John Riley Kane

Military

Object Number - UPL 39792 - Col. John R. Kane was the group leader and command pilot of the B-24D he named, Hail Columbia, named by Kane for Columbia University, with his...

John Riley Kane was a colonel in the United States Army Air Corps and, later, in the United States Air Force. He received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Congressional Medal of Honor, in World War II, for his leadership, courage, and heroism for leading the 98th, the 44th, and the 389th Bombardment Groups on Operation Tidal Wave, the low altitude attack on the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. All of the bomb groups Kane led, successfully bombed their assigned targets, including Kane's target, the Astra Romano Refinery. 1 Aug 43.

A native of Texas, Kane joined the Army Air Corps after graduating from Baylor University. In WWII in July 1942, he was sent to the MTO, Mediterranean Theatre of Operations, where he flew 43 combat missions against shipping in the Mediterranean Sea and over Italian ports for a total of 250 combat hours in Africa, the Middle East, and, later, Europe.

In North Africa, John Kane became the Group Commander of the 98th Bombardment Group, named, "The Pyramiders". His aggressive and daring flying on combat missions against the German Army in North Africa caused German intelligence reports to name him, "Killer" Kane, the arch enemy of Buster Crabbe's "Buck Rogers" movies.

Kane earned the Silver Star medal during a mission when his plane became separated from his formation and was attacked from the rear by a German ME-110 fighter. Although the tail and top turrets of his bomber became inoperative during the air fight, Kane successfully outmaneuvered the pursuing ME-110 through eight different attacks. The German pilot eventually exhausted his ammunition and was forced to break off the attack without causing any appreciable damage to Kane's aircraft.

Kane chose Lt. John Young, a fellow Texan from Dallas to be his copilot in Kane's lead B-24D aircraft for the Ploesti mission, Hail Columbia, with Lt. Young's crew from his personal B-24D, Kickapoo. This last minute change proved fortunate for Young and his regular crewmen when, Kickapoo, lost it's number 4 engine on take off for the mission and crashed, killing it's two replacement pilots, Lt. Robert Nespor, Lt. John Riley, and most of the replacement crew, minus two, who survived and returned to duty months later. RTD. Col. John Kane, Lt. John Young, and all of the crewmen on, Hail Columbia, survived the Ploesti mission and flew to the island of Cyprus, where they crash landed on the British air base at Nicosia, wrecking, Hail Columbia, which was written off at the base. 1 Aug 1943. As Kane and his crew inspected their wrecked B-24 in the morning light, the next day. As the crew and Kane were looking over their wrecked B-24, marveling that the big bomber made it all the way to Cyprus in it's shot up and damaged condition, several of the crewmen reported seeing tears in Col. Kane's eyes, as he looked over his beloved, Hail Columbia, the plane he felt had saved his life more than once, and, likely, thinking of all the men he knew and lost on the mission. 2 Aug 43. A total of 41 B-24s were lost to enemy defenses, mostly anti-aircraft fire and another seven lost to internment.  Another six were lost to varying causes: one on takeoff, his own copilot's regular B-24, Kickapoo, one, Wongo Wongo,  en route, two in a mid-air collision in clouds on return, one in Cyprus and one off the Turkish coast.  This made for 54 total B-24D losses, with 310 aircrew killed, 108 captured and 78 interned in Turkey.  On August 3rd only 33 B-24s were deemed mission capable.

After the war, Col. Kane commanded a series of airfields in the U.S. and served another year and a half in North Africa until his retirement. John Kane died May 29, 1996. He was buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery.                                                                                                                                                                            Col Kane later wrote a stirring tribute to the men who were lost on the Tidal Wave mission.  It is repeated here, provided courtesy of MSgt Herb Harper, 98th Bomb Group Veterans Association Historian:

To The Fallen of Ploesti

To you who fly on forever I send that part of me which cannot be separated

and is bound to you for all times. I send to you those of our hopes and

dreams that never quite came true, the joyous laughter and showery tears of

our boyhood, the marvelous mysteries of our adolescence, the glorious

strength and tragic illusions of our young manhood, all these that were and

perhaps would have been, I leave in your care, out there in the blue.

