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Liberator he initial production batch of B-24As was completed in 1941, with many being sold directly to the Royal Air Force. Sent to Britain, where the bomber was dubbed "Liberator," the RAF soon found that they were unsuitable for combat over Europe as they had insufficient defensive armament and lacked self-sealing fuel tanks. Due to the aircraft's heavy payload and long range, the British converted these aircraft for use in maritime patrols. Learning from these issues, Consolidated improved the design and the first major American production model was the B-24C which also included improved Pratt & Whitney engines. In 1940, Consolidated again revised the aircraft and produced the B-24D. The first major variant of the Liberator, the B-24D quickly amassed orders for 2,738 aircraft. Overwhelming Consolidated's production capabilities, the aircraft was also built under license by North American, Douglas, and Ford. The latter built a massive plant at Willow Run, Michigan that, at its peak (August 1944), was producing fourteen aircraft per day. Revised and improved several times throughout World War II, the final variant, the B-24M, ended production on May 31, 1945. he United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) took delivery of its first B-24As in mid-1941. Over the next three years, B-24 squadrons deployed to all theaters of the war: African, European, China-Burma-India, the Anti-submarine Campaign, the Southwest Pacific Theater and the Pacific Theater. In the Pacific, to simplify logistics and to take advantage of its longer range, the B-24 (and its twin, the U.S. Navy PB4Y) was the chosen standard heavy bomber. By mid-1943, the shorter-range B-17 was phased out. The Liberators which had served early in the war in the Pacific continued the efforts from the Philippines, Australia, Espiritu Santo,Guadalcanal, Hawaii, and Midway Island. The Liberator peak overseas deployment was 45.5 bomb groups in June 1944. Additionally, the Liberator equipped a number of independent squadrons in a variety of special combat roles. The cargo versions, C-87 and C-109 tanker, further increased its overseas presence, especially in Asia in support of the XX Bomber Command air offensive against Japan. So vital was the need for long range operations, that at first USAAF used the type as transports. The sole B-24 in Hawaii was destroyed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. It had been sent to the Central Pacific for a very long range reconnaissance mission that was preempted by the Japanese attack. The first USAAF Liberators to carry out combat missions were 12 repossessed LB-30s deployed to Java with the 11th Bombardment Squadron (7th Bombardment Group) that flew their first combat mission in mid-January. Two were shot up by Japanese fighters, but both managed to land safely. One was written off due to battle damage and the other crash-landed on a beach. US-based B-24s entered combat service in 1942 when on 6 June, four B-24s from Hawaii staging through Midway Island attempted an attack on Wake Island, but were unable to find it. The B-24 came to dominate the heavy bombardment role in the Pacific because compared to the B-17, the B-24 was faster, had longer range, and could carry a ton more bombs. In the European and North Africa Theatres On 12 June 1942, 13 B-24s of the Halverson Project (HALPRO) flying from Egypt attacked the Axis-controlled oil fields and refineries around Ploiești, Romania. Within weeks, the First Provisional Bombardment Group formed from the remnants of the Halverson and China detachments. This unit then was formalized as the 376th Bombardment Group, Heavy and along with the 98th BG formed the nucleus of the IX Bomber Command of the Ninth Air Force, operating from Africa until absorbed into the Twelfth Air Force briefly, and then the Fifteenth Air Force, operating from Italy. The Ninth Air Force moved to England in late 1943. This was a major component of the USSTAF and took a major role in strategic bombing. Fifteen of the 15th AF's 21 bombardment groups flew B-24s 1st August 1943 Operation Tidal Wave: A group of 177 American B-24 Liberator bombers, with 1,726 total crew, departed from Libya to make the first bombing of the oil refineries at Ploieşti, Romania, the major supplier of fuel to Germany. The mission temporarily halted oil production, but 532 airmen and 54 of the planes were lost. After a 40% loss of production, the refineries would be repaired more quickly than projected.[1] Germany's Radio Reconnaissance Service had intercepted and decrypted the Allied messages about the raid and the departure from Libya, and anti-aircraft defenses were in place despite the low-level approach of the bombers. |
