A rare WW2 Airforce Medal and incredible archive of ephemera relating S/Sgt Hursle Howard Welsh (Hursh), 717th Bomber Squadron AAF. The medal was awarded for 50 operations over occupied Europe during 1944 two of which received a Presidential Unit Citation. The archive with the medal is truly outstanding from school records, references for the USAF, medical records, flying records covering both training and operations, recommendation for pilot training letter, letters awarding the Airforce Medal with an additional 3 bronze Oak Leaf clusters (these not with the medal), European -African-Middle Eastern theatre medal (ribbon only included) and Good conduct medal (Sadly the whereabouts of the last two medals is unknown), Marksman badge, original Beeman’s gum, dog tags, ribbon bars, Presidential Unit Citation ribbon, side cap, Aircrew Badge, 15th Airforce patch, small original photo of damaged aircraft, address book (Enid Army Airfield on cover), Liquor permit, with fellow crew members details, two Pilot and crew member physical record cards, Military Courtesy card for Enid Army Airfield, etc. Hursle Howard Welsh, known as’Hursh’, was born in 1922 in Tulsa and lived for over 60 years in Modesto, California. He enlisted on the 19th of March 1943 in Sacramento, California and qualified as an Armourer Gunner. Hursle headed to the 717th Bombardment Sqn (H)AAF in 1944 which was based in Grottaglie Airfield near Taranto in Italy. The squadron operated Consolidated B-24 Liberators as part of the 449th Bombardment Group flying strategic bombing operations over Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Albania and Greece. 39412808 S/Sgt Hursle Welsh was assigned to Joseph E Zink’s crew as a nose gunner flying 50 operational sorties from April 1944 to August 1944. His missions included flights to Germany and Austria (8), France (4), Yugoslavia (3)Italy (14)Albania (1), Romania (11). An Airforce address book is included with his crew’s names and addresses at the time. He took part in the 4th of April 1944 raid on the marshalling yards at Bucharest where the 449th were credited with destroying the marshalling yard and shooting down 40 enemy fighters. It was to be the 449th most costly combat mission as seven B-24s and 71 men were lost. (The 717th lost 12 KIA and 8 POW). A presidential Unit Citation was awarded to the 449th and Hursle’s citation ribbon bar is included. A second raid in which he participated on the 9th of July 1944 gained a second Presidential Citation. This was an attack on the Concorda Vega oil refinery at Ploesti which was defended by an effective smoke screen, fighters, and one of the heaviest concentrations of flak encountered by the 449th. PFF ground attack radar had to be used due to the target being totally obscured by smoke. Ploesti was a key target protected by 200 anti-aircraft guns and formations of up to 100 fighters and required an 8 hour mission. Despite the defences the raid was a success and a second Presidential Citation was awarded. Hursle completed his 50 combat missions with a total of 269 combat hours returning to the US in August 1944. He was obviously exhausted and suffering from battle fatigue from his experiences and was recommended to be an Armourer Gunner Instructor back home in the US. (Documentation covering this is included). He was awarded the Airforce Medal in may 1944 followed by three bronze Oak Leaf Clusters. Hursle was also awarded the European -African-Middle Eastern theatre medal (ribbon included) and Good conduct medal. In September 1944 he was recommended for Aviation Cadet Training with the recommendation by the Colonel that’while under my command he has shown the ability to learn and think quickly under extremely difficult circumstances and it is my belief that if given the opportunity to take Aviation Cadet Training it would be in the best interests of the Untied States’. It is unclear trained to become a pilot. He married Marion in October 1945 and had three children, Grand children and Great Grand children and passed away in 2006. Hursle’Hursh’ Welsh is remembered in Lake wood Memorial Park, Hughson, Stanislaus County, California. This is an exceptional archive to one of the many brave bomber aircrew of WW2 and worthy of much more research! I can post to the US if required.
