B-24D, #41-11768, Kickapoo, The Mission’s First Casualties:

On August 1, 1943, the 44th, 93rd, 98th, 376th and 398th Bomb Groups left Benghazi, Libya on Operation Tidal Wave to bomb the Romania oil refineries in Ploesti. Historians cite the mission as the most intensively prepared and experienced ever flown in aerial warfare. Yet its first casualties occurred, not in Romania, but on a Libyan air base.

One of the last B-24s to leave was B-24D, #41-11768, Kickapoo, whose seven-man replacement crew from the 93rd Bomb Group, “Ted’s Travelling Circus,” joined 1Lt. Robert J. Nespor of the 344/98th BG, the Pyramiders. Kickapoo was nicknamed for “Kickapoo Joy Juice,” made popular in Al Capps’ Lil Abner’s comic strip.

2nd Lt. John Clark Riley, 330/93, was assigned to fly as a replacement co-pilot with Lt. Nespor. Riley and six crewmen comprised the final complement aboard the aircraft. The B-24 was designated for the extreme right position on the first wave attacking target White IV.

But after takeoff, Kickapoo suffered a catastrophic fire in its #4 engine. Lt. Nespor jettisoned all bombs in the Mediterranean and had been cleared by the tower to return for an aborted landing. As he banked back, flying blind through the desert dust kicked up by departed aircraft, he found other B-24s on the runway. On the second approach with Kickapoo's right wing engulfed in flames, 1Lt. Nespor lost power in the other three engines. Kickapoo landed hard and bounced, cartwheeled into the ground off the runway and exploded in flames, Only two replacement crew escaped the inferno.

Navigator 2nd Lt. Russell W. Polivka (1918-2005) and Gunner S/Sgt. Eugene R. Garner (1923-2005) survived with severe burns that required months of hospitalization and numerous surgeries. Lt. Polivka briefed the accident board of inquiry that Nespor lost two engines on starboard side and then on port side just as they were coming in. He stated that Nespor could have easily ditched in the Mediterranean but wanted to save the plane as Operation Tidal Wave was his last mission.

Killed in Action:

Pilot: 1st Lt. Robert J. Nespor, O-435980

Co-pilot: 2nd Lt. John Clark Riley, Jr. O-519127

Bombardier: 2Lt. Thurman L. Ward, O-734855

Gunner: S/Sgt. John P. D'Amour, 36146758

Engineer/TopTurret: T/Sgt. Vaun D. Wenrick, 35255135

Radio Operator: T/Sgt. Armand R. Massart, 33278362

Gunner: S/Sgt. George W. Lawlor, 12026862

Gunner: S/Sgt. Edwin G. Sliwa, 36034853

The bodies of Kickapoo’s crew were interred overseas and repatriated after the war ended. On July 28, 1948, they were laid to final rest as a group at Fort Scott National Cemetery, Fort Scott, Kansas. They received posthumous awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars Project (SBTS.) SBTS is a national effort of volunteers to write stories about all 400,000+ U.S. WW II fallen service personnel on Together We Served and on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Stories will be accessible via smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen serviceperson’s name and read his/her story. If you have details, photos or corrections for this story, please contact drbaker50@charter.net. Stories Behind the Stars: Pamela C. Baker, Ph.D., Contributing Author. SBTS Project/Oklahoma/Cleveland (https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org/)

References:

Dugan, James and Carroll Stewart. Ploesti: The Great Ground-Air Battle of 1 August 1943, Revised Edition, Brassey's Aviation Classics, Brassey’s, Inc. Washington, D.C., 2002.

https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/aircraft/42-40609

https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/media/media-39941jpeg

https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/media/media-39657jpeg

https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive?fulltext=operation+tidal+wave

George W Lawlor