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B-24D - The Sandman, piloted by Lt. Robert Sternfels in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 344th Bomb Squadron - Flying through the fires and explosions of White IV behind Col. John Kane and John Young in, Hail Columbia - at Ploesti, Rumania, August 1, 1943 - NOTE : This most iconic photograph of WWII is often published reversed. But this version is the correct one, with Lt. Sternfels beginning a bank to his left to miss an object in his way. 1 Aug, 1943.

Connections

Units

  • 9th Air Force

    9th Air Force

  • 98th Bomb Group

    98th Bomb Group

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

  • 344th Bomb Squadron

    344th Bomb Squadron

    Squadron
    The 344th Bombing Squadron was first activated at MacDill Field, Florida as one of the original three squadrons assigned to the 98th Bombardment Group. The 344th soon moved to Barksdale Field, Louisiana, where it began to train as a Consolidated B-24...

People

  • Robert Sternfels

    Military | Major | B-24D Command Pilot
    Lt. Robert Sternfels was a B-24D bomber command pilot in WWII in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bombing Group, the Pyramiders, and the 345th Bombing Squadron. Lt. Sternfels flew the famous B-24D bomber, THE SANDMAN, on Operation Tidal Wave, which sought...

Aircraft

  • 42-40402 The Sandman

    B-24 Liberator
    The B-24D Liberator bomber, named, The Sandman, was flown by Lt. Robert Sternfels and his copilot, Lt. Barney Jackson, in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 345th Bomb Squadron, on Operation Tidal Wave, the famous mission to destroy the...

Missions

  • Operation Tidal Wave

    1 August 1943
    Operation TIDAL WAVE. B-24D 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...

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Collection name
John Simmons Young Collection
Object number
UPL 39581

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
04 September 2021 03:00:00 Kickapoo Changes to caption
Sources

Details added. - Kickapoo
Date Contributor Update
04 September 2021 02:58:57 Kickapoo Changes to caption
Sources

Added details. - Kickapoo
Date Contributor Update
04 September 2021 02:56:14 Kickapoo Changes to caption
Sources

Added details. - Kickapoo
Date Contributor Update
06 August 2021 19:03:58 Kickapoo Changes to caption
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - THE SANDMAN
Date Contributor Update
06 August 2021 18:08:46 Kickapoo Changes to caption
Sources

Wording changes and added note - Kickapoo
Date Contributor Update
15 December 2020 09:17:51 Kickapoo Changes to collection and unit associations
Sources

John S Young Jr - personal archives
Date Contributor Update
23 September 2019 20:09:49 Kickapoo Changes to person associations and aircraft associations
Sources

Black Sunday - Michael Hill ---- John S. Young, Jr. - personal archives
Date Contributor Update
18 September 2019 13:00:07 general ira snapsorter Changes to person associations, place associations and aircraft associations
Sources

Removed associations not depicted in image.
Date Contributor Update
08 September 2019 08:46:06 Kickapoo Changes to person associations
Sources

Ploesti - An Anatomy Of Disaster - Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg ---- Black Sunday - Michael Hill ---- John S. Young, Jr. - personal archives
Date Contributor Update
08 September 2019 08:42:32 Kickapoo Changes to caption, person associations, place associations and aircraft associations
Sources

Ploesti - An Anatomy Of Disaster - Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg ---- Black Sunday - Michael Hill ---- John S. Young, Jr. - personal archives
Date Contributor Update
06 August 2019 14:04:40 Emily Changes to unit associations, person associations and aircraft associations
Sources

Removed associations not depicted in image, and associated B-24 The Sandman
Date Contributor Update
06 August 2019 06:02:24 Kickapoo Changes to caption and unit associations
Sources

Black Sunday - Michael Hill
Date Contributor Update
05 August 2019 06:32:26 Kickapoo Created entry with collection, caption, unit associations, person associations, aircraft associations and mission associations
Sources

Anatomy Of A Disaster - Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg ---- Black Sunday - Michael Hill ---- Into The Fire - Duane Schultz ---- TogetherWeServed.com ---- FindAGrave.com ---- Personal Archives - John S. Young

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