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William H Brandon

Military

Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 41-23817.

Shot down 18 November 1943 in B-24 42-63971 'Helen Hywater. ' Landed in Sweden. Interned.

Deputy Grp. Cmdr, A-3, 2nd Aiv Div . Retired from service in 1969

DSC/ DFC/ AM w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster

Service

Units served with

  • 2nd Air Division

    2nd Air Division

    Division
    In December 1944, the 2nd Bomb Division was redesginated the 2nd Air Division.

  • 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs

    44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs

    Group
    The 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated 15-January-1942 at McDill Field, Florida and equipped with B-24Cs. The Group moved to Barksdale Field, Louisiana and acted as a training unit for the 90th 93rd and 98th Bomb Groups and flew anti...

  • 67th Bomb Squadron

    67th Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

Aircraft

  • 41-23817 'Suzy Q'

    B-24 Liberator
    The B-24D, named, 'Suzy Q', flown by Pilot Lt. Robert I. Brown and commanded by Col. Leon Johnson, led the 44th Bomb Group on the Aug 1, 1943 Ploesti raid and was the most famous ship of the 67th Squadron. The plane was lost on Aug 16, 1943 on a...

  • 42-63971 Helen Hywater

    B-24 Liberator

Missions

  • Operation Tidal Wave

    1 August 1943
    Operation TIDAL WAVE. B24D 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 B...

Events

Event Location Date
Born Nashville, Tennessee 24 July 1917
Interned 18 November 1943
Nationality
American
Nickname
Not yet known
Service numbers
O-404078
Highest rank
Major
Role/job
Pilot; Controller
Awards
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
17 January 2020 14:24:46 general ira snapsorter Changes to biography, unit associations and aircraft associations
Sources

MACR 1377
Date Contributor Update
17 January 2020 14:22:51 general ira snapsorter Changes to biography, events, aircraft associations and mission associations
Sources

Ploesti Sortie Reports, 44th Bomb Group
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:28:06 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Who's Who in the Eighth Air Force and/or Biographical Directory Command & Staff Officers Eighth Air Force 1942-45

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