Here is a pic of a memorial located at Baker's Creek, Queensland. It is for those who were killed in a B-17C Serial Number 40-2072. Apparently it was damaged on Dec 25, 1941 while serving with the 19 BG and converted to a transport aircraft. It crashed near Baker's Creek during the war - it was the greatest air transport accident of the SW-Pacific during WWII.

The text file is a transcript of what was written on the two bronze plaques on the memorial. [ Read inscription ] The aircraft's transport call sign while in Australia was VH-CBA, I'm not sure what it's USAAF code was (if it had one).

I'm not entirely sure why 'VH' codes were used on these military aircraft. The 'VH' system is the civil register of Australian aircraft, yet these military transports were never registered on the civil list. Perhaps it's to fool the enemy? As in, if a radio call was made with a military rego, the flight may be intercepted (especially with so many people on board), yet if it was made using a VH 'civil' code, the enemy may not have paid any attention --- not sure, just an idea.