Clinton H Killian

Military
media-14414.jpeg UPL 14414 Three crew members standing below the nose of their famous B-24D Liberator, 41-11761, 'The "Squaw"'. Above the men are the awards presented to the Army Air Force men who successfully flew 71 missions without a casualty.
L-R : Staff Sgt Paul E. Davidson - Lt. Clinton H. Killian - and Staff Sgt. Adney J. Harmon.

Added details, spelling, word spacing, punctuation changes. - Kickapoo

Object Number - UPL 14414 - Three crew members standing below the nose of their famous B-24D Liberator, 41-11761, 'The "Squaw"'. Above the men are the awards presented to the...

First Lt. Clinton Killian was First Lt. Royden LeBrecht's co-pilot on their B-24D, The Squaw. He flew on the 1-Aug-43 mission to Ploesti, Romania, and diverted to Cyprus after flying cover for the damaged B-24s, Hail Columbia, The Sandman, and Hadley's Harem. Returned to base at Benghazi, Libya 3-Aug-43. RTB. Flew home to the USA for a war bond tour with, The Squaw. 1944



Awards: DFC, AM (6OLC), WWII Victory, American Campaign, EAME (2 x Battle Stars).

Connections

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Units served with

Three airmen of the 389th Bomb Group stand with a B-24 Liberator used as a Flight Assembly Ship. Image via Tim Bivens. Handwritten caption from Bivens: 'My friend remembers it being named "Bucksheesh Benny" that it was used to fly Jack Benny around USA shows. Says it flew in North Africa with Benny and was eventually assigned to 389th as a hack and later as a form-up ship. He thinks it was originally with another group (possibly 376th or 98th).' Handwritten caption on reverse: '389th BG Form-up ship.'
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Ninth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 18065645 / O-726423
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - Sleepy - The Squaw
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 98th Bomb Group 343rd Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Soluch Airfield

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Altonah, Duchesne County, UT 30 July 1919 Son of Grant B. and Lora O. [Richins] Killian.

Enlisted

Salt Lake City, UT 20 January 1942 Salt Lake City, Utah

Other

Survived Ploesti

Ploiești, Romania 1 August 1943 Co-pilot of the B-24D, 41-11761, The Squaw. Flew on the Ploesti mission. Diverted to Cyprus. Returned to base at Bengahzi. 3-Aug-44

Died

Vernal, Uintah County, UT 23 December 2008 Clinton H. Killian, age 89, passed away December 23, 2008 A WWII Air Force Pilot, Clinton H. Killian, age 89, passed away at the Uintah Basin Rehabilitation and Sr. Villa on December 23, 2008. He was born on July 30, 1919 in Altonah, Utah to Grant B. and Olive Lora Richens Killian. He attended high school in Roosevelt and played with the State Championship Basketball team the Roosevelt Rough Riders. After graduation from high school he enrolled at Utah State Agricultural College in Logan and attended there until 1943 when he was inducted into the Air Force. Clint was a Captain and flew as a pilot on B24 and B29 bombers in the famous low-level raid over Ploesti, Romania to bomb the oil fields there. They flew so low some of the planes returned with corn shucks in their bomb bays. While in the Air Force Clint married Frances Baird, she passed away in 1959 after they returned to Roosevelt. Clint worked with his dad as a mechanic and owned his own service station, and then auto wrecking business until his retirement. He married Elma Adams on July 8, 1969 and they resided in Roosevelt until her death in 1994. His last few years were spent in the Uintah Basin Care Center in Roosevelt. A special thanks to all those who cared for him. He leaves behind five step children, with many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Also two sisters-in-law, and several nieces and nephews. Funeral services were held Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008 at 1 p.m. at the Hullinger Mortuary. Burial was in the Roosevelt Memorial Park with military honors presented by the American Legion Post 64.

Buried

Roosevelt Memorial Park Roosevelt, Duchesne County, UT 26 December 2008 Roosevelt Memorial Park Roosevelt, Duchesne County, Utah
Roosevelt, UT 84066, USA

Other

Assigned

Benghazi, Libya Assigned to the 343rd Bomb Squadron, the 98th Bomb Group, in the 9th Air Force.

Other

War Bond Tour

Fort Worth, TX, USA Returned to Fort Worth, Texas, USA, for a war bond tour with their famous B-24, The Squaw. 1944

Revisions

Date
Contributordecwriter
Changes
Sources

Added to awards and bio section. His DFC was awarded for the Ploesti 1 Aug 1943 raid. His DFC file also reflects an oak leaf cluster, but it was revoked six months later.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32525231/clinton-h-killian

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

Removed punctuation marks from around aircraft names for clarity, uniformity, and readability. - Kickapoo

Date
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
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Removed punctuation from aircraft name, for clarity, uniformity, and readability. - Kickapoo

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

Clinton H Killian: Gallery (3 items)