Gibson, Merle Leon, Jr

Individual Personnel Data
Name	Gibson, Merle Leon, Jr ⇗
Rank	Second Lieutenant / First Lieutenant
Serial Number	O-699269
Unit Assignments	Assigned to the 544th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), per 544th Bomb Squadron Morning report dated 31 July 1944, effective 30 July 1944. Transferred to the Detachment of Patients, 4203rd U.S. Army Hospital Plant, APO 594 (battle casualty), per 545th Bomb Squadron Morning Report dated 3 May 1945 , effective 3 May 1945.
Duty	Navigator
Last Duty Date	3 May 1945
Results	Completed Tour, Returned to USA
Decorations	Awarded the Purple Heart for wounds received on 3 February 1945 per General Orders #130, Headquarters 1st Bomb Division dated 12 February 1945.
Additional Information	Date of Birth: 23 October 1921 Granted a seven day operational leave of absence effective 23 December 1944 per AAF Station 106 Special Orders #250 dated 19 December 1944. WIA on 3 February 1945.

Missions, Aircraft, Crews
This individual was credited with 26 Combat Missions.
Number	Date	Target	Position	Aircraft	Mission/Sortie Information
190⇗	9 September 1944	Target: I. G. Farben Chemical Works Type: Industry Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany	Navigator	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit PFF ship. Wing deputy. Sortie Report⇗
194⇗	13 September 1944	Target: Leuna Synthetic Oil Refinery Type: Oil Industry Location: Merseburg, Germany	Navigator	42‑97592⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing deputy; PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
196⇗	19 September 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Hamm, Germany	Navigator	42‑97986⇗	Combat Mission Credit PFF ship; lead Squadron deputy. Landed away at Old Buckenham, reason unknown. Sortie Report⇗
198⇗	25 September 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany	Navigator	42‑97592⇗	Combat Mission Credit C wing deputy. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
200⇗	27 September 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards (PFF Aiming Points) Type: Transportation Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	42‑97592⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing deputy. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
202⇗	30 September 1944	Target: Handorf Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Münster, Germany	Navigator	44‑8047⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing deputy. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
203⇗	2 October 1944	Target: Ford Motor Works Type: Industry Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	42‑97592⇗	Combat Mission Credit Wing deputy. PFF ship. Led wing after Major Bean aborted. Turned over lead to high Squadron at IP for Gee-H bombing. After the Gee-H equipment failed on the second run, resumed lead and dropped using PFF aiming. Sortie Report⇗
205⇗	5 October 1944	Type: Industry Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	44‑8047⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron deputy. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
209⇗	11 October 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Wesseling, Germany	Navigator	44‑8007⇗	Combat Mission Credit Second Squadron lead. PFF ship. While on the bomb run to attack the primary target using Gee-H, with the deputy in the lead, the equipment failed. The Squadron then proceeded to the secondary target and attacked using PFF. Sortie Report⇗
212⇗	17 October 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	42‑98027⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group deputy. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
214⇗	19 October 1944	Target: Heinrich Lanz Tank Factory Type: Industry Location: Mannheim, Germany	Navigator	44‑8256⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron lead. PFF ship loaned by 303rd BG. Callsign EAVESDROP-Y. Sortie Report⇗
215⇗	25 October 1944	Target: Nordstern Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Navigator	42‑98027⇗	Combat Mission Credit Fourth Squadron lead. PFF ship. Deputy's Gee-H failed during assembly, so the Squadron lead conducted a PFF attack on the secondary target. Sortie Report⇗
218⇗	2 November 1944	Target: Ruhr-Chemie A.G. Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Sterkrade (Holten), Germany	Navigator	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead. PFF ship. Turned over lead to deputy for bomb run. Sortie Report⇗
220⇗	5 November 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Frankfurt am Main, Germany	Navigator	42‑98027⇗	Combat Mission Credit PFF ship; group deputy. Sortie Report⇗
224⇗	10 November 1944	Target: Ostheim Airfield & Butzweilerhof Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Cologne / Köln, Germany	Navigator	44‑8007⇗	Combat Mission Credit 41C Group, Group Lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
226⇗	16 November 1944	Target: Tactical - Artillery Positions Type: Military Location: Eschweiler, Germany	Navigator	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit PFF ship; low Squadron lead, 41st Bomb Wing A group. Landed away at Stratford, due to weather. Sortie Report⇗
228⇗	23 November 1944	Target: Nordstern Coking Plant at Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-A.G. Type: Oil Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany	Navigator	44‑8401⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron lead, A group. Sortie Report⇗
233⇗	30 November 1944	Target: Synthetic Oil Refinery Type: Oil Industry Location: Zeitz, Germany	Navigator	44‑8221⇗	Combat Mission Credit Ground Spare Aircraft, replaced 42‑97592. Low Squadron lead. Sortie Report⇗
235⇗	4 December 1944	Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Soest, Germany	Navigator	44‑8211⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. Landed away at Boxted due to low fuel. Sortie Report⇗
237⇗	9 December 1944	Target: Airfield and Daimler Factory Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Böblingen (Stuttgart area), Germany	Navigator	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit High Squadron lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. Sortie Report⇗
239⇗	12 December 1944	Target: Leuna Synthetic Oil Plant Type: Oil Industry Location: Merseburg, Germany	Navigator	44‑8008⇗	Combat Mission Credit Low Squadron lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗
241⇗	19 December 1944	Target: Railway Junction Type: Transportation Location: Glaadt, Germany	Navigator	44‑8221⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. Landed away at RAF Fairwood Common near Swansea, Wales. Sortie Report⇗
250⇗	3 January 1945	Target: Enemy Strong Point & Transportation Hub Type: Military Location: St Vith, Belgium	Navigator	42‑98027⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. Sortie Report⇗
256⇗	17 January 1945	Target: Railroad Viaduct Type: Transportation Location: Bielefeld, Germany	Navigator	44‑8211⇗	Combat Mission Credit Division lead. PFF & Gee-H ship. PFF started acting up during assembly, so the air commander ordered the low Squadron lead (PFF-equipped) to move up and fly as his deputy. At the IP, the Gee-H equipment was unusable, so lead was turned over to the deputy. Sortie Report⇗
258⇗	21 January 1945	Target: Marshalling Yard Type: Transportation Location: Aschaffenburg, Germany	Visual (Pilotage) Navigator	42‑97592⇗	Combat Mission Credit Group lead. PFF and Gee-H ship. Sortie Report⇗
264⇗	3 February 1945	Target: Tempelhof Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Berlin, Germany	Visual (Pilotage) Navigator	42‑98027⇗	Combat Mission Credit Lead Squadron, Group Lead. PFF ship. Sortie Report⇗

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