Military
Capt Robert Carleton Mooney, 23, Dallas army pilot, who was killed over Ploesti oil refineries in Romania August 1, 1943,
Robert Mooney crew, Lowery Field, Denver, Colorado. 389BG. Rear L-R: Charles E Garrett, Eugene P Spencer, Alex Lubin, Elvin H Henderson, Eber G Ayers, Aaron P Leibowitz. Front L-R: Robert C Mooney, James F Gerrits, John D Wilson, Rockly Triantafellu.
B-24D - Snafu. Also named : '354'. - B-24D-53-CO. SN 42-40354. RCL 354. Shown with Capt. Robert Mooney and Crew in training. Later they were in the 389th Bomb Group on the airplane, Hitler's Hearse, 42-40544. Contributor - Chris Gregg
Assigned to 567BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY with 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 42-40544 'Hitler's Hearse'. A/C and crew interned Izmir, Turkey. Killed in Action (KIA)
Awards: DSC, AM, PH.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 567BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'Hitler's Hearse' 42-40544 1-Aug-43; pilot killed by flak, C/P landed A/C in Izmir, Turkey, Interned INT
Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight Engineer; Top Turret Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 567BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'Hitler's Hearse' 42-40544 1-Aug-43; pilot killed by flak, C/P landed A/C in Izmir, Turkey, Interned INT
Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 567BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. Landed in Izmir, Turkey, while on TDY to 9th AF for Ploesti raid in B-24 42-40544 'Hitler's Hearse', Interned (INT).
Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 567BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'Hitler's Hearse' 42-40544 1-Aug-43; pilot killed by flak, landed his A/C in Izmir, Turkey despite his wounds, where he and the crew where interned. INT
...
Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 567BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'Hitler's Hearse' 42-40544 1-Aug-43; pilot killed by flak, C/P landed A/C in Izmir, Turkey, Interned INT
Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 567BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'Hitler's Hearse' 42-40544 1-Aug-43; pilot killed by flak, C/P landed A/C in Izmir, Turkey, Interned INT
Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 567BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'Hitler's Hearse' 42-40544 1-Aug-43; pilot killed by flak, C/P landed A/C in Izmir, Turkey, Wounded in Action (WIA), Interned INT
...
Military | Sergeant | Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 567BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'Hitler's Hearse' 42-40544 1-Aug-43; pilot killed by flak, C/P landed A/C in Izmir, Turkey, Interned INT
...
Military | General | Lead Bombardier | 389th Bomb Group
Interned in Turkey, landed in Izmir, Turkey, while on TDY to 9th AF for Ploesti raid in B-24 'Hitler's Hearse' 42-40544.
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 567BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'Hitler's Hearse' 42-40544 1-Aug-43; pilot killed by flak, C/P landed A/C in Izmir, Turkey, Interned INT
Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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Group
The 389th Bomb Group, known in more familiar terms as "the Sky Scorpions", flew strategic bombing missions in B-24 Liberators from Hethel, England. They also sent detachments to join bases in North Africa at Benghazi No. 10, Libya, between 3 July 1943...
Squadron
567th Bombardment Squadron, 24 December 1942 - 13 September 1945
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B-24 Liberator
Failed To Return - Ploesti oil refinery raid, 1st Aug 1943, landed near Izmir, Turkey, pilot Robert C Mooney, crew interned.
1 August 1943
Operation TIDAL WAVE. B-24D Liberators attack the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. The bombers flew low to avoid radar detection and dropped time delayed bombs. Out of the 177 B-24s that took part in the raid 167 managed to attack their targets. 57...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Omaha, Nebraska | 14 October 1919 |
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Son of Will Carleton and Ora Marie [Stoneburner] Mooney. |
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| Enlisted | Dallas, TX | 27 September 1941 |
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Dallas, Texas |
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| Based | 1943 – 1 August 1943 | |
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Assigned to 567BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Died | İzmir, Turkey | 1 August 1943 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 42-40544 'Hitler's Hearse'. A/C and crew interned Izmir, Turkey. Killed in Action (KIA) |
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| Buried | Smyrna, Turkey | 2 August 1943 |
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Interred |
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| Buried | Restland Memorial Park Dallas, Texas | July 1948 |
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Re-Interred |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 18 February 2021 11:09:05 | Al_Skiff | Changes to events and person associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48830995/robert-carleton-mooney |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 February 2021 10:25:06 | Al_Skiff | Changes to service number, biography, awards and events |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/310952957 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 November 2019 12:27:08 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to middlename, highest rank, biography and events |
| Sources | ||
Ploesti Sortie Reports, 389th Bomb Group; |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 March 2015 19:33:20 | Al_Skiff | Changes to biography, events, unit associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
AAM Database. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:23:04 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR (9thAF), Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol I p. 223 |
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