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Ploesti, The Vital Mission by Robert Taylor. Col Leon Johnson aboard the damaged Suzy Q emerges through an inferno of intense ground fire and dense palls of acrid burning oil. More seriously hit and smoking, another B-24 Liberator completes its bombing run. By the end of that first day of May 1943, the Ploesti oil fields were in ruins and the B-24 crews of the 8th and 9th Air Forces had dealt a vital blow to the Axis war machine. |
Welcome Sight by Robert Taylor. SOLD OUT. |
| Liberator Pilot and aircrew signature details |
Jim Auton MBE Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | Jim Auton MBE Nav/Air Bomber on Liberators based in Italy. Took part in the air bridge to Warsaw, Poland. Bombed the Ploesti, Rumanian oilfields. |
Warrant Officer Bill Bailey Our estimated value of this signature : £20 | Warrant Officer Bill Bailey Bill completed a full tour with 31 SAAF Squadron. As a Rear Gunner on Liberators based in Italy, he saw action over the Balkans, Austria and Southern Germany and also took part in the air supply to the partisans during the Warsaw uprising. |
  Colonel William R Cameron Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2013 | Colonel William R Cameron Bill Cameron flew all his 38 combat missions with the 44th Bomb Group. He first saw combat in Nov 1942. He was the only pilot who came over to Europe with 44th BG and returned with them at the end of the war. Described by General Leon Johnson as 'one of the best combat leaders we had', Bill was the pilot of 'Buzzin' Bear' on the Ploesti Raid. Before the mission he asked British anti-aircraft gunners which plane, in a low flying formation, they would fire at. They told him they would shoot the highest: Bill Cameron took 'Buzzin' Bear' through the Ploesti inferno lower than most other pilots and got her home with only minor damage, earning the DSC for his part in the historic raid. William R. Cameron died on his 93rd birthday on June 24th 2013 |
 Captain Charles D Cavit Our estimated value of this signature : £20 | Captain Charles D Cavit Enlisting in the Army Air Corps the month after Pearl Harbor, Charles Cavit trained as a Pilot and was assigned to the 567th Bomb Squadron, 389th Bomb Group in March 1943. Arriving in the UK in July he was immediately dispatched to Libya, detached to the 98th Bomb Group. A Co-Pilot on the Ploesti Raid of 1st August 1943, his first combat mission, his B-24 Jersey Jackass was shot down over Romania. Wounded, he was captured and taken to Bucharest as a PoW. |
S/Sgt Frederick C Chevalier Our estimated value of this signature : £40 Died : 2002 | S/Sgt Frederick C Chevalier Born in Marshall, Texas in 1920, Frederick Chevalier graduated from Marshall High School in 1938. He registered for the draft in October of 1941, and attained a high enough score on his General Classification Test to choose his branch of service. He chose the Army Air Corp. After completing basic training at Sheppard Field, Texas, Chevalier received advance training at Chanute and Boca Raton. He served a stint as a Drill Instructor at Sheppard Field, Texas prior to attending Electronics and Radar School. Following completion of this school, he was sent to the Pacific aboard a tanker filled with 100-octane aviation gasoline. Not a pretty thought with Japanese submarines on the prowl. His job on board was as caretaker for a group of ten P-38s and P-61s being transported into combat. He had to maintain the waterproofing on these aircraft, which was a time consuming job given the storms they encountered on route. Chevalier finally arrived in New Guninea and reported to the replacement depot there. He was assigned to the 90th Bomb Group Jolly Rogers, and he flew fifteen missions with this unit in their B-24s. He was then transferred to the 312 h Bomb Group where he would serve as a Radar Countermeasures Operator. Chevalier was on board the Hobo Queen, a B-32 Dominator, which came under attack of August 18, 1945. Two aircraft, the Hobo Queen and the Hobo Queen 11 were jumped by more that a dozen Japanese fighters while flying photoreconnaissance over Tokyo. The Hobo Queen took the worst of the attack, and lost Sgt. Marchione During the attack the Hobo Queen went into a power dive. After leveling out from the dive, the aircraft commander asked Chevalier to shut down his radar counter measures equipment and tend to the injuries of S/Sgt Lacharite who was wounded during the attack. During the long flight back to Okinawa Chevalier would