Local Air Hero Dies in Crash in England

Taken From “The Newport Daily News”, August 2 1945 —

Captain K. L. Gilbert Held Record of 92 Missions Middletown Ace was Training for Fighter Pilot Prior to action Against Japs.

Captain Kenneth L. Gilbert, army air forces, 22, much decorated-air hero ofthe present war and credited by the War Department with setting a record in piloting bombers over German held Europe, while a member of the 8th Air Force, was killed in an airplane crash in England July 17, according to a telegram received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Leo A. Gilbert of Prospect Avenue, Middletown RI.

Captain Gilbert, who was born in this city, had compiled a remarkable record in his bomber, “Missouri Sue” which he brought back to its base after every mission. He flew 75 consecutive combat missions at his own request. Fliers are almost invariably grounded after 50 successive missions, he had a grand total of 92 combat missions, and took part in six air sea rescues.

Winner of four Distinguished Flying Crosses. 12 Military medals, a Silver star and a Croix de Guerre, in addition to other honors, Captain Gilbert had recently transferred from piloting a bomber to becoming a combat pilot.

Although he could have rested on his laurels, he expressed a desire to stay in action. He told his parents that he wanted to become a combat pilot because, in case of mishap, it would be himself alone, who would be involved and not any members of his crew. An unusual part of his bomber record is that no one of the 62 members of his crews was ever wounded or injured.

Captain Gilbert, who returned here for a visit several, months ago, returned to England on V-E Day. At that time the Associated Press carried an article about him expressing his disappointment that he was unable to continue in action against the Germans. He put in for fighter pilots, was accepted, and was in training prior to going into action against Japan when his fatal accident occurred.

His physical condition, carefully checked by Army medical officers during his bombing experiences, was regarded as exceptional. One of his major performances was 39 combat missions in 41 days. The usual practice is for bombers to make a combat flight about once every five days. During his record run, he used three crews.

Captain Gilbert was graduate of Rogers High School. His family lived in this city, Jamestown and Middletown. Besides his parents, lie leaves two brothers, Captain Lionel G. Gilbert, with the Army intelligence now in Hamburg, Germany, and Staff Sergeant Lloyd S. Gilbert, with the 5th Air Force at the Fort Riley, Kansas, after spending 31 months in flew Guinea.

The War Department’s telegram said that details would follow in a letter.

County Flier Sets
Endurance Record

Makes 75 Combat Flights Without Break

Captain K. L. Gilbert Wears Out Three Crews,

Finally Eventually Grounded

Captain Kenneth L. Gilbert, son of Mr. and Mrs. Leo A. Gilbert, of Prospect and Aquidneck avenues, Middletown, has established a spectacular mark by His completion of 75 combat missions without a break. All were made in the same ship, “Missouri Sue”, according to word his parents have received.

Captain Gilbert is in the European theatre of operations. The 21-year-old Liberator bomber pilot set an endurance mark that few fliers even like to think about challenging. He started operations April 12 and flew his seventy-firth mission October 8.

While medical statistics indicate the 'normal bomber pilot reaches his peak of efficiency and starts on his down grade far short of 75 hauls, Gilbert's fourth crew Is just as strong for him as was his first. There are statistics proving that a bumble-bee can't fly," observed Sergeant Charles Manning, Centralla, III., Gilbert's radio operator. "But, like a bumble-bee I guess the skipper isn’t statistically minded.

"He certainly looks in the pink and the medics have been tearing their hair about him for months." Gilbert stood by grinning. "We were always lucky and never had too much trouble," he said. Regardless of whether Gilbert likes it his squadron commander, says he's through flying for a while and slated for a ground job.

Enlisting In the army in 1938, as soon as ho was of age, Captain Gilbert was graduated from the army air force school at Lubbock Field, Texas, with the rank of flight officer. He took a post graduate course, was assigned to a combat group and was soon in the thick of things in bombing operations in Europe. He was given The Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with a half-dozen or more subsequent decorations.

There are two brothers in the service, Captain Lionel P. Gilbert, of army intelligence, in France, and Staff Sergeant Lloyd Gilbert, who returned a short time ago after 30 months in the army air force in the South Pacific. The three all attended the Rogers High School and enlisted. Their father is master mechanic at Gould Island.

Middletown Aviator Holds Several Bomber Records

Capt; Kenneth L. Gilbert flew 75 missions, 29 of them in 32 Days totaling nearly 600 Combat hours; No Man in His Ship Has Been Wounded.

Breaking records seems to have become a habit With Capt. Kenneth L. Gilbert, pilot of the B-24 Liberator bomber, “Missouri Sue” which took him over Berlin ‘about a dozen times’ and in all flew 75 missions aver Germany and France with the 21 year old Middletown flier at the control Captain Gilbert, who was stationed in England for l80 days with a famed bombardment group, broke his first record when he made 26 missions in 39 days. Later he broke that by flying 29 missions in 32 days. Now ordered home for a rest, much against his will, the youthful blonde captain is spending his leave, with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lea L. Gilbert, at their home on Prospect Avenue.
When his leave is up early next month, he will report to Atlantic City, N.J., for reassignment.

Career as Army pilot
A career as an army pilot is his goal, and he hopes to get back into action soon because he feels that advancement comes more rapidly to those who are stationed at the
Front. This time he wants to fly alone as a fighter pilot.
During the time he was stationed in England, he hardly flew alone since
52 men were assigned to his ship while he was in command. With a sly smile, he says of this, “None of them wear the Purple Heart. They are all back in this country with the exception of one who is still in England.”
The only reason he is home now is that the medics who shake their heads when they hear of the young captain that refused to suffer from flying fatigue, finally ordered him out of combat for a rest.

