James Lee Merrick
Military
Best Web - B-24 - 41-11836 - Lil De-icer
Object Number - UPL 53640 - The B-24D : Lil De-icer - 41-11836 - and crew with Pilot Lt. James Lee Merrick. Second nose art version of the, Lil-De-icer, girl on it's nose...
BIRTH : 27 Sep 1920 - Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, USA
DEATH : 10 Mar 1999 - Fairfield Bay, Van Buren County, Arkansas, USA
BURIAL : Ames Municipal Cemetery, Ames, Story County, Iowa, USA.
Lt. James "Jim" Lee Merrick was a B-24D bomber pilot in WWll. He enlisted in the U.S Army Air Corps, Jan 2, 1942, and, after earning his pilots wings and finishing advanced bomber pilot training, he was assigned to the 345th Bomb Squadron, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 9th Air Force in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, based at Tunis, Tunisia, Tobruk, Egypt, and Benghazi, Libya, in 1942 -43. He was the command pilot of the B-24D Liberator, 41-11836, Lil De-icer, on Operation Tidal Wave, the oil refinery bombing mission to Ploesti, Romania. Lt. Merrick survived the mission and the war. He and his crew returned from the Ploesti mission (RTD) to the Lete Airbase at Benghazi, Libya. Aug 1 1943.
James Merrick died March 10, 1999.
B-24D - Lil De-icer's Crew On Tidal Wave Mission :
Pilot - James L. Merrick - Copilot - Howard A. Schaufele -
Navigator - Elton R. Stutling -
Bombardier - Jerome S. Victor -
Top Turret Gunner - Hugh D. Nelson -
Waist Gunner - Robert J. Cooper -
Tail Gunner - William D. Isaacson -
Waist Gunner - Edward L. Haydeck -
Gunner Photographer - Eugene M. Gambrell -
Gunner - Eugene P. Tomlinson -
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Ninth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Ninth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: - Lil De-icer
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 345th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 1 August 1943
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
27 September 1920 | Born on Sept. 27, 1920, at Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, USA | |
|
Enlisted |
2 January 1942 | Enlisted in the US Army Air Corps, Jan 2, 1942, for the duration of WWll. | |
|
Other Operation Tidal Wave |
Ploesti Romania | 1 August 1943 | Flew the B-24D, Lil De-icer, 41-11836, on, and survived, the bombing mission to destroy the German held oil refineries at Ploesti Romania. 1 Aug 1943. |
|
Died |
10 March 1999 | James Merrick died on March 10, 1999, at Fairfield Bay, Arkansas. | |
|
Based |
Lete | Based at Lete Airfield at Benghazi, Libya, through 1943. |