loosen the tourniquet on Lacharites leg every 15 minutes to allow some blood to flow. Arriving back at Okinawa the commander of the Hobo Queen was unable to bank the aircraft because of a feathered prop. Despite these problems they landed without incident. After leaving the Army Air Corps Fredericks civilian career focused around electrical contracting and the electrical power industry. He retired from Southwestern Electrical Power Company in May of 1982. He resided in Shreveport, Louisiana with his wife of fifty-three years, the former Wilma Sampson. Frederick had two children, three grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Sadly Frederick passed away on the 25th of February 2002. |
Keith Compton Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2004 | Keith Compton Keith Compton was born in 1915 in St. Joseph, Missouri, and graduated from Central High School there in 1933. He received his bachelor of arts degree from Westminster College at Fulton, Missouri, in 1937. He entered military service in February 1938 as an aviation cadet at Randolph Field, Texas, and received his pilot's wings a year later. Compton spent the next two and a half years at Langley Field, Virginia, with the 2nd Bomb Wing, the first unit equipped with the B-17 Flying Fortress. In April 1942 he became commander of the 409th Bomb Squadron and later, at Fort Myers, Fla., operations officer for the 93rd Bomb Group. In February 1943, Compton became commander of the 376th Bomb Group in Africa and, on August 1, 1943, led the disastrous air attack on the Ploesti oil refineries in Romania. He was reassigned as assistant to the air chief of staff for operations, Fifteenth Air Force, in North Africa in March 1944 and returned to the United States in July that year as assistant deputy chief of staff for operations and training, Second Air Force, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Following several command assignments and graduation from the Air University, Compton was assigned in June 1948 to the Air Proving Ground Command, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, as deputy for operations, a position he held until February 1953. It was during this tour of duty that Compton, flying an F-86 Sabrejet, won the National Air Races Bendix Trophy for 1951, setting a new national speed record for the route. In February 1953, Compton transferred to Strategic Air Command (SAC). Several successful command assignments in SAC resulted in his designation in September 1961 as SAC director of operations. In June 1963 he became SAC's chief of staff. In August 1964 he was assigned to be the Inspector General of the U.S. Air Force. Six months later he was designated the deputy chief of staff for plans and operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. With these duties he also became the Air Force's operations deputy sitting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the chief of staff, U.S. Air Force. He assumed his last position in February 1967. He retired August 1, 1969. Military decorations awarded Compton include the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, Air Medal with nine oak leaf clusters, the Air Force and the Army Commendation medals. In addition he holds his college's outstanding Alumni Achievement Award and is one of the few holders of aviation's famed Bendix Trophy. Keith K. Compton sadly died on June 15th 2004 aged 88. Allied leaders determined to bomb Ploesti during the Casablanca Conference in January 1943 and Gen. Henry H. 'Hap' Arnold delegated the problem to Col. Jacob Smart of his Advisory Council. Smart, the principle architect and planner for Operation TIDALWAVE, proposed, in complete antithesis of USAAF bombing policy, a low-level massed raid on the nine most important Ploesti refineries by five B-24 bomb groups, two from North Africa and three borrowed from Eighth Air Force in England. By July 1943, the five groups - the 44th, 93rd, and 389th Bombardment Groups from England had joined the 98th and 376th Bombardment Groups at Benghazi, Libya, where they made final preparations and conducted additional low-level training under the direction of Ninth Air Force. Commanded by Brig. Gen. Uzal G. Ent, the force of 178 B-24s took off on the morning of 1 August, followed a route across the Mediterranean, passed the island of Corfu, crossed the Pindus Mountains into Rumania, and approached Ploesti from the east. While over the Mediterranean the formation divided into two parts: the first led by Col. Keith K. (K.K.) Compton commander of the 376th, consisted of the 376th and 93rd Bomb Groups; the second led by Col. John