Hughes -- 2nd Lt Lloyd H Hughes

 

Lloyd Hughes attended high school at Refugio, Texas, graduated from Corpus Christi Junior College, and went to Texas A.&M. prior to enlisting as an aviation cadet at San Antonio, Jan. 28, 1942. He took pilot training at fields in Texas and Oklahoma, getting his wings and commission at the Lubbock Army Flying School, Texas, in November 1942. He attended Combat Crew School at Tarrant Field, Fort Worth and served briefly at Salt Lake City, Utah, and Davis Monthan Field, Ariz.

He joined the 389th Bomb Group's 564th Squadron at Biggs Field, Texas, and moved with it to Lowry Field, Colo.; Lincoln, Neb., and finally to the European Theater in June 1943.

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 Aug. 1, when his plane was severely damaged from enemy fire prior to reaching the target. Although he could have made a landing in grain fields, Lieutenant Hughes flew the crippled plane on to the target area and 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 and 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 and dropped his bomb load with great precision . . . rendering a service everlastingly outstanding."

See the
full citation from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website.