Crew Roster · Personal File

William Little

1st Lt. William K. Little served as bombardier aboard B-24D serial 42-40265, 409th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group. He flew approximately 8 missions including the 1 August 1943 low-level raid on the Ploesti oil fields. He did not bail out; the aircraft was flying too low to permit a safe exit.

Little was severely injured in the crash. He was trapped in the aircraft, sustained a broken leg, and was exposed to gasoline vapors for approximately eight hours while pinned in the wreckage. He was eventually removed and taken to the 2nd Military Hospital at Sinaia, Romania.

Multiple crew members filed casualty questionnaires regarding Little. Accounts describe his death as resulting from a combination of wounds, gasoline vapor poisoning, a broken bladder, and a broken leg, attributed in part to a lack of proper medical care. Crew member Thompson reported that Little died eight days after the crash. According to a Romanian officer identified as Captain 'Christy,' he was buried in a 'Heroes Only' cemetery near Sinaia. T/Sgt. Howard O. Ford reportedly attended the burial. His status on the MACR is recorded as DED (died).

Killed in Action

Sortie Log

2 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 42-40265, assigned to the 409th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group, departed Site #7 Bengasi on 1 August 1943 on a combat mission to the Ploesti oil fields in Romania. The aircraft was lost as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire during the low-level attack. Anti-aircraft damage forced the aircraft down at approximately 1150pm on 1 August 1943 near the town of Ploesti, Romania. The aircraft crash-landed in flat terrain approximately 5 to 10 miles from Ploesti. Several crew members were seen standing near the aircraft on the ground. The forced landing was confirmed by photographs taken by the 44th Bomb Group, which flew over the same area approximately 15 to 20 minutes later. The aircraft was described as riddled during the low-level attack, with no altitude remaining for any alternative to a crash landing.

Honkey Tonk Gal / Naked Truth, The42-40265

№ 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

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