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  F-7A  "American Beauty" Serial Number 42-73045  
USAAF
5th AF
6th PRG
20th CMS

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20th CMS 1944

Aircraft History
Built by Consolidated. Constructors Number 2615. At the factory completed with an aluminum finish. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-24J-5-CO Liberator serial number 42-73045. Converted into F-7A photographic reconnaissance version. Ferried overseas via Hickam Field then across the Pacific to the South West Pacific Area.

Wartime History
Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group (6th PRG), 20th Combat Mapping Squadron (20th CMS). Nicknamed "American Beauty" in a cursive font with a black edge and white center. The nose art was a large Uncle Sam character with white hair and a beard wearing a top hat with stars and stripes. Atop was a nude woman with her one leg raised holding a white feather. Viewed from a distance, the nose art was a double image (visual pun) where Uncle Sam's nose and eyebrow were formed by the woman. Below the cockpit was a scoreboard with aerial cameras indicating photographic reconnaissance missions flown.

During 1944, this F-7A flew nineteen photographic reconnaissance missions in New Guinea and the Netherlands East Indies (NEI). Afterwards, scrapped at Nadzab Airfield.

References
USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-24J-5-CO Liberator 42-73045
"73038/73045 converted to F-7A"

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Last Updated
December 9, 2024

 

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F-7A

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