42-40608 - The Vulgar Virgin
Turner's B-24D, 42-40608, was painted on it's top and the sides of it's fuselage and engines, in the Army' standard olive drab, for it's original assignment to the ETO. The B-24D, named, The Vulgar Virgin, 42-40608, was allocated to the 8th Air Force, and assigned to the 93rd Bomb Group, and the 328th Bomb Squadron as a replacement. It was temporarily detached (TDY) to the 9th Air Force, in Benghazi, Libya, for Operation Tidal Wave. t make it back to his home base at Benghazi, Lt. Turner decided to fly south to Turkey and managed to fly as far as Chorlu, Turkey, where he did land safely with no casualties to his crew. He, his crew, and his bomber, were interned by the Turkish Air Force. INT-TURK. 1 Aug 1943. MACR 335 MODIFICATION: 10 Apr 43 Airfield Location: Tucson, AZ Modification Center (second acceptance on completion - 4/29 -- 30 Apr 1943 Airfield Location: Topeka, KS, Combat crew replacement center -- 03 May 1943 Airfield Location: Presque Isle, ME , aerial POE 1 Aug 1943 Project 92067-R ETO REPLACEMENT DATE OF SERVICE: May 13, 1943 - Jun 27 1943 - 13 May 1943 Airfield Location: Hardwick, England -- 26 Jun 1943 Transferred to Mediterranean Theater of Operations ( MTO) DETACHED: 9th AF - DATE OF SERVICE Jun 27, 1943 - Aug 01, 1943. Airfield Location: Terra, Libya (LG 7) 1 05 Jul 1943 -- Messina, Italy - railroad yard 1st Lt Turner, C. 2 12 Jul 1943 San Giovanni, Italy, - port facilities 1st Lt Turner, C. Combat damage (AA): one hole in nose 3 13 Jul 1943 Vibo Valenia, Italy - airfield 1st Lt Turner, C. 4 15 Jul 1943 Foggia, Italy - airfield 1st Lt Turner, C. 5 17 Jul 1943 Naples, Italy - railroad yard 1st Lt Turner, C. 6 19 Jul 1943 Rome, Italy - railroad yard 1st Lt Turner, C. end 01 Aug 1943 Ploesti, Romania - oil production 1st Lt. Turner, C. Combat damage (AA): bomb-bay fuel tank, fuselage holed, one engine. airfield location: Chorlu, Turkey Interned: Turkey - SOC
After the Ploesti mission, Lt. Turner and his navigator escaped captivity in Turkey, and with help from friendly partisans, were able to return to the 8th Air Force and the 93rd Bomb Group, in Britain.
After returning to Britain, three months later, Lt. Turner was flying another B-24D, 42-63988, named, Birmingham Blitzkrieg, and was shot down by an FW-190 fighter over the North Sea, close to Helgoland Island, after a mission to Bremen, Germany. Lt. Turner and his crew were reported missing in action (MIA) and later reported killed in action (KIA). 19 KIA. Nov 13, 1943.
AIRCRAFT TYPE: B-24-D-75- CO MANUFACTURER: Consolidated - SN 42- 40608
CONSTRUCTION NO. : 1685
DELIVERY DATE : 07 Apr 43
DATE FIRST ACCEPTED : 7 Apr 1943
DATE LOST FROM INVENTORY :
GAINED: Turkish Air Force. August 1, 1943 - S/N - 42-40608
ASSIGNED : 8th AF -
BOMBARDMENT DIVISION ASSIGNED : SECOND. AT DATE OF SERVICE : 13 May 1943 - 01 Aug 1943. SEE 201st BOMB WING (P)
BOMB WING ASSIGNED: 201st (P) PROVISIONAL BOMB WING DATE OF SERVICE : 13 May 1943 - 01 Aug 1943
GROUP ASSIGNED : 93rd - DATE OF SERVICE: 13 May1943 - 01 Aug 1943
SQUADRON ASSIGNED : 328th - DATE OF SERVICE: 13 May 1943 - 01 Aug 1943
DISPOSITION: Interned Turkey - MACR 335, 01 AUG 2943
Pilot - 1st Lt. Claude A. Turner - Combat damage from AA : bomb bay fuel tank, fuselage holed, one engine destroyed - Landed at Chorlu, Turkey - Crew Interned - Released
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 19090817 / O-?
