VIDEO (silent): 300th Mission, Sept. 13th, 1944, Lecce, Italy
Based on the mission report, I believe the first B-24 taking off is my Grandfather's plane, No. 526-(Green) L. It is also the aircraft that lands and is interviewed, although there's no shot of my grandfather in the series. The citiation for the Oak Leaf Cluster he was awarded for this mission is also included.
For full copies of these videos email me at taralcopp@gmail.com
Here is the citation for the video: 300TH MISSION OF 98TH [NINETY-EIGHTH] BOMB[ARDMENT] GROUP, LECCE, ITALY
ARC Identifier 4426 / Local Identifier 18-CS-2324
Moving Images from the War Department. Army Air Forces. (06/20/1941 - 09/26/1947)
Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records Section, Special Media Archives Services Division, College Park, MD
Item from Record Group 18: Records of the Army Air Forces, ca. 1902 - 1964
Still shot taken from the film -- I believe this is my grandfather's aircraft, 526-L.. There are no oter "L" aircraft flying that day -- Aircraft 258-I (with the girl on the nose art, coming up) has a smaller L on the tail but is clearly otherwise identified.
A still taken from the film, as 526-L lands and rolls to a stop. Lt. Col. Sal Manzo (pilot of 526-L, my grandfather was co-pilot) steps out to be interviewed after the flight. Unfortunately it is a silent film.
A still taken from the film as 526-L lands and rolls to a stop. I zoomed in on the cockpit -- and maybe I am just seeing what I want to see, but I believe I have captured a frame of my grandfather as co-pilot.
Here's 258-I, which had an "L" on its tail too, I don't know why. 258-I was piloted by Lt. W.F Kolander of the 415th.
Can anyone ID the nose art?
