Military
Crew of B-24 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs '. Robert E Courtney, James A Gunn Jr, Bernard E Leimbach, Charles R Ruark, Delmar E Smith, Frederick L Stukey Jr, Edwin L Turner, Richard C Williamson.
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 42-40364 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'; shot down near the Yugoslavia/Bulgaria border by enemy fighters during withdrawal from the target. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 165
Awards: DFC, AM (3OLC), PH.
Military | Captain | B-24 Command Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
~ Capt. James A. Gunn, Jr, was Killed In Action (KIA) on the bombing mission over the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania, in his B-24D, 42-40364. 1 Aug, 43.
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Group
The 98th trained for bombardment missions with B-24 Liberators during the first half of 1942.
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Squadron
Established as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron and trained by Third Air Force. Deployed to Egypt in June 1942 over South Atlantic Transport Route transiting from Morrison Field, Florida though the Caribbean to Brazil; performed trans-Atlantic...
B-24 Liberator
The Pink Elephant, 42-40364, was in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, who called themselves, "The Pyramiders", and the 343rd Bomb Squadron. First named, The Pink Elephant, 42-40364, was the second B-24D, that was later renamed, "Snow White and...
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...
Cemetery
Military site : airfield
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | South Dakota | 1917 |
| Lived in | Spokane, WA, USA | 1941 |
| Enlisted | Geiger Field, Spokane, WA | 23 January 1942 |
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Entered service from Geiger Field Spokane, WA. |
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| Died | Macedonia (FYROM) | 1 August 1943 |
| Buried | Arlington National Cemetery | 12 July 1949 |
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Arlington National Cemetery |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 01 April 2021 18:30:11 | Al_Skiff | Changes to service number, biography, events, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/record/84940736/robert-e-courtney-wwii-army-enlist... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 July 2020 14:39:35 | decwriter | Changes to mission associations |
| Sources | ||
KIA during Operation Tidal Wave. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 July 2020 14:37:44 | decwriter | Changes to service number and events |
| Sources | ||
NARA verified ASN upon entry. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 July 2020 13:49:10 | decwriter | Changes to awards |
| Sources | ||
NARA file verified awards. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 June 2020 01:09:04 | jmoore43 | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Added a "-" to the A/C serial # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 January 2019 14:31:38 | decwriter | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Updated biography information. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 22 February 2018 00:45:35 | decwriter | Changes to service number |
| Sources | ||
ASN on MACR. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 February 2018 12:01:43 | decwriter | Changes to awards |
| Sources | ||
Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions on the 1 Aug 1943 Ploesti raid. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 February 2018 11:48:47 | Lucy May | Changes to highest rank, biography, events and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
Re-checked MACR 165: https://www.fold3.com/image/1/29417957 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:23:13 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 165 |
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