B-24 Liberator #41-11768 'Kickapoo' of 344th BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. Crashed shortly after take-off for the August 1, 1943 low level Ploesti, Romania mission, initially due to loss of No 4 engine. 8 KIA , including pilots, Lt. Robert J. Nespor and Lt. John C. Riley / 2 WIA.

B-24D 'RAUNCHY' - B - 24 - D - CO - SN #41-11819 - 9th AF - 98th BG - 344th BS. - Lost on OPERATION TIDAL WAVE, August 1,1943. Ploesti Romania. - MACR 169 - Pilot Lt. Samuel R. Neeley. Copilot - Lt. Herman H. Henslee. KIA - Aug 1943

B-24D - # 42-40608 - 'The Vulgar Virgin' - and it's command pilot, Lt. Claude A. Turner were both from the 8th Air Force, the 93rd Bomb Group, and the 328th Bomb Squadron in Britain. This airplane was Lt. Turners' assigned aircraft and was flown by him and his crew on Operation Tidal Wave, the large mission to destroy the German held oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. Lt. Claude Turner and "The Vulgar Virgin' survived the mission damaged but with no casualties and was flown by Lt. Turner to Chorlu, Turkey where he and his crew, and the 'Vulgar Virgin' were all interned by the Turkish Air Force. The crew was later released back to the U.S. Army Air Forces. After returning to Britain with the 8th Air force after the Ploesti mission, Lt. Turner and his crew, flying an 8th Air force B-17 were shot down and killed over the North Sea by an FW-190 Focke Wulf fighter after a bombing mission to Bremen and Helgoland- KIA Nov 13, 1943

B-24D - CoPilot Lt. John S. Young - With Lt. Harold Korger, bombardier, and Lt. Norman Whalen, navigator and nose gunner, on 'Hail Columbia' after the Ploesti raid. August 1, 1943.

This photo is the B-24D, 'THE VULGAR VIRGIN' - SN #41- 24198 - 9th Air Force, 98th Bomb Group, 344th Bomb Squadron, flown by command pilot Lt. Wallace C. Taylor. Lt. Taylor, flying in the center of Flight Five, the last of the four flights behind Col. John Kane in 'Hail Columbia', entered a wall of smoke over White IV behind 'Hail Columbia' and several other B-24s. When the small group of B-24s exited the smoke, 'THE VULGAR VIRGIN" was gone. It was shot down and lost Over the Astra Romano refinery after taking two direct flak hits. Approaching the smoke cloud, Lt. Taylor called for bailout over White IV. He was the only one of the four crewmen who bailed out at the low altitude of approximately 200 to 500 feet, who survived and became a prisoner of war - POW. The rest of the crew were KIA - August 1, 1943 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note - Another B-24D flown on the Ploesti mission, was also named, 'THE VULGAR VIRGIN'. It was aircraft SN #42-40608 from Britain and the 8th Air force - the 93rd Bomb Group - and the 328th Bomb Squadron. It was flown by Lt. Claude Alvin Turner from the 8th Air Force. Lt. Turner and his crew survived the Ploesti mission, were hit by flak over their target and flew to Chorlu, Turkey, where they landed and were interned after the Ploesti mission, Aug 1, 1943. Lt. Turner and his navigator escaped from the Turks and returned to the 8th Air Force after the Ploesti mission. After returning to Britain, Lt. Turner and his crew were shot down and KIA over the North Sea, Nov 13, 1943.

Lt. Royden LeBrecht's B-24D, The "Squaw" . Royden flew The "Squaw" on the desperate mission to destroy Hitler's oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. Aug 1, 1943. Both Lebrecht and The "Squaw" survived the mission. LeBrecht joined up with several straggler aircraft from his 98th Bomb Group and several of the 376th Bomb Group's pilots and planes south of Ploesti, who had followed their leader, Col. Addison Baker and broke away from Col. Kieth Compton's Lead to fly north and bomb Ploesti's refinery, "White IV", after Compton turned hid Lead aircraft away from Ploesti toward Bucharest. LeBrecht and his crew made it all the way south, following Col. John Kane's lead airplane, 'Hail Columbia', where they landed safely at the British Air base at Nicosia, Cyprus. Ploesti was Royden Lebrecht's last combat mission. After the mission, he returned to the U.S. and went on a year long war bond tour, flying his favorite B-24, 'The "Squaw" '.

B-24 LIBERATOR 42-72843 "Strawberry Bitch".

B-24D 'KICKAPOO' crash at Lete Airfield - Aug 1, 1943 - killing pilots, Lt. Robert Nespor and Lt. John C. Riley - #4 engine failure - 8 KIA / 2 WIA

B24D Command Pilot Col. Leon Johnson 44th Bombing Group 9th Air Force

B-24D - 'Hail Columbia' - After Crash Landing at Nicosia, Cyprus - Aug 1, 1943. From left : Lt. Harry Korger/ Bombardier - Lt. Norman Whalen Navigator/nose gunner - kneeling, second from right, 1st Lt. Raymond Hubbard/ radio operator/ gunner, SSgt. Harvey Treace/gunner, TSgt Clarence Weckesser/ Engineer/ top turret gunner, SSgt. Neville Benson/waist gunner, SSgt. Joseph LaBranch/ gunner, SSgt. Frederick Leard/waist gunner . The next morning after the Ploesti mission, Monday August 2nd, 1943.