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L. O. Evans and crew in front of a B-24. Photo taken May of 1945 in Pueblo, Colorado, before shipping out to the Southwest Pacific.
2nd Lt. Leslie O. Evans - Pilot
1st Lt. Harry A. Ragland - Navigator
2nd Lt. James E. Tate, Jr. - Co-Pilot
2nd Lt. Aloysius Domurat - Bombardier
Sgt. James J. Hayes - Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner
Sgt. Donald A. Lacine - Radio Operator/Gunner
Sgt. William F. Ryan - Armorer/Nose Gunner
Cpl. Anthony Molodowitz - Ball Turret Gunner
Cpl. Herschel K. Husk - Waist Gunner
Cpl. Charles R. Walter - Tail Gunner
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This crew was assigned to the Thirteenth Air Force, 5th Bomb Group, 31st Bomb Squadron. By the time Evans had arrived overseas he had already flown over 650 hours while in training. His crew started flying combat missions on July 7, 1945. Flight records show Evans was first pilot of a B-24 J and flew a total of 38 hours in the month of July, and in August flew 23 more "combat
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hours", up until Japan’s surrender in mid August 1945. Evans continued “ferrying” missions (B-24 J, B-24 L and B-24 M) through November. Evans received his orders to be “Transferred to Separation Center” and in mid November he and crew (minus the gunners) flew a B-24 serial # 44-40315 from Clark Field in the Philippines to Mather Field, California. |
Pilot Training:
May - Sept 1943= College Training Detachment (Henderson College, AR)
Oct - Nov 1943= Pre Flight Training (Lackland, TX)
Nov 1943 - Jan 1944= Primary Pilot Training (Oklahoma City, OK)
Jan - March 1944= Basic Flying Training (Enid, OK)
March - May 1944= Advanced Flying Training (Altus, OK)
June - Aug 1944= Four Engine Aircraft Training (Fort Worth, TX)
Sept 1944= Crew Formation (Lincoln, NB)
Oct 1944 - May 1945= Combat Crew Training (Pueblo, CO)
Evans flew nine combat missions in the Southwest Pacific During WWII with a total of sixty-one combat hours.
The battles and campaigns Evans participated in were:
Western Pacific GO 40 WD 45
Borneo Air Offensive GO 33 WD 45
Southern Philippines GO 33 WD 45
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