Vernon H. Ashby
US ARMY AIR FORCE
Nov. 7, 1942-Nov. 6, 1945
radio operator-aerial / machine gunner B-24
14th Army Air Force in China - Chinese-Burma-India theater -- the Flying Tigers
Their airplane was B-24D
Jungle Pussy 240503
14th_USAAF-CBI-308thBombGp-374thBombSqdn-junglepussy-B-24D.jpg
copied from: http://www.usaaf-in-cbi.com/308th_web/sqd_374/vm_junglev1.jpg
http://johnmeister.com/MISC/History/FlyingTigers/14th_USAAF-CBI-308thBombGp-374thBombSqdn-junglepussy-B-24D.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-24_Liberator
please copy any links presented and paste into new tab or window...
crew:
Pilot William D. Tilton,
Co-pilot John J. Oleniacz,
Bombardier Vincent Sacaro,
Navigator Martin E. McMinn,
Radio Operator Vernon H. Ashby.
240503 had been modified at Tulsa, Oklahoma. It had an Emerson nose turret, Martin upper; consolidated tail turret and a Sperry ball.
And it was equipped with radar. (This information is on the back of a photograph of the pilot, co-pilot, bombardier and
navigator standing at the nose of the plane. Ralph Gray was on the crew, maybe Engineer. )
http://www.cbi-history.com/part_ib.html#1
Service: U.S. Army Air Forces, 374th Bomber Squadron, 308th Bomber Group, Heavy
14th US Army Air Force, CBI, 308th Bombardment Group, 374th Bombardment Squadron
click- full size: 14th_af_org_chart.jpg
http://www.usaaf-in-cbi.com/308th_web/sqd_374/vm_junglev1.jpg
14th_USAAF-CBI-308thBombGp-374thBombSqdn-junglepussy-B-24D.jpg
http://johnmeister.com/MISC/History/14th_USAAF-CBI-308thBombGp-374thBombSqdn-junglepussy-B-24D.jpg
14th AAF emblem:
http://www.usaaf-in-cbi.com/graphics/emb14afm_2.gif
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Burma_India_Theater
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/308th_Bombardment_Group
http://www.usaaf-in-cbi.com/308th_web/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/374th_Bombardment_Squadron
"Jungle Pussy" of the 374th Bomb Squadron.
http://www.usaaf-in-cbi.com/308th_web/sqd_374/vm_junglev1.jpg
( Courtesy of Vern P. Martin; 374th & 373rd Bm Sqd )
http://www.usaaf-in-cbi.com/308th_web/sqd_374/vm_junglev1.jpg
related squadron: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/373d_Bombardment_Squadron
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunming_Airport
"Jungle Pussy" of the 374th Bomb Squadron.
http://www.usaaf-in-cbi.com/308th_web/sqd_374/vm_junglev1.jpg
( Courtesy of Vern P. Martin; 374th & 373rd Bm Sqd )
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/308thbombgroup-patch.jpg/250px-308thbombgroup-patch.jpg
tribute to "hump flyers": http://www.usaaf-in-cbi.com/humpflyer/humpflyer.htm
http://www.usaaf-in-cbi.com/humpflyer/story_will.htm
http://army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=AssignmentExt&ID=488883
------------------------------------------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/308th_Bombardment_Group
History
For additional lineage and history, see 308th Armament Systems Wing
See also: Horace S. Carswell, Jr., Medal of Honor recipient
Emblem of the 308th Bombardment Group
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/308thbombgroup-patch.jpg/250px-308thbombgroup-patch.jpg
Constituted as 308th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 January 1942, and activated on 15 April. Assigned to II Bomber Command for training. Received deployment orders for the China-Burma-India Theater (CBI) in February 1943.
Deployed to Kunming Airport, China in March 1943, becoming the heavy bombardment arm of the new Fourteenth Air Force. Air echelon deployed to the CBI via the South Atlantic Transport route via Brazil, then across central Africa and Middle East to Karachi, India. Ground echelon traveling by ship across the Pacific via Australia.
Once established in India, group aircraft made many trips over the Himalayan Mountains (The Hump) to Southeastern China from the Assam Valley of India airlifting obtain gasoline, oil, bombs, spare parts, and other items the group needed to prepare for and then to sustain its combat operations. In addition to the B-24 heavy bombers, group utilized C-87 Liberator transports for logistical support.
From its main base at Kunming and later Hsinching Airfield, the 308th carried out long range strategic bombardment of enemy targets in China in support of Chinese ground forces. The group attacked airfields, coalyards, docks, oil refineries, and fuel dumps in French Indochina; mined rivers and ports; bombed shops and docks at Rangoon; attacked Japanese shipping in the East China Sea, Formosa Strait, South China Sea, and Gulf of Tonkin.
Received a Distinguished Service Cross for an unescorted bombing attack, conducted through antiaircraft fire and fighter defenses, against docks and warehouses at Hankowon 21 August 1943. Received second DUC for interdiction of Japanese shipping during 1944–1945.
Major Horace S Carswell Jr. was awarded the Medal of Honor for action on 26 October 1944 when, in spite of intense antiaircraft fire, he attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea; his plane was so badly damaged that when he reached land he ordered the crew to bail out; Carswell, however, remained with the plane to try to save one man who could not jump because his parachute had been ripped by flak; before Carswell could attempt a crash landing, the plane struck a mountainside and burned.
