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  B-24J-170-CO "Burma" Serial Number 44-40601  
USAAF
13th AF
307th BG
424nd BS

Aircraft History
Built by Consolidated at San Diego. At the factory completed with an aluminum finish. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-24J-170-CO Liberator serial number 44-40601. Ferried overseas via Hickam Field then across the Pacific to the South Pacific (SOPAC).

Wartime History
Assigned to the 13th Air Force (13th AF), 307th Bombardment Group (307th BG), 424nd Bombardment Squadron. Nicknamed "Burma" with the nose art of a girl wearing a skirt and her hands above her head, named after a character from "Terry and the Pirates" comic strip. On the right side of the nose was a scoreboard with missions flown indicated by stars and three enemy aircraft claimed as shot down. On the left and right side of the nose was "601" in black stencil. On both sides of the tail was the Long Ranger logo in a circle with a horizontal stripe at the top of the tail.

Mission History
On April 2, 1945 took off from Sydney on a flight via Rockhampton Airfield (Connor Park) on a flight bound for Owi Airfield. Aboard were supplies and eight personnel. Before landing, this B-24 circled the runway several times before attempting to land down wind on an unused runway. The bomber ran off the end of the runway into Lion Creek and crushed the nose and thrust the bomber's tail upward. Five were injured in the crash.

Immediately, RAAF firemen responded and used their ladder to reach the elevated left waist window to rescue Lt. Shuckme who was pinned under radio equipment. The other crew and passengers exited through the rear hatch.

Wreckage
Afterwards, the bomber was guarded and stripped for usable parts by an American salvage team then burned.

References
Oz@War - Crash of a Liberator at Connor Park Airfield Rockhampton QLD on 2 April 1945
Under the Southern Cross mentions thos loss

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Last Updated
March 22, 2023

 

Tech Information
B-24
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