Milford Lee Spears

Military ROLL OF HONOUR
media-56549.jpeg UPL 56549 Diehl crew, 44BG.

Rear L-R: S/Sgt Spear, T/Sgt Ward, S/Sgt McAtee, S/Sgt Gentry, S/Sgt Sevick, T/Sgt Carlton, Sgt Nelon
Front L-R: 1Lt Light, Cpt Diehl, 1Lt Girard, 1Lt Kelley

USAAF Photo

Object Number - UPL 56549 - Diehl crew, 44BG. Rear L-R: S/Sgt Spear, T/Sgt Ward, S/Sgt McAtee, S/Sgt Gentry, S/Sgt Sevick, T/Sgt Carlton, Sgt Nelon Front L-R: 1Lt Light, Cpt...

Assigned to 68BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY to 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti 1-Au-43 in B-24 42-40995 'Satans Hellcats'; A/C set afire and crashed after target. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 2416/3147



Awards: DFC (OLC), AM (4OLC), PH, GCM, ACM, EAME w/2 campaign stars

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 44th Bomb Group.

44th Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment
B-24 Liberators of the 44th Bomb Group line up for takeoff at Shipdham in 1943. The 'Flying Eight-Ball' emblem of the 68th Bomb Squadron is visible on the nose of the leading aircraft. Image stamped with field press censor, 1943. Press Agency photograph- original printed caption has been removed.

68th Bomb Squadron

  • Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

Rowland Barkley Houston

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 44th Bomb Group 68th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-727991
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

42-40995

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Satan's Hell Cats
  • Unit: 44th Bomb Group 68th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Benina

  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Soluch Airfield

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Hurley, Stone County, MO 18 December 1919 Son of Onus and Zetta Spears.

Died

Brazi, Romania 1 August 1943 Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti 1-Au-43 in B-24 42-40995 'Satans Hellcats'; A/C set afire and crashed after target. KIA MACR 2416/3147

Buried

Bolovani Cemetery, Ploesti, Romania 2 August 1943 Bolovani Cemetery, Romania

Based

Shipdham 1 August 1943 Assigned to 68BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF.

Buried

Maple Park Cemetery Springfield, Greene County, MO Maple Park Cemetery Springfield, Greene County, Missouri
Springfield, MO

Revisions

Date
Contributordecwriter
Changes
Sources

Updated awards and bio section. SSgt Spears earned his first DFC with the Eighth Air Force and the second one while TDY with the Ninth Air Force in support of the Ploesti raid.

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

https://www.fold3.com/image/28600671
https://www.fold3.com/image/310763706
https://www.fold3.com/record/702418092/blank-us-wwii-hospital-admission…
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69250624/milford-l-spears

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

Key Image ID

Date
Contributorgeneral ira snapsorter
Changes
Sources

Ploesti Sortie Reports, 44th Bomb Group

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3147, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. I p. 220

Milford Lee Spears: Gallery (1 items)

Object number: UPL 56549 - Diehl crew, 44BG. Rear L-R: S/Sgt Spear, T/Sgt...