The group moved to India in June 1945. Ferried gasoline and supplies over the Hump. After the Japanese Capitulation in August, the group remained in India in support United States forces in the CBI. Personnel sailed for the United States in December, leaving B-24s to the colonial Indian forces. The unit inactivated as a paper unit in January 1946.
--------------------------------
World War II
The squadron was activated in early 1942 in Idaho as a long-range B-24 Liberator bombardment squadron as part of the Second Air Force. For three months little training occurred while the unit worked through its growing pains, resolving administrative and personnel acquisition difficulties. Then a totally new problem arose....all but four personnel were transferred to the 330th Bombardment Group. While active on paper, it was not until September that personnel were taken from the 39th Bombardment Group to form a headquarters cadre for the 308th Group, making it a viable unit. On 29 September, the squadron was designated an Operational Training Unit (OTU) with Wendover Field, Utah as its home station. The unit was fully manned by November, after receiving personnel from the 18th Replacement Wing.
During this time of trials and tribulations in forming a recognizable force, the flying echelon had transferred to Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona, on 20 June for incidental training. The flight crews had been chosen and assigned, having completed their respective training schools; i.e., pilot, navigator, bombardier, engineer, radio and gunnery.
Members of the squadron had to complete three phases of training prior to moving overseas and entering combat. The flying personnel spent most of October in transition training with the B-24, training combat crews as well. Meanwhile, the ground echelon was acquiring, organizing and processing personnel and supplies at Wendover Field.
With the training complete and the personnel and supplies processed, the 308th Bomb Group and the 375th BS officially transferred to the Fourteenth Air Force in China early in 1943. The air echelon began flying its 'brand new' B-24D Liberators from Morrison Field, Florida on 15 February 1943. Traveling by way of the South Atlantic Transport Route though Central and South America, the Azores, Central Africa, Arabia and finally India; while the ground echelon traveled by ship across the Pacific Ocean.
The squadron arrived in India and made many trips over the 'Hump', (the mountainous terrain between India and China), to obtain gasoline, bombs, spare parts and other items needed to prepare for and sustain combat operations. The 375th supported Chinese ground forces by attacking airfields, coal yards, docks, oil refineries and fuel dumps in French Indochina. The squadron also mined rivers and ports, bombed maintenance shops and docks at Rangoon in Burma and attacked Japanese shipping in the East China Sea, the Formosa Straits, the South China Sea and the Gulf of Tonkin.
The squadron moved to India in June 1945, ferrying gasoline and supplies from there back into China. The unit sailed for the United States, where it was inactivated on 6 January 1946.
--------------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/373d_Bombardment_Squadron
With the training complete and the personnel and supplies processed, the 308th Bomb Group and the 375th BS officially transferred to Fourteenth Air Force in China early in 1943. The air echelon began flying its 'brand new' B-24D Liberators from Morrison Field, Florida on 15 February 1943. Traveling by way of the South Atlantic Transport Route though Central and South America, the Azores, Central Africa, Arabia and finally India; while the ground echelon traveled by ship across the Pacific Ocean.
The squadron arrived in India and made many trips over the 'Hump' between India and China to obtain gasoline, bombs, spare parts, and other items they needed to prepare for and sustain their combat operations. The 375th supported Chinese ground forces; attacked airfields, coal yards, docks, oil refineries and fuel dumps in French Indochina; mined rivers and ports; bombed maintenance shops and docks at Rangoon, Burma; attacked Japanese shipping in the East China Sea, Formosa Straits, South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin.
The squadron moved to India in June 1945, ferrying gasoline and supplies from there back into China. The unit sailed for the United States, where it was inactivated on 6 January 1946
--------------------------------
Their airplane was B-24D Jungle Pussy 240503 and crew included Pilot William D. Tilton, Co-pilot John J. Oleniacz, Bombardier Vincent
Sacaro, Navigator Martin E. McMinn, Radio Operator Vernon H. Ashby. 240503 had been modified at Tulsa, Oklahoma. It had an Emerson nose turret, Martin upper;
consolidated tail turret and a Sperry ball. And it was equipped with radar. (This information is on the back of a photograph of the pilot, co-pilot, bombardier and
navigator standing at the nose of the plane. I know Ralph Gray was on the crew, maybe Engineer.
After life settles a bit Ill see what else I have. Some dates, etc. But lots of Vernons records were lost in a fire that destroyed
military records quite a few years ago. He sent for his and a good number of pages were partial pages with burned edges, others just missing.
There was a cover letter explaining and regretting the missing information.
Thanks for your interest and help. Jeanette Ashby
====================================================================
----------------------------
Vernon H. Ashby
US ARMY AIR FORCE
Nov. 7, 1942-Nov. 6, 1945
radio operator-aerial / machine gunner
B-24
Chinese-Burma-India theater -- 14th Army Air Force in China - the Flying Tigers
see: Newly-arrived Fourteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators on the line at Kunming Airport, China on 6 September 1944.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Fourteenth_Air_Force_-_B-24_Liberators.jpg/220px-Fourteenth_Air_Force_-_B-24_Liberators.jpg
14th Air Force B-24, China, c. 1944.
