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Bernard R. Lucas

Radio Operator · 328th Squadron
HometownP.O. Box 375, Hanna, Wyoming, WY

T/Sgt. Bernard R. Lucas served as radio operator on the 1 August 1943 Ploesti mission. He was hit by 20mm or 34mm flak and gravely injured before the plane crashed.

Lucas was listed as burned in the plane. His serious pre-crash wounds likely prevented him from bailing out. He was among the five crew members found in the wreckage southeast of Ploesti. The MACR index lists his serial as 17054591; the main MACR form lists 17054597. His next of kin was listed as Mrs. Margaret Lucas (mother), P.O. Box 375, Hanna, Wyoming.

Killed in ActionPASSED 01 AUG 1943

Sortie Log

4 CATALOGUED SORTIES
01 AUG 1943 — 01 AUG 1943

The sorties 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.

8AF Mission
Date
Target
Aircraft
№ 115
01 AUG 1943
Ploesti Oil Fields
B-24D serial 42-40612 (designated A/C No. 612-K in unit records) departed Benghazi on August 1, 1943 as part of the low-level mission against the Ploesti oil fields in Romania. The aircraft was lost over the target as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire. Weather conditions at the time of loss were not available. The aircraft carried a crew of eleven. Engine serials recorded: (a) 42-62861, (b) 42-62807, (c) 42-62784, (d) 42-62037. The MACR was prepared on 14 July 1944 by 1st Lt. George D. Weisel, Air Corps, Intelligence Officer. Two crew members, Dickson and Boswell, were interred in the village cemetery of Plop, Commune of Harsa, District of Prahova, Romania. A sketch of the cemetery was attached to the MACR file.
Euroclydon The Storm42-40612
№ 115
01 AUG 1943
Ploesti Oil Fields
B-24D serial 42-40612 (designated A/C No. 612-K in unit records) departed Benghazi on August 1, 1943 as part of the low-level mission against the Ploesti oil fields in Romania. The aircraft was lost over the target as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire. Weather conditions at the time of loss were not available. The aircraft carried a crew of eleven. Engine serials recorded: (a) 42-62861, (b) 42-62807, (c) 42-62784, (d) 42-62037. The MACR was prepared on 14 July 1944 by 1st Lt. George D. Weisel, Air Corps, Intelligence Officer. Two crew members, Dickson and Boswell, were interred in the village cemetery of Plop, Commune of Harsa, District of Prahova, Romania. A sketch of the cemetery was attached to the MACR file.
Euroclydon The Storm42-40612
№ 115
01 AUG 1943
Ploesti
The aircraft was on fire when the crew bailed out over the Ploesti area on August 1, 1943 (the low-level Ploesti raid, Operation Tidal Wave). The bailout occurred at approximately 100 to 150 feet altitude. Reed reported seeing five dead bodies in the airplane after reaching the ground. The plane was completely destroyed upon crash — Reed examined the wreckage and reported nothing was salvageable. He believed the plane exploded on impact. The crash was at approximately 5:15 PM local time in the Ploesti area. The crash site and fate of most crew members were confirmed via the Romanian Army's death list, on which Reed reported seeing unidentifiable bodies listed.
—
№ 115
01 AUG 1943
Ploesti, Romania
The aircraft was hit by 20mm and 34mm AA fire in the nose during the low-level attack on Ploesti on 1 August 1943. Fires broke out under the navigator's table, in the rear at the waist, and on the flight deck. The plane was burning violently. The aircraft crashed approximately 3/4 mile from the bail-out point. Five crew members were found burned in the wreckage. Sgts. Reed and Vest visited the crash site and reported the plane was completely burned.
—
§ Interment
Cemetery
Florence American Cemetery