98th Bomb Group
Group
The 98th trained for bombardment missions with B-24 Liberators during the first half of 1942.
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Ancil Clair Holman
Military
Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1-Aug-43, flying in B-24 Liberator 41-11803.
Crew member B-24 Liberator 41-24026 'Baby', 21-Aug-43 mission to Cancello, Italy marshalling yards, A/C dropped its bomb payload on target and was being attacked by numerous fighters and taking heavy damage. Lt. Minnich and Lt. Cook were still in the cockpit trying to level the plane, now in a spin, so the rest of the crew could bail out. Lt. Minnich waved us all out with his right arm as he levelled the plane for a few moments. Only 3 survived the bail out. KIA. MACR 377.
Service
Units served with
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344th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
The 344th Bombing Squadron was first activated at MacDill Field, Florida as one of the original three squadrons assigned to the 98th Bombardment Group. The 344th soon moved to Barksdale Field, Louisiana, where it began to train as a Consolidated B-24...
Aircraft
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41-24026 'Baby'
B-24 Liberator
Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid piloted by Francis E Weisler, aborting before the target. ... -
41-11803 - Rosie Wrecked 'Em
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D Liberator, 41-11803, Rosie Wrecked 'Em, was in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, the Pyramiders, and the 344th Bomb Squadron. The pilot, Lt. Herbert Arens, flew, Rosie Wrecked 'Em, on the Ploesti oil refinery mission, flying on the wing...
Missions
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Operation Tidal Wave
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...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Born | Bell County, KY | 1923 |
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Son of Henry Clay and Juletie Barbra [Robbins] Holman. |
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| Died | Cancello CR, Italy | 21 September 1943 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) Cancello, Italy in B-24 41-24026 'Baby'; Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 377 |
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| Buried | Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial | 1946 |
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Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 16 December 2021 22:20:45 | Al_Skiff | Changes to biography and events |
| Sources | ||
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56310160/ancil-clay-holman |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 September 2020 11:40:26 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to biography, events, unit associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
Ploesti Sortie Reports for the 98th Bomb Group; |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 April 2015 11:18:11 | Al_Skiff | Created entry with surname, middlename, firstname, nationality, service number, highest rank, role, biography, events, unit associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
http://usaafdata.com / http://www.aviationarchaeology.com / MACR 377 /http://www.freewebs.com |
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