Hi,
i ask for help. I would like to find out what the plane (foreground) is in the picture - "art nose" name, number ? . The only information I have is that the recording was made on Vis in 1944 (ex Yugoslavian - now Croatian Island).
Thanks in advance.
Hi,
i ask for help. I would like to find out what the plane (foreground) is in the picture - "art nose" name, number ? . The only information I have is that the recording was made on Vis in 1944 (ex Yugoslavian - now Croatian Island).
Thanks in advance.
This a/c (and the one in the background) has the Emerson nose turret - looks like a B-24H from the 15-th AAF. I think I've seen this donkey (mule) with human legs before, but can't recall more at the moment.
Since Vis served as a diversion airfield for 15th Air Force bombers from the Foggia complex, with a great probability this is an a/c from a group stationed in Foggia (but it's not a must). Could be any other as well because this was the only place allied bombers could land on their way to the bases in Italy. There have been ca. 40 airfields in the Foggia complex. I must check my book "B-24 in the MTO" at home to see which groups were there to narrow the search a bit.
You can try your luck and find the plane going through this site: B24BestWeb 16000⊕ PICs - WWII B-24 Liberator Bombers
In the search window start with B-24H (there are hundreds of hits!) and see if you have luck. Or check all the pictures in alphabetical order: click first on the letter of the alphabet and then start opening new windows with additional letters (e.g. AH-AK). If you have a fast internet connection you probably can check all photos in 2 hours or less. I'll try at my end, and maybe somebody on this forum will find the answer even earlier.
Cheers!
O.K., I could find the photo of a B-24H with a donkey....but it's a different one: "The hootest ??? in town" from the 461-st BG. I's a B-24H and it's from the MTO, but no match.
I tried searching the B24bestweb for 45 min. for other planes with no success. My eyes hurt now.
One more lead: the demarcation line between the top and the bottom camouflage on the first a/c is wavy which is characteristic for the Ford- and North American-built "Liberators". The larger waves are more the Ford-style. Compare with my photo above, with no wave at all (it is a Consolidated built a/c)
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Thanks for the effort CATCH 22. I don't think it's about "my donkey" (mule, horse ?) as in my picture. I am looking forward from letter to letter (A, B, C, ...) on B24BestWeb.
Thanks for the effort CATCH 22. I don't think it's about "my donkey" (mule, horse ?) as in my picture. I am looking forward from letter to letter (A, B, C, ...) on B24BestWeb.
As I sad, this was the one I had in my memory, but it's obviously a different one, even similar in style. What I've checked on B24BestWeb was the group of this particular a/c - 461-st BG. Sometimes crews liked the nose art of another a/c and wanted a similar one or even a copy of the original. I didn't find any further nose art from the 461-st BG. matching the above one.
Nope, Geo. This is about the bombers to be manned by Yugoslavian crews in Europe. There were a couple of them and the crews were composed of exiled Yugoslav airmen.
Check this article with more details (I have it in my archive as a pdf and thankfully it's still on the net.)
The four B-24s flown by Yugoslav airmen the Yugoslav Detachment of the 376th Bombardment Group...with serial numbers...Members of the Royal Yugoslavian Air Force crews
Probably not the right group but we can start eliminating
There's also a chance this is a 450th ship. Many of the mission reports mention B-24's on Vis Island. I'm looking through known 450th A/C nose art as time allows to see if I can find a match.