                                                                            John Riley Kane

                                                                            Colonel, U.S.A.F.

Connections

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Units served with

  • Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
  • Air Force: Ninth Air Force Twelfth Air Force Fifteenth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment
Three airmen of the 389th Bomb Group stand with a B-24 Liberator used as a Flight Assembly Ship. Image via Tim Bivens. Handwritten caption from Bivens: 'My friend remembers it being named "Bucksheesh Benny" that it was used to fly Jack Benny around USA shows. Says it flew in North Africa with Benny and was eventually assigned to 389th as a hack and later as a form-up ship. He thinks it was originally with another group (possibly 376th or 98th).' Handwritten caption on reverse: '389th BG Form-up ship.'
  • 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 344th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 376th Bomb Group 409th Bomb Group 93rd Bomb Group
  • Service Numbers: O-22545 / 1849A
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant General
  • Role/Job: Pilot - Squadron Commander - Commanding Officer
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 376th Bomb Group Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron (9th Air Force)
  • Service Numbers: O-15604
  • Highest Rank: Major General
  • Role/Job: Commanding General
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-661482
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: B-24D Pilot

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: - Kickapoo
  • Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
B-24D, 41-11819,  9th AF 98th BG 344th BS. Shot down over White IV. 1 Aug 43
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - Raunchy
  • Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th 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: - Suzy Q
  • Unit: 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs 67th Bomb Squadron

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...

Places

  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Soluch Airfield
  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Berka, al Birkah
  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Bengazi Airfield, Wheelus Airbase

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

McGregor, TX, USA 5 January 1907 Son of John Franklin and Birdie M [Wright] Kane.

Other

Operation Tidal Wave

Ploiești, Romania 1 August 1943 He was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading the 98th in Operation Tidal Wave, a low-altitude attack on oil refineries in Ploieşti, Romania.

Died

Veteran's Administration Nursing Home, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA 29 May 1996 Administration nursing home, Pennsylvania, USA.

Buried

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, USA.

Revisions

Date17 Mar 2023 08:53:10
ContributorKickapoo
Sources

Remembering Operation Tidal Wave at 75 Years AF.mil

https://www.142wg.ang.af.mil › News › Article › remberingoperationtidalwaveat75years  - Master Sgt. Herb Harper                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Black Sunday-Ploesti  -  Michael Hill                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The Ploesti Raid - Through The Lens  -  Roger A. Freeman

Date30 May 2022 12:44:04
ContributorKickapoo
Sources

Personal Archives - Kickapoo

Date21 Oct 2021 10:43:15
ContributorKickapoo
Sources

Added details. - Kickapoo

Date21 Oct 2021 10:29:47
ContributorKickapoo
Sources

John R. Kane - Wikipedia

Date21 Oct 2021 10:18:37
ContributorKickapoo
Sources

John Riley Kane - Wikipedia

Date4 Jun 2020 18:46:55
ContributorKickapoo
Sources

Black Sunday ~ Michael Hill ---- John S. Young, Jr. ~ personal archives

Date25 Dec 2018 03:17:14
ContributorKickapoo
Sources

Black Sunday - Michael Hill

Date25 Dec 2018 03:15:49
ContributorKickapoo
Sources

Black Sunday - Michael Hill

Date30 Aug 2018 16:11:24
ContributorEmily
Sources

Minor edits to biography text and events

Date6 Mar 2018 08:25:13
ContributorKickapoo
Sources

Operation Tidal Wave

Date6 Mar 2018 08:07:16
ContributorKickapoo
Sources

Operation Tidal Wave

Date28 Feb 2018 09:59:27
ContributorKickapoo
Sources

U.S. Air Force Archives

Date28 Feb 2018 09:54:59
ContributorKickapoo
Sources

United States Air Force Archive

Date28 Feb 2018 09:35:08
ContributorKickapoo
Sources

Operation Tidal Wave

Date6 Apr 2015 16:39:34
ContributorAl_Skiff

John Riley Kane: Gallery (5 items)