Medal of Honour – 2nd Lt. Lloyd Hughes

Lloyd “Pete” Hughes attended high school at Refugio, Texas, graduated from Corpus Christi Junior College, & went to Texas A&M prior to enlisting as an aviation cadet at San Antonio, January 28, 1942. He took pilot training at fields in Texas & Oklahoma, getting his wings & commission at the Lubbock Army Flying School, Texas, in November 1942. He attended Combat Crew School at Tarrant Field, Fort Worth & served briefly at Salt Lake City, Utah, & Davis Monthan Field, Arizona. He joined the 389th Bomb Group, 564th Squadron at Biggs Field, Texas, & moved with it to Lowry Field, Colorado; Lincoln, Nebraska & finally to the European Theatre in June 1943. 2d Lt Lloyd Herbert HUGHES

On his fifth mission, as pilot of a B-24 Liberator bomber in an attack against the Axis oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania, he was killed August 1, when his plane was severely damaged from enemy fire prior to reaching the target. Although he could have made an emergency landing in grain fields, Lieutenant Hughes flew the crippled plane on to the target area & made his bomb run. Upon completing the run, the left wing was aflame causing the plane to crash when he attempted a forced landing. The citation reads, in part: “…The target area was blazing with burning oil tanks & damaged refinery installations from which flames leaped above the bombing level of the formation. With full knowledge of the consequences of entering this blazing inferno when his airplane was profusely leaking gasoline, Lieutenant Hughes, motivated only by his high conception of duty which called for the destruction of his assigned target at any cost . . . unhesitatingly entered the blazing area & dropped his bomb load with great precision . . . rendering a service everlastingly outstanding.”

MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION For conspicuous gallantry in action & intrepidity at the risk of his life above & beyond the call of duty. On August 1,  1943, 2d Lt. Hughes served in the capacity of pilot of a heavy bombardment aircraft participating in a long & hazardous minimum-altitude attack against the Axis oil refineries of Ploesti, Rumania, launched from the northern shores of Africa. Flying in the last formation to attack the target, he arrived in the target area after previous flights had thoroughly alerted the enemy defences. Approaching the target through intense & accurate antiaircraft fire & dense balloon barrages at dangerously low altitude, his plane received several direct hits from both large & small calibre antiaircraft guns which seriously damaged his aircraft, causing sheets of escaping gasoline to stream from the bomb bay & from the left wing. This damage was inflicted at a time prior to reaching the target when 2d Lt. Hughes could have made a forced landing in any of the grain fields readily available at that time. The target area was blazing with burning oil tanks & damaged refinery installations from which flames leaped high above the bombing level of the formation. With full knowledge of the consequences of entering this blazing inferno when his airplane was profusely leaking gasoline in two separate locations, 2d Lt. Hughes, motivated only by his high conception of duty which called for the destruction of his assigned target at any cost, did not elect to make a forced landing or turn back from the attack. Instead, rather than jeopardize the formation & the success of the attack, he unhesitatingly entered the blazing area & dropped his bomb load with great precision. After successfully bombing the objective, his aircraft emerged from the conflagration with the left wing aflame. Only then did he attempt a forced landing, but because of the advanced stage of the fire enveloping his aircraft the plane crashed & was consumed. By 2d Lt. Hughes’ heroic decision to complete his mission regardless of the consequences in utter disregard of his own life, & by his gallant & valorous execution of this decision, he has rendered a service to our country in the defeat of our enemies which will everlastingly be outstanding in the annals of our Nation’s history.

Article Courtesy of USAF