World War II Honoree

Earl R. Wages

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Columbia, South Carolina

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

SERVED IN THE AMERICAN THEATER AT GOWEN FIELD AT BOISE, IDAHO; WENDOVER FIELD, UTAH; AND SIOUX CITY ARMY AIR BASE, IOWA. HIS AIRCRAFT DEPARTED SIOUX CITY IN LATE OCTOBER, 1943 AND FLEW TO THE UNITED KINGDOM VIA THE SOUTHERN ROUTE BY WAY OF FLORIDA, PUERTO RICO, BRAZIL, AND WEST AFRICA. SERVED AS A B-24 ‘LIBERATOR’ HEAVY BOMBER CREWMEMBER OVERSEAS IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER WITH THE 702ND BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON (BS), 445TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (BG), 8TH AIR FORCE. PARTICIPATED IN THE AIR OFFENSIVE-EUROPE, NORMANDY, NORTHERN FRANCE, RHINELAND, ARDENNES-ALSACE (BATTLE OF THE BULGE), AND CENTRAL EUROPE CAMPAIGNS. HIS SQUADRON WAS STATIONED AT TIBENHAM, ENGLAND AND ENTERED COMBAT ON DECEMBER 13, 1943 BY ATTACKING U-BOAT (SUBMARINE) INSTALLATIONS AT KIEL, GERMANY. THE 702ND BS OPERATED PRIMARILY AS A STRATEGIC BOMBARDMENT ORGANIZATION, STRIKING SUCH TARGETS IN GERMANY AS INDUSTRIES IN OSNABRUCK, OIL PLANTS IN LUTZENDORF, CHEMICAL WORKS IN LUDWIGSHAFEN, MARSHALLING YARDS AT HAMM, AN AIRFIELD AT MUNICH, AN AMMUNITION PLANT AT DUNEBERG, UNDERGROUND OIL STORAGE FACILITIES AT EHMEN, AND FACTORIES AT MUNSTER. HIS UNIT PARTICIPATED IN THE ALLIED CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE GERMAN AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY DURING ‘OPERATION BIG WEEK’ FROM FEBRUARY 20-25, 1944. THE GROUP WAS AWARDED A DISTINGUISHED UNIT CITATION (DUC) FOR ATTACKING AN AIRCRAFT ASSEMBLY PLANT AT GOTHA, GERMANY ON FEBRUARY 24, 1944. THE UNIT OCCASIONALLY FLEW INTERDICTORY AND SUPPORT MISSIONS. BOMBED AIRFIELDS, V-WEAPON SITES, AND OTHER TARGETS IN ADVANCE OF THE D-DAY INVASION OF NORMANDY, FRANCE; ATTACKED SHORE INSTALLATIONS ON D-DAY, (JUNE 6, 1944); SUPPORTED GROUND FORCES AT ST LO, FRANCE BY STRIKING ENEMY DEFENSES IN JULY, 1944. SEPTEMBER 27, 1944 WAS A DEADLY DAY FOR THE GROUP. IN JUST OVER THREE MINUTES, 20 B-24 AIRCRAFT WENT DOWN IN CENTRAL GERMANY, RESULTING IN THE HIGHEST LOSS IN HISTORY FOR A BOMB GROUP IN A SINGLE-DAY BATTLE. FIVE MORE CRASHED IN GERMANY, ONE IN BELGIUM, AND TWO IN FRANCE. TWO MADE EMERGENCY LANDINGS IN ENGLAND, ONE CRASH-LANDED WHEN IT TRIED TO LAND AT HOME. ONLY 4 OF THE 35 B-24 AIRCRAFT MADE IT BACK TO THE BASE AT TIBENHAM SAFELY. BOMBED GERMAN LINES OF COMMUNICATIONS DURING THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE IN DECEMBER, 1944 AND JANUARY, 1945. DROPPED FOOD, MEDICAL SUPPLIES, AND AMMUNITION ON MARCH 24, 1945 TO TROOPS THAT LANDED NEAR WESEL, GERMANY DURING ‘OPERATION VARSITY,’ THE ALLIED AIRBORNE ASSAULT ACROSS THE RHINE RIVER; THEN FLEW A BOMBING MISSION TO STORMEDE, GERMANY IN SUPPORT OF ‘VARSITY’ GROUND OPERATIONS. STAFF SERGEANT WAGES WAS KILLED IN ACTION ON APRIL 7, 1945. POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE AIR MEDAL, PURPLE HEART, GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. THE GROUP WAS AWARDED THE FRENCH CROIX DE GUERRE WITH PALM FOR OPERATIONS IN THE THEATER FROM DECEMBER, 1943 TO FEBRUARY, 1945.