----------------------------
ENLISTMENT RECORDS:
http://genealogytrails.com/kan/douglas/ww2armyenlistad.html
17129021 Ashby Vernon H KS 1923 White Ft Leavenworth KS 1942 Code 1
INDEX TO WORLD WAR II
ARMY ENLISTMENT RECORDS
DOUGLAS COUNTY, KANSAS
Source: Extracted From The U.S. National
Archives and Records Administration, Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946
transcribed & submitted by Don Tharp
CODE FOR SOURCE OF ARMY PERSONNEL
1 Civil Life
2 Enlisted Man, Regular Army, after 3 months of Discharge
3 Enlisted Man, Regular Army, within 3 months of Discharge
or former WAAC Auxiliary
4 National Guard in Federal Service, within 3 months of Discharge
5 National Guard in Federal Service, after 3 months of Discharge
6 Enlisted Reserve or Medical Administrative Corps (MAC) Officer
7 Enlisted Man, Philippine Scout or recall to AD of an enlisted
man who had been transferred to the ERC
8 National Guard
9 Returned to Military Control, Surrendered
10 Returned to Military Control, Apprehended
11 Selective Service after 3 months of Discharge
12 Selective Service within 3 months of Discharge
If NYAC appears in the RACE field it indicates Not Yet A Citizen.
----------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_Sergeant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Army_World_War_II_Enlisted_Ranks#Technical_Sergeant
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/US_Army_WWII_TSGT.svg/60px-US_Army_WWII_TSGT.svg.png
United States Army
Technical Sergeant insignia, U.S. Army
(NOTE: if this information is correct, your Dad had the same rank I did, or outranked me by one grade after only 3 years of service,
I served 8 years and made E-6/Staff Sergeant at the earliest time in service/grade possible... your dad would have been either an
E-6 or an E-7 by today's standards. That's impressive even during war. In comparison, one of my great uncles marched across Europe
with Patton... he got out after three years and was only an E-4 Corporal or E-5, Sgt. He had engaged in several battles as well.
Guys in 'Nam would make E-4, or E-5 maybe... attaining T/Sgt means he did some amazing things, in the air force it takes 12 years
to make the rank your dad had. When I was an instructor at Fort Gordon I had an assistant instructor who had been in the Air Force
for 12 years and while very sharp and qualified had not made that rank yet. I outranked him with only 7 years of service. My son
served in the Air Force for four years and got out as an E-4.)
the wiki says:
Technical Sergeant was a rank in the United States Army until 1948. During World War II it was abbreviated as TSgt. or T/Sgt.
The rank was above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant. The grade was considered to be grade 2 at the time
(the equivalent of an E-6 today). With the addition of the pay grades E-8 and E-9 in 1958, and the addition of a third private grade in
1955, the circa 1948 Sergeant First Class rank was moved to the E-7 pay grade in 1958. By the old scale, the higher the enlisted rank,
the lower the grade number. The highest grade was grade 1, while the lowest grade was grade 7.[1] It was replaced by Sergeant First Class in 1948.[citation
----------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-24_Liberator
----------------------------
http://www.electraforge.com/brooke/flightsims/b24_flights/b24_2005.html
http://www.electraforge.com/brooke/flightsims/b24_flights/pics2004/b24crew.png
B-24 crew positions, for reference in figuring out where the pictures below were taken. There are 12 positions (nose gun, bombardier, navigation, pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer, top turret, radio, ball turret, left waist gun, right waist gun, and tail gun) and typically 10 crew. There was some variation in how the B-24's were crewed. Typically (but not always), the flight engineer would also man the top turret, and the radio operator would also man one of the waist guns. Sometimes, a nose gunner was not used, and that person would instead man a waist gun or the top turret, freeing up the radio operator or flight engineer to stay at his main position.
----------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteenth_Air_Force#China_Air_Task_Force
Fourteenth Air Force
14thaf-patch.jpg
Newly-arrived Fourteenth Air Force B-24 Liberators on the line at Kunming Airport, China on 6 September 1944.
14th Air Force B-24, China, c. 1944.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Fourteenth_Air_Force_-_B-24_Liberators.jpg/220px-Fourteenth_Air_Force_-_B-24_Liberators.jpg
The Fourteenth Air Force official web site[3] says:
After the China Air Task Force was discontinued, the Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF) was established by the special
order of President Roosevelt on 10 March 1943. Chennault was appointed the commander and promoted to Major General.
The "Flying Tigers" of 14 AF (who adopted the "Flying Tigers" designation from the AVG) conducted highly effective
fighter and bomber operations along a wide front that stretched from the bend of the Yellow River and Tsinan in the
north to Indochina in the south, from Chengtu and the Salween River in the west to both East and South China Seas and
the island of Formosa in the east. They were also instrumental in supplying Chinese forces through the airlift of cargo
across "The Hump" in the China-Burma-India theater. By the end of World War II, 14 AF had achieved air superiority over
the skies of China and established a ratio of 7.7 enemy planes destroyed for every American plane lost in combat.
Overall, military officials estimated that over 4,000 Japanese planes were destroyed or damaged in the China-Burma-India
theater during World War II. In addition, they estimated that air units in China destroyed 1,100,000 tons of shipping,
1,079 locomotives, 4,836 trucks and 580 bridges. The United States Army Air Corps credits 14 AF with the destruction of
2,315 Japanese aircraft, 356 bridges, 1,225 locomotives and 712 railroad cars.
Lineage
Established as China Air Task Force (CATF) **, 14 July 1942
Activated on 14 July 1942 absorbing equipment and personnel of 1st AVG
Inactivated on 19 March 1943
Established as Fourteenth Air Force on 5 March 1943
Activated on 19 March 1943 absorbing equipment and personnel of CATF
Inactivated on 6 January 1946
Activated on 24 May 1946
Inactivated on 1 September 1960.
Activated on 20 January 1966
Redesignated Fourteenth Aerospace Force on 1 July 1968.
