Apr 21, 2018 narrated by david ackroyd lady be good is a usaaf b 24d liberator that disappeared without a trace on its first combat mission during world war ii. The consolidated b 24 liberator was designed with the high aspectratio davis wing. Ive found this photo, which people seem to agree is lbg taking off on her final mission. Today, only three b24 liberators are airworthy with several on display as museum pieces throughout the world. Jan 1, 20 b24 liberator lady be good, aircraft 4273074 was one of 25 b24ds of the 376th bomb group took off from their aaf base at soluch, libya, to attack harbor facilities at naples, italy. The lady be good is a b24 that crashed in the libyan desert on april 4th, 1943 after failing to find the base in soluch field while returning from a mission to naples. Based at soluch field in soluch today suluq and benina international airport, libya as part of the 514th bomb squadron, 376th bomb group, it failed to return from an april 4, 1943 bombing raid. B24 lady be good crashed in 1943, finally discovered in 1958. On april 4, 1943, a b24d liberator nicknamed lady be good took off from soluch, an airstrip located near bengazi, libya, for what would be her first and final mission.
Lady be good b 24 bomber, quartermaster graves registration search and recovery the lady be good ghost bomber of wwii. Lady be good aircraft from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The strange tale of the lady be good hometown weekly. A sad story of relying to much on early technology.
Consolidated b24 liberator fourengined strategic heavy. The b24d liberator named lady be good was anything but lucky. Welcome to lady be a repository for online information about wwiis ghost bomber. Today, roswell international air center is a sleepy airport in southeastern new mexico upon which are parked numerous jetliners that. Toner, from north attleboro, massachusetts, navigator dp hays, bombardier john s. Dec, 2011 what they found was nothing short of a time capsule. Lady be good was an american b24d liberator of the united states army air forces, serial number 4124301, during world war ii. Lady be good the story begins richard davis photography. Due to strong winds and sandstorms, the planes were forced to take off in small. Google images fifteen years later, an oil exploration team discovered the wreckage of 4124301 in the calanscio sand sea. Today, the requirements are much stricter one must have at least a college degree.
Today, roswell international air center is a sleepy airport in southeastern new mexico upon which are parked numerous jetliners that have been mothballed or are being broken up for salvage. As the b24 flew deeper into the desert, the plane ran out of gas. The illfated crew of the lady be good, from the left. Even when the b24 did grab headlines, the victories were minor and shortlived, philo argues. Author mario martinez spent many years investigating and unravelling the mystery of the lady be good and his account will enthral any reader looking for a good read. We apologize that progress o n the site was halted in 20092010. Recovery in 1959 of b24 bomber crew lost in libyan desert in 1943.
The consolidated b24 liberator was an american fourengine heavy bomber used by the united states army air forces usaaf and other allied air forces during world war ii. The story of the lady be good by dick campbell youtube. Based at soluch field in soluch today suluq and benina international airport, libya as part of the 514th bomb squadron, 376th bomb group, it failed to return from an april 4, 1943 bombing raid on. Jun 21, 20 lady be good read an excerpt powered by zola lady be good. Story of the 195960 search for and recovery of crew members of the b24 bomber lady be good. The b24 fought for our freedom in the skies of europe and the pacific through the use of strategic bombing during the second world war. After a while, the crew of the lady be good must have realized they were lost, so they began searching for the coastline.
She was lost in the libyan desert for16 years until 9 nov 1958, several british geologists were flying over the sunbaked libyan desert. The tragic story of the world war iiera b 24 liberator bomber lady be good, which mysteriously disappeared after its first bombing mission over naples, italy in april 1943. The liberator and her nineman crew were assigned to the 376th bombardment group, 514th bomb squadron, the date april 4, 1943, the b24s given name lady be good. Jun 15, 2011 lady be good had already been salvaged in the 50s by the air force i dont think much was left except for the fusalage and wings by the time they were done. With all of the coverage of libya in the news lately, it got me wondering if we will ever see the return of the remains of the b24 lady be good to the united states, or at least the consignment of it to a museum.
