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Harold R. Murray

Ball Turret Gunner · 330th Squadron
HometownCresskill, New Jersey, New Jersey

S/Sgt. Harold R. Murray (ASN 32387917), born January 4, 1920, served as ball turret gunner. He was on his 13th mission when his aircraft was shot down over Serbia during the August 1, 1943 Ploesti raid. He bailed out when the plane went out of control, his parachute opening just above the treetops. He sustained deep cuts on his nose and above his eyes.

Murray drew on his aids box supplies while hiding on a mountainside, using chocolate, chewing gum, and his water bottle during his march. He used his compass during a later attempted escape, and hid his map when he realized capture was imminent. All his money was taken by his captors.

He was eventually captured by mountain police in Serbia, who told him the rest of his crew had been killed in the crash. He was held as a POW and later interrogated by 15th Air Force G-2 and submitted a written report to G-2 Italy. He signed a security certificate at Cairo, Egypt on September 16, 1944, and returned to the UK on October 12, 1944.

Murray had been trained in escape and evasion at all phases of training and at Hethel Field, England by S-2 officers. His advice for future evaders: move at least half a mile from the landing point and then hide out for two or three days if possible. He carried dog tags but no foreign currency and spoke no foreign languages.

Completed Tour

Sortie Log

3 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
B-24D serial 41-24121 was assigned to the 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bombardment Group, operating from Site No. 7, Benghazi, North Africa. The aircraft was lost on August 1, 1943, during the low-level raid on the Ploesti oil refineries in Romania — one of the most costly missions flown by the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces during World War II. The aircraft was lost as a result of a mid-air collision with another aircraft identified in the report as "MACK 334." The last known position was recorded at approximately 41°55'N 23°30'E, placing the aircraft over Bulgaria at 1330 GMT. The collision occurred roughly one hour after the crew had left the target. The aircraft carried a crew of ten plus one passenger, F/O Nelson R. Collins. Weather at the time included heavy cumulus clouds. Six crew members perished in or as a result of the collision, three survivors bailed out over Bulgaria, and one gunner (Pearson) bailed out but was killed when his parachute collapsed. Bulgarian Army personnel confirmed Pearson's death and his personal effects were later seen in Sofia. The aircraft struck the ground in mountains southwest of Sofia, Bulgaria. The wreck contained the bodies of the pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, engineer, and radio operator, all of whom were likely killed in the cockpit and nose section during the collision. The Missing Air Crew Report was prepared on August 12, 1943, and transmitted to Headquarters Army Air Forces by the Ninth Air Force on September 13, 1943.
Let 'er Rip41-24121
№ 115
01 AUG 1943
Ploesti
The aircraft was lost on August 1, 1943, during the low-level Ploesti mission (Operation Tidal Wave), departing Benghazi at 7:30 AM. The plane sustained catastrophic damage, with the left wing torn off and engines No. 1 and 2 knocked out, leaving it out of control. The plane crashed on a mountainside in Serbia at approximately 4:45 AM (likely local time after a long flight) and was burning fiercely upon impact. Only three enlisted gunners successfully bailed out; the mountain police informed S/Sgt. Murray after his capture that the rest of the crew had been killed. Murray examined the wreckage and confirmed the aircraft was destroyed on the mountainside. The plane did not explode on striking the ground, though it burned fiercely. All parachutes of the three survivors opened successfully; Murray's chute opened just above the treetops.
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№ 115
01 AUG 1943
Target unrecorded
The aircraft took off from Benghazi at 07:31 on August 1, 1943, on a bombing mission. The plane went down over Bulgaria at approximately 5:00 PM. S/Sgt. Koen bailed out at approximately 2000 feet along with the two waist gunners and the tunnel gunner; their parachutes opened. The plane did not explode on impact but caught fire and burned. After reaching the ground, Koen observed two men who had been thrown from the plane without parachutes. Seven crew members were subsequently buried, believed to have gone down with the plane.
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