Inactivated on 1 October 1976.
Redesignated Fourteenth Air Force (Reserve), and activated on 8 October 1976
Redesignated Fourteenth Air Force on 1 December 1985.
Inactivated on 1 July 1993.
Reactivated 1 July 1993
* Authorized as a "Special Air Unit" by President Roosevelt in 1941 and equipped with United States equipment, however not
officially affiliated with the United States military. The 1st American Volunteer Group was formally disbanded on 4 July 1942.
Each member was offered a commission in the United States Army Air Forces. Some accepted the offer, once again put on their
American uniforms, and remained in China. Others later returned to the ranks of the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps but fought in
other areas of the world. Eighteen accepted offers to fly for the China National Aviation Corporation. The equipment and
those members of the 1st AVG choosing to join the USAAF were absorbed into United States Army Air Forces China Air Task Force on
14 July 1942 as the 23d Fighter Group.
** Assigned to Tenth Air Force.
Assignments
Assigned to U.S. Army Forces, China-Burma-India Theater, 10 March 1943
Assigned to U.S. Forces, China Theater, about 24 October 1944
Air Defense Command, 20 January 1946
----------------------------
http://www.vandenberg.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4685
14TH AIR FORCE HISTORY
Posted 1/19/2013 Printable Fact Sheet
Origins of 14th Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) - the American Volunteer Group and the "Flying Tigers"
Fourteenth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) traces its long and prestigious history back to Japan's invasion of China in 1937.
The Chinese government looked to the U.S. for assistance and hired U.S. Army Air Corps veteran Claire Chennault to train its pilots.
The Chinese Air Force sent Chennault to Washington, D.C., in the winter of 1940 to solicit American airplanes and pilots to
try to save the country. In 1941, President Roosevelt signed a secret executive order which authorized Chennault to organize support.
A group of active-duty recruits, 100 pilots and 200 support personnel, formed the American Volunteer Group (AVG). In addition, Chennault
also procured 100 P-40 aircraft, rejected by the British as obsolete. The AVG shipped off to Burma in the summer of 1941, where
Chennault trained them in innovative combat tactics. To enhance esprit de corps, the unit painted tiger shark teeth on the noses
of the group's aircraft. They saw the same decorations in a magazine photo of English P-40s in North Africa. Subsequently, journalists
used the tagline "Flying Tigers," which rapidly caught on worldwide.
Fighting against numerically superior forces, the AVG compiled one of the greatest records of the war before it was absorbed into the
active-duty Army Air Corps in 1942. According to official Chinese statistics, confirmed losses to the enemy by the AVG were 268 enemy
aircraft destroyed and another 40 aircraft damaged against 12 losses for the AVG. In a separate report,
Chennault credits the AVG with 294 enemy aircraft shot down.
The Birth of 14th Air Force
The AVG was absorbed into the active-duty China Air Task Force in July 1942 and the "Flying Tigers" moniker went with it. Chennault
was brought back on active duty as a brigadier general to command the unit. After the China Air Task Force was discontinued,
the 14th Air Force was established by the special order of President Roosevelt on 10 March 1943. Chennault was appointed the commander
and promoted to Major General. The "Flying Tigers" of 14th AF conducted fighter and bomber operations along a wide front that stretched
from the bend of the Yellow River and Tsinan in the north to Indochina in the south, from Chengtu and the Salween River in the west
to the China Sea and the island of Formosa in the east. They were also instrumental in supplying Chinese forces through the airlift
of cargo across "The Hump" in the China-Burma-India theater. By the end of World War II, 14th AF had achieved air superiority
over the skies of China and established a ratio of 7.7 enemy planes destroyed for every American plane lost in combat. Overall,
military officials estimated that over 4,000 Japanese planes were destroyed or damaged in the China-Burma-India Theater during
World War II. In addition, they estimated that air units in China destroyed 1,100,000 tons of shipping, 1,079 locomotives,
4,836 trucks and 580 bridges. The United States Army Air Corps credits 14th Air Force with the destruction of 2,315 Japanese
aircraft, 356 bridges, 1,225 locomotives and 712 railroad cars.
----------------------------
http://www.warbirdforum.com/avg.htm
----------------------------
WW2 Army Air Corps patch, which was usually worn on the shoulder of a jacket or shirt.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8214/8333370525_6c201be62a.jpg
----------------------------
http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~webermd1/Liberator-Info.html
"As a waist gunner, he was one of two fellows who stood in an open bay window on each side of their four-engine plane and
shot at enemy fighter planes with a belt-fed 50 caliber machine gun. He fired from the right side of the aircraft. As the
ship's senior armorer, dad was responsible for intimate knowledge and maintenance of all gun positions and for assisting the
bombardier in arming the bombs. As a waist gunner, he would also have been responsible at times for dispensing thin strips or
ribbons of shredded metal called "chaff" (sometimes referred to as "window" in some texts) to confuse enemy radar.
One of the two waist gunners typically served as the radio operator. Dad manned a camera sometimes to record photos of the mission
for later use and analysis. This page delves into more of the details about the B-24 Liberator itself.
The B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by the Consolidated Aircraft Company of San Diego, California.
The term “heavy bomber” was primarily used prior to and during World War II to describe bombers with the largest bomb capacities and
longest ranges. The term is largely disused now since even small fighter aircraft can now carry heavy bomb loads due to aeronautical
design advancements, especially those pertaining to the development of the jet engine and subsequent engine design and performance enhancements.
