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" '.

The B-24D, Jersey Jackass, 41-11776, D-CO. 9th AF - 98th BG - 343rd BS.

B-24D, Hail Columbia. Crashed Nicosia Cyprus. 1 Aug 1943. Col. Kane holding jacket between #4 and #3 engine, #4 engine destroyed over Ploesti. Lt. John Young, also holding his jacket, Center, looking at Lt. Norman Whalen, who is looking at photographer. 2 Aug 1943.

The B-24D, 41-23661, Black Jack, one of two B-24Ds, named, Back Jack. This one, 41-23661, was from the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, shown with the vertical fin markings of a fin robbed from, Valient Virgin, from the 8th Air Force, with, Valient Virgin' s olive drab painted tail fin and it's (hidden in this photo) abbreviated serial number, This fin was, apparently, robbed from the, Valient Virgin, for installation on, Black Jack. August 5-7, 1943, when these color photos were taken.

The Squaw's Command Pilot Lt. Roydon LeBrecht smiles at his new, upgraded nose art painting on his B-24D. This was the second version of The Squaw's nose art, with the naked squaw, now, repainted standing up, with clothes on, instead of on her knees, and completely nude, especially modified for display to American families on it's war upcoming war bond tour. 1944

B-24D, 42 40654, Kate Smith, in the 345th Bomb Squadron, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 9th Air Force. Kate Smith was shot down and lost on the Aug 1, 1943, Ploesti mission. It took a direct hit on the cockpit while at the target area at an estimated 250 ft. The aircraft caught fire in the bomb bay and exploded in mid air, killing Pilot James A. Deeds and 8 men in his crew. 1 Aug 43. 9KIA - 1POW. MACR 226.

B- 24D - Chug-A-Lug - 41-11766 - Right wing barrage balloon cable damage repair after Ploesti Mission, 1943. Note : A careful examination of the photo appears to show the right hand, outboard end of the right horizontal stabilizer with it's vertical stabilizer removed for repair or replacement.

B-24D - Lt. Russell W. Polivka, photo left, navigator, and SSgt. Eugene R. Garner, gunner, on the right. Both escaped the fatal crash of the B-24D, Kickapoo, badly burned, but recovered. This fatal crash was the first crash with the first casualties of the Ploesti mission. The B-24D, Kickapoo, was Lt. John S. Young's regular airplane until the mission to Ploesti when he and his crew were reassigned to fly with Col. John Kane and Kane's lead B-24D, Hail Columbia. Kickapoo, crashed in flames on takeoff for the Ploesti mission at Lete Air Base, Benghazi, Libya, killing the entire replacement crew, except Lt. Russell Polivka, and Sgt. Eugene Garner, one of the gunners, both badly burned in the flames of the crashed and burning aircraft. Aug 1 1943

PHOTO : the B-24D, Lil Joe, with a crewman, possibly, the tail gunner, SSGT. Roy Carney. - B-24D, Lil Joe, B-24-D-CO, 41-11886, in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 345th Bomb Squadron. Left Side : A dice roll combination of 4, in craps, is referred to as a, "Little Joe", score, hence, the bomber's name, Lil Joe. Lil Joe was lost on Operation Tidal Wave. Aug 1, 1943.

The B-24D Liberator bomber, 41-11913, named, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb, and the 343rd Bombardment Squadron, at Lete Airfield, Benghazi, Libya. The airplane was lost, as it flew into another aircraft, flying through a cloud on a daylight bombing raid over Reggio Di Calabria, Italy. The entire crew was killed in action. 10 KIA. May 1, 1943