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Technical Sergeant Bernard Mechanic was a gunner/radio operator with the 376th Bomb Group 9th Air Force. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal for his actions during Operation Tidal Wave on August 1, 1943, which was a raid on the Ploesti oil refineries. Due to navigation and pilot error as well as German aerial defenses, this raid suffered devastating losses, including 440 crew members killed and an additional 220 taken as prisoners of war.

 Identifier

NASM.2016.0003

Creator

Mechanic, Bernard

Date

bulk 1940-1945

Provenance

Mark Machanic, Gift, 2016

Extent

0.1 Cubic feet ((2 folders))

Archival Repository

National Air and Space Museum Archives

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of thirty-eight black and white photographs, mostly snapshots, relating to Sergeant Bernard Mechanic's service with the 376th Bomb Group, 9th Air Force. The images include the following: Consolidated B-24 Liberators in-flight; images from his R&R leave to Tel Aviv; noseart; and images of Winston Churchill, Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, and Field Marshall Archibald Wavell. There is also one graduation certificate for the Aerial Gunnery and Fire Control School at Wendover, Utah.

Rights

Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests

Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Citation

376th Bomb Group Photography [Mechanic], Accession 2016-0003, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Topics

World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations

Aeronautics

Consolidated B-24 Liberator

Type

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs