Claude Alvin Turner

Military ROLL OF HONOUR
B-24 Pilot Lt. Claude Alvin Turner, Command Pilot of the B-24D, 42-40608, the Vulgar Virgin, on the Ploestii bombing mission to destroy the German held oil refineries in Romania. 1 Aug 43. the B-24, 42-40765, Birmingham Blitzkrieg, after a deadly and chaotic mission to Bremen, Germany -  11 KIA  13 Nov 43.  MACR  2180 UPL 47581 UPL 47581 B-24 - Pilot Lt. Claude Alvin Turner, Command Pilot of the B-24D, 42-40608, The Vulgar Virgin, in the 8th Air Force, the 93rd bomb Group, and the 328th Bomb Squadron. He flew, The Vulgar Virgin, on the Ploesti mission. 1 Aug 1943. After returning to England, Lt. Turner was shot down by an FW-109 and killed in action over the North Sea in the B-24, 42-40765, Birmingham Blitzkrieg, after a deadly and chaotic mission to Bremen, Germany - 11 KIA 13 Nov 43. MACR 2180

Aircraft names written with upper and lower case letters with no punctuation, for clarity, uniformity, and readability. -  American Air Museum In Britain  -  Kickapoo

Object Number - UPL 47581 - B-24 - Pilot Lt. Claude Alvin Turner, Command Pilot of the B-24D, 42-40608, The Vulgar Virgin, in the 8th Air Force, the 93rd bomb Group, and the...

Lt. Claude A. Turner was born in Travis Peak, Texas, on Oct 22, 1919. He trained as an aviation pilot at Kelly Field and other air bases in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. After receiving his pilot's wings, Turner was assigned to the 8th Air Force, the 93rd Bomb Group, and the 328th Bomb Squadron in Britain. He and his B-24D Liberator bomber, 42-40608, The Vulgar Virgin, were transferred to North Africa and the MTO (Mediterranean Theatre of Operations) - Jun 23, 1943, remaining assigned to the 8th U.S. Army Air Force, the 93rd Bombardment Group, and the 328th Bomb Squadron. Lt. Turner immediately flew a number of combat missions to the Messina, Italy, railroad yards, the Port of San Giovanni, an airfield at Vibo Valencia, Italy, an airfield at Foggia, also missions to Naples, and Rome, Italy, each time having his airplane hit and damaged by flak.



Later, in August, 1943, Lt. Turner flew, The Vulgar Virgin, on Operation Tidal Wave, the large mission to destroy the German held oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania, on August 1, 1943. During his bomb run, Lt. Turner sustained two major flak hits to, The Vulgar Virgin, over his assigned target, White IV, The Astra Romano refinery. Knowing he could not make it home to Benghazi, Libya, Lt. Turner elected to fly to Turkey. He flew as far as the Turkish airbase at Chorlu, Turkey, where he landed safely, and he, his crew, and his bomber were interned by the Turkish Air Force. He, later, made a harrowing escape from the Turks and returned to service (RTS) in the 8th Air Force. Lt. Turner received the Purple Heart for his wounds, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Silver Star medals for his execution, his gallantry and flying skills, in combat over Ploesti, Romania. Aug 1, 1943.



After escaping from the Turks, Lt. Turner and his navigator, Lt. James Marquis, returned to Britain and the 8th Air Force. Lt. Turner was shot down by an FW-190 fighter and killed over the North Sea in the B-24D, 42-63988, Birmingham Blitzkrieg, after a mission over Bremen, Germany. Lt. Turner and his crew were first reported Missing In Action - MIA , and later reported Killed In Action - KIA - November 14, 1943.



Notes: On this date the the 8th Air Force carried out a raid on Bremen, Germany. The 93rd Bomb Group lost 5 of 8 effective aircraft, with over 52 airman unaccounted for.

None of the crew members from the airplane, Birmingham Blitzktirg, were recovered from this mission. Their names appear on Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery. One is listed Tablets of the Missing at Netherlands American Cemetery Margraten, Netherlands. Aircraft 42-63988 was lost at sea.



Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

The insignia of the 93rd Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 19090817 / O-?
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 16062707
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-676463
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 15090872 / O-735586
  • Highest Rank: Major
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 12035495
  • Highest Rank: Private
  • Role/Job: Gunner

Aircraft

Some of the crew of the Vulgar Virgin
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - The Vulgar Virgin
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Birmingham Blitzkrieg
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Austin, Texas, USA 22 October 1919 From First Baptist Church, Austin, Texas memorial service, December 21,1944

Other

Interned

Turkey 1 August 1943 Flew the B-24D #42-40608 the 'Vulgar Virgin' in the Ploesti raid. Aircraft damaged by flak over White IV and flew to Turkey. Crew interned, and Aircraft interned into the Turkish AF, Aug 1, 1943.

Died

Killed in Action (KIA)

North Sea 13 November 1943 Shot down in the B-17 #42-63988' the 'Birmingham Blitzkrieg'. His plane crashed into North Sea. Pilot and crew were Killed in Action (KIA), 13 November 1943.

Buried

Revisions

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ContributorKickapoo
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Details added. - Kickapoo

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Aircraft name changed to non capital letters for accuracy. - Kickapoo

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Word and spelling changes - Kickapoo

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1Lt. Robert E Geiss - FindAGrave Memorial

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1Lt. Robert E. Geiss - FindAGrave Memorial

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Best Web - B-24 - '42-63988'

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FindAGrave - Lt. Claude Alvin Turner

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FindAGrave - Lt. Claude Alvin Turner

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Adjusted medals earned in WWII.

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FindAGrave - Lt. Claude A. Turner

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Personal Archives - John S Young Jr

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B-24 - Best Web - SN # 42-40608 - 'The Vulgar Virgin'

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ContributorKickapoo
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B-24 - Best Web - # 42-40608 - 'The Vulgar Virgin'

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ContributorKickapoo
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WWII Aircraft Shot Down Over The Netherlands or the North Sea

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ContributorBombay
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- B-17 command pilot
Lt>1st Lt
several sources

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+middle name
ancestry.com & findagrave.com
+Air Medal
-UN Svc Medal, none such in WWII
https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/turner%3Dclaude-0

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B-24 - Best Web - # 42-40608 - "The Vulgar Virgin'

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ContributorKickapoo
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B-24 - Best Web - #42-40608 - 'The Vulgar Virgin'

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ContributorFirstgear
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From First Baptist Church, Austin, Texas memorial service, December 21,1944

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B-24 - Best Web

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B-24 - Best Web ---- The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart

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B-24 - Best Web

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B-24 - Best Web

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Black Sunday - Michael Hill

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B-24 - Best Web

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B-24 - Best Web

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B-24 - Best Web

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Personal Archives - Herb Turner - John Simmons Young Jr

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Personal archives - Herb Turner - John Simmons Young Jr

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Wikipedia - B-17 aircraft # 42-63988

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Wikipedia - B-24 aircraft - # 42-40608

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Contributorjmoore43
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Added a "#" to the A/C serial numbers in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.

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ContributorAAM
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ABMC; MACR 2180, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol I pp. 221, 367 / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2180 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

Claude Alvin Turner: Gallery (6 items)