"
Comparison to the B-17 Flying Fortress
Often compared with the better-known B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-24 was a more modern design with a higher top speed, greater range, and a heavier bomb load capability; however, it was also more difficult to fly, with heavy control forces and poor formation-flying characteristics. Popular opinion among aircrews and general staffs tended to favor the B-17's rugged qualities and sleeker appearance over the B-24's boxy appearance. Many gunners preferred the vertical-sided B-24 for its roominess during battle. Many prefer the sleeker, traditional looks of the B-17, but many also prefer the futuristic dual rudder appearance of the B-24. The placement of the B-24's fuel tanks throughout the upper fuselage and its lightweight construction, designed to increase range and optimize assembly line production, made the aircraft vulnerable to battle damage. A damaged B-24 was far less likely to stay airborne than a similarly damaged B-17. The B-17 had a high ceiling or altitude capability than the B-24. The B-24 was notorious among American aircrews for its smell of leaking aviation fuel and hydraulic fluid, and consequently for its tendency to catch fire. Moreover, its high fuselage-mounted Davis wing also meant it was dangerous to ditch or belly land, since the fuselage tended to break apart, lacking the reinforcement common with a lower-mounted wing aircraft. Nevertheless, the B-24 provided excellent service in a variety of roles thanks to its large payload, long range, heavy armament, and sheer numbers produced.
The B-24 never gained the popular appeal of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, even though the B-24 was newer, more efficient, built in far greater numbers and, unlike the B-17, served on every front in World War II. More effort, more aluminum, and more aircrew went into the Liberator than into any other flying machine ever built. Nothing better highlights the American industrial might and capabilities than the fact that the prototype Liberator did not even fly until after the beginning of World War II, and the last (except for the PB4Y-2 model) rolled off the assembly line before the end of the war; yet, in those few production years, deliveries of 15 major variants totaled over 18,000 aircraft. This compares with only 12,731 B-17s produced.
The Liberator was a complicated and advanced machine, leading to prolonged pilot training programs and, on occasion, to severe attrition. Not only was it demanding to fly, even for a fully-qualified pilot, it was eventually cleared to operate at such high weights that takeoffs became dicey even with full power on all engines. Flight stability was marginal, and escape from a stricken machine was extremely difficult once the pilot and co-pilot had let go of the controls. One crewman said "You don't know what shit hittin' the fan means 'till you've seen a Liberator flip over on its side in the middle of a forty-plane formation". Moreover, though more modern and in most ways more efficient than the B-17, the overloaded late-model B-24s were hardly any improvement over their more primitive partners, and several commanders, including Jimmy Doolittle, famed commanding general of the 8th Air Force, preferred the old B-17.
Certified Specifications (B-24J)
• Top Speed @ Alt: 295 mph True Air Speed @ 25,000 feet, 50,000 lbs. aircraft weight
• Cruise @ 5,000 ft: 158 mph Indicated Air Speed/169 mph True Air Speed @ 31" Hg/1650 rpm (60,000 lbs.)
• Cruise @ 25,000 ft: 150 mph IAS/222 mph True Air Speed @ 31" Hg/2100 rpm (60,000 lbs.)
• Climb: 25.5 minutes to 20,000 ft (60,000 lbs.)
• Climb: 43 minutes to 30,000 ft (60,000 lbs.)
• Fuel to climb (25,000 feet): 240 gallons
• Distance to climb (25,000 feet): 140 miles
• Takeoff distance to clear 50 feet: 4,250 feet (60,000 lbs.)
• 1 g stall speed, clean: 123 mph Indicated Air Speed (56,000 lbs.)
• 1 g stall speed, landing: 101 mph Indicated Air Speed (56,000 lbs.)
• Slow flight: stable with good rudder control up to the point of stall.
• Stall: Very mild wing drop. Recovery is routine.
• Empty weight: 36,500 lbs.
• Ramp Weight (equipped with oil and crew): 39,175 lbs.
• Maximum takeoff wt: 65,000 pounds
• Vmax: 275 mph Indicated Air Speed
• To Gear Down: mild pitch down
• To Flaps Down: mild pitch up
• Engines: Four Pratt & Whitney R-1830-43 air-cooled 14-cyl. radials
• Takeoff power: 1200 BHP @ 49" Hg/2700 RPM
• Emergency power: 1350 BHP @ 53" Hg/2700 RPM
• Max climb power: 1100 BHP @ 46" Hg/2550 RPM
• Normal climb power: 990 BHP/39" Hg/2550 RPM
• Max cruise power: 820 BHP/35" Hg/2325 RPM (Auto Rich)
• Normal cruise power: 610 HP/30" Hg/2000 RPM (Auto Lean)
• Fuel capacity: 3,576 gallons with bomb bay tanks
[source: http://www.shockwaveproductions.com/wingsofpower/manual/b24.htm]
Additional Specifications of B-24J Liberator
Many B-24 missions were round trips of 1,500 miles and some extended ranges were near 2,000 miles. Its altitude over heavily defended targets in the European Theater was from 18,000 to 28,000 feet. The planes were not pressurized or heated; crewmen wore oxygen masks at altitudes over 10,000 and were exposed to temperatures that could reach -50 degrees Fahrenheit. Some flight suits were electrically heated via plug into a low voltage electrical system. Those systems were fraught with problems and often did not work.
Powerplant
Four Pratt & Whitney R-1830-65 Twin Wasp fourteen-cylinder air-cooled radial engines with General Electric B-22 turbo-superchargers rated at 1,200 hp at 2,700 rpm for takeoff and maintaining this power as a military rating up to 31,800 feet.
