Robert N. McLean, Jr. Mission on August 17, 1944
August 17, 1944 – Thursday
“Old Faithful #2”
Mission #44 – target – Oil fields at Ploesti in Romania. Takeoff 0545 Landing 0645 (0100) Total combat hours (243:20) Load 4000 (8-500) Remarks:
1. #2 engine started leaking oil and had to be feathered – we returned to base.
2. This was the sixth time we had lost an engine and it has always been #2
3. We weren’t sorry to see it happen – Ploesti is still the world’s roughest target and it’s only a single mission
4. Casualties none
5. Statistics – total bomb tonnage (156,600 lbs) (78.3 tons)
6. Squadron lost one ship (Lt. Westby). 7 Chutes with a possibility that all men got out. All returning planes shot up badly – several injured
The website 376bg.org is NOT our site nor is it our endowment fund.
At the 2017 reunion, the board approved the donation of our archives to the Briscoe Center for American History, located on the University of Texas - Austin campus.
Also, the board approved a $5,000 donation to add to Ed Clendenin's $20,000 donation in the memory of his father. Together, these funds begin an endowment for the preservation of the 376 archives.
Donate directly to the 376 Endowment
To read about other endowment donation options, click here.
Reunion
NOTE change in month !!!
DATES: Sep 18-21, 2025
CITY:Rapid City, SD
HOTEL:
Click here to read about the reunion details.
