OOPS! Forgot a couple

I don't know if y'all visit all the websites on Sarge's sidebar.  I know I don't for various reasons.  However I do visit most of them.  Several multiple times a day.  Others once in a while.  One of my favorites is This Day in Aviation.

Mr. Swopes (I have never met him nor communicated with him) puts together a fascinating array of trivia about events that have happened on any given calendar day in the world of Aviation.  First flights, tragedies, space flight, birthdays of aviation greats.  You name it (aviation related), you can almost guarantee it'll be there.

No, I'm not getting paid by him.

In any case, on August 1st, I realized I'd made a grievous mistake in my Air Force Medal of Honor postings.  I was on that site that day and recognized it as the 76th anniversary of Operation Tidal Wave, the USAAF's attach on the German oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania.  177 B-24's took off from Libya, flew the mission to attempt to destroy the refineries .   18 hours later, 88 returned to base, and 55 of those had battle damage. 310 crewmen were killed, 108 were captured, 78 were interned (lost for the duration of the war) in neutral Turkey.  All in all a huge loss to the Americans.  Damage to the refineries was repaired within weeks.

There were 5 Medals of Honor awarded for actions taken during this battle, 3 of them posthumously.  I have written about 3 of them (here and here if you're interested) and completely forgot about the other two until I read the citations on This day in Aviation.

So...

Let me rectify that.*

Let me introduce you to 2LT Lloyd H. Hughes. The H is for Herbert, but, evidently, he went by "Pete".  As you can see from that link, he graduated from Texas A & M (Whoop!).

Source

Lt Hughes became a qualified B-24 Aircraft Commander in June of 1943.  Ploesti would be his fifth mission.  His aircraft was the last B-24 in the formation.  While still en-route to the target, his bomber was hit by AAA (now you know why I hiss) which caused aviation gas (typically higher than 120 octane...meaning more flammable than the stuff you put in your car) to stream from the wings and bomb bay.  Lt Hughes could have crash landed the bomber in fields prior to the target.  However, he elected to continue on the attack.  Flying at an altitude of 30' above the ground, he dropped his ordnance on his target.  Unfortunately, fires from previous attacks started the leaking fuel on fire.  At this point, he attempted an emergency landing, but the flight controls burned through and the aircraft crashed.  Lt Hughes and 6 other crewmen died in the crash and explosion.  An eighth crewman survived the crash, but died later of his wounds.  The remaining two crewman survived and were captured by the Germans.

These B-24s are well above 30'
Source

OK, What can I say?  5th mission.  Last aircraft over target,  damaged en-route and  losing fuel.  (barely enough fuel to make it home when they took off, now they're leaking it?).  30' in the air?    My Lord, did he clank when he walked.

Lt Hughes was the First Aggie to be awarded the Medal of Honor.  

Lt Hughes Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry in action and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On August 1943, 2d Lt. Hughes served in the capacity of pilot of a heavy bombardment aircraft participating in a long and hazardous minimum-altitude attack against the Axis oil refineries of Ploesti, Rumania, launched from the northern shores of Africa.

Flying in the last formation to attack the target, he arrived in the target area after previous flights had thoroughly alerted the enemy defenses. Approaching the target through intense and accurate antiaircraft fire and dense balloon barrages at dangerously low altitude, his plane received several direct hits from both large and small caliber antiaircraft guns which seriously damaged his aircraft, causing sheets of escaping gasoline to stream from the bomb bay and from the left wing.

This damage was inflicted at a time prior to reaching the target when 2d Lt. Hughes could have made a forced landing in any of the grain fields readily available at that time. The target area was blazing with burning oil tanks and damaged refinery installations from which flames leaped high above the bombing level of the formation.

With full knowledge of the consequences of entering this blazing inferno when his airplane was profusely leaking gasoline in two separate locations, 2d Lt. Hughes, motivated only by his high conception of duty which called for the destruction of his assigned target at any cost, did not elect to make a forced landing or turn back from the attack. Instead, rather than jeopardize the formation and the success of the attack, he unhesitatingly entered the blazing area and dropped his bomb load with great precision.

After successfully bombing the objective, his aircraft emerged from the conflagration with the left wing aflame. Only then did he attempt a forced landing, but because of the advanced stage of the fire enveloping his aircraft the plane crashed and was consumed.

By 2d Lt. Hughes' heroic decision to complete his mission regardless of the consequences in utter disregard of his own life, and by his gallant and valorous execution of this decision, he has rendered a service to our country in the defeat of our enemies which will everlastingly be outstanding in the annals of our Nation's history.

Rest in Peace, Warrior!

*I'll cover the fifth and final recipient General Leon Johnson next week.