TSgt. John Carrol was killed in action (KIA) on Operation Tidal Wave onboard the B-24D Liberator, Hell's Wench, 42-40994.



Dispatched to North Africa in 1943 with the 93rd Bomb Group to take part in Operation Tidal Wave. Part of the crew of , Hell's Wench, 42-40994. Upon reaching the target area, the element lead pilot of the 93rd and the 376th Bomb Groups, turned east, away from Ploesti, at the wrong initial point and headed for Bucharest ! The pilots following him attempted to warn the mission commander but when they failed to respond, Baker and a number of other pilots, broke formation and led the remainder of the force back toward Ploesti to bomb targets of opportunity.



On approach to the target, Hell's Wench, was hit by flak. Col. Baker jettisoned his bombs as both wings were hit, and the aircraft began leaking fuel, and became engulfed in flames. At almost the same time, Addison Baker and John Jerstad, decided to break formation and pull up to give their men a last chance to bail out and save themselves.



Despite their attempts to gain altitude, the aircraft lost speed in the climb, rolled over, crashed, and exploded in flames, killing everyone aboard. 1 Aug 43.