Performance
Maximum speed 300 mph at 30,000 feet, 277 mph at 20,000 feet. Maximum continuous speed 278 mph at 25,000 feet. Usual combat operating speed was 180-215 mph at between 10,000 and 25,000 feet. Initial climb rate 1,025 feet per minute. At a takeoff weight of 56,000 pounds, an altitude of 20,000 feet could be reached in 25 minutes. Service ceiling 28,000 feet at 56,000 pound takeoff weight. Range and endurance with a 5000-pound bomb load was 1,700 miles in 7.3 hours at 25,000 feet (all-up weight of 61,500 pounds) with 2,364 gallons of fuel. Landing speed 95 mph (light), 125 mph (loaded).
Weight & Fuel
38,000 pounds empty, 56,000 pounds combat, 71,200 pounds maximum overload. 2,364 US gallons of fuel in main tanks, plus 450 gallons in auxiliary wing tanks, and 800 gallons in extra tanks fitted in bomb bay if required for a total capacity of 3,614 gallons.
Dimensions
Wingspan: 110 feet 0 inches; length: 64 feet 2 inches; height: 18 feet 0 inches; wing area: height to top of fuselage: 12 feet 1 inch; height to top of rudder: 17 feet 11 inches; 1048 square feet. Accommodation: Normal crew size: 10 (pilot, co-pilot, bombardier, nose gunner, navigator, radio operator, ball turret gunner, two waist gunners, and tail gunner). To provide a sense of scale of the Liberator, see the photo below of a B-24D named the "Fighting Sam".
http://freepages.family.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~webermd1/b24d_fighting_sam_42_40506.jpg
----------------------------
----------------------------
Vernon H. Ashby served in US ARMY AIR FORCE Nov. 7, 1942-Nov. 6, 1945 as a radio operator-aerial
machine gunner on heavy bombers B-24 designation in the CBI theater but in China in the 14th Army
Air Force. Holds the DFC and Air Medal and was honorably discharged from the service with the rank of T/Sgt.
I have a new sentence worked up for the 'short' version, but am not sure of the accuracy. Does Dad's "but in China in the 14th..." mean that he did BOTH
China-Burma-India and 14th AAF, or does it mean that his CBI service was entirely in China with the 14th? My understanding has been that the same group was called
14th Army Air Force while they were actually in China, but the overall area was referred to as the CBI (China Burma India) Theater and his service included the
overall area and specifically while in China, they were designated part of the 14th. I'm vaguely remembering his letters home (some from India) and can certainly go
dig, but thought I'd start with all of you first as I really don't have a clue what I'm talking about here.
So...two versions, and help me figure it out:
A) After serving exactly three years, Vernon was honorably discharged as a Tech Sergeant from the United States Army Air Force, receiving (having received ?) the
Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal for his service as a B-24 radio operator-aerial machine gunner in the China-Burma-India theater, including the Flying
Tigers of the 14th Army Air Force. (My understanding has been that The Flying Tigers were also part of the 14th, but I didnt think the entire 14th was considered
Flying Tigers. Perhaps this was a distinction Vernon made? And/or that time has blurred in the pages of history??? How can something that seemed so simple be so
difficult to say clearly? But Im having the same problem trying to be accurate as you are. Dave said hed run this particular part past an ex serviceman at work and
see what he says. Im sort of inclined to say in the China Burma India theater and the 14th Air Force in China)
B) After serving exactly three years, Vernon was honorably discharged as a Tech Sergeant from the United States Army Air Force, receiving the Distinguished Flying
Cross and the Air Medal for his service as a B-24 radio operator-aerial machine gunner in the Flying Tigers of the 14th Army Air Force.
FYI: Flying Tigers were (re-)established 3/10/43 as part of the 14th and flew the supply hump.
Thanks so much everyone. Military phraseology is not my forte!
Love, Carol
----------------------------
Vernon H. Ashby
US ARMY AIR FORCE
Nov. 7, 1942-Nov. 6, 1945
radio operator-aerial / machine gunner
B-24
CBI theater
14th Army in China
----------------------------
http://cbi-theater.home.comcast.net/~cbi-theater/menu/cbi_home_detail.html
----------------------------
http://www.gazettetimes.com/news/local/obituaries/vernon-h-ashby/article_c3bd300a-8639-11e2-951d-0019bb2963f4.html
12 mar 2013
Vernon H. Ashby, 89, of Albany died Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, at the Mennonite Home in Albany.
Memorial services will take place at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at First United Methodist Church in Albany.
A full obituary will run later.
Arrangements are under the direction of Twin Oaks Funeral Home.
----------------------------
http://oregon.obituaries.funeral.com/2013/03/06/vernon-h-ashby/
Vernon H. Ashby, 89, of Albany died Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, at the Mennonite Home in Albany.
View Full Notice → Vernon H. Ashby (points to Gazette...)
----------------------------
http://news.silobreaker.com/vernon-h-ashby-5_2266661919874089052
Vernon H. Ashby
, at the Mennonite Home in Albany.
Memorial services will take place at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at First United Methodist Church in Albany. Arrangements are under the direction of Twin Oaks Funeral Home.
----------------------------
http://www.mylife.com/c-88352561
Vernon Ashby is on MyLife
Vernon Ashby 89 Albany oregon
Claim Profile!