Find no trace of fatigue
Seventy-five missions are far in excess of the number normally flown by bomber pilots, and Captain Gilbert scored his second record when he completed that number. On several occasions, the flight surgeon examined the captain, but could find no trace of fatigue.

He laughs as he talks about it now and says “Flying didn’t bother me. The more I flew, the better I felt.” To look at the stocky pilot one is inclined to agree. The third record was broken by Captain Gilbert in flying nearly 600 combat hours. But his record breaking does not end there “It was during the week we flew to Munich five times, Captain Gilbert said in telling of a mission from which the “Missouri Sue” and its crew, were lucky survivors.

Falls into spin
We had pulled up to 20,000 feet because of the overcast and were flying as wingman to our flight leader. The air was quite rough because of the prop blast from the ether ships in the formation. Suddenly my co-pilot grabbed the control wheel and pulled the ship up to avoid a collision.
“As he did that we were caught in the propeller wash from another bomber and ware thrown into a snap roll and a half, and then off into a spin. None of as had our safety belts fastened and the flight engineer was standing on the cat-walk in the bomb bay with the doors open and wearing no parachute

“Centrifugal force held as in but the fellows at the waist guns were bounced around quite’ a bit’. The engineer didn’t fall out, while, watching the bombs with safety pins removed, moved about.

Fights with controls
During that time we ware spinning down. I was fighting with the controls until we finally straightened out at about 2000 feet, they told me later. By then we had gone over the target so I picked another town nearly and we dropped our bomb load at a low level,’ the captain concluded.
Asked how he felt during that excitement he said, ‘I didn’t have time to feel anything, I was too busy trying to find which way was up and which was down.’
The remarkable feature of that experience Captain Gilbert said was the fact that a B-24 is not designed to perform acrobatics. A snap roll is a complete wingover and with a full bomb load of some 8000 pounds causes much stress to the plane. “They said it couldn’t be done,” Captain Gilbert chuckled.

Stays on Mission
Another time on his way to target in the south of Germany, one engine failed. Usually a pilot will turn back when that happens, but Captain Gilbert kept on because he “didn’t want to lose a chance to complete a mission.” With but three engines the plane flew on to the target, dropped its load and returned to its base although another engine nearly burned out from added strain Captain Gilbert thinks the “Missouri Sue’ was a good ship.  He said that despite the damage it suffered from hits by anti-aircraft and the strain on its motors, the ground crew kept it in shape so that the last he knew the plane was still bombing Nazis.
During the time he was in command, Captain Gilbert said that three of the engines were replaced, but one of them never failed, although it was in operation for 750 flying hours-somewhat of a record in itself. The old bomber was named for the sweetheart of Captain Gilbert’s operations officer who, was eventually shot down.

Flies to Africa
Captain Gilbert first flew the big Liberator back in January of this year, when lie took off for England with his crew. The big ship easily flew the southern route to Africa alone and after being based on that continent for about a month, was ordered to England.
The first mission out of England was made on April 12, and “the next five days were the hardest’ of all the missions. Captain Gilbert said, since the bomber ran into its heaviest barrages of anti-aircraft fire. In the following months, during which the bomber and Captain Gilbert averaged one mission every two and two-thirds days, there were many changes in the crew and several crash landings. However, despite the fact that windshields were knocked out, shrapnel holes were torn in the fuselage, and motors quit functioning, no one was even scratched.

Turned Back Only Once
The only time the ship was turned hack after it started out on a mission was when the nose turret, which was a converted tail-turret, became turned around and the gunner’s back was exposed to the open air. While mission after mission was accomplished, Captain Gilbert stubbornly refused to accept passes to go on leave. He didn’t smoke, he didn’t drink and he didn’t bother with girls, so why go on leave, when he could be building up time and experience in his chosen career. One time however, he went to London. He walked into a restaurant and stood at a balcony rail looking down on the diners. He turned to glance at the men standing next to him; he was astounded to recognize his brother, Capt. Lionel G. Gilbert, who had arrived in England with the Army intelligence unit, unannounced.

Two days with brother
The two were together for two days and that was the last Capt. Kenneth Gilbert saw of his brother although he has since heard from him in France.
Another brother whom he has not seen in some tine is S-Sgt. Lloyd S. Gilbert, who was stationed with the Army Air Corps, as a ground crewman for 31 months in the Southwest Pacific. He is now at an air corps base in Kansas.
Captain Gilbert enlisted in the air corps in 1941 after he graduated from Rogers High school Newport, RI. For a while he was an airplane engine mechanic and later was sent to flight school as a flying Sergeant. On graduation, he was only 13 and since at that time the Army regulations prohibited his being commissioned a lieutenant until 21, Captain Gilbert was made a flight officer. Later he was commissioned a second lieutenant and raised in grade until he was promoted to Captain last August.
For his achievements while in England he has been awarded the Air medal with 11 Oak Leaf clusters and four Distinguished Flying crosses.

Wins Croix de Guerre
Also, the French Croix de Guerre has been presented him, but hasn’t caught up with him yet. Neither has the Silver Star, which he says is on its way. His bombing group has twice been given the presidential Unit Citation. He is also entitled to wear the European-Africa-Middle East Area campaign ribbon with five stars. Born in Newport on July, 5, 1923, Captain Gilbert’s family moved to Jamestown when he was a child. He was educated in the Jamestown grammar schools and later graduated from Rogers High School. Although said by correspondents in England not to be interested in girls, captain Gilbert admitted that he had an interest in Miss Janet Datson, daughter of Col. and Mrs. John Datson of Westerly, to whom he became engaged before going overseas.
The couple became engaged while Miss Matson lived in Jamestown when her father was commander of the Army posts there. Besides completing 75 bombing missions over Europe, Captain Gilbert ferried supplies to invasion troops in France, making 11 trips.