R. (Killer) Kane, commander of the 98th, included the 98th, 44th, and 389th Bomb Groups. Mandated radio silence prevented the leaders from reassembling the formation. The goal of a single, mass attack disappeared. Compton's formation reached Rumania well ahead of Kane's. It descended to low level and, in error, made its planned turn to the south at Targoviste, miles short of the correct Identification Point (IP). Compton led two bomb groups toward Bucharest. Col. Addison L. Baker, commanding the 93rd Bomb Group following Compton, saw Ploesti to his left, turned his group and led it into the target first. Meantime, Compton found that he was heading to Bucharest and turned, almost reversing course, and bombed Ploesti from the south. As the two groups emerged from Ploesti and escaped to the south, the 98th and 44th Bomb Groups led by Kane plunged into Ploesti where they found many of their targets in flames. They sought alternate targets of opportunity. Far to the north, the 389th Bomb Group successfully bombed its target, a separate refinery at Campina, as planned. |
Miss Lettice Curtis Our estimated value of this signature : £20 | Miss Lettice Curtis Joined the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) in July 1940 having been taken on to ferry Tiger Moths. Although we were later allowed to ferry other training types such as Oxfords and Masters, it was not until the autumn of 1941 that women were allowed to fly operational aircraft types. I flew my first Hurricane in August 1941 and my first Spitfire a couple of weeks later. After a brief course on a Blenheim I was cleared to fly without any further training, twin-engine bombers up to the Wellington. In November 1943 I was sent on a Halifax course, which due to unserviceability and bad weather closed, restarting in February 1943 at Pocklington where I was cleared for ferrying Halifaxes. After that without further training, I ferried Lancasters and over 100 Stirlings. In November 1945 I ferried 14 Liberators. |
 Lieutenant Colonel Robert W Dees Our estimated value of this signature : £30 | Lieutenant Colonel Robert W Dees 'Bob' Dees originally joined the Army Corps of Engineers in 1941 but transferred to the Air Corps for pilot training in Jan 1943. Assigned to the 4th and then 18th Squadron, 34th Bomb Group, Bob flew the South Atlantic route to Mendlesham, England, in early 1944 and was soon in the thick of the action on operations against military and industrial targets in Germany and occupied Europe. He flew the first of his 31 combat missions on 24th May 1944, flying the B24, before the 34th converted to B-17 Flying Fortresses on which he finished his tour. He had flown 31 combat missions, 14 of which were as lead crew pilot. Bob Dees was awarded the Air Medal with five Oak clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross. |
Flying Officer Jack Easter Our estimated value of this signature : £20 | Flying Officer Jack Easter Joining the RAF in 1940 he was a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner on both Halifaxes and Liberators with 148 Sqn which served on Special Duties carrying out supply drops and pick-up missions to resistance groups. Before leaving the RAF in December 1945 he had completed 75 Operations and over 500 hours of flying. |
  USAF Colonel Travis Hoover Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 2004 | USAF Colonel Travis Hoover Travis Hoover was born September 21, 1917 at Melrose, New Mexico. He graduated from Polytechnic High School in Riverside, California in 1938. He enlisted in the National Guard in 1938, and became a Flying Cadet in the Regular Army in 1939. By May of 1940 Hoover had earned his wings and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps. He was selected to participate in the first bombing raid on Tokyo in 1942, which was both planned and lead by Jimmy Doolittle. Hoover piloted the second B-25 off the Hornet's deck and caught up with the aircraft piloted by Doolittle. They attacked Tokyo together. This was the first strike back against the Japanese homeland and occurred only four months following the Pearl Harbor raid. Hoover's B-25 headed west towards China following the attack, and as they reached the Chinese coast they ran out of fuel. They made a forced landing in Japanese occupied territory. They were able to evade the Japanese forces for several days, and eventually they contacted a Chinese student, Tung Sheng Lin, who guided Hoover's crew to safety. Undoubtedly Tung Sheng Lin's courage and valor, and his utter disregard for his own safety, prevented Hoover's crew from being captured and executed. Hoover made it back to America, and he