Vernon Ashby, 89
Albany, OR
URL
www.mylife.com/c-88352561
Places Lived
Albany, OR
Seattle, WA
Phone
(541) 926-XXXX
About Vernon Ashby
Vernon H Ashby was born in 1923. Vernon currently lives in Albany, Oregon. Before that, Vernon lived in Seattle, WA from 1983 to 2004.
----------------------------
http://www.ussearch.com/consumer/people-search/names/wa+seattle/vernon/ashby.html?searchMName=H
Name/Aliases Age Phone Address Has lived in: Related with: Premium Report
1. Vernon H Ashby
89 Seattle, WA
Albany, OR
Zora Ashby
Jeanette Ashby
David Ashby
Get Your Report
2. Vernon H Ashby
53 Seattle, WA
Jeanette Ashby
David Ashby
----------------------------
http://books.google.com/books?id=_6wj32VmHJoC&pg=PA45&lpg=PA45&dq=Vernon+H.+Ashby&source=bl&ots=PDGWrvlpqZ&sig=KM8P3qB_MROIhyHy9ibgw_-aFM0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6XY_Uc6cCs3tqQGjp4HIDA&ved=0CEEQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=Vernon%20H.%20Ashby&f=false
listed in the AFGA roster on pg 45.
Air Force Gunners - Page 45
books.google.com/books?isbn=1563111675
Turner Publishing Co, Albert E. Conder - 1994 - Preview
Ralph Anderson. Robert T. Angelucci. Louis Appleby. Charles J. Ardia. Ralph A. Argentine. Edward M. Armington. George F. Armstrong. Roger W. Arner. Fred B. Arnold. Robert A. Arthur. Frederick G. Asencio. Juan S. Ashby. Vernon H. Ashton.
----------------------------
http://www.qsl.net/lcares/albany-list.htm
KA7QLK ASHBY, JEANETTE Z 2798 Goldfinch Loop SE, Albany, OR 973222645
KA7QLJ ASHBY, VERNON H 2798 Goldfinch Loop SE, Albany, OR 973227286
----------------------------
http://oregon.obituaries.funeral.com/2013/03/06/vernon-h-ashby/
Vernon H. Ashby
March 6th, 2013 | Posted in Corvallis
Vernon H. Ashby, 89, of Albany died Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013, at the Mennonite Home in Albany.
----------------------------
http://www.city-data.com/aradio/lic-Albany-Oregon.html
Call Sign: KA7QLJ, Licensee ID: L00618320
Grant Date: 01/21/2004, Expiration Date: 03/22/2014
Registrant: Vernon H Ashby, 2798 Goldfinch Loop Se, Albany, OR 97322-7286
Call Sign: KA7QLK, Licensee ID: L00616479
Grant Date: 01/31/2004, Expiration Date: 03/22/2014
Registrant: Jeanette Z Ashby, 2798 Goldfinch Loop Se, Albany, OR 97322-2645
----------------------------
http://www.veromi.com/veromiOrder.aspx?1=VERNON;;H;;ASHBY;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;247944452&2=name&3=people&4=18&5=Vernon;;;;Ashby;;;;;;;;;;;;&from=kwVX00000002
Comprehensive Background Report
ASHBY, VERNON H, AGE: 88
Includes: age, possible current address, up to 20 year address history, phone numbers, bankruptcies, tax liens & judgments, property ownership, possible relatives, possible roommates, aliases / maiden names, neighbors, marriages and divorces, dea registrants, nationwide criminal check and website ownership.
$27.95
Special price with membership trail.
$39.95
Regular Price
Report includes from our exclusive databases
Unique address(es) in Seattle, WA
Unique address(es) in Albany, OR
----------------------------
http://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=Ashby
Ashby Family History
Ashby Name Meaning
English: habitational name from any of the numerous places in northern and eastern England called Ashby,
from Old Norse askr ‘ash’ or the Old Norse personal name Aski + býr ‘farm’.
883,251 Historical Documents & Family Trees with Ashby
157,937 Census and Voter Lists
9,775 Immigration Records
159,362 Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
536,386 Member Family Trees
19,791 Military Records
----------------------------
----------------------------
----------------------------
----------------------------
308th Bombardment Group (See CBI Unit Histories)
Source:
Combat Units of WWII; AFHRA, Maurer Maurer, editor:
The New York Military Affairs Symposium Website
or
Air Force Historical Studies Office (Adobe Acrobat file)
Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) (308th Armament Systems Group)
Lineage: Established as 308 Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Activated 15 Apr 1942. Inactivated 6 Jan 1946. Redesignated 308 Reconnaissance Group, Weather, on 27 Sep 1946. Activated 17 Oct 1946. Inactivated 5 Jan 1951. Redesignated 308 Bombardment Group, Medium, on 4 Oct 1951. Activated 10 Oct 1951. Inactivated 16 Jun 1952. Consolidated (3 May 2006) with Long Range Missile Systems Group, which was established on 23 Nov 2004. Activated 27 Jan 2005. Redesignated 308 Armament Systems Group on 15 May 2006. Inactivated 30 Jun 2010 per DAF/A1M 194t, 19 May 2010; SO #GA-7, HQ AFMC, 28 May 10.
Assignments: Second Air Force, 15 Apr 1942; Fourteenth Air Force, 10 Mar 1943; United States Forces India-Burma Theater, Aug-Dec 1945; Air Transport Command, Air Weather Service, 17 Oct 1946; Military Air Transport Service, Air Weather Service, 1 Jun 1948-5 Jan 1951. 308 Bombardment Wing, 10 Oct 1951-16 Jan 1952. Air to Ground Munitions Systems (later, 308 Armament Systems) Wing, 27 Jan 2005-30 Jun 2010.
