Densho Digital Archive - Ben Kuroki - Shige Kuroki Interview (denshovh-kben

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FC: What is this?

BK: This is supposed to be a model of a B-24. And my first mission I flew as a waistgunner, it's the position right here on the side, was over a target in North Africa called Basuri. And on that very first mission our tailgunner was wounded severely by shrapnel from an anti-aircraft gun and after that mission I replaced him and then, so I started flying in this position as a tailgunner. And I flew a number of missions there, and I don't remember exactly how many. And eventually then I was moved up to what they called a top turret. Then I was a top turret gunner when we flew the mission over the Ploesti oil refineries. And that one was my twenty-fourth mission. [Laughs]

FC: How did you train? How did you train in the B-24 for that Ploesti mission and where?

BK: Well, we were stationed in England but then we had to go to North Africa to a base in the desert called Bengazi. And that's where we trained for the low-level attack on the Ploesti oil refineries in Romania. As I explained, everything they, the practice missions were all at low level and the desert crew were flying as low as possible, and we practiced about three months. They had these bombardiers and they all got very experienced there.

FC: How low?

BK: Well, we were flying just almost ground level at times. And I remember how we scared the heck out of some of the Arabs who were there and their camels. And I think the pilots did it on purpose sometimes. [Laughs]

FC: Were the planes flying in tight formation at low level?

BK: Oh yes, we were flying as they would over, naturally over the target. One lead plane and two flying right off your one right wing and left wing. And these young pilots were so daring that even during practice they used to try to stick one wing as close as they could right into the waist area where you're standing there and then really scared the heck out of us.

FC: So you could look over the wing and see faces.

BK: Oh sure. They're all laughing and they think it was great stuff. And that's the thing about those early pilots, they were really just super pilots. They were the best. They had lots of training before the war, too, see. Later on in the war they had these pilots called "ninety-day wonders." In ninety days they were flying as pilots. But the early pilots were exceptional.

FC: The name of your outfit, that you flew with?

BK: Yes, I was with the Ninety-third bomb group, and we were the first B-24 group to fight in England. And we got the name, they called it Ted, Ted's Flying Circus because the commanding officer was Ted Timberlake. And the reason they called it the "flying circus" 'cause they kept getting called to North Africa and other places on emergency calls. Romel was beating the heck out of General Alexander and the Allies in the African desert so we were called over there at least twice. And that's why they started calling us Ted's Traveling Circus.

FC: Did Timberlake survive the mission?

FC: He didn't fly on the Ploesti mission, not to my knowledge.

FC: So who was leading your group then?

BK: Well, our group was led by Colonel Addison Baker. Of course, his plane was shot down and he lost, he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously.

FC: What was the name of your craft?

BK: [Laughs] Well, that's kind of a strange thing because the name of our plane at first was called Red Ass. And the pilot's parents were from Biloxi, Mississippi and they asked him if he would change the name of the plane, so he changed the name to Tupelo Lass after a while.

FC: What was the nose art for Red Ass?

BK: Well, that's just exactly what it was, a red donkey. [Laughs]

FC: How many missions did you fly in the 24?

BK: I flew thirty missions in the B-24.

FC: What was the normal tour?

BK: Well, I was only required to fly twenty-five and I volunteered for five extra just for good measure.

FC: Why?

BK: Well, I just was, wanted to prove myself a little, little more. And figured I had the opportunity to do it.

FC: Prove yourself as what?

BK: Well, wanted to prove my loyalty as a Japanese American. And I had such a hard time getting an assignment overseas and so I thought I'd just go the little extra mile. And I almost got it on my thirtieth mission so I was kind of glad to come back to the States.

FC: What happened?

BK: On the last mission, a piece of shrapnel hit the top of the turret and just completely ripped it right off of the... and I didn't even get scratched. It was just unbelievable. I remember my radio operator, Red Kettering, he wanted to scratch my face, he says, to "Make sure you're gonna get a Purple Heart." [Laughs]

FC: Did you get a Purple Heart?

BK: Oh, no. I didn't put in for one and I didn't, I didn't get injured, so I didn't.

FC: And what happened? Did you fly home at that thirtieth mission or did you... was that the mission that you were forced to land in Morocco?

BK: No, that was quite a bit earlier, the one in Morocco. But, anyway, after the thirtieth mission I decided to come back while I was still in one piece.