continued to serve his country. He flew B-25s and B-24s out of England, North Africa, and Italy from September of 1942 until May of 1944. He then volunteered to fly P-38 Lightnings in the fighter and dive bomber roles in Italy for another few months. He flew a total of 73 combat missions in WW 11. Later in the War, Hoover instructed in air operations at the Command and General Staff School at Leavenworth, Kansas. His peacetime overseas service included tours in both Okinawa and Turkey. In 1949 he earned his B.A. degree from the University of California. Stateside assignments included Kansas, Washington, D.C., California, Texas, and Mississippi. He completed enough flying hours to earn his command pilot's wings. Travis retired from the Air Force with the rank of Colonel. His numerous decorations include the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit with Oak Leak Cluster, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with nine Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Corps Medal, Class A V' Grade. Retiring in 1969 to San Antonio, Texas, then later to Joplin, Missouri. Travis Hoover passed away 17th January 2004. |
Brigadier General Henry Huglin Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 2005 | Brigadier General Henry Huglin Henry Huglin was Born in Iowa, in 1915. After being director of B-24 training, in 1944 Henry Huglin became deputy group commander of the 9th Bombardment Group at McCook, Nebraska, which in that year was organized and trained as a B-29 Group. In February 1945 he accompanied the group in its overseas deployment to Tinian in the Marianas Islands where it became part of the 20th Air Force conducting the strategic air campaign against Japan. In March 1945 he became group commander and remained as the group commander through the end of World War II six months later. During this period, he led his Group on 17 of their 75 bombing and mining missions (comprising more than 2,000 sorties of 3,000 miles each) in the war against Japan, including participating in the first low-level fire raid on Tokyo March 5, 1945. Promoted to Colonel in June 1945, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with oak leaf cluster and the Bronze Star. After the end of World War II, Colonel Huglin served as chief of the Operations Branch in the U.S. Strategic Air Force Headquarters on Guam, a month with Headquarters, Far East Air Forces in the Philippines, a year as chief of staff of the 308th Bomb Wing in Korea, and seven months as commanding officer of Nagoya Air Base, Japan. In January of 1948, Colonel Huglin reported to Air Force Headquarters in the Pentagon where he served until October of that year as chief of the Personnel Statistics Division, Office of the Comptroller, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. On the 10th of June 1959, Colonel Huglin was promoted to Brigadier Generaland became deputy U.S. representative to the NATO Military Committee and Standing Group, Nov. 1, 1959. Sadly Brigadier General Huglin died on the 10th of December 2005. |
Group Captain Brian Kingcome DSO DFC Our estimated value of this signature : £65 Died : 1994 | Group Captain Brian Kingcome DSO DFC Brian Fabris Kingcome was born in Calcutta on May 31st 1917. Brian Kingcome was educated at Bedford and in 1936 entered the RAF College, Cranwell. Soon after he began his pilot course he was seriously injured in a car accident and was told by the RAF medical board that he would never fly again as he was expected to suffer permanent double vision. But after months in hospital and with Brians strength of character he proved the board wrong. In 1938 he was posted to No 65, a biplane Gladiator fighter squadron based at Hornchurch. Brian Kingcome took part in the Battles of France and Dunkirk but transferred to 92 Squadron as a flight commander and flying Spitfires in May 1940 scoring his first victories in June 1940. Brian Kingcome became acting commanding officer during the latter stages of the Battle of Britain. During this time he and his pilots achieved the highest success rate of any squadron in the entire Battle of Britain. After being shot down by Me109s and wounded, he returned to active operations. In February 1942 he was posted to command 72 Squadron, followed by promotion to Wing Leader at Kenley. In May 1943 he was posted to lead 244 Wing in the Mediterranean during the invasion of Sicily. An Ace, Brian Kingcome flew Spitfires in combat continually until the end of 1944, his tally finishing at 8 and 3 shared destroyed, plus a score of probables and damaged. One of the prewar Cranwell elite, Brian Kingcome was to become one ofthe Second