World War II Honoree

Lloyd Lee Elliott

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE AND AFTER BASIC INDIVIDUAL TRAINING, ATTENDED AERIAL GUNNER SPECIALTY TRAINING. UPON COMPLETION, SENT TO UNIT AND CREW TRAINING. ASSIGNED TO THE 34TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (HEAVY) WHICH WAS ACTIVATED ON JANUARY 15, 1941. THE GROUP WAS STATIONED AT LANGLEY FIELD, VIRGINIA ON JANUARY 15, 1941, AND WESTOVER FIELD IN MASSACHUSTTS ON MAY 29, 1941. THE GROUP LATER BECAME PART OF THE DEFENSE FORCE FOR THE WEST COAST. HIS GROUP SERVED AS A REPLACEMENT TRAINING UNIT (RTU) FROM MID-1942, UNTIL THE END OF 1943. HIS RTU WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR TRAINING OVERSEAS REPLACEMENT CREWS LOST IN BATTLE OR REASSIGNED TO THE UNITED STATES. HE TRAINED AS A GUNNER WITH INSTRUCTOR CREWS ON INDIVIDUAL SKILL PROFICIENCY, TEAMWORK, EQUIPMENT AND TECHNIQUE FAMILIARIZATION, FORMATION FLYING, AND COMBAT SIMULATION MISSIONS. HE TRAINED ABOARD B-17 ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ AND B-24 ‘LIBERATOR’ HEAVY BOMBER AIRCRAFT. HIS CREW THEN BEGAN PREPARING FOR OVERSEAS DUTY. MOVED TO ROYAL AIR FORCE (RAF) MENDLESHAM, LOCATED EAST OF STOWMARKET, IN SUFFOLK, ENGLAND, ON APRIL 26, 1944, FOR OPERATIONS WITH THE EIGHTH AIR FORCE. SERVED OVERSEAS DURING THE WAR, AS AN AERIAL (TAIL) GUNNER IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER, IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO), ABOARD THE B-17, NICKNAMED THE ‘FLYING DUTCHMAN.’ AS A GUNNER, HE WAS PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR DEFENSE OF HIS SECTOR OF RESPONSIBILITY AT THE REAR OF THE AIRCRAFT AGAINST ENEMY AIR ATTACK. HE ALSO ASSISTED THE ARMORER-GUNNER IN MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR OF GUNS, GUNSIGHTS, TURRETS AND BOMB RACKS. PARTICIPATED IN THE AIR OFFENSIVE-EUROPE, NORMANDY, NORTHERN FRANCE, RHINELAND, ARDENNES-ALSACE (BATTLE OF THE BULGE), AND CENTRAL EUROPE CAMPAIGNS. HIS GROUP ENTERED COMBAT IN MAY, 1944. IT HELPED TO PREPARE FOR THE INVASION OF NORMANDY BY BOMBING AIRFIELDS IN FRANCE AND GERMANY, AND SUPPORTED THE LANDINGS IN JUNE, 1944, BY ATTACKING COASTAL DEFENSES AND COMMUNICATIONS. THE GROUP TOOK PART IN THE CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE BY SUPPORTING GROUND FORCES AT SAINT-LO, FRANCE ON JULY 24-25, 1944, AND BY STRIKING V-WEAPON (V-1 & V-2) SITES, GUN EMPLACEMENTS, AND SUPPLY LINES THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER OF 1944. THE GROUP CONVERTED FROM B-24 TO B-17 AIRCRAFT AND THEN ENGAGED PRIMARILY IN BOMBARDMENT OF STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES FROM OCTOBER, 1944 – FEBRUARY, 1945. GERMAN TARGETS INCLUDED MARSHALLING YARDS IN LUDWIGSHAFEN, HAMM, OSNABRUCK, AND DARMSTADT; OIL CENTERS IN BIELEFELD, MERSEBURG, HAMBURG, AND MISBURG; FACTORIES IN BERLIN, DALTELN, AND HANNOVER; AND AIRFIELDS IN MUNSTER, NEUMUNSTER, AND FRANKFURT. DURING THIS PERIOD THE GROUP ALSO SUPPORTED GROUND FORCES DURING THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE IN DECEMBER, 1944 – JANUARY, 1945. IN MARCH, 1945, WITH FEW INDUSTRIAL TARGETS REMAINING AND WITH ALLIED ARMIES ADVANCING ACROSS GERMANY, THE 34TH GROUP TURNED ALMOST SOLELY TO INTERDICTING ENEMY COMMUNICATIONS AND SUPPORTING ALLIED GROUND FORCES. AFTER V-E DAY ON MAY 8, 1945, IT CARRIED FOOD TO FLOODED AREAS OF HOLLAND AND TRANSPORTED ALLIED PRISONERS OF WAR (POW) FROM GERMAN POW CAMPS TO ALLIED CENTERS. AWARDED AIRCRAFT CREW MEMBER BADGE, AERIAL GUNNER BADGE, AIR MEDAL, GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AFTER THE END OF HOSTILITIES AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON.