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41-23779

B-24 Liberator

  • B-24 Liberator #41-23779 '4Q2' 67th BS, 44th BG, 8th AF, A/C flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya. A/C later sent to attack V1 launch sites in the Pas de Calais, France ( code No Ball ). There was no flak over the target, but the enemy sent about 20 fighters up, Me109 and Fw190's carried out head on attack, '4Q2' was hit in #2 engine and sent into a downward glide, exploding shortly thereafter, 3 chutes were seen, one alight. Plane crashed near Grandcamp, France. 2 POW 8 KIA. MACR 2362.

    B-24 Liberator #41-23779 '4Q2' 67th BS, 44th BG, 8th AF, A/C flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya. A/C later sent to attack V1 launch sites in the Pas de Calais, France ( code No Ball ). There was no flak over the target, but the enemy sent about 20 fighters up, Me109 and Fw190's carried out head on attack, '4Q2' was hit in #2 engine and sent into a downward glide, exploding shortly thereafter, 3 chutes were seen, one alight. Plane crashed near Grandcamp, France. 2 POW 8 KIA. MACR 2362.

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  • B-24 Liberator #41-23779 '4Q2' 67th BS, 44th BG, 8th AF and crew, A/C flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya.

    B-24 Liberator #41-23779 '4Q2' 67th BS, 44th BG, 8th AF and crew, A/C flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya.

    Show caption About this image
  • B-24 Liberator #41-23779 '4Q2' 67th BS, 44th BG, 8th AF, A/C flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya.

    B-24 Liberator #41-23779 '4Q2' 67th BS, 44th BG, 8th AF, A/C flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya.

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  • 41-23918

    41-23918 "Marcia Ann" Port (Left) Side - (Far Left) - Shown with 4-Q-2 (41-23779 - Foreground ) and HELEN B. HAPPY (42-40764 - Middle)

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  • Probably the last known picture of the 41-23779

    Probably the last known picture of the 41-23779"4-Q-2" crew. My Uncle "SSG Andy Chalan" front row center. Aircraft was shot down on 14 Jan 44 (MACR 2362)

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A/C flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya.
A/C later sent to attack V1 launch sites in the Pas de Calais, France ( code No Ball ).
There was no flak over the target, but the enemy sent about 20 fighters up. The 44th BG shot down eight of these. Unfortunately, the 67th Squadron lost one aircraft. Plane crashed near Grandcamp, France. Me109 and Fw190's carried out head on attack, '4Q2' was hit in #2 engine and sent into a downward glide, exploding shortly thereafter, 3 chutes were seen, one alight. 2 POW 8 KIA MACR 2362

Service

Units

  • 8th Air Force

    8th Air Force


    Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945. ...

  • 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs

    44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs

    Group
    The 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated 15-January-1942 at McDill Field, Florida and equipped with B-24Cs. The Group moved to Barksdale Field, Louisiana and acted as a training unit for the 90th 93rd and 98th Bomb Groups and flew anti...

  • 67th Bomb Squadron

    67th Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

People

  • Joseph Capo

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    Shot down by head-on attacks by fighters on mission to military targets at Escalles-sur-Buchy, France on 14 January 1944 in B-24D #41-23779 '4-Q-2'. Prisoner of War (POW).

  • Andy Chalan

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    Shot down by head-on attacks by fighters on mission to military targets at Escalles-sur-Buchy, France on 14 January 1944 in B-24D #41-23779 '4-Q-2'. Andy Chalan was flying as the Right Waist Gunner. Killed in Action (KIA).

  • Charles Confer

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 41-23779. ...

  • Harold Cooper

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight Engineer; Top Turret Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 41-23779. ...

  • Alfred Damron

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    B-24 #42-40130 'Avenger II' crashed in Spain 17 May 1943. Returned to base.

  • John Dayberry

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 41-23779. ...

  • Richard Forest

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    Shot down by head-on attacks by fighters on mission to military targets at Escalles-sur-Buchy, France on 14 January 1944 in B-24D #41-23779 '4-Q-2'. Killed in Action (KIA).

  • Henry Goodwin

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    Shot down by head-on attacks by fighters on mission to military targets at Escalles-sur-Buchy, France on 14 January 1944 in B-24D #41-23779 '4-Q-2'. KIA.

  • Charlie Henderson

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 41-23779. ...

  • John Huddle

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    Took part in Operation Tidal Wave, the raid on Ploesti on 1 August 1943, flying B-24 Liberator 41-23779.

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Missions

  • Operation Tidal Wave

    1 August 1943
    Operation TIDAL WAVE. B-24D Liberators attack the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. The bombers flew low to avoid radar detection and dropped time delayed bombs. Out of the 177 B-24s that took part in the raid 167 managed to attack their targets. 57...

  • 8th Air Force 183

    14 January 1944
    This mission is a combined effort of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Bomb Divisions to attack V-Weapon sites near the French coast near Pas-de-Calaise. Some targets of opportunity were also bombed. A total of 20 out of 21 V-Weapon sites are hit with varying results. ...

Events

Event Location Date
Survived Ploesti Ploiești, Romania 1 August 1943

A/C flew on 1st Aug 43 Ploesti oil refinery raid, returning safely to Libya.
Failed to Return (FTR) Grandcamp, France 14 January 1944

A/C sent to attack V1 launch sites in the Pas de Calais, France ( code No Ball ).
There was no flak over the target, but the enemy sent about 20 fighters up. The 44th BG shot down eight of these. Unfortunately, the 67th Squadron lost one aircraft. Plane crashed near Grandcamp, France. Me109 and Fw190's carried out head on attack, '4Q2' was hit in #2 engine and sent into a downward glide, exploding shortly thereafter, 3 chutes were seen, one alight. 2 POW 8 KIA MACR 2362
Assigned Benghazi, Libya

67th BS, 44th BG, 8th AF. TDY 9th AF.
Nicknames
'4Q2'
Production block number
B-24D-5-CO
Manufacturer
Consolidated
Markings and paint scheme/livery
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
10 April 2015 17:05:59 Al_Skiff Changes to production block number, nicknames, description, events, unit associations, person associations and mission associations
Sources

http://www.findagrave.com / http://www.aviationarchaeology.com / MACR 2362
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:40:01 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

MACR 2262 / MACR 2362 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

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