World Wars great fighter leaders, alongside such immortals as Douglas Bader, Bob Stanford Tuck and Johnnie Johnson. At the outbreak of war he was serving in 65 Squadron, but in May 1940 was posted to 92 Squadron as flight commander. On 25 May he shared a Do 17 and on 2 June destroyed two He l l Is and damaged a third. He shared a Ju 88 with two others on I0 July, and again on the 24th. On 9 September he probably destroyed a Bf 110 and two days later shot down a He 111. On the 14th he damaged another. He shot down a Bf 109 on the 23rd and next day probably destroyed another and damaged a Ju 88. Three days later he shared a Ju 88 again, damaged two others, probably destroyed a Do 17, and damaged one of these also. Around this time he was awarded a DFC for six victories, and on 11 October got a Bf 109 He claimed another next day, and also damaged one. In 1941 he became commanding officer, having frequently led the squadron. It will be noted that he claimed many probables and damaged during the Battle of Britain, and this was due to his view that it was more important to hit as many as possible than to try and confirm victories. On 16 June 1941 lie probably destroyed a Bf 109, and on 24 July shot one down. He was then rested until late in the year, when he was posted to command 72 Squadron, and in February 1942 gave escort cover to the Fleet Air Arm pilot Eugene Esmonde, who won the VC trying to attack German capital ships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and and the cruiser Prinz Eugen with Swordfish during the Channel Dash. In atrocious weather Kingcome caught a fleeting glimpse of tbe Scharnhorst - Oh what a beautiful battleboat! he exclaimed, just as a shell made a hole the size of a dustbin lid in his port wing. During 1941 he received a Bar to his DFC, having brought his score to 10. He was promoted to lead the Kenley wing, and on 15 April 1942 damaged a Fw 190. He probably destroyed a Bf 109 on 28 May, and during the year was awarded a DSO, having added another victory to his score. In 1943 he was posted to North Africa to lead 244 Wing, and lead this for 18 months, becoming a Gp. Capt. after the invasion of Italy. By the end of his stay with the wing he had brought his score to 18, and was then posted as SASO of a Liberator group, and flew an operation as a waist gunner over northern Yugoslavia after taking up this appointment. Sadly Group Captain Brian Kingcome passed away aged 76 in 1994. |
First Lieutenant Don Nielsen Our estimated value of this signature : £35 | First Lieutenant Don Nielsen A pilot with the 457th Bomb Group, Don Nielson had joined up in February 1943, originally training for combat flying on B24 Liberators. In November 1944 he was posted to England, joining the 751st Squadron, 457th Bomb Group at Glatton flying B17 Fortresses - first as co-pilot and then as First Pilot, undertaking the first combat mission of his tour on 12 December 1944. On 3 February 1945 he took part in the big raid on Berlin, which was the heaviest concentration on the German capital so far in the war, encountering some of the most intense and accurate flak ever experienced by the Eighth. During his tour Don took part in a total of 34 raids, all on B17s. |
 Captain Andrew W Opsata Our estimated value of this signature : £20 | Captain Andrew W Opsata Joining the Army Air Corps in June 1940 and qualifying as a Pilot, Andy Opsata flew B-24 Liberators with the 389th Bomb Group, based in East Anglia in England. On 3rd July the unit flew to a temporary base outside Bengazi, detached to the 98th Bomb Group and he was Pilot of the B-24 named The Stinger on the Ploesti Raid. Returning to England, he completed a total of 25 missions by the end of his tour. |
  Colonel Albert Shower Our estimated value of this signature : £45 Died : 2001 | Colonel Albert Shower Al Shower was the only Group Commander in the Eighth Air Force to bring a Group to the U.K. and to command it until the end of hostilities. His dedication and leadership on 30 missions, gave the 467th Bomber Group's B-24s the best overall standing for bombing accuracy in the Eighth Air Force during World War II. Colonel Albert J Shower passed away on 15th October 2001. |
Major Robert Simpson Our estimated value of this signature : £40 | Major Robert Simpson Signing up in June 1941, Robert Simpson served both in Europe and the South Pacific. Initially with the 42nd Sqn, 11th B.G., 7th Air Force in the South Pacific, his first landing in a B17 was on a steel strip in a coconut grove. After participating in the bitter battles of the Solomons and at Guadalcanal, he transferred to Europe joining the 8th Air Force in England for the battle against Germany. During World War Two he flew both the B17 and B24. |
