15th Air Force
The Fifteenth Air Force was one of two Strategic Air forces in Europe, along with the Eighth Air Force.
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42-94837
B-24 Liberator
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Ground personnel of the 490th Bomb Group work on a B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-94837 ) nicknamed "The Jinx 13". Image via Mark Brown, AFA Written on slide casing: '294937, The Jinx, 848 BS.'
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"Lt. Keyes and crew of the 490th Bomb Group pose beside their Consolidated B-24 at an 8th Air Force Base in England. 16 March 1944."
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B-24H 42-94837 'The Jinx' 848BS, 490BG, 8AF.
'The Jinx' came over to Britain along with the original 490 Bomber Group. It flew throughout the war until it was declared unfit for flying in May 1945. It was given it's name after the pilot, Second Lieutenant Thomas Keyes realized that the plane was the 13 plane on the roster. The side was painted with an array of symbols by the crew chief, Sergeant John Hancock. The aircraft also had white edging on the bomb doors in order to help in lining up the doors.
Service
Units
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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. ... -
449th Bomb Group
Group
The group was constituted as 449th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 6 April 1943 and activated on 1 May at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona.[2] its original components were the 716th,[3] 717th,[4] 718th,[5] and 719th Bombardment Squadrons.[6] ... -
490th Bomb Group
Group
The 490th Bomb Group, like the 486th and 487th Bomb Groups transitioned from flying B-24 Liberators to B-17 Flying Fortresses, which were used in combat missions from late August 1944. Based at Eye, Suffolk, the Group were focused in the early months... -
Base Air Depot 2
Group
During 1942 to 1945 Warton Aerodrome was Base Air Depot No. 2, Station 582 of the U.S. 8th Air Force. In the three years it was active it processed over 10,000 aircraft and saw over 45,000 aircraft movements. Every type of American aircraft used in the... -
848th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
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719th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Herman Elrod
Military | Sergeant | Aerial Gunner | 490th Bomb Group
Member of Keyes crew -
Edward Haller
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 490th Bomb Group
Member of Keyes crew -
John Hancock
Military | Airplane Maintenance Technician | 490th Bomb Group
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Thomas Keyes
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 490th Bomb Group
Assigned to 848BS, 490BG, 8AF USAAF. Awards: WWII Victory, EAME. -
Okey Keylor
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator - Mechanic Gunner, AAF | 490th Bomb Group
Member of Dingle crew -
Harold Keyt
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 490th Bomb Group
Member of Ellenberg crew -
Harold Pool
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator - Mechanic Gunner, AAF | 490th Bomb Group
Member of Keyes crew -
James Pugh
Military | Staff Sergeant | Airplane Mechanic-Gunner | 490th Bomb Group
Member of Keyes crew -
Charles Seested
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 490th Bomb Group
Member of Keyes crew -
Howard Spring
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 490th Bomb Group
Member of Keyes crew
Places
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Eye
Military site : airfield
Eye air base was not a Class A base but was constructed to a less demanding standard by the 827th and 859th Battalions of U.S. Army Engineers in 1943 and was finished in early 1944. Unusually, a group of its hardstandings were on the other side of the... -
Warton
Military site : airfield
Built as a satellite airfield for Squires Gate, it was earmarked for US use even before America entered the Second World War. Its location made it ideal for use as a depot station, where incoming US aircraft could be processed and moved on to active... -
Grottaglie
Military site : airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Manufactured | Willow Run Airport, 801 Willow Run Airport, Ypsilanti, MI 48198, USA | 1943 |
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Built at Consolidated. |
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| Assigned | Eye, UK | April 1944 |
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Assigned to 848BS, 490BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Transferred to MTO | Warton, Carnforth, UK | December 1944 |
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Transferred to MTO 14-Dec-44 by BAD 2, Warton. |
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| Assigned | 74023 Grottaglie, Province of Taranto, Italy | 20 January 1945 |
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Arrived into 719BS, 449BG, 15AF USAAF on 20-Jan-45. |
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| Scrapped | 81010 Gioia Sannitica CE, Italy | May 1945 |
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Survived the war and was flown to the Gioia Depot at the end of combat operations. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 18 August 2018 08:54:27 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number |
| Sources | ||
http://www.801492.org/Air%20Crew/B24Index.htm |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 August 2018 08:51:39 | Al_Skiff | Changes to nicknames, events, unit associations, person associations, place associations and media associations |
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http://www.801492.org/Air%20Crew/B24Index.htm |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 July 2015 15:05:16 | jrugman | Changes to unit associations |
| Sources | ||
Squadron added from crew records |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 July 2015 15:01:48 | jrugman | Created entry with serial number, aircraft type, manufacturer, nicknames, markings, description, events, unit associations, person associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
Page 43, The Mighty Eighth in Color, Roger Freeman |
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