess would serve for dinner that night."



“Once on the ground, I met an Italian Count who could speak English. He had visited the crash site and confirmed the number of men killed with the aircraft. He also watched the air battle from the ground and said that the Bear had spun in from a great height, which I kind of already knew."



Many of the crewmen lost with, Buzzin’ Bear, were from Bill Cameron’s original crew. Cameron recalls: “In late March, 1943, with so many airmen killed and missing, there was a desperate search for people to form new crews in the 67th Bomb Squadron. In a few days, I soloed in the B-24, Little Beaver. Shortly after, an officer, recently transferred from the RAF, was assigned to me as my co-pilot, Bill Dabney. Another was assigned as my navigator, Tom Clifford. Five volunteers from the ground crews, who had worked as mechanics on the flight line, were sent off to gunnery school. On their return, I had my two flight engineers in Winters and Gola Gibby, my two waist gunners, Ernest McCabe, Jerry Grett, and a tail gunner, Frank Maruszewski. A real character, a reject from a B-17 outfit, was given to us as our radio operator, Gerald Sparks. The last to join our crew was our bombardier, “Gentleman” Jim DeVinney. This was my new crew, a fine, eager bunch of kids !"



After having been killed in action over Foggia, SSgt. Gola Gibby was returned to the United States after the war to be laid to rest at the Memphis National Cemetery, Memphis, TN, on 1-Dec-49. SSgt. Gibby was buried in a common grave with his fellow gunners, Ernest G. McCabe and Gerald L. Grett.



In his childhood home of Whittier, NC, Gola Gibby was honored by having the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8013 named in his honor.

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

The insignia of the 44th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment
The 'semiofficial' insignia of the 44th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 44th Bomb Group 67th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 37120507
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 44th Bomb Group 67th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 36303257
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 44th Bomb Group 67th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-665729
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - Jenny - Lady Luck
  • Unit: 44th Bomb Group 66th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - Seeds of Satan - Miss Delores - Buzzin' Bear
  • Unit: 44th Bomb Group 67th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Bryson City, Swain County, NC 22 August 1918 Son of Donald 'Doc' H and Esther Gibby.

Enlisted

Missoula, MT 21 November 1941 Missoula, Montana

Died

Killed in action

Foggia, Italy 16 August 1943 Attack was on airfields north of Foggia, under TDY to the 9th AAF. Buzzin' Bear was shot down by enemy fighters. SSgt Gibbey (KIA).

Buried

Memphis National CemeteryMemphis, Shelby County, TN Memphis National Cemetery Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee

Based

16 August 1943 Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY 9AF USAAF.

Revisions

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added " / " in the "Role/job" field to aid readability.

Date
Contributordecwriter
Changes
Sources

Added to connections for shared burial for Gibby, Grett and McCabe.

Date
Contributordecwriter
Changes
Sources

Added to awards based on NARA files.

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

The Great Ground-Air Battle of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

FindAGrave Memorial - SSgt, Gola G. Gibby

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

FindAGrave Memorial - SSgt, Gola G. Gibby

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

FindAGrave Memorial - SSgt. Gola G. Gibby

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

FindAGrave Memorial - SSgt. Gola G. Gibby

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - Buzzin' Bear

Date
Changes
Date
Changes
Sources

Merged with duplcate record to include details from:
'Ploesti' by Dugan & Stewart;
The records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

44th BG Roll of Honor and Casualties by Will Lundy pp. 109-112, MACR 15858, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol I by Bishop & Hey p. 235 / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia

Gola Goifield Gibby: Gallery (3 items)