|
|
Destiny Deb
720th Squadron
|
Photograph courtesy of J.Byron. Newton, 1st CCU and Turner Publishing Company
|
Photograph courtesy of William C. Dudley 720th Squadron
|
Photograph courtesy of T/Sgt. Charles B. Black, 720th Squadron
|
The following is a short history of Lt. Ebert's crew and the B-24 Destiny Deb, which was the plane we picked up at Hamilton Field, California.
When we named the B-24 Destiny Deb everbody chipped in and paid for having the picture of the Deb riding on a bomb painted on the side.
The crew of Lt. Ebert was made up in Salt Lake City on about November 15, 1943.
The lower ball turret gunner on the original crew was Sgt. Cummings of Baker's Field, California.
We were sent to Pocatello, Idaho to begin training and get acquainted with our positions on the plane and flying together as a crew.
From there, due to bad weather we were sent to Muroc, California to complete our phase training. About February25, 1944 Sgt. Horace Holland replaced Sgt. Cummings as lower ball turret gunner.
We completed our trianing in the middle of March 1944 and went to Hamilton field California where we picked up the new B-24 which we named Destiny Deb and flew to West Palm Beach, Florida.
On March 26, 1944 we took off from there to fly to Manduria, Itlay to become a part of the 450th Bomb Group of the 15th Aif Force and the 720th Bomb Squadron.
We arrived at the Air Base at Manduria on April 2, 1944. I flew my first credited mission on April 12, 1944 to Weiner-Neustadt, Austria.
I believe we had flown four sorties in the Deb and the ship known as the Destiny Deb was shotdown in the Ploesti area on April 24, 1944 while Lt. Varvil's crew was flying her that day.
I think most of them bailed out safely and became Prisoners of War. Of the original crew known as Lt. Ebert's crew, Lt. Ebert and Lt. Lessard were grounded before completing their fifty missions.
Sgt. Avery was shotdown on April 28th on a raid to Orbetello, Italy when we were flying as a split up crew. I flew left waist on this mission and Decamillo flew right waist.
We were in the lead ship of our group piloted by Col. Mills. Todd, Nathanson, Black, Dudley, Decamillo, and Coulter of the original crew all completed their fifty missions.
Sgt. Holland also completed these missions with us.
|
Information courtesy of William C. Dudley 720th Squadron
Link To MACR 4207
|
