Royden Louis LeBrecht
Military
Best Web - B-24 - 'The Squaw'
Object Number - UPL 14396 - Pilot Lt. Royden LeBrecht with the nose art and name of his B-24D Liberator bomber, # 4111761 - 'The Squaw' - formerly named, 'Sleepy', from...
Lt. Royden Louis LeBrecht was a B-24D pilot in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 344th Bomb Squadron. He flew the B-24D, that he named, The Squaw, on Operation Tidal Wave, the deadly mission to destroy the German held oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. August 1,1943. He was good friends with most of the the pilots flying alongside him in the 344th Bomb Squadron, flying on the leading wave of B-24s’ Flight 1, made up mostly of the 98th Bomb Group's airplanes and pilots, including, Lt. John Young, Lt. Robert Nespor, who was killed on takeoff to Ploesti, and Lt. Sam Neeley, who was killed over the target at Ploesti, all pilots in the 98th Bomb Group's 344th Bombardment Squadron.
Lt. LeBrecht's assigned bomber was the B-24D, 41-11761, which he named, The Squaw. On the Ploesti mission, LeBrecht flew in the right side of the first line of the line abreast, "V" formation of the 98th Bomb Group's Flight One. After bombing his target at Ploesti and escaping south from the Ploesti refinery area with relatively little damage to his plane, Lt. LeBrecht decided to stay with the other damaged 344th planes and provide armed cover for, his friends in that group of smoke trailing, shot up B-24 stragglers. According to plan, he joined up with the damaged B-24s circling south of Ploesti, including Col. John Kane and his damaged B-24D, Hail Columbia, Lt. "Gib" Hadley, who was killed later, trying to ditch his shot up B-24D, Hadley's Harem, just off of the Turkish coast. They all diverted and followed Kane's, Hail Columbia, as his element lead navigator, Lt. Norman, "The Baron", Whalen set a course for the entire group, south, across Turkey, then on to the British airfield at Nicosia, Cyprus, as did a number of other crippled B-24 bombers escaping Ploesti.
After the Ploesti mission, Lt. LeBrecht and his crew returned safely to Benghazi, then, weeks after the mission flew north back to Britain, and, later, all the way back to the USA for a war bond tour in his airplane, 41-11761, The Squaw, along with Lt. Young and his crew, who flew the B-24D, The Blue Streak, and Major Walter Stewart and his crew, flying the B-24, Bomerang, back to Fort Worth, Texas, for their war bond tour together in 1944.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 16023226 / O-54160
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18065645 / O-726423
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 17024743 / O-728710
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: B-24D Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18051855 / O-435980
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 389th Bomb Group 453rd Bomb Group 93rd Bomb Group 330th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-431039
- Highest Rank: Major General
- Role/Job: Pilot / Operations Officer / Commanding Officer / Observer
Aircraft
Missions
Places
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Denison, TX, USA | 21 April 1919 | 21-Apr-1919, Royden Louis Lebrecht was born in Denison, Texas. He was the son of Louis H. and Myrtle Azola Walton Lebrecht. [Source: City of Denison birth records]Dennison, Texas, USA. |
|
Enlisted |
Dallas, TX | 10 November 1941 | Dallas, Texas |
|
Other Survived Ploesti |
Ploiești, Romania | 1 August 1943 | Pilot of the B-24, 41-11761, The Squaw, and flew on the Ploesti raid, diverted to Cyprus. 1 Aug 1943 |
|
Died |
Tucson, AZ | 28 July 2003 | |
|
Other Assigned |
Benghazi, Libya | 344th Bomb Squadron, 98th Bomb Group, 9th Air Force. - Spelling and minor word changes for accuracy. - Kickapoo | |
|
Other War Bonds Tour |
Returned to Fort Worth, TX, USA for war bonds tour with his crew and, The Squaw. |
Revisions
Warbirds Magazine - "Hail Columbia" by Mike Hill (EAA 314424, WB 3917) 1405 8th Street SW, Minot, ND, 58701 The American Legion Magazine - "He Brought Us Home" By Capt. John S. Young and Felix R. McNight - Air Force - The Official Service Journal Of The U.S. Army Air Forces - "Attack On Ploesti" - "Planning The Mission" - by Col. J.E. Smart - "Over The Target" by Capt. John S. Young - 9th Air Force - Nov. 1943 "The Ploesti Raid - Through The Lens - Roger A. Freeman
Warbirds Magazine - "Hail Columbia" by Mike Hill (EAA 314424, WB 3917) 1405 8th Street SW, Minot, ND, 58701 The American Legion Magazine - "He Brought Us Home" By Capt. John S. Young and Felix R. McNight - Air Force - The Official Service Journal Of The U.S. Army Air Forces - "Attack On Ploesti" - "Planning The Mission" - by Col. J.E. Smart - "Over The Target" by Capt. John S. Young - 9th Air Force - Nov. 1943 "The Ploesti Raid - Through The Lens - Roger A. Freeman
Warbirds Magazine - "Hail Columbia" by Mike Hill (EAA 314424, WB 3917) 1405 8th Street SW, Minot, ND, 58701 The American Legion Magazine - "He Brought Us Home" By Capt. John S. Young and Felix R. McNight - Air Force - The Official Service Journal Of The U.S. Army Air Forces - "Attack On Ploesti" - "Planning The Mission" - by Col. J.E. Smart - "Over The Target" by Capt. John S. Young - 9th Air Force - Nov. 1943 "The Ploesti Raid - Through The Lens - Roger A. Freeman
"Attack On Ploesti" - "Planning The Mission" By Col. J.E. Smart, and "Over The Target" By Capt. John S. Young, AIR FORCE, The Official Service Journal Of The U.S. Army Air Forces, November 1943 - Kickapoo
Minor detail changes to events, spelling, and wording for accuracy. Single quote marks removed from aircraft names for accuracy, uniformity, and readability. - Personal Archives - Kickapoojoyjuice - The Ploesti Raid Through The Lense. - Roger A. Freeman
Corrected AM to reflect AM with six Oak Leaf Clusters per NARA files. Removed UNSM and added ADSM, ACM based on date of entry. He earned at least one bronze service star on the EAME Campaign Medal. Corrected spelling in bio entry.