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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
SSgt Ruark flew with Capt Gunn on Crew 67-19 on movement orders dated January 27, 1943 to North Africa as part of the 98th Bomb Group. He was not assigned to the 389th BG.
Awards: DFC, AM, PH, ACM, EAME w/2 campaign stars
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 B-24D, The Pink Elephant, 42-40364, was in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, "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 the Seven...
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 | Moline, IL, USA | 11 February 1924 |
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Son of Harry Charles and Jessie Loretta [Hougham] Ruark. |
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| Enlisted | Chicago, IL | 8 July 1942 |
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Chicago, Illinois |
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| Based | 1943 – 1 August 1943 | |
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Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. |
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| Died | Macedonia (FYROM) | 1 August 1943 |
| Buried | 12 July 1949 | |
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Arlington National Cemetery |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 26 March 2022 19:35:32 | decwriter | Changes to biography and awards |
| Sources | ||
Added to awards and bio section. Official documents place SSgt Ruark with Capt Gunn on movement orders to North Africa on Jan 27, 1943. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 31 March 2021 17:36:51 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, biography, events, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/310763376 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 July 2020 14:23:27 | decwriter | Changes to mission associations |
| Sources | ||
KIA during Operation Tidal Wave. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 July 2020 14:01:44 | decwriter | Changes to awards |
| Sources | ||
NARA file verified awards. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 January 2019 14:34:00 | decwriter | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Updated biography information. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 22 February 2018 00:36:45 | decwriter | Changes to service number |
| Sources | ||
Correction to ASN. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 08 February 2018 09:54:45 | Lucy May | Created entry with surname, middlename, firstname, nationality, service number, highest rank, role, biography, events, unit associations, place associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
MACR 165: https://www.fold3.com/image/29417957 |
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