Military
T/Sgt. Max Wendell Lower was the Radio Operator/Gunner on the B-24D, Old Baldy, in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, in the 345th Bomb Squadron, KIA, when his B-24D, Old Baldy, was shot down over Ploesti, Romania. 1 Aug 43.
B-24D Liberator, 42-40102, Old Baldy, was lost near it's target at Ploesti, Romania. An AA flak round hit the pilot compartment, instantly killing the pilot, 1st Lt John J Dore. All crewmembers were killed in action. 10 KIA. MACR 223. Rear L-R: Frank Norris, Joe Finneran, Worthington Franks, Will D Buchanan, John J Dore. Front L-R: Max Lower, Joe Iosco, Stan Packer, Wes Jones
TSGT MAX WENDELL LOWER 19072581
TSGT MAX WENDELL LOWER 19072581
TSGT MAX WENDELL LOWER 19072581
TSGT MAX WENDELL LOWER 19072581
TechSgt. Max Wendell Lower, 1907581, in crew photo. 1943
T/Sgt. Max Lower was assigned to the 345th Bomb Squadron, the 98th Bomb Group, in the 9th Air Force, USAAF, in WWll. He was the Radio Operator/Gunner on the B-24D, 42-40102, Old Baldy, on Operation Tidal Wave over the Ploesti oil refineries. His aircraft was lost near his target at Ploesti, Romania. A flak round from a Romanian 80 mm AA gun, made a direct hit on, Old Baldy, killing the Pilot 1st Lt. John J. Dore and his entire crew Killed in Action in the crash of their plane, Old Baldy. 10 (KIA). MACR 223.
Awards: DFC (OLC), AM (4OLC), PH.
Military | First Lieutenant | B-24 Command Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Lt. John J. Dore, Jr. was assigned as Command Pilot to the 345th Bomb Squadron, the 98th Bomb Group, in the 9th Air Force, USAAF. B-24D, 42-40102, Old Baldy. The airplane and crew were lost near their target at Ploesti, Romania, shot down by flak and...
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 B-24D named, Old Baldy, was assigned to the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 345th Bomb Squadron, USAAF. Aircraft was lost, Failed To Return (FTR), with Lt. John J. Dore Jr.'s crew, after the bombing mission over Ploesti, Romania. Old...
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 |
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| Born | Twin Falls, ID | 3 March 1920 |
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Son of Samuel Stephen and Mary Oka [Litz] Lower. |
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| Lived in | Lewiston, UT, USA | 1942 |
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Lewistown, Utah, USA. |
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| Enlisted | Salt Lake City, UT | 3 January 1942 |
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Salt Lake City, Utah |
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| Assigned | Libya | 1943 – 1 August 1943 |
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Assigned to 345BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. |
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| Died | Ploiești, Romania | 1 August 1943 |
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Radio Operator on B-24 42-40102 'Old Baldy' Lost near the target, Ploesti, AA hit point blank at 30 feet or less from a Rumanian 80 mm. Pilot 1st Lt John J Dore. 10 KIA. MACR 223. |
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| Buried | 1946 | |
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Tablets of the Missing |
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| Buried | Memory Grove Memorial, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, UT | 1948 |
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Memorialised |
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| Buried | Lewiston City Cemetery, Lewiston, Cache County, UT | 23 November 2019 |
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Re-Interred |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 29 November 2021 12:41:02 | Kickapoo | Changes to role and biography |
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Added details. Punctuation removed from aircraft names for clarity. - Kickapoo |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 November 2021 12:30:47 | Kickapoo | Changes to biography |
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Spelling, wording changes. - Kickapoo |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 November 2021 09:00:33 | Kickapoo | Changes to role and biography |
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The Great Ground-Air Battle of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 June 2020 09:10:25 | Al_Skiff | Changes to unit associations and place associations |
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https://www.fold3.com/image/29418724 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 June 2020 09:08:51 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, biography, awards and events |
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https://www.fold3.com/image/29418724 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 March 2015 12:34:15 | Al_Skiff | Changes to firstname |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 March 2015 12:27:53 | Al_Skiff | Created entry with surname, middlename, firstname, nationality, service number, highest rank, role, biography, events, unit associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
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