Crew Roster · Personal File
Merle P. Lansing
Gunner · 330th Squadron
Staff Sergeant Merle P. Lansing was a gunner aboard B-24D 42-40609 on the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission. His surname appears as Lansing, Lemoine, and Lapsine across the OCR pages; Lansing appears on the clearest version.
Next of kin listed was Mrs. Leman A. Lansing (mother), Kernersville, Louisiana.
Sortie Log
1 CATALOGUED SORTIE
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, Romania
B-24D serial 42-40609 departed Site #7, Benghazi on August 1, 1943 as part of the low-level attack on the Ploesti oil refineries in Romania. The aircraft carried a crew of ten to twelve men and was one of 33 aircraft from the 93rd Bomb Group participating in the mission. On interrogation after the mission, returned crews stated the aircraft was last seen as the formation left the target area. One engine was smoking but the aircraft appeared to be under control, with the pilot seemingly searching for a place to land. A separate eyewitness account noted that this aircraft and another were seen entering cloud cover over Yugoslavia on the return route in close formation. Two aircraft were subsequently observed falling, apparently after a mid-air collision, and were later seen burning on the ground. Three descending parachutes were observed at approximately the same location. The MACR was filed on 12 August 1943 by Capt. J. S. Davis. Major Ramsey D. Potts Jr. (O-451039) was identified as having last sighted the aircraft. No search was conducted.
Jersey Bounce42-40609