Charles E. Bennett.
Engineer / Top Turret · Charles "Pat" Murphy Crew · 328th Squadron · Of Plattsmouth, Cass County, Nebraska, NE.
The Man Behind the Name
T/Sgt. Charles E. Bennett was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and moved to Plattsmouth, Nebraska at age three. He graduated from Plattsmouth High School and worked as a mechanic at the Gorder Garage before volunteering for the Air Corps at Fort Crook, Nebraska on 18 December 1941. He went overseas on 1 August 1943, serving as engineer/gunner aboard 'Hell's Wench,' the lead aircraft of the 93rd Bomb Group on the Ploesti mission, piloted by Lt. Col. Addison E. Baker.
Three miles from the target the bomber was badly damaged by intense ground fire and set ablaze. Baker and co-pilot Maj. John L. Jerstad held course, released their bombs on the refinery, and tried to gain altitude so the crew could bail out, but the fire made this impossible; the aircraft crashed in the target area, killing everyone aboard. Bennett was a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross for his valor. Immediate family: Elmer Bennett (father), Mary Bennett (mother), sister Alice Veronica (Bennett) Ketelson, and brother Terence J. Bennett.
Service record.
Missions flown.
The missions below are those we have been able to document for this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. It is not necessarily a complete account of every mission flown; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.