DEDICATED TO 93^rd BG (H) 330^th BS

B-24 Waist Gunner

Staff Sergeant Cecil E. Kenney

[WWII European Theater England 1945]

Submissions of C.E. Kenney material from his son Ken Kenney (kkenney99@verizon.net)

Site edited and maintained by Doug Cook

Last Update October 23, 2011

EIGHTH AIR FORCE 93RD BOMB GROUP (H) 330^th BOMB SQUADRON

330^th BOMB SQUADRON “The Traveling Circus”

Cecil E. Kenney Biography

John Purvis: I talked with Mr. Heller yesterday [June 1, 2010] and he advised me that they trained as a crew with a bombardier and arrived in England with a bombardier. When they reached Hardwick, their navigator, bombardier and ball turret gunner were moved to other crews. He also stated that most of the B-24 aircraft that they flew had their ball turrets removed. Mr. Heller informed me that they flew bombing missions with groups of 18 to 20 planes each group had two leads, a primary and a secondary in case something happened to the primary. When they reached their IP (Initial Point) then these groups of 18 to 20 planes began to tighten up to the point of over lapping wings, this is when they became very nervous because of their proximity to each other. They held this position on their approach to the target, upon target acquisition the lead plane opened its bomb bay doors and as they all had a visual on the lead they did likewise, when the first bomb left the lead plane the rest of the group released theirs. He stated that this was called Pattern Bombing. Another thing that was interesting is that he stated that they never talked from plane to plane on the radios, just inter-plane via the intercom.

HELLER B-24 LIBERATOR CREW:

PILOT Robert H. "Bob" Heller Penn Yan, NY         Living

CO-PILOT John S. "Luke" Lucas Greensboro, NC  Deceased

NAVIGATOR Mario J. Rota New York, NY              Deceased

FLIGHT ENGINEER John D. "Jack" Purvis Belzoni, Mississippi  Deceased

LEFT WAIST GUNNER Cecil D. Kenny Cumberland, Maryland  Deceased

RIGHT WAIST GUNNER Joseph R. Davis Saint Louis, Missouri  Deceased

NOSE GUNNER George R. Light Baltimore, Maryland  Deceased

RADIO OPERATOR Leonard B. Bartchak Cleveland, Ohio  Deceased

TAIL GUNNER Michael J. Gentile Worcester, MA  Deceased

[Navigator probably had a dual role as Bombardier]

HELLER B-24 LIBERATOR CREW

Gentile, Kenny, Lucas, Purvis [from John Purvis]

Cecil E. Kenney

Born 3 June 1920 Springfield West Virginia

Enlisted 7 October 1942

Started Basic Training, Foster Field, Texas. 21 October 1942

Graduated Gunner School. 5 August 1944 Tyndall Field, Florida

Deployed to England. 3 February 1944

Arrived in UK. 8 February 1944

Flew 18 missions with 93rd BG 330^th Sq from Hardwick Field.

Returned to USA 27 May 1945 at Bradley Field, Ct.

Discharged 21 October 1945 as a S/Sgt

Cecil E. Kenney returned to Cumberland Maryland to his wife and one son.

Worked for the State of Md. as a Game Warren in Western Maryland,

He was transferred to Eastern Shore Maryland.

About 1957 started working for the Home Beneficial Ins. Company.

Moved to Hyattsville Maryland 1958, on the Western Shore of Md.

Started on his Charter Boat Captains license in 1962

Retired from the Home Beneficial Ins.Company.

Retired from the Maryland National Guard as a Sgt. Major

Was a Charter Boat Captain on the Chesapeake Bay

Cecil E. Kenney died January 13, 1988

He is buried in Annapolis, Maryland

PILOT 1^st LT ROBERT H. HELLER SPEECH

(A must read!)

93^rd BG HISTORY

B-24 LIBERATOR Bomber (Heavy)

HARDWICK AIRFIELD, ENGLAND

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