Clifton served as a Sergeant & Gunner on B-24 #44-41808, 868th Bomber Squadron, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Caddo County, Oklahoma prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on January 11, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Teacher and also as Married.
B-24 #44-41808 took off Palawan in the Phillipines across the South China Sea to hit shipping in the Mekong River in French IndoChina (later Vietnam). While bombing their target they suffered from "blowback" which damaged the Number 2 engine and after putting out the fire they decided they didn't have enough fuel remaining to return to base and decided to bailout while there was still light.
Despite having contact with a submarine they thought would pick them up, only three of the crew were ever recovered from the sea, five days or more later.
Clifton was declared "Missing In Action" while on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 38395900
He also had a "Cenotaph" in the Sickles Cemetery, Sickles, Oklahoma.
" Click Here " for that record.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24 #44-41808:
Carroll, Charles E ~ Sgt, Gunner, CT
Cunningham, Clatie R, Jr ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, TN
Hayes, Roy R ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, IL
Knigga, John W ~ S/Sgt, Radar Operator, KY
Leach, Clifton E ~ Sgt, Gunner, OK
McDermott, Donald C ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CA
Meriage, Nicholas ~ Sgt, Gunner, PA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who survived from B-24 #44-41808:
Low, Walter ~ Pilot
Reed, Stanley L ~ Navigator
Gingerich, Edward ~ Bombardier
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Special thanks to Bill Davis for submitting a complete description of this mission!
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His wife was Avis Leola Nowlin Leach ( 1914 -2009) and his son was Larry Clifton Leach ( 1944 -2009)
Contributor: E. (46782320)
He resided in Caddo County, Oklahoma prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on January 11, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Teacher and also as Married.
B-24 #44-41808 took off Palawan in the Phillipines across the South China Sea to hit shipping in the Mekong River in French IndoChina (later Vietnam). While bombing their target they suffered from "blowback" which damaged the Number 2 engine and after putting out the fire they decided they didn't have enough fuel remaining to return to base and decided to bailout while there was still light.
Despite having contact with a submarine they thought would pick them up, only three of the crew were ever recovered from the sea, five days or more later.
Clifton was declared "Missing In Action" while on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 38395900
He also had a "Cenotaph" in the Sickles Cemetery, Sickles, Oklahoma.
" Click Here " for that record.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24 #44-41808:
Carroll, Charles E ~ Sgt, Gunner, CT
Cunningham, Clatie R, Jr ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, TN
Hayes, Roy R ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, IL
Knigga, John W ~ S/Sgt, Radar Operator, KY
Leach, Clifton E ~ Sgt, Gunner, OK
McDermott, Donald C ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CA
Meriage, Nicholas ~ Sgt, Gunner, PA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who survived from B-24 #44-41808:
Low, Walter ~ Pilot
Reed, Stanley L ~ Navigator
Gingerich, Edward ~ Bombardier
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Special thanks to Bill Davis for submitting a complete description of this mission!
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His wife was Avis Leola Nowlin Leach ( 1914 -2009) and his son was Larry Clifton Leach ( 1944 -2009)
Contributor: E. (46782320)
Clifton served as a Sergeant & Gunner on B-24 #44-41808, 868th Bomber Squadron, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Caddo County, Oklahoma prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on January 11, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Teacher and also as Married.
B-24 #44-41808 took off Palawan in the Phillipines across the South China Sea to hit shipping in the Mekong River in French IndoChina (later Vietnam). While bombing their target they suffered from "blowback" which damaged the Number 2 engine and after putting out the fire they decided they didn't have enough fuel remaining to return to base and decided to bailout while there was still light.
Despite having contact with a submarine they thought would pick them up, only three of the crew were ever recovered from the sea, five days or more later.
Clifton was declared "Missing In Action" while on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 38395900
He also had a "Cenotaph" in the Sickles Cemetery, Sickles, Oklahoma.
" Click Here " for that record.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24 #44-41808:
Carroll, Charles E ~ Sgt, Gunner, CT
Cunningham, Clatie R, Jr ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, TN
Hayes, Roy R ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, IL
Knigga, John W ~ S/Sgt, Radar Operator, KY
Leach, Clifton E ~ Sgt, Gunner, OK
McDermott, Donald C ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CA
Meriage, Nicholas ~ Sgt, Gunner, PA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who survived from B-24 #44-41808:
Low, Walter ~ Pilot
Reed, Stanley L ~ Navigator
Gingerich, Edward ~ Bombardier
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Special thanks to Bill Davis for submitting a complete description of this mission!
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His wife was Avis Leola Nowlin Leach ( 1914 -2009) and his son was Larry Clifton Leach ( 1944 -2009)
Contributor: E. (46782320)
He resided in Caddo County, Oklahoma prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on January 11, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Teacher and also as Married.
B-24 #44-41808 took off Palawan in the Phillipines across the South China Sea to hit shipping in the Mekong River in French IndoChina (later Vietnam). While bombing their target they suffered from "blowback" which damaged the Number 2 engine and after putting out the fire they decided they didn't have enough fuel remaining to return to base and decided to bailout while there was still light.
Despite having contact with a submarine they thought would pick them up, only three of the crew were ever recovered from the sea, five days or more later.
Clifton was declared "Missing In Action" while on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Service # 38395900
He also had a "Cenotaph" in the Sickles Cemetery, Sickles, Oklahoma.
" Click Here " for that record.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24 #44-41808:
Carroll, Charles E ~ Sgt, Gunner, CT
Cunningham, Clatie R, Jr ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, TN
Hayes, Roy R ~ S/Sgt, Radio Operator, IL
Knigga, John W ~ S/Sgt, Radar Operator, KY
Leach, Clifton E ~ Sgt, Gunner, OK
McDermott, Donald C ~ 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, CA
Meriage, Nicholas ~ Sgt, Gunner, PA
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who survived from B-24 #44-41808:
Low, Walter ~ Pilot
Reed, Stanley L ~ Navigator
Gingerich, Edward ~ Bombardier
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Special thanks to Bill Davis for submitting a complete description of this mission!
Bio & Crew Report by:
Russell S. "Russ" Pickett
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His wife was Avis Leola Nowlin Leach ( 1914 -2009) and his son was Larry Clifton Leach ( 1944 -2009)
Contributor: E. (46782320)
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