|
 |
|
|
| Missing In Action (MIA) | Prisoners Of War (POW) | Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) |
| Chronology | Locations | Aircraft | Ships | Submit Info | How You Can Help | Donate |
|
| USAAF 5th AF 90th BG 321th BS |
Aircraft History Built by Consolidated at San Diego. Constructors Number 1310. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-24D-30-CO Liberator serial number 42-40065. Ferried overseas via Hickam Field then across the Pacific to Australia arriving on April 14, 1943. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 90th Bombardment Group (90th BG), 321st Bombardment Squadron (321st BS). Assigned to pilot Bill Martin who nicknamed it "Joltin Janie II" (with a small roman numerals ii) named after his wife and prior aircraft, B-24D "Joltin Janie" 42-40065. The nose art included "Thumper" bunny rabbit from Walt Disney animated film Bambi (1942). Identical nickname and nose art were painted on both the left and right sides of the nose. Mission History On August 20, 1943 took off from Horanda Airfield (Horanda 4Y) near Dobodura on a mission against Boram Airfield near Wewak. Damaged with five wounded aboard, this B-24 returned with the hydraulics shot out with no brakes and went off the runway and over an embankment with the nose and right wing in a stream. Afterwards, written off, stripped for usable parts and abandoned. Jack Heyn adds: "I was a photographer / lab tech with Hq. Sq. 3rd BG. We shared bases in the S. W. Pacific with the 90th BG. in the fall of '43, at Dobodura. 'Joltin Janie II' returned from a mission with its hydraulics shot out, no brakes and wound up in the ditch. According to the notes in my sometimes kept diary, there were no serious injuries involved. Not being a member of the 90th BG, the M.P.s [Military Police] ran me off, but I did get three photos of the crash. I took them with my personal Kodak Monitor 620 camera circa 1940 (a state of the arts camera in those days) They were a part of my personal collection, and nobody ever saw them until I started posting photos on the internet in 1999." Wreckage The wing center section and portion of the fuselage remain at the edge of the stream, partially submerged in the mud. David Pennefather adds: "Back in the 1980's there was not much of it left and I never went and made a close inspection. As I recall it is just down past 'Frank's' place, in the river bed." Justin Taylan adds: "From wartime photos, it appears that sometime after this crash landing, the outer wings, engines and tail section were removed. Probably, all internal equipment also. The rest of the wreckage - the wing center section and center of the fuselage remained. References Note, other sources list the date of the crash as August 26, 1943 Individual Aircraft Record Card (IARC) - B-24D Liberator 42-40233 USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-24D-40-CO Liberator 42-40233 "40233 (90th BG, 321st BS, *Joltin' Janie II*) in accident Aug 26, 1943" Legacy of the 90th Bomb Group (1994) page 74 Ken’s Men Against The Empire Volume I (2015) does not mention this serial number or loss Thanks to Jack Heyn, David Pennefather and Justin Taylan for additional information Contribute
Information Last Updated
|
 B-24  Photo Archive |
| Discussion Forum | Daily Updates | Reviews | Museums | Interviews & Oral Histories |
|
