Picture of the day.

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B-17 Flying Fortress 44-6147 JD-U 384th Bomb Group 545th Bomb Squadron England 1944.

This was produced by Douglas Aircraft. Delivered Tulsa 14/5/44; Kearney 24/5/44; Dow Fd 1/6/44; Assigned 545th Bomb Squadron, 384th Bomb Group [JD-U] Grafton Underwood on 10 June 1944; during assembly for Leipzig, a mid air collision with 42-102442 (both spares) (384BG); crashed at Withersfield, near Haverhill, Suffolk, UK; with Donald W. Bagby, Co-pilot: Howard R. Morton, Radio Operator: Dean W. Day (3 RTD, bailed out); Navigator: Gerald P. Davis, togglier-Carl Niemann, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Jack D. Huff, Ball turret gunner: Raymond Pawlowski, Waist gunner: Arthur E. Allison,Tail gunner: Cecil C. O'Neal (6 Killed in Action); Salvaged 8/7/44.




 
PB4Y-1 Liberator "Thunder Mug" from VB-109 overruns into the surf.. Using the date of 1944 on the picture, it could be Abemama atoll (Gilberts), Kwajalein atoll or Eniwetok atoll. The airfields of the Mariana's did not extend to the sea like this.
Note the tail turret. The AAF B24's at that time were removing them and using an open hatch with a flexible 50 cal machine gun. The AAF at that time thought that the extra weight of a powered turret was not worth the marginal more effective defensive capability.

 

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