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B-24 42-40364 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' of the 343rd BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. lost on the Ploesti oil refinery raid.
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B-24D - 'Snow White - And The Seven Dwarfs' - #42 40364 - 343rd Bomb Squadron - 98th Bomb Group - 9th Air Force - 1943. Lost on the Ploesti mission. Aug 1, 1943
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B24D - 'SNOW WHITE and the Seven Dwarfs' - B-24 - D - 53 - CO - SN #42-40364 - 9th Air Force - 98th Bomb Group - 343rd Bomb Squadron. Lost on the Ploesti mission. Aug 1,1943.
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B-24D - 'Snow White' Crew : left to right : Technical Sergeant John A. Harkell, Captain Rolo C. Lawrence, Sargeant George A. Brunnell and Sergeant Kermit E. Gregory. lost on the Ploesti mission. Aug 1,1943
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B-24D - 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarves' - Lete Airfield, Benghazi Libya. 1943
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The B-24D, SN #42-40364 - has the name, 'THE PINK ELEPHANT' painted on the RH side of the nose - It was the 2nd 'SNOW WHITE' in the 98th Bomb Group, the first one being the B-24D, SN # 41-11913, - Pilot Rollo Lawrence's airplane.
This airplane, # 42-40364 was lost on Operation Tidal Wave at Ploesti Romania. Aug 1, 1943 - MACR 165 - Pilot James A. Gunn, Jr.
Contributor - Robert Livingstone
Info Contributor - Bill Whitney
The B-24D, 'THE PINK ELEPHANT'. SN #42-40364. Started combat ops May 13, 1943 and was shot down on the low level Ploesti mission Aug 1, 1943 with the crew of Pilot Capt. James A. Gunn, Jr. It was shot down near the Yugoslavia/ Bulgaria border by enemy fighters during withdrawal from the target in the same action that downed 'THE WITCH', #41-11840, flown by Pilot Julian Darlington. The sole survivor, Tail Gunner Stanley Horine, and Pilot Julian Darlington from The WITCH, were POWs together in Bulgaria.
The B-24D, named, 'THE PINK ELEPHANT', SN #42-40364, flown by Capt. James A. Gunn and was the second B-24D, also named, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group - "The Pyramiders", and the 343rd Bomb Squadron. The FIRST B-24D, named 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' was the aircraft, Serial Number, # 41-11913. Both airplanes had the same name and stunning nose art, a picture of Walt Disney's "Snow White" and the ship's names in large letters : "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" on the forward nose. In the pictures of "Snow White", she held a wand with stars on the tips of the wand. Each star on the wand depicted 2 missions completed. 'The Pink Elephant', with the 98th Bomb Group, left the United States on July, 1942, and flew to South America, to the Gold Coast, then, across the Atlantic ocean to Egypt, and was based near Haifa, Egypt. The aircraft's first mission was on Aug 14, 1942. The crews of both planes started combat operations on May 13, 1943 in the MTO, flying out of Benghazi, Libya. SN # 42-40364 flew on the low level mission to Ploesti, Romania, Aug 1, 1943, with the crew of Pilot Capt. James A. Gunn, Jr. It was shot down near the Yugoslavia/ Bulgaria border by enemy fighters during withdrawal from the target area in the same action that downed 'THE WITCH', #41-11840, flown by Pilot Julian Darlington.
Lost on Operation Tidal Wave at Ploesti, Romania. Aug 1,1943 - MACR 165 - Pilot James A. Gunn, Jr.
Capt. James A. Gunn, Jr. - Pilot (KIA), 2nd Lt. Richard C. Williamson - Co-Pilot (KIA)
1st Lt. Bernard E. Leimbach - Navigator (KIA), 2nd Lt. Robert C. Courtney - Bombardier (KIA)
T/Sgt. Edwin L. Turner - Eng/Top Turret (KIA), T/Sgt. Delmar E. Smith - Radio Operator (KIA)
S/Sgt. Frederick L. Stukey - Waist Gun (KIA), S/Sgt. Charles R. Ruark - Waist Gun (KIA)
S/Sgt. Stanley M. Horine, Jr. - Tail Gun (POW)
Service
Aircraft
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B-24 Liberator
The B-24D, named, 'THE PINK ELEPHANT', SN #42-40364, flown by Capt. James A. Gunn and was the second B-24D, also named, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group - "The Pyramiders", and the 343rd Bomb Squadron. The...
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B-24 Liberator
The aircraft, 41-11840, named, 'The Witch', was painted before the 9th Air Force, 98th Bomb Group's 343rd Squadron left Florida for duty in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations in July, 1942 with it's pilot, Lt. Glade Jorgenson. It played a...
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B-24 Liberator
The B-24D, SN # 41-11913, flown by Capt. Rollo Lawrence (KIA over Reggio Di Calabria, Italy), was the original 343rd Bomb Squadron B-24D, named, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', after the Walt Disney Characters. The aircraft's nose art depicted the...
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Units
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Group
The 98th trained for bombardment missions with B-24 Liberators during the first half of 1942.
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Squadron
Established as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron and trained by Third Air Force. Deployed to Egypt in June 1942 over South Atlantic Transport Route transiting from Morrison Field, Florida though the Caribbean to Brazil; performed trans-Atlantic...
People
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 42-40364 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'; shot down near the Yugoslavia/Bulgaria border by enemy fighters during withdrawal from the target. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR...
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Military | Captain | Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Killed in Action (KIA) on Ploesti raid in B-24 42-40364.
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 42-40364 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'; shot down near the Yugoslavia/Bulgaria border by enemy fighters during withdrawal from the target. Sole survivor Prisoner of War...
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Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 98th Bomb Group
First Lieutenant Bernard "Bernie" Elmer Leimbach flew on the mission to Ploesti, Romania, and served as the replacement Navigator on the B-24D Liberator bomber, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', SN #42-40364 Y. He was Killed in Action (KIA) on the...
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 42-40364 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'; shot down near the Yugoslavia/Bulgaria border by enemy fighters during withdrawal from the target. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR...
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 42-40364 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'; shot down near the Yugoslavia/Bulgaria border by enemy fighters during withdrawal from the target. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR...
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 42-40364 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'; shot down near the Yugoslavia/Bulgaria border by enemy fighters during withdrawal from the target. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR...
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight Engineer; Top Turret Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 42-40364 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'; shot down near the Yugoslavia/Bulgaria border by enemy fighters during withdrawal from the target. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR...
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 42-40364 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'; shot down near the Yugoslavia/Bulgaria border by enemy fighters during withdrawal from the target. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR...
Missions
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1 August 1943
Operation TIDAL WAVE. B24D 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 B...
Events
Event |
Location |
Date |
Assigned |
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1943 |
Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF.
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Crashed |
Bulgaria |
1 August 1943 |
Failed to Return (FTR) - Lost during the low-level mission to bomb the oil refineries in Ploesti, Rumania on August 1,1943. She was jumped by fighters while leaving the target and shot down with only the tail gunner, S/Sgt. Stanley Horine, surviving. MACR 165
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