Norris F Dietrich

Military

Sgt. Norris Dietrich took part in Operation Tidal Wave, on the Ploesti oil refineries flying in the B-24D Liberator, 42-40316, Snake Eyes. 1 Aug 1943.

Connections

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Units served with

345th Bomb Squadron

  • 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.'

98th Bomb Group

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

Aircraft

42-40316

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - Snake Eyes
  • Unit: 98th Bomb Group 345th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Operation Tidal Wave

  • 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...

Revisions

Date24 Mar 2022 06:25:59
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to biography
Sources

Black Sunday-Ploesti - Michael Hill

Date25 Nov 2020 14:14:02
Contributorgeneral ira snapsorter
ChangesCreated entry with surname, middlename, firstname, nationality, highest rank, biography, unit associations, aircraft associations and mission associations
Sources

Ploesti Sortie Reports for the 98th Bomb Group.
http://ploesti.com/roster.pdf