9th Air Force
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41-11620
B-24 Liberator
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A B-24 Liberator (serial number 41-11620) nicknamed "Edna Elizabeth" of the 98th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force. Image via J Moulin. Handwritten caption on reverse: '1st Provision Group, AFN 43 (or 1942?) 41-1620.'
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A B-24 Liberator #41-11620 'Edna Elizabeth' of the 343rd BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti raid, aborting due to a large fuel leak and returning to Benghazi, Libya.
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A B-24 Liberator #41-11620 'Edna Elizabeth' of the 343rd BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti raid, aborting due to a large fuel leak and returning to Benghazi, Libya. Seemingly having suffered a nose wheel collapse.
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A B-24 Liberator #41-11620 'Edna Elizabeth' of the 343rd BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti raid, aborting due to a large fuel leak and returning to Benghazi, Libya. Seemingly having suffered a nose wheel collapse.
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A B-24 Liberator #41-11620 'Edna Elizabeth' of the 343rd BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti raid, aborting due to a large fuel leak and returning to Benghazi, Libya.
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A B-24 Liberator #41-11620 'Edna Elizabeth' of the 343rd BS, 98th BG, 9th AF. Flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti raid, aborting due to a large fuel leak and returning to Benghazi, Libya.
According to http://www.armyaircorps-376bg.com/oglesby_sam_r_crew.html, 1st Lt Sam R. Oglesby Jr ferried "Edna Elizabeth" overseas. Oglesby was its pilot on 13 of the 23 it flew, including its last one, on 20 October 1942, to Tobruk, Lybia (see http://www.armyaircorps-376bg.com/41-11620_edna_elizabeth.html ). It is probably on that date that it suffered a nose-wheel collapse and went to a depot for repairs to be completed after it was prepared for a one-time flight. In fact, the airplane ended up at the PROJECT 19 depot in Gura, Eritrea where it was repaired and repainted, resulting in a slight alteration of the lettering style in the name, but still 'Edna Elizabeth'. Transferred to the 98th BG just in time to participate in the low level 1 August 43 Ploesti mission. Reported to have been flown by the James Haverty crew and assigned to the 98th's fifth wave. [ Note Ed Reniere December 2017 : Lt Sam R. Oglesby Jr's daughter wrote in a 2003 posting that her Father was its pilot on the first Ploesti mission (1 August 1943)]. The plane turned back early, soon after leaving the African coast to cross the Mediterranean. None of the major Ploesti works recognize Haverty (on loan to the 98th from the 93rd BG) or 'Edna Elizabeth' as participants in the Ploesti mission but Haverty's Navigator Frederick Mueller confirms that they did start out on the mission. Lee Bendt, (Crew Chief - 343rd BS), lost his airplane 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' #42-40364 on the Ploesti mission and would soon thereafter take over 'Edna Elizabeth'. She turned rather more cantankerous and almost caused Bendt's ground crew to mutiny when seven consecutive changes of the wing fuel tank were needed to stop a fuel leak. A runaway prop governor thwarted Bendt's first attempt to send 'Edna Elizabeth' on another combat mission and she was again consigned to a service group or depot for repair. Though she didn't fly combat after 22 Sep 43, she did return later to the USA for reclamation.
Service
Units
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376th Bomb Group
Group
Constituted as 376th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 19 Oct 1942 and activated in Palestine on 31 Oct. Began combat immediately, using B-24 aircraft. Operated with Ninth AF from bases in the Middle East, Nov 1942-Sep 1943, and with Twelfth AF from Tunisia... -
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... -
512th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Leland Abbey
Military | Lieutenant | gunner | 467th Bomb Group
trans from 492nd BG -
James Haverty
Military | Major | Pilot | 93rd Bomb Group
Flew in the low level 1 Aug 43 Ploesti mission assigned to the 98th's fifth wave. The plane turned back early soon after leaving the African coast to cross the Mediterranean. -
Frederick Mueller
Military | Captain | Navigator; Radar | 482nd Bomb Group
Ploesti (8/1/43. Italian Campaign. Pathfinder Group (482nd). Led 'Big Week' of 2/20/44-Jimmy Stewart Wing Man. Berlin (5/6/44) led 1st massive raid. D-Day (6/6/44) led 8thAAF Dawn Raid prior to landings. Pathfinder Sword and half Juno for 1st AD.... -
Sam Oglesby
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot | 376th Bomb Group
Sam Oglesby was a Pilot and flew B-24 Serial 41-11620 overseas from the US. He was pilot of that B-24 on 13 of the plane's 23 missions, including the one to the Ploesti oil fields on 1 August 1943 (Operation "Tidal Wave"). He was decorated with the...
Missions
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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
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Benina
Military site : airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Survived Ploesti | Ploiești, Romania | 1 August 1943 |
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Flew in the low level 1 Aug 43 Ploesti mission. Flown by the Sam R. Oglesby Jr crew, assigned to the 98th's fifth wave. The plane turned back early, soon after leaving the African coast to cross the Mediterranean. |
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| Assigned | Benghazi, Libya | |
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343rd BS/98th BG; 9th AF : 512BS/376BG. |
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| Unserviceable | ||
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She turned rather more cantankerous and almost caused Lee Bendt's ground crew to mutiny when seven consecutive changes of the wing fuel tank were needed to stop a fuel leak. |
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| Unserviceable | ||
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A runaway prop governor thwarted Lee Bendt's first attempt to send 'Edna Elizabeth' on a combat mission and she was again consigned to a service group or depot for repair. |
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| Crashed | Gura, Eritrea | |
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Suffered a nose-wheel collapse and went to a depot for repairs to be completed after it was prepared it for a one-time flight. In fact, the airplane ended up at the PROJECT 19 depot in Gura, Eritrea where it was repaired and repainted. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 11 December 2017 15:38:47 | ED-BB | Changes to description, events and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
Exchange of mails in 2003 with Col. Sam R. Oglesby Jr's daughter Melody in which she wrote that her Father was pilot, of "Edna Elizabeth" on the 1 August 1943 Ploesti mission. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 November 2016 04:55:57 | 466thHistorian | Changes to production block number, nicknames, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 April 2015 22:44:19 | Al_Skiff | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 April 2015 20:53:58 | Al_Skiff | Created entry with serial number, aircraft type, production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, description, events, unit associations, person associations, mission associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
