Crew 6 – Assigned 752nd Squadron – October 7, 1943

Lt Ronald Gulick and crew were part of the original cadre to train in Tonopah, Nevada in the latter half of 1943.  They flew the Southern Route to the ETO in January 1944.  

On December 29, 1944, just prior to the group’s movement overseas, Lt George F. Scott, co-pilot, was removed from the crew and transferred to the 470th Bombardment Group in Mountain Home, Idaho.  His place was taken by Lt Wayne E. French who completed his combat tour with Gulick. Bombardier, Lt Felix Acenio, appears only on the earliest Combat Crew Roster for the 752nd Squadron dated December 1943.  At some point he was moved to Crew 3, pilot 1Lt John S. Martin.  In April, when Martin’s crew was transferred to the 451BG in Italy, Acenio went with them.  He completed his tour in the 15AF.  Available Mission Load Lists show Lt Robert E. Clark from Crew 14 flying as Gulick’s bombardier.

Lt Wayne C. Dabb, the crew’s navigator, was transferred to the 93rd Bomb Group on April 16, 1944.  On June 20, 1944 he was severely wounded when his battle-damaged B-24 crashed in England.  It is not known if a replacement navigator was assigned, as records indicate several different names flying with the crew.  Sgt’s Claude Dozier and Sergio Gottardo’s names are also absent from group and squadron records, but appear on several load lists.  It is assumed that they completed their combat tour with this crew.

Crew 6 flew B-24H-15-CF 41-29340 7V N  Yankee Buzz Bomb on 20 of their 31 recorded missions.  This aircraft would go on to complete more than 80 credited sorties with the group, the last on April 15, 1945.  At some point the aircraft was stripped of her olive drab paint and flew with a natural metal finish.

Pilot Ronald Gulick kept track of his missions on a portion of a map of the ETO.  Group and Squadron records match up almost perfectly with his tally.  One mission that does not appear on his list, but does show in the records, was that of July 2, 1944.  The official records can sometimes be misleading, so it is most likely that the Gulick’s list at left is more correct. Click on the map for a larger image.

(Courtesy: Andy Gulick)

June 19, 1944

Finally through the mist and cloud they sighted the flares released simultaneously with the formation’s bombs.

Timing their own release accordingly, they observed their plane’s bombs falling with those dropped by the formation above to hit the target. They returned alone to their base here, dropping down to 6,000 feet before crossing the Channel.

(While it is not clear, evidence points to this occurring on the crew’s 30th mission to Regnauville, France)

Lt Felix B. Acenio

Bombardier, Felix Ascenio (right) in an undated photo.

(Courtesy: Ronald Morgan)

B-24H-15-CF 41-29340 7V N Yankee Buzz Bomb

April 15, 1945 Royan Area: Yankee Buzz Bomb’s last mission.  Note napalm canisters from B-24 in background.

(Photo: George Reynolds)