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.
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41-28697
B-24 Liberator
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A B-24 Liberators including, (serial number 44-40066) nicknamed "S.O.L", of the 458th Bomb Group fly in formation with a flight assembly ship 41-28697 'Spotted Ass Ape' . Written on slide casing: 'SOL, Azon a/c.'
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The shark mouth nose art of a B-24 Liberator (serial number 41-28697) nicknamed "Spotted Ape" of the 458th Bomb Group, used as a flight assembly ship.
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B-24H Liberator 41-28697 'SPOTTED ASS APE' England 1944. 754th BS, 458th BG, 8AF.
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B-24H Liberator 41-28697 'SPOTTED ASS APE' England 1944. 754th BS, 458th BG, 8AF. Lt Clayton E McGran in shot.
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Colour picture of B-24H Liberator 41-28697 'SPOTTED ASS APE' England 1944. 754th BS, 458th BG, 8AF.
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B-24H Liberator 41-28697 'SPOTTED ASS APE' England 9th March 1945. 754th BS, 458th BG, 8AF. Undercarriage collapse causing the crash that wrote her off.
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B-24H Liberator 41-28697 'SPOTTED ASS APE' England 9th March 1945. 754th BS, 458th BG, 8AF. Undercarriage collapse causing the crash that wrote her off.
Had a troublesome career of seven missions with the 754th Squadron before being converted for assembly ship duties. Flew from May 44 until 9 Mar 45 when an undercarriage leg collapsed and crashed.
Service
Units
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458th Bomb Group
Group
The 458th Bomb Group (H) entered combat with the 8th Air Force in February 1944. Based at Horsham St. Faith in England, the combat crews participated in the decisive Campaigns 'Big Week', 'Big B', D-Day and the assault on Germany's oil industry waged... -
754th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Ralph Bonner
Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight engineer | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 755BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Lt Rex Brudos crew. 30 x combat mission. ETD Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME -
Rex Brudos
Military | Captain | Pilot | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 755BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. 30 x combat mission. ETD Awards: DFC, AM (3OLC), WWII Victory, EAME. -
William Chenney
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 458th Bomb Group
Landing accident Horsham St Faith Sta 123, Cat 4 damage B-24H 41-28697, 9-3-45. -
Grant Conant
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 755BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Lt Rex Brudos. 30 x combat mission. ETD Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME. -
Herschel Dailey
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top turret gunner | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 755BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. 30 x combat mission. ETD Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME. -
Paul Faggioli
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner; Flight Engineer | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 754BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. 35 x combat missions. Lt Melvin Watson crew. Flight crew for B-24 assembly ship 'First Sergeant', when flares set A/C ablaze, along with pilot received facial burns in the ensuing fire 27-May-44. ... -
Leon Huggard
Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Radio Operator | 458th Bomb Group
See pilot, Charles S. Evans, for list of missions. -
Frederick Johnson
Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 458th Bomb Group
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Darrell Latch
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Top Turret Gunner | 458th Bomb Group
Born 13 Nov 1924 in Decatur, Macon County, Illinois; sent by draft board in March 1943 to army induction center for possible induction; entered service the same month; trained at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri; Franklin Technical Institue in Boston,... -
Albert Lind
Military | Staff Sergeant | Nose turret gunner | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 755BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. 30 x combat mission. ETD Awards: DFC, AM (3OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Places
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Horsham St Faith
Military site : airfield
Horsham St Faith was an RAF Bomber Command Station opened in June 1940. It was home to Bristol Blenheim medium-bombers, and was for a time occupied by fighters, including those of No. 19 Squadron and No. 264 Squadron. From September 1942 the airfield...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Manufactured | Tulsa, OK, USA | 1943 |
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Built at Douglas Tulsa. |
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| Delivered | United States | 1943 |
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Delivered to USAAF. |
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| Assigned | Horsham St Faith, Norwich, Norfolk, UK | May 1944 – August 1944 |
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Assigned to 754BS 458BG 8AF. Troublesome career of seven missions with the 754th BS. |
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| Assembly Ship | Horsham St Faith, Norwich, Norfolk, UK | September 1944 |
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War Weary - Converted for assembly ship duties. |
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| Crashed | Horsham St Faith, Norwich, Norfolk, UK | 9 March 1945 |
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Landing accident Horsham St Faith Sta 123, Cat 4 damage pilot Lt William B Chenney Jr, 9-3-45. 41-28697W 754BS 458BG 8AF. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 11 January 2016 23:10:07 | Al_Skiff | Created entry with serial number, aircraft type, production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, markings, description, events, unit associations, place associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.b24bestweb.com/spottedassape3.htm |
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