Gene W. White.
Waist Gunner · 409th Squadron · Of Rock Island, IL, IA.
The Man Behind the Name
Sgt. Gene W. White served as waist gunner aboard B-24D 42-40617 on the low-level Ploesti raid of 1 August 1943. He was reported as a battle casualty on the Missing Air Crew Report.
His aircraft was hit by flak in the bomb bay and crashed in flames in the center of Ploesti. Eyewitnesses confirmed no crew members escaped. His mother, Mrs. Ruth J. White, was listed as next of kin at 1600 11th Street, Rock Island, Illinois.
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.