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 16062707
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-676463
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 98th Bomb Group 345th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-22549
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Gunner
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Missions
- Date: 13 November 1943
- Date: 1 August 1943
- Official Description:
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Assigned |
26 June 1943 | Assigned to Benghazi, Libya. 1 Jun 1943. | |
Assigned Interned |
1 August 1943 | Aircraft landed at Chorlu, Turkey, due to battle damage preventing flying back to home base. Crew and plane interned. 10 INT-TURK. 1 Aug 1943. | |
Other Flew on Operation Tidal Wave |
1 August 1943 | Flew on the Ploesti, Romania, oil refinery mission, piloted by 1st Lt. Claude A. Turner. Aircraft sustained combat damage over Ploesti from AAA : bomb-bay, fuel tank, fuselage, one engine. Interned in Turkey. 1 Aug 43. | |
Assigned |
Assigned to the 328th Bomb Squadron, the 93rd Bomb Group, in the 8th Air Force. Hardwick, U.K. Later, (TDY) to the 9th Air Force while in North Africa. 1943 |
Revisions
None. Edited for continuity and format. Certain sections should be moved to associated PEOPLE or MISSIONS. Further editing and documentation needed.
Phil Marchese, 28 DEC 2023
None. Removed redundances and rearranged chonoligy.
Phil Marchese
Dec 28, 2023
Edits consistent with previous content to improve chronolgy.
P. Marchese, Dec 27,2023
Information edited consistent with previous edits. P. Marchese, Dec 27, 2023.
Dublicate entries in multiple fields removed.
Camouflage notes are based on like produced ETO allocations in shade 41. There are at this time no know images of 42-40608 intact.
See only image tai on different Shade 49 Sand a/cl image at b24besteeb .com
Corrected a typo in the A/C "Description" - "Theater" was misspelled.
https://warbirds.fandom.com. - B-24D (Vulgar Virgin) 42-40608 - Warbirds Wiki - Fandom. - Small changes in details for accuracy - Kickapoo
Details added. - Kickapoo ------ Best Web - B-24 - 42-40608 - The Vulgar Virgin
Best Web - B-24 - 42-40608 - The Vulgar Virgin ( from the U.K.) - Pilot Claude Alvin turner
The Great Ground-Air battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart
Best Web - B-24 - 42-40608 - The Vulgar Virgin - 8th AF - 93rd BG - 328th BS - TDY 9th AF
Detail changes to clarify the different B-24s with the same names. - Kickapoo
Minor spelling, wording, punctuation changes made for clarity and accuracy. - Kickapoo
Changed all instances of aircraft name into sentence case to as per best practice for accessibility.
Minor word changes, spelling, spacing, and punctuation for accuracy and clarity - Kickapoo
B-24 - Best Web - # 42-40608 - 'The Vulgar Virgin' ---- The Great ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1932 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart
B-24 - Best Web - # 42-40608 - 'The Vulgar Virgin' ---- Into the fire - Duane Schultz
B-24 - Best Web - # 42-40608 - 'The Vulgar Virgin' ---- Into the fire - Duane Schultz
B-24 - Best Web - # 42-40608 - 'The Vulgar Virgin' ---- Black Sunday - Michael Hill
B-24 - Best Web - # 42-40608 - 'The Vulgar Virgin' ---- Black Sunday - Michael Hill
The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart
Ploesti The Great Ground-Air Battle of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart
Ploesti The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart
Ploesti The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart