98th Bomb Group
Group
The 98th trained for bombardment missions with B-24 Liberators during the first half of 1942.
...
We are currently working on a site-wide upgrade which will be completed in September 2022
You will not be able to search, add or edit information in the American Air Museum archive while this takes place.
You can find out more about our plans here
Military site : airfield
Lecce Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy, which is located approximately 5 km southeast of Lecce in the Salentine Peninsula. Built in 1943 by United States Army Engineers, the airfield was primarily a Fifteenth Air Force B-24 Liberator heavy bomber base used in the strategic bombing of Germany. Lecce was also used by tactical aircraft of Twelfth Air Force in the Italian Campaign.
Known units assigned to the airfield were:
98th Bombardment Group, 17 January 1944-19 April 1945, B-24 Liberator, (15AF)
82d Fighter Group, 10 October 1943-11 January 1944, P-38 Lightning, (12AF)
416th Night Fighter Squadron, 27-30 September 1943, Bristol Beaufighter (12 AF)
Closed after the war, Lecce Airfield today is a collection of agricultural fields, with its main runway clearly visible in aerial photography. Large areas of disturbed land indicate the remains of some wartime features also some of the former taxiways have been reduced to single-lane farm roads, however the vast majority of the airfield and ground station have been redeveloped.
As of 2009, some flying activity has returned to the field through the Vega Aeroclub of Lecce. [1] The A/D should not be confused with Lepore Airport just a few miles to the east, still less with the military Lecce Galatina Air Base to the south of the city.
Not yet known
Group
The 98th trained for bombardment missions with B-24 Liberators during the first half of 1942.
...
Group
The 82nd Fighter Group flew training missions from bases in Northern Ireland between October and December 1942. They then joined the Twelfth Air Force in North Africa, supporting the ground invasion of Tunisia, Sicily and Italy. Between October 1943...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 82nd Fighter Group
William Ackalusky's P-38F Lightning failed to return to base after all 15th Air Force missions from Italy were recalled due to bad weather. Ackalusky was believed to be on route from Lecce to Athens!
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Goddard crew. 10 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Regensburg 22-Feb-44 in B-24 42-73138; fighters / flak, explosion starboard side of fuselage. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 2726
...
Military | Sergeant | Flight engineer / Top turret | 454th Bomb Group
Assigned to 736BS, 454BG, 15AF USAAF. Charles Faxon crew. Failed to Return (FTR) Valentine, Austria in B-24 42-78668 'Girl Crazy' 23-Mar-45; shot down, baled out. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 13251
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Jesse C Bowling named his aircraft 'Ruth Please!' after his wife Ruth.
Bowling was shot down on 19-Feb-45 on a mission over Vienna. Bowling managed to land the aircraft in Zadar.
Awards: DFC, AM (OLC), WWII Victory, EAME (1 x Battle Star).
Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 15AF USAAF. Flew over 20 combat missions with Bowling crew. Failed to Return (FTR) Landshut, Austria in B-24 42-94992 19-Mar-45; Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 2423
...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Goddard crew. 10 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Regensburg 22-Feb-44 in B-24 42-73138; fighters / flak, explosion starboard side of fuselage. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 2726
Awards: AM, PH.
Military | Major | Pilot | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Joined Sqd 10 April 1942. ETO/Flight Echelon 2 October 1942. On 15 February 1943, B-24 41-23800 'The Captain and the Kids' was hit by flak at the start of a bomb run putting an engine out of action. FW 109s put out another engine then over the sea a...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Nose Gunner | 454th Bomb Group
Assigned to 736BS, 454BG, 15AF USAAF. Charles Faxon crew. Failed to Return (FTR) Valentine, Austria in B-24 42-78668 'Girl Crazy' 23-Mar-45; shot down, baled out, Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 13251.
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 454th Bomb Group
Assigned to 736BS, 454BG, 15AF USAAF. Charles Faxon crew. Failed to Return (FTR) Valentine, Austria in B-24 42-78668 'Girl Crazy' 23-Mar-45; shot down, baled out. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 13251
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Goddard crew. 10 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Regensburg 22-Feb-44 in B-24 42-73138; fighters / flak, explosion starboard side of fuselage. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 2726
...
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator #41-23656 'Rowdy Ann' 344th BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, aborting before the target, pilot Allen B Gaston. A/C Renamed from 'Rowdy II' - Transferred to 376th BG / 512th BS. Returned to the States on...
B-24 Liberator
Ruth Please! was named for Ruth Bowling, wife of its Pilot Jesse C Bowling Sr
...
P-38 Lightning
Failed to return when all missions were recalled due to bad weather. Aircraft and pilot reported as missing in action.
P-38 Lightning
B-24 Liberator
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Regensburg 22-Feb-44 with Goddard crew; fighters / flak, explosion starboard side of fuselage. 1 x POW, 10 x POW. MACR 2726
...
B-24 Liberator
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 15AF USAAF. Transferred to 415BS, 98BG, 15AF USAAF.
Date | Contributor | Update |
---|---|---|
01 November 2016 13:25:15 | 466thHistorian | Created entry with name, latitude, longitude, usaaf from date, usaaf to date, construction date and history |
Sources | ||