  Flight Lieutenant Robert Souter Our estimated value of this signature : £50 | Flight Lieutenant Robert Souter Robert Souter joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force in February 1941, and after training was posted in 1942 to the Middle East, joining No.108 Squadron then flying Wellingtons. He first flew operationally in June of that year, in the Western Desert campaign, and the last operation of his first tour was in Nov 1942 with the battle of El Alamein. After a period with No.26 OTUWing, Robert undertook a second tour - this time flying Lancasters with No.49 Squadron, up to the end of the war. He had completed a total of 47 operations by that time. After the war he flew Dakotas and Liberators with RAF Transport Command. |
  Major Robert W. Sternfels Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2018 | Major Robert W. Sternfels Pilot Bob Sternfels was posted to the 98th Bomb Group flying B24 Liberators, and by April 1943 was in Libya where he took part in the first big Ploesti raid on 1 August 1943, flying the much photographed B24 Sandman. Flying 50 combat missions, he later commanded his squadron out of Libya and Italy, including a big Ragensberg raid. He died on 24th January 2018. |
Colonel Robert Vickers Our estimated value of this signature : £35 Died : 2010 | Colonel Robert Vickers Colonel Vickers graduated from high school in Fort Wayne, IN and enlisted in the United States Air Force as an Aviation Cadet in 1942. He entered pilot training in 1943, earning pilots wings and officer commission in 1944, subsequently training as a B-24 Liberator Bomber Pilot and aircrew commander. He was assigned combat crew duty with U.S. 8th Air Force, 392nd Bomb Group (B-24s) in Wendling, Norfolk, England in late 1944 and flew 30 combat missions over Nazi Germany. His aircraft was shot down while on a mission near Dresden, Germany on January 16, 1945. The crew bailed out over friendly front lines in the Battle of the Bulge area near Metz, France and behind the rear guard of General George Pattons 3rd Army. Colonel Vickers trained as a B-29 Superfortress Instructor Pilot for the Pacific Theatre as WW II closed. After 32 years of continuous active USAF duty he retired on May 1, 1975. Among the aircraft he piloted during his distinguished USAF career was the B-52, which now sits in the American Air Museum. Colonel Vickers was awarded Legion of Merit; Distinguished Flying Cross; Meritorious Service Medal; Air Medal with multiple Oak Leaf clusters; Air Force Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters; Presidential Unit Citations (392nd BG), WWII and SAC (28th BW), B-52 Cold War operations, Major Overseas War Campaign ribbons for European Theatre of Operations, WWII, w/ Battle Stars; Berlin Airlift; Korean and Vietnam conflicts. A decorated pilot, he amassed more than 10,000 flying hours, all in an Air Force bomber, including missions in Vietnam. Colonel Robert E Vickers Jr, passed away on January 28, 2010. |
F/Lt Geoffrey Ware, DFC AE FCA Our estimated value of this signature : £15 | F/Lt Geoffrey Ware, DFC AE FCA Started his RAF career in December 1940 at No 1 Receiving Wing Babbacombe, then No 4 Initial Training Wing at Paignton. A long wait in the Liverpool area during which it was sunbathing or fatigues, led to a five-week trip in convoy to South Africa. There followed an enthralling year in what was then Southern Rhodesia for Elementary Flying Training on Tiger Moths and Service Flying Training on Harvards leading to the award of Wings. Instead of being sent to the Middle East, as was normal, a fast, unescorted trip took a boatload of fledgling pilots and navigators back to the UK. It appeared that the strategy of the war had changed and the emphasis was then on the build up of Bomber Command and therefore he was converted to multi-engined aircraft on Oxfords at South Cerney and on Wellingtons at further conversion to Stirlings at Waterbeach, plus two further crew members (making a crew of seven) and on to an operational tour with XV Squadron at Bourn and the award of the WC. It may be appropriate here to mention that the navigator was Brian E.B. Harris, DFC who has provided pictures and information to the authors of 'Oxford's Own' (a history of XV Squadron) and 'The Stirling'. He has also produced a video tape called 'Remember The Stirling'. Brian is now the Chairman of 7he Stirling Project' which is a charity devoted to trying to build a Stirling aircraft for display purposes. (for further details tel: 01483 892626) Following the appropriate training F/Lt Ware became an Instructor at an Operational Training Unit and was Mentioned in Dispatches. After the War was over he transferred to Transport Command and spent the rest of his time in the RAF flying Liberators, mostly empty, to Karachi, and returning with 26 passengers, mostly troops. It was not easy to give up flying completely and he remained with the RAFVR and the RAux AF until they closed down, as a relief from and transition to, training to be a Chartered Accountant. |
