Individual Aircraft record Card for B-24 Liberator 41-11599

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robstitt

Recruit
9
10
Apr 18, 2019
Looking for a copy of the IARC for Liberator 41-11599. Trying to confirm when it arrived at Dorval on delivery to Britain as FK222 in the spring of 1942.

Thanks!
 
ex 41-11590; dld Dorval 24.5.42; dep Dorval 29.5.42; arr Prestwick 3.6.42; SAL, Prestwick, 3.6.42; SAL to 22 MU 6.6.42; to Lyneham on loan to BOAC for training 25.6.42; Lyneham to SAL 26.7.42; 22 MU; 120 Sqn [OH:A] 27.8.42; SAL 31.1.43; 86 Sqn 27.2.43; damaged in forced landing on beach, Tullen Strand, Donegal, Eire, 18.3.43, after convoy patrol; recovered; airframe to SAL arr 30.4.43, remainder later; repaired and awaiting collection 1.7.43; SAL to 51 MU 17.7.43; 1332 HCU 1.12.44. SOC 6.7.45
 
Many thanks for the quick reply. I see that the content from the RAF Commands database quotes the USAAC serial as 41-11590. Will post again once I've sorted that out.

Update: Three reputable source books, two giving the USAAC serial as 41-11590 (Oughton and Butler) and one as 41-11599 (Air-Britain).

Robert
 
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RAF Commands has
FK222 ex 41-11590; dld Dorval 24.5.42; dep Dorval 29.5.42; arr Prestwick 3.6.42;
FK223 ex 41-11599; dld Dorval 24.5.42; dep Dorval 29.5.42; arr Prestwick 30.5.42;

Air Arsenal North America agrees with the serial tie ups.

The RAF Serial Registers have Taken On Charge dates of 3 and 1 June 1942 respectively. According to the RAF logs for trans Atlantic flights FK221 and FK223 flew Gander Prestwick on 30 May 1942, FK223 again on 1 June 1942, FK222 on 2 June 1942. The USAAF has identical details for the transfer of 41-11590 and 41-11599, Wayne Co. (Britain) AB File 2 May 1942, La Guardia AB file 20 May 1942 (Britain), then Britain 24 May 1942. Plenty of scope for confusion.
 
Thanks, Geoffrey. I suspect the two serial tie-ups in the Air-Britain book The British Air Commission and Lend-Lease were transposed.
 
Hi, Rob! Long time since we've been in touch...hoping you're fine. The now-out of print Air Britain Publication printing of James D. Oughton's book (THE LIBERATOR IN ROYAL AIR FORCE AND COMMONWEALTH SERVICE) is brilliant in providing a wealth of information to researchers that had previously never been gathered and presented to the public, but, honestly, I take 100% of its information with the proverbial grain of salt because there are some major errors in the info (plus major holes in detail). Most of what is presented is very likely correct, but I don't take any information's accuracy for granted. Take the history of EV870 as one of many examples:

Pg 141: EV870: Erroneous aircraft loss info, missing squadron assignment, discrepancy with the US serial number and the MCn number: Oughton writes, "arr Karachi 5.2.44; missing on delivery flight 7.4.44; SOC 30.4.44." Not true. EV870 was "T" of 159 Sqn, although the 159 ORB listed it as BZ870; the EV/BZ error was not uncommon in the ORB. Documentation in the RAAF casualty files of 416627 WO Clive Symes Swan (nav) and 420992 F/Sgt Arthur Robert O'Malley (air gunner) reveal the correct serial number (but not the "T" letter code): EV870. EV870, with Swan and O'Malley aboard, was shot up by a Ki-43 over Rangoon, Burma on the night of 1-2 April 1944 during a raid on Kemmendine Rail Station, Rangoon. Two air gunners were wounded during the attack. On setting down short of its Digri, India base, at Alipore (Calcutta), the port landing gear collapsed and the aircraft spun off the runway in a spectacular crash. Physical injuries were minor, amazingly, but the Lib was a total write off. There was no fire, possibly because the petrol tanks were almost dry. Further info: The logbook of Elwyn Jones, aboard EV870 when it crashed at Alipore, gives the serial & letter code as UV870 "T". The "U" should be "E", but the letter code "T" is correct. The pilot on 1-2 April 1944 was then-F/Sgt 1321484 Raymond A. Quaife, who went on to complete his full tour of ops with 159 as an officer. The second pilot, then-F/Sgt 1550526 "Jock" McKinnon, later died on 6 October 1944 as skipper of BZ978 (as a WO). Five photos of the EV870 crash aftermath are known to exist. The attacker over Rangoon very likely was 204th Hiko Sentai ace Hiroshi Takiguchi, who claimed three Liberators shot down in the Rangoon area that night. Three Liberators – EV870, EV843, and BZ960, all from 159 Sqn – were victims of fighter attacks. Quandary: EV870 and EV871 were given the same original US serial and US modification center (MCn) numbers in the Oughton book: 42-64227 and 29-49. The correct US number and MCn for each a/c is uncertain.

(9-kill ace Hiroshi Takiguchi -- who went missing on a convoy patrol over the Gulf of Ormoc [west side of island of Leyte, in the Philippines] in early November 1944 after battling with a P-38 -- had teamed up with 19-kill ace Bunichi Yamaguchi, also a 204th Sentai Ki-43 Hayabusa (Oscar) fighter pilot, to shoot down two RAF 159 Squadron Liberators (BZ962 "D" for "Daring Diana" and BZ926 "P" for "Pegasus") over the Rangoon, Burma, area on the night of 29 Feb-1 March 1944. My mother's first husband, 2nd WOp/AG Sgt George Plank, was one of the British airmen who were declared missing with no known grave in the downing of "Daring Diana". The account in the late Christopher Shores's book, AIR WAR FOR BURMA, has major errors in its info about this air combat. Mr. Yamaguchi had extraordinary recall of this event -- accurate, too -- when I corresponded with him long ago.)

There are sometimes major mistakes throughout the Oughton book. I compiled a list of many errors and additional info years ago (and am dreadfully behind in doing an update). Many discrepancies are due to the record cards just noting incomplete or erroneous info, or squadron Operations Record Books being in error (a very common problem) so I'm not blaming James D. Oughton. Besides, his book has thousands and thousands of tidbits, and to blame him for inconsistencies or errors is ridiculous. I am VERY grateful for his book and sad that he is no longer with us.

I know it was long ago that you posted your query, so possibly you found what you needed a while ago.

Attached is one of the photos of the EV870 T crash aftermath, from my 2017 book RAF LIBERATORS OVER BURMA, Flying with 159 Squadron.
 

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