Songwriters dixie donegan and eddie crane are still in love after their divorce. As the story goes, the crew were reading of the backside of their adf and went away from their base instead of toward it. There was a requirement that the airplane had to be ready before the end of the year and consolidated just met the deadline when the first prototype made its. A c54 in which several autosyn transmitters were installed had propeller trouble and made a safe landing only by throwing cargo overboard. The estimated time for the mission was nine hours round trip, and the planes had enough fuel for twelve hours of flight time. Lady be good b24 bomber, quartermaster graves registration search and recovery the lady be good ghost bomber of wwii. Story of the 195960 search for and recovery of crew members of the b 24 bomber lady be good. On the afternoon of april 4, 1943, the b24 bomber lady be good lbg took off from soluch airstrip in libya, along with 24 other planes, on a mission to bomb the port at naples, italy. Based at benina airfield in soluch today suluq, libya, it crashed in april 1943 returning from a mission and was later discovered in 1959 hundreds of miles into the sahara with its crew mysteriously missing.
Remains of world war ii b24 bomber lady be good in. The lady be good was an american b24d liberator of the united states army air forces, serial number 4124301, during world war ii. Born to dance dvd 1936 eleanor powell james stewart lady be good 1941 double feature dvd. The b24 liberator lady be good was found near the southern edge of the crescentshaped feature at the center of this satellite image, just west of the libyaegypt border. During that fateful trip, lady be good carried nine members of the 514 th squadron, 376 th bomb group, 9 th air force. They survived for eight days, sharing only a single canteen of water while walking over 100 miles 160 km in searing heat before perishing. The consolidated b24 liberator became a major player for allied forces during world war 2.
In combat, the wing had drawbacks as far as durability was concerned, but it increased fuel efficiency and gave the b 24 a longer range than the boeing b 17 flying fortress. A contract was awarded in march 1939 for an additional wooden mockup, one wind tunnel test model and one xb24 airplane. Apparently, i am not the only one thinking this as the topic is appearing on aviati. The plane was lost on a mission over libya, failing to return from a 4 april 1943 bombing raid over naples, italy, the lady be good. Also, some parts were installed in other aircraft, which then experienced unexpected difficulties. Consolidated b24j liberator the collings foundation.
The mystery of the american bomber lost in the desert for 15. Hello sir, my name is solaiman gawda, from tobruk libya, lady be good b 24 have been transferred from libyan desert to tobruk city located at east part of libya at mediterranean sea, the idea and the method for transfered from desert to tobruk was completely wrong, the plane here in my city tobruk divided to several parts and severing from. The mystery of lady be good, the wwii bomber that crashed. The wreckage of a usaaf united states army air forces plane that went missing during its first and last mission in the second world war was discovered in a north african desert. The usaaf 376th bomb groups b 24d liberator lady be good aaf serial no. Case closed mysteries solved, secrets revealed, and questions finally answered aircraft parts were strewn by the consolidated b 24d lady be good as it skidded to a halt amid the otherwise emptiness of the desert. There is still a newer version of this short video on the drawing board. An original set of 22 photos from the 1959 inspection of the b24 called lady be good that was lost in 1943. B24 liberator lady be good, aircraft 4273074 was one of. Mar 09, 2015 an original set of 22 photos from the 1959 inspection of the b 24 called lady be good that was lost in 1943.
Based at soluch field in soluch today suluq and benina international airport, libya as part of the 514th bomb squadron, 376th bomb group, it failed to return from an april 4, 1943 bombing raid on naples, italy. I was fascinated by that episode, but i cant find any trace of it today. The b24 had two bomb bays, both the same size as the b17. The lady be good is a b 24 that crashed in the libyan desert on april 4th, 1943 after failing to find the base in soluch field while returning from a mission to naples.
On 4 th april 1943, lady be good took to the skies for the first time with its nine crew members on a bombing mission on naples. Of the 19,256 b24, pb4y, lb30 and other model variants in the liberator family produced, thirteen complete examples survive today, two of which are airworthy. Dayton, ohio the lady be good stained glass window from the wheelus air force base chapel is now on display at the national museum of the united states air force. Bring the b24 lady be good home public group facebook. May 23, 2018 today, the requirements are much stricter one must have at least a college degree.