Components:
Squadrons: 36 Reconnaissance (later, 425 Bombardment): 15 Apr 1942-6 Jan 1946; 53 Reconnaissance: attached 17 Oct 1946-15 Oct 1947. 54 Reconnaissance: 17 Oct 1946-15 Oct 1947. 55 Reconnaissance: 17 Oct 1946-15 Oct 1947. 59 Reconnaissance: attached 17 Oct 1946-15 Oct 1947. 373 Bombardment: 15 Apr 1942-21 Jul 1945; 10 Oct 1951-16 Jun 1952 (detached 10 Oct 1951-17 Apr 1952). 374 Bombardment (later, 374 Reconnaissance): 15 Apr 1942-6 Jan 1946; 15 Oct 1947-19 Dec 1950; 10 Oct 1951-16 Jun 1952 (detached 10 Oct 1951-17 Apr 1952). 375 Bombardment: 15 Apr 1942-6 Jan 1946; 10 Oct 1951-16 Jun 1952 (detached 10 Oct 1951-17 Apr 1952). 512 Reconnaissance: 15 Oct 1947-20 Sep 1948; 13 Feb-14 Nov 1949. 513 Reconnaissance: 15 Oct 1947-20 Sep 1948; 10 Aug 1949-19 Dec 1950. 2078 Weather Reconnaissance: 1 Jun 1948-20 Mar 1950.
Stations: Gowen Field, ID, 15 Apr 1942; Davis-Monthan Field, AZ, 20 Jun 1942; Wendover Field, UT, 1 Oct-28 Nov 1942; Kunming, China, 20 Mar 1943; Hsinching , China, 10 Feb 1945; Ruspi, India, 27 Jun-15 Oct 1945; Camp Kilmer, NJ, 5-6 Jan 1946. Morrison Field, FL, 17 Oct 1946; Fairfield-Suisun AAFld, CA, 1 Jul 1947; Tinker AFB, OK, 10 Nov 1949-5 Jan 1951. Forbes AFB, KS, 10 Oct 1951; Hunter AFB, GA, 11 Apr-16 Jun 1952. Eglin AFB, FL, 27 Jan 2005-.
Commanders: Capt Harris K. McCauley, 11 May 1942; Col Fay R. Upthegrove, 5 Jun 1942; Maj Leroy A. Rainey, 15 Jul 1942; Col Eugene H. Beebe, 16 Sep 1942; Col William P. Fisher, c. 3 Nov 1943; Col John G. Armstrong, 19 Oct 1944; Col William D. Hopson, 1 Jul 1945-unkn. Col Richard E. Ellsworth, 17 Oct 1946-unkn; Col Hervey H. Whitfield, Apr 1949-unkn; Col George N. Newton Jr., 5 Nov 1951; Col Maurice A. Preston, 10 May-16 Jun 1952. Col James Geurts, Jan 2005; Col John R. Griggs, 4 May 2006-.
Aircraft: B-24, 1942-1945. B-29, 1946-1951.
Operations: Made many trips over the Hump to India to obtain gasoline, oil, bombs, spare parts, and other items the group needed to prepare for and then to sustain its combat operations. The 308th Group supported Chinese ground forces; attacked airfields, coalyards, docks, oil refineries, and fuel dumps in French Indochina; mined rivers and ports; bombed shops and docks at Rangoon; attacked Japanese shipping in the East China Sea, Formosa Strait, South China Sea, and Gulf of Tonkin. Received a DUC for an unescorted bombing attack, conducted through antiaircraft fire and fighter defenses, against docks and warehouses at Hankow on 21 Aug 1943. Received second DUC for interdiction of Japanese shipping during 1944-1945. Maj Horace S Carswell Jr was awarded the Medal of Honor for action on 26 Oct 1944 when, in spite of intense antiaircraft fire, he attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea; his plane was so badly damaged that when he reached land he ordered the crew to bail out; Carswell, however, remained with the plane to try to save one man who could not jump because his parachute had been ripped by flak; before Carswell could attempt a crash landing, the plane struck a mountainside and burned. The group moved to India in Jun 1945. Ferried gasoline and supplies over the Hump. Sailed for the US in Dec 1945. From Oct 1946 through Jan 1951, served with Air Weather Service; supervised training and operation of weather reconnaissance units. Not operational 10 Oct 1951-16 Jun 1952. Beginning in Jan 2005 equipped warfighters with long range, precision attack capabilities.
Service Streamers: None.
Campaign Streamers: World War II: China Defensive; China Offensive; India-Burma; Western Pacific; New Guinea.
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers: None.
Decorations: Distinguished Unit Citations: China, 21 Aug 1943; East and South China Seas, Straits of Formosa, and Gulf of Tonkin, 24 May 1944-28 Apr 1945.
Emblem: Azure, between a pale argent thereon three pallets gules, on the dexter a star of twelve points white, charged with an annulet azure; on the sinister a thundercloud proper with three lightning flashes or; in chief per chevron, inverted and enhanced sable, three bombs points downward or, between a semee of fifteen stars argent. Motto: Non Sibi, Sed Aliis - Not for Self, But for Others. (Approved 29 Aug 1952.) Group will use the wing emblem with the group designation in the scroll.
Lineage, Assignments, Components, Stations, and Honors through 15 May 2006.
Commanders, Aircraft, and Operations through 4 May 2006.
==================================
