T/Sgt Donald D Leaver was the Engineer/Gunner in the Feely flight crew. The Feely crew joined the 819th Bombardment Squadron at Wheeler Field on Oahu, Hawaii in about Oct 1943. They began combat operations with the 392nd BS on Canton in Dec 1943. They were transferred to the 38th BS in late Apr 1944. They completed their required 35 missions in late Jul 1944, and returned to the US for rest and reassignment.

Members of the Feely flight crew were:

Raymond A Feely (Pilot)

Fletcher G Bates (Co-Pilot)

Louis A Shukle (Navigator)

John W Ferejohn (Bombardier)

Donald D Leaver (Engineer)

Albert H Wolf (Radio Operator)

Lawrence E Galyon (Ass't Engineer)

Avery V McInelly (Ass't Radio Operator)

Mervin P Frost (Tail Gunner)

Frederic W Mueller (Gunner)

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Bates.Fletcher.Newspaper.Warrensburg.MO.29.Aug.1944:

SEVENTH AAF HEADQUARTERS, Central Pacific — Almost blasted out of the sky on their thirtieth mission, [26 Jul 1944], the crew of the Seventh AAF Liberator, the "Bomb Baby”, on their return to an advance base in the Central Pacific, received a fitting welcome for their return before going home on leave, when they were met on the landing strip by Bob Hope and his troupe. "Our nose gunner was slightly wounded, so we made a short landing by the tower to get him to the hospital," said Lt Fletcher G. Bates, co-pilot of Warrensburg Mo. Hope and Frances Langford and the others had just landed, and they rushed over to our plane to see what was up.”

The nose gunner, Staff Sgt Avery V McInelly was suffering from concussion received when a 20 mm cannon shell spent itself on the plexiglass in his turret and knocked him from his seat. He was the only member of the crew injured, although the plane survived more ack ack on this mission than it had received on its 20 previous attacks on the enemy.

Nine members of the crew who have been together for almost two years have been active in the campaigns over the Gilberts Marshalls and Carolines. Their thirtieth mission was part of a flight Liberators which bombed Truk. Most of the planes were hit, although all crews returned safely.

"We had received only three small holes in the plane on all our 29 raids," said Lt Bates, “But this time they let us have it. Jap gunners began hitting us with AA fire before we got on the bomb run. The plane was hit and the number four engine was put out of commission. We dropped our bombs on the target, then five or six fighters came at us, strafing and dropping phosphorous bombs. They kept at us for about 30 minutes, but although the plane took plenty of punishment, only McInelly got hurt.

"One burst of ack-ack knocked out a camera observation window, exploded and sprayed the ceiling without hitting anyone. Those strange things happen. And three of the gun positions were out of commission after the plane left the target. The prayer of the pilot, Lt. Raymond A. Feely of Chicago, probably got us through. On the interphone, we heard him praying, 'God, give me just one half hour so I can get my gunners out of here'."

Not only did the Hope troupe, which consisted of Frances Langford, Jerry Colonna, Tony Romano and Patty Thomas, meet the plane and autograph its equipment, but when they heard that the flight members could not make the show, they gave a second performance especially for them. "Besides that, Hope and Romano found time to go out to the hospital to see Mclnelly. That cheered him so that he was able to go back to the homo base the next day, and he was out of the hospital in no time." Lt Bates declared.

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Missions flown by the Feely crew from Apamama:

Date/Target: 23 Jan 1944 - Wotje Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 25 Jan 1944 - Kwajalein Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 29 Jan 1944 - Roi Island, Kwajalein Atoll ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 1 Feb 1944 - Kwajalein Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 8 Feb 1944 - Wotje Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 10 Feb 1944 - Rongelap Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 14 Feb 1944 - Ponape Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 17 Feb 1944 - Kusaie Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 21 Feb 1944 - Ponape Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 25 Feb 1944 - Ponape Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 29 Feb 1944 - Mille Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 7 Mar 1944 - Jaluit Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 11 Mar 1944 - Nauru Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 15 Mar 1944 - Truk Atoll ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 19 Mar 1944 - Wake Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

Date/Target: 21 Mar 1944 - Mille Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

There was a one month pause in the Feely crew's missions in the period when the 392nd BS moved its base from Apamama to Kwajalein.

Date/Target: 24 Apr 1944 - Guam Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Libby Raider/Annie, #42-72958

In Apr 1944, the Feely crew was transferred to the 38th Bombardment Squadron to replace crews that had completed their required missions.

Missions flown by the Feely crew with the 38th BS from Kwajalein:

Date/Target: 29 Apr 1944 - Truk Atoll ----------Airplane: B-24: Bomb Baby, #42-72976

Date/Target: 1 May 1944 - Trul Atoll ----------Airplane: B-24: Pistol Pakin Mamma, #42-72989

Date/Target: 4 May 1944 - Ponape Town, Ponape Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Pistol Pakin Mamma, #42-72989

Date/Target: 6 May 1944 - Truk Atoll ----------Airplane: B-24: Bomb Baby, #42-72976

Date/Target: 11 May 1944 - Wake Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Bomb Baby, #42-72976

Date/Target: 13 May 1944 - Taroa Island, Maleolap Atoll ----------Airplane: B-24: Bomb Baby, #42-72976

Date/Target: 14 May 1944 - Jaluit Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Bomb Baby, #42-72976

Date/Target: 22 May 1944 - Wotje Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Bomb Baby, #42-72976

Date/Target: 28 May 1944 - Ponape Island ----------Airplane: B-24: Bomb Baby, #42-72976

There was a one month pause in the Lewis crew's missions. It may have included a 10 day furlough in Hawaii.

Date/Target: 24 Jun 1944 - Truk Atoll ----------Airplane: B-24: Bomb Baby, #42-72976

Date/Target: 28 Jun 1944 - Truk Atoll ----------Airplane: B-24: Bomb Baby, #42-72976

Date/Target: 2 Jul 1944 - Truk Atoll ----------Airplane: B-24: Bomb Baby, #42-72976

Date/Target: 6 Jul 1944 - Truk Atoll ----------Airplane: B-24: Bomb Baby, #42-72976

Date/Target: 11 Jul 1944 - Truk Atoll ----------Airplane: B-24: Bomb Baby, #42-72976

Date/Target: 16 Jul 1944 - Truk Atoll ----------Airplane: B-24: Pistol Pakin Mamma, #42-72989

Date/Target: 22 Jul 1944 - Truk Atoll ----------Airplane: B-24: Bomb Baby, #42-72976

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More information about the 30th Bombardment Group:

30th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

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