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| USAAF 5th AF 90th BG 319th BS  90th BG November 16, 1942 |
Aircraft History Built by Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in San Diego. Constructors Number 626. On August 21, 1942 delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-24D-7-CO Liberator serial number 41-23765. On August 31, 1942 to St. Paul for modification. On September 26, 1942 to SAD. On October 6, 1942 flown to Hamilton. On October 10, 1942 departs on a ferry flight via Hickam Field then across the Pacific to Australia arriving six days later. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 90th Bombardment Group (90th BG) "Jolly Rogers", 319th Bombardment Squadron (319th BS). No known nickname or nose art. Also known as "831", the last three digits of the serial number. On November 16, 1942 while parked at Iron Range Airfield shortly after midnight B-24D "Bombs To Nip On" 41-23942 veered off the runway after take off and crashed, caught fire and the bomb load exploded. Destroyed was B-24D 41-23831 with the nose sliced off and a soldiers standing guard was killed. Also destroyed was B-17F 41-24522 plus eleven personnel killed on the ground. Damaged was B-24D "Big Emma" 41-23751, B-24D "Susbella" 41-23765, and B-24D 41-23812 all later repaired. Fate Afterwards, salvaged for usable parts including the four engines then the rest scrapped. Officially condemned accident, non-combat on April 20, 1943. References USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-24D-7-CO Liberator 41-23831 Oz@War - 16 November 1942 crash of a B-24 Liberator at Iron Range 4 aircraft destroyed 11 men killed The Jolly Rogers (1981) page 94 (Page 94) "Sgt. Leonard Baer applied the first skull and cross bombs to the tail of Col. Rogers Connell's Special just in time for the 18 August '43 Wewak mission. Thereafter, they spread like wildfire throughout the Group to eventually become perhaps second only o the AVG's shark teeth as the most distinguished marking of any U.S. WWII flying unit." Legacy of the 90th Bombardment Group (1994) pages 20, 21 Robert Tupa adds: "The crew actually called her 'Susbella', according to a manuscript written by Col. Rogers upon his return. It was the 2nd plane to have a tail turret installed in the nose. Col. Rogers was instrumental in this change, initially discussing it with Mr. Ford in 1942, when the group picked up their planes at the Ford Motor plant... it was the first B-24 to go into combat with the new nose turret against the Japanese at Wewak. This is one of the key B-24's of the war." Thanks to Pete Johnson for additional information Contribute
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