Military
Assigned to 565BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1-Aug-43, flying B-24 42-40629. 13 x combat missions. ETD.
Awards: DFC, AM (2OLC), PH, WWII Victory, EAME
Military | Major | B-24D Co-Pilot - Command Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
Lt. Kenneth M. Caldwell from the 8th Air Force, the 389th Bombardment Group, and the 565th Bomb Squadron took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti with Col. Jack W. Wood, observing, on 1-Aug-43, flying the B-24D, 42-40629, named, THE...
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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Group
The 389th Bomb Group, known in more familiar terms as "the Sky Scorpions", flew strategic bombing missions in B-24 Liberators from Hethel, England. They also sent detachments to join bases in North Africa at Benghazi No. 10, Libya, between 3 July 1943...
Squadron
B-24 Liberator
The B-24D Liberator, 42-40629, The Scorpion, in the 8th Air Force, the 389th Bombardment Group, and the 565th Bomb Squadron, flew on Operation Tidal Wave, the bombing mission on the oil refineries, piloted by Lt. Kenneth M. Caldwell and Col. Jack Wood...
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...
Military site : airfield
Construction of Hethel airfield began in 1941, and was finished in late 1942. The number of hardstandings was increased from the planned 36 to 50 in 1942, in order to accommodate a full heavy bomb group. The 320th Bomb Group occupied the base for ten...
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Born | Wilmar, AR | 2 February 1923 |
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Son of Jesse R and Myrtle N Gibson. |
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| Lived in | Rusk, TX | 1941 |
| Enlisted | Fort Sam Houston, TX | 3 September 1942 |
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Fort Sam Houston, Texas |
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| Based | 1943 – 1944 | |
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Assigned to 565BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Died | 5 December 1985 | |
| Buried | Concord South Cemetery Marion, Union Parish, LA | 8 December 1985 |
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Concord South Cemetery |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 19 May 2021 09:42:46 | Al_Skiff | Changes to biography and events |
| Sources | ||
Removed # from A/C serial No. to aid clarity and consistency |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 May 2021 19:51:22 | jmoore43 | Changes to biography |
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Added punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 December 2020 15:26:57 | Al_Skiff | Changes to nickname, service number, biography, awards, events, person associations, unit associations and place associations |
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https://www.fold3.com/image/624706828 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 06 November 2019 14:36:54 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to biography, unit associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:13:11 | AAM | AAM ingest |
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Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Ploesti by Dugan & Stewart, 389th BG Roster |
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