Crew Roster · Personal File

Robert W. Womely

Pilot

1st Lt. Robert W. Womely was a bomber pilot who flew a total of nine missions in the theater. His known targets included La Pallice (France), Messina, Naples, Rome, Foggia, Reggio, an Italian airfield, and Ploesti (Romania). On the August 1, 1943 Ploesti mission, his aircraft executed a crash landing after the bomb run; he did not bail out as the aircraft was flying at treetop level.

Womely survived the crash but lost a foot in the incident. He was last seen lying near the downed aircraft and was later encountered at a prison camp in Romania. As the crew bailed out, he reportedly called out: 'Carry the fight on boys and good luck!' He was subsequently seen in the United Kingdom in September 1944, and confirmed alive at McCloskey General Hospital, Temple, Texas, in December 1944. This information was provided by Ex S/Sgt. Jack Reed (serial 18084225), who had personal contact with Womely.

Wounded

Sortie Log

1 CATALOGUED SORTIE
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 number 42-86897 was the aircraft assigned to Lt. Col. Addison E. Baker and his crew for the August 1, 1943 low-level attack on the Ploesti oil refineries, flown from Bengasi (Site No. 7) as part of Operation Tidal Wave. The aircraft was lost to enemy anti-aircraft fire over Ploesti, Romania. According to intelligence officer statements, 38 aircraft of the 93rd Bomb Group reached the target on this mission. Returned crews reported that this aircraft crashed in the town of Ploesti from an altitude of 300 feet or less and burned. The aircraft was observed to crash and burn by multiple witnesses including Major Pate, Major Brown, and Captain Barthel. The MACR was filed on January 18, 1943 (date-stamped; likely a clerical error for August 1943), and received by the Air Adjutant General's office on October 9, 1943. Engines listed on the report carry AAF serial numbers 42-85864, 42-86277, 42-86900, and 42-86318. The aircraft was flying at an extremely low altitude — 300 feet or less — consistent with the low-level attack profile of Operation Tidal Wave.

42-86897