First Lieutenant Coy Buel Ellison

Coy Buel Allison was born in Hollis, Oklahoma on September 4, 1914, but was raised in McLean. He was a graduate of McLean High School and went on to graduate from Hardin Simmons University. He returned to the Panhandle and was working in the oil fields when he enlisted in the Army Air Forces in June 1941. Both of his parents were deceased, but he had an aunt living in Pampa and a sister and her family that lived in San Angelo at the time of his enlistment.

First Lieutenant Coy Buel Ellison was the navigator on a Consolidated B-24D Liberator based in Benghazi, Libya. On August 1, 1943, along with 177 other B-24D Liberators, 1LT Ellison’s aircraft, Jo-Jo’s Special Delivery, was part of one of World War II’s most daring bombing missions – Operation Tidal Wave. The targets were oil refineries around the Romanian city of Polesti that were vital to Germany’s air force, the Luftwaffe.

Operation Tidal Wave over Polesti, Poland

Unfortunately, Operation Tidal Wave did not go as planned. There were a number of mistakes, accidents, and bad luck. The determination of the enemy defense was significant in thwarting the mission. After 16 hours of intense air fighting, 54 Liberators were destroyed, 310 allied lives were lost, more than 300 were wounded, and 108 were taken as prisoners of war in Romania and another 78 in Turkey. Despite the extreme heroism of the airmen involved in the mission, Operation Tidal Wave had little effect on the oil production, with refineries back to an even greater production level within a matter of months. The U.S. Army Air Forces never again attempted a low-level mission against German air defenses.

Jo-Jo’s Special Delivery was manned by eleven crew members, including 1LT Coy D Ellison, Navigator. Due to technical issues, the plane was late taking off and is said to have never joined their formation, the 93rd Bomber Group. They were able to join the 98th Bomber Group on withdrawal from the Polesti targets. Jo-Jo’s Special Delivery was intercepted by the Luftwaffe over the Ionian Sea, near Kefalonia, Greece. Everyone on board perished.

1LT Ellison’s body was never recovered. He is memorialized at the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial in Coton, Cambridgeshire, England.