Jan, 2015 in april, 1943 a b24 liberator nicknamed lady be good, and her crew of nine began their first and only combat mission of world war ii. The tragic story of the world war iiera b24 liberator bomber lady be good, which mysteriously disappeared after its first bombing mission over naples, italy in april 1943. Numerous parts from the lady be good were returned to the u. The usaaf 376th bomb groups b24d liberator lady be good aaf serial no. Not realizing that their plane and its supply of food and water were a scant sixteen miles away, the men estimated that travelling northwest would bring them back to the airbase in soluch. Photograph wwii b24 liberator lady be good crash site. Narrated by david ackroyd lady be good is a usaaf b24d liberator that disappeared without a trace on its first combat mission during world war ii. At approximately 400 miles south of soluch, they spotted. Lady be good read an excerpt powered by zola lady be good. The lady be good as it appeared when discovered from the air. Because a b24 cannot maintain altitude in any configuration on one engine alone this would have been the primary reason for. The plane, which was from 376th bomb group, was believed to have been lostwith its nineman crewin the mediterranean sea while returning to its base in libya following a bombing raid on naples on april 4, 1943. In april, 1943 a b24 liberator nicknamed lady be good, and her crew of nine began their first and only combat mission of world war ii.
In order to help preserve this history and honor the veterans who participated in the war, b 24 serial number 4444052 has been restored to mint condition under the auspices of the collings foundation of stow, ma. The nine crew members responsible for the plane had also just arrived in the country, and their first ever assignment was to join a squadron of 25 bombers and attack the. Remains of world war ii b24 bomber lady be good in tobruk. The nine crew members responsible for the plane had also just arrived in the country, and their first ever assignment was to join a squadron of 25 bombers and attack the harbor of naples, italy across the mediterranean. Remains of five airmen were found in a group nearly 80 miles. Lady be good national museum of the united states air force. Why no consolidated b24 liberators in world war ii movies. Photograph wwii b24 liberator lady be good crash site libya. A special thank you to everyone for your kind words of encouragement. Apr 05, 2014 lady be good the story begins april 5, 2014 since i recently posted some detail shots of the lady be good some of my readers have asked to see more of my images so, since today, april 4, is the 51st anniversary of the raid that started the mystery ive decided to post a number of photos over the next few days.
The consolidated b24 liberator is an american fourengine heavy bomber used by the united states army air forces usaaf and other allied air forces during world war ii. The plane made a surprisingly good pilotless belly landing and skidded 700 yards before breaking. Nov 21, 2017 on april 4, 1943, lady be good of the 514th bomb squadron in soluch field, libya. The b 24 fought for our freedom in the skies of europe and the pacific through the use of strategic bombing during the second world war. Hello sir, my name is solaiman gawda, from tobruk libya, lady be good b24 have been transferred from libyan desert to tobruk city located at east part of libya at mediterranean sea, the idea and the method for transfered from desert to tobruk was completely wrong, the plane here in my city tobruk divided to several parts and severing from. Lady be good b24 liberator lady be good b24 liberato. Putting it up as it was back then now would be silly but if anyone is serious about developing it let me.
It was night, so the gray desert looked like water. Most we have are very sharp and the flaws repaired. B24 liberator lady be good, aircraft 4273074 was one. The massive fourengine bombers rear section broke free from the main fuselage, it was all there and the people who initially found the plane learned that one of the engines was still functional, and at least one of the. The worlds only fully restored and flying consolidated b24j liberator is back in the skies after an absence of twenty years. Of the 19,256 aircraft built, complete examples survive today, two of which are airworthy. The plane was discovered 15 years later, without its crew, in the libyan desert 400 miles south of its air base. Looking for reliable information or news facts about ww2. Today s deals your gift cards help whole foods registry sell disability customer support. This aircraft was discovered in the libyan desert 16 years after it lost its way back from a world war ii mission to bomb naples, italy on 4 april 1943. Had it not been for some sharpeyed british oil exploration engineers in libya in may 1958, a b24d liberator named lady be good might have joined the ranks of other military aircraft that went permanently mia during world war ii. The crew parachuted to safety shortly before the crash. Attempting to simulate the last few minutes of the of lady be good s final flight in order to extract a few pieces of forensic information is of course wholly dependent on insuring that the virtual model, as well as the simulator platform, are as finely calibrated as possible in terms of replicating the flight dynamics and environmental factors that would have naturally been present in life.