 Captain Rolland H Whited Our estimated value of this signature : £20 | Captain Rolland H Whited The Captain and pilot of the 34th Bomb Group B-17 Flying Fortress Queenie, Rolland Whited arrived in England with the 391st Bomb Squadron, 34th Bomb Group in April 1944. He flew his first combat mission on June 20th. A veteran of many heavy bombardment missions he flew on operations against Luftwaffe airfields, VI rocket sites, chemical plants and the railroad marshalling yards at Cologne and Ludwigshafen. After completing 26 missions on B24s, the 34th re-equipped with B17 Flying Fortresses. Rolland flew a further 8 missions on the B17, flying his final mission in January 1945. He holds the Air Medal with three Oak clusters in addition to the Distinguished Flying Cross. |
| Liberator Squadron details |
34th Bomb Group Country : US | 34th Bomb Group |
376th Bomb Group Country : US | 376th Bomb Group |
389th Bomb Group Country : US | 389th Bomb Group |
44th Bomb Group Country : US | 44th Bomb Group |
567th Bomb Squadron Country : US | 567th Bomb Squadron |
98th Bomb Group Country : US | 98th Bomb Group |
No.102 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 27th April 1963 Known Codes : , DY, EF, TQ, | No.102 Sqn RAF Ceylon Tentate et perficite - Attempt and achieve |
No.104 Sqn RAF Country : UK The squadron was again reformed - as No. 104 (Strategic Missile) Squadron - on 22 July 1959, one of 20 squadrons associated with Project Emily. Known Codes : , EP, PO, | No.104 Sqn RAF Strike hard |
No.120 Sqn RAF Country : UK Known Codes : , BS, OH, | No.120 Sqn RAF Endurance |
No.148 Sqn RAF Country : UK 1956 was detached to Malta for attacks on Egyptian airfields during the Suez operation. In April 1965, the Squadron was disbanded after the grounding Known Codes : , FS, AU, BS, | No.148 Sqn RAF Trusty |
No.160 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 30th September 1946 Known Codes : , BS, | No.160 Sqn RAF Api soya paragasamu - We seek and strike |
No.203 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st December 1977 Known Codes : , CJ, NT, PP, | No.203 Sqn RAF Occidens oriensque - West and east |
No.206 Sqn RAF Country : UK Known Codes : , PQ, VX, WD, | No.206 Sqn RAF Nihil nos effugit - Naught escapes us |
No.220 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 10th July 1963 Known Codes : , 8D, HU, MB, NR, PK, ZZ, | No.220 Sqn RAF We observe unseen |
No.223 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 23rd August 1963 Known Codes : , 6G, AO, QR, | No.223 Sqn RAF Alae defendunt Africam - Wings defend Africa |
No.224 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st October 1966 Known Codes : , PW, QA, QX, XB, | No.224 Sqn RAF Fedele all amico - Faithful to a freind |
No.31 Sqn RAF Country : UK Known Codes : , CB, 5D, EE, ZA, | No.31 Sqn RAF In caelum indicum primus - First into Indian skies |
No.311 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 15th February 1946 Known Codes : , KX, PP, | No.311 Sqn RAF Czech Na mnozstui nehledte - Never regard their numbers |
No.355 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 31st May 1946 Known Codes : , EG, | No.355 Sqn RAF Liberamus per caerula - We liberate through tropical skies |
No.358 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 21st November 1945 Known Codes : , TA, | No.358 Sqn RAF Alere flamman - To feed the flame |
No.423 Sqn RCAF Country : Canada Disbanded 3rd September 1945 Known Codes : , AB, YI, | No.423 Sqn RCAF Quaerimus et petimus - We search and strike |
No.426 Sqn RCAF Country : Canada Disbanded 31st December 1945 Known Codes : , OW, | No.426 Sqn RCAF Thunderbird On wings of fire |
No.53 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 14th September 1976 Known Codes : , FH, PU, TE, | No.53 Sqn RAF United in effort |
No.59 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 4th January 1961 Known Codes : , AE, BY, PJ, TR, WE, | No.59 Sqn RAF Ab uno disce omes - From one learn all |
No.86 Sqn RAF Country : UK Disbanded 25th April 1946 Known Codes : , BX, XQ, | No.86 Sqn RAF Ad libertates volamus - We fly to freedom |
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