42-40364 | American Air Museum in Britain

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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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

Units

9th Air Force
98th Bomb Group

Group
The 98th trained for bombardment missions with B-24 Liberators during the first half of 1942. ...
343rd Bomb Squadron

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

Robert Courtney

Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 98th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) on Ploesti raid in B-24 #42-40364.
James Gunn

Military | Captain | Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) on Ploesti raid in B-24 #42-40364. ...
Stanley Horine

Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Sole survivor of B-24 #4240364 on Ploesti raid. Prisoner of War (POW), held at Camp Chumen Shumla, Bulgaria.
Bernard Leimbach

Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 98th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) on Ploesti Raid in B-24D #42-40364 Y "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"
Charles Ruark

Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) on Ploesti raid in B-24 #4240364
Delmar Smith

Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 98th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) on Ploesti Raid in B-24 #4240364
Frederick Stukey

Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) while on Ploesti Raid in B-24 #4240364
Edwin Turner

Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight Engineer; Top Turret Gunner | 98th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) on Ploesti raid in B-24 #42-40364.
Richard Williamson

Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) on Ploesti raid in B-24 #4240364

Missions

Operation Tidal Wave

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...

Places

Benina

Military site : airfield

Events

Event	Location	Date
FTR Failed to Return	Ploiești, Romania	1 August 1943
Failed to Return - 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
Assigned
343rd BS, 98th BG, 9th AF.

Date	Contributor	Update
22 February 2018 00:58:18	decwriter	Changes to description
Sources
Corrected to Stanley M. Horine, Jr. per movement order.
Date	Contributor	Update
09 February 2018 01:58:27	decwriter	Changes to description
Sources
Charles R. Ruark was listed as Roark, so the biography listing is correct now.
Date	Contributor	Update
07 February 2018 11:49:41	Lucy May	Changes to unit associations
Sources
MACR 165: https://www.fold3.com/image/1/29417957
Date	Contributor	Update
21 November 2016 04:44:31	466thHistorian	Changes to nicknames and place associations
Sources
"Air Stories of the 12th & 15th Air Forces" - Gerard Paloque
Date	Contributor	Update
13 March 2015 14:06:49	Al_Skiff	Created entry with serial number, aircraft type, production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, description, events, unit associations, person associations and mission associations
Sources
http://www.b24bestweb.com