Lady be good national museum of the united states air. The purpose of this site is to provide a central repository for links, information, photos, maps, history, and recollections of and about the legendary lady be good ghost bomber of wwii. Dixies friend marilyn marsh tries to convince them to marry again, but this isnt that easy. While it was damaged, the plane that landed gently, all things considered. Lady be good flew on through the dark night, slowly descending to crashland sixteen miles from the mens gathering place. List of surviving consolidated b24 liberators wikipedia. Nose view of consolidated b24d lady be good crash site.
On the afternoon of april 4, 1943, the b 24 bomber lady be good lbg took off from soluch airstrip in libya, along with 24 other planes, on a mission to bomb the port at naples, italy. On april 4 th 1943, the consolidated b24d liberator lady be good and her crew of nine men took off on their first combat mission from benina airstrip in soluch near benghazi in libya to bomb the harbor of the italian city of naplesbut flew into history instead. The plane was headed for a bombing run over naples, italy and for the crew of nine it was their first combat mission. Jan 19, 2017 recovery in 1959 of b 24 bomber crew lost in libyan desert in 1943. B24 bomber lady be good takes off on first operation.
Based at benina airfield in soluch today suluq, libya, it crashed in april 1943 returning from a mission and was later discovered hundreds of miles into the sahara with its crew mysteriously missing. On april 4, 1943, a b24d liberator nicknamed lady be good took off. B24 lady be good crashed on its first and last mission. The plane made a surprisingly good pilotless belly landing and skidded 700 yards before breaking in half and stopping. Dec 31, 2017 even when the b 24 did grab headlines, the victories were minor and shortlived, philo argues. Air force photo aircraft parts were strewn by the consolidated b24d lady be good as it skidded to a halt amid the otherwise emptiness of the desert. Lady be good had already been salvaged in the 50s by the air force i dont think much was left except for the fusalage and wings by the time they were done. The conditions were not favourable from the beginning, and a severe sandstorm engulfed the plane soon after it took off from benina airstrip in libya. Aircraft parts were strewn by the consolidated b24d lady be good as it skidded to a halt. Aug 29, 2011 with all of the coverage of libya in the news lately, it got me wondering if we will ever see the return of the remains of the b 24 lady be good to the united states, or at least the consignment of it to a museum. Lady be good is a usaaf b24d liberator that disappeared without a trace on its first combat mission during world war ii. Jun 16, 2017 this memorial window in the chapel at wheelus air base, libya, is dedicated to the crew of the b24 lady be good which crashed in the libyan desert after a raid on naples, italy, during wwii.
My avionics professor told our class about the story of lady be good, and thats how i. It is a riveting, exciting, courageous and yet, ultimately sad tale of what happened to the crew of a us aircraft and one of the best books i have read in a very long time. The b24d that crashed but the bad luck didnt end there. Instead, the aerial survey team from darcy oil company later british petroleum inadvertently found the lady after a 15year disappearance, making it one of the. However, the wreck was accidentally discovered 710 km 440. In order to help preserve this history and honor the veterans who participated. Dayton, ohio lady be good exhibit in the world war ii gallery at the national museum of the united states. On april 4, 1943, lady be good of the 514th bomb squadron in soluch field, libya. Remembering the desert ghost random thoughts from shipguy. B24 lady be good crashed in 1943, finally discovered. Side view of the crashed consolidated b24d lady be good.
The b 24 got the short end of the stick as the b 17 got all the publicity even though. Posted by scorpiomikey on tuesday, november 15, 2011 6. As the story goes, the crew were reading of the backside of their adf and went away from their base instead. Bombers from world war ii still turn up today, mostly in the pacific. The b24 lady be good crashsite second world war 1939. Or are you interested in war medals and their recipients. Eight of the thirteen aircraft reside in the united states. On the afternoon of april 4, 1943, a b24d liberator called the lady be good took off from soluch field, an american air base which later became benina international airport, serving benghazi. Lady be good was an american b24d liberator, aaf serial number 4124301, which flew for the united states army air forces during world war ii. Do you want to create your own battlefield tour to sights of wars from the past. Here is a pretty concise website regarding the wreck. This aircraft was discovered in the libyan desert 16 years after it lost its way back from a world war ii. Lady be good the story begins april 5, 2014 since i recently posted some detail shots of the lady be good some of my readers have asked to see more of my images so, since today, april 4, is the 51st anniversary of the raid that started the mystery.
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