Powell received top billing, but sothern and young are the main stars. These two bodies were the only ones found during operation climax. The lady be good was seen on aerial photography by bp in the 60s in the calanscio desert in eastern libya,700km south of benghazi the. The mystery of lady be good, the wwii bomber that crashed in. Movie ww2 plane crash and crew were ghosts sign in to follow this. On april 4 th 1943, the consolidated b24d liberator lady be good and her crew of nine men took off on their first combat mission from benina airstrip in soluch near benghazi in libya to bomb the harbor of the italian city of naplesbut flew into history instead. Even more astounding, shelleys remains were discovered 37. Its still ticking, and accurate to within 10 seconds each and every day. Oct 10, 2003 lady be good exhibit army quartermaster museum in april and november 1960, the army quartermaster museum at fort lee, virginia received a number of u. It was night, so the gray desert looked like water. Had it not been for some sharpeyed british oil exploration engineers in libya in may 1958, a b24d liberator named lady be good might have joined the ranks of other military aircraft that went permanently mia during world war ii. I dont think its easy to take a single story from the pages of aviation history and call it the best or most interesting because the competition is fierce, but the doomed crew of the world war two b24 liberator lady be good ranks for the title if any do. There were water containers still intact inside the plane.
World war iis most famous ghost plane daily planet air. Known as the lady be good, the hulk of the illfated aircraft was found sixteen years later lying deep in the libyan desert more than 400 miles south of benghazi. The film stars dancer eleanor powell, along with ann sothern, robert young, lionel barrymore, and red skelton. Samuels remains were found in the libyan desert and recovered in march of 1960 and he is now interred in the olio township cemetery, eureka, illinois. The final remains were moved by the libyan government for safekeeping at a military site in tobruk. B24 lady be good crashed in 1943, finally discovered in 1958. Jun 16, 2017 many of the aircraft ultimately aborted their mission to naples, italy, and returned to soluch. United states air force wikimedia commons the wreck of the lady be good, which was surprisingly intact. The b24d that crashed but the bad luck didnt end there. Lady be good was the only plane of the mission that did not return to its base in libya. Government issue items of uniform and equipment found on or in the vicinity of crew members by quartermaster graves registration personnel during search efforts. Lady be good 1941 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. With the repatriation of the five airmen and their personal effects, the media attention back in america grew so much so that political pressure was used to lever the military into one last big search. We honor forever the memory of the lady be good and her valiant crew.
The crew had made a tremendous effort for survival in the unforgiving libyan desert. Lady be good was a usaaf b24d liberator that mysteriously disappeared without trace on its first combat mission. If the crew had stayed with the lady be good after it came to rest into. This aircraft was discovered in the libyan desert 16 years after it lost its way back from a world war ii mission to bomb naples, italy on 4 april 1943. Pictured from the waist position of another flying fortress b17g 4337563 lady be good coded j of the 728th bs, 452nd bg ploughs her way through a field of flak. Crew ac 4337563 lady be good show caption about this image. In february 1960, the united states army initiated a search for the bodies of the crew members. The crew parachuted to safety shortly before the crash. An extensive sea search and limited land search were undertaken, but the plane and its crew of nine could not be found. Lady be good national museum of the united states air force. Search teams also found the journals of some of the crew members, which shed more light on the last days and hours of the lady be good crew members. As baffling as the disappearance of flight mh370 appears to be, it is not the first time that an aircraft has gone missing without a trace. They survived for eight days, sharing only a single canteen of water while walking over 100 miles 160 km in searing heat before perishing.
Lady be good is an mgm musical film released in 1941. An army issue elgin a11 wrist watch found near the remains of a lady be good crewmember is on display at the army quartermaster museum at fort lee, va. Many items were sent to the af museum, the af academy, and the army quartermaster museum. This move was likely made sometime in late 2009 or early 2010. The remains of the crew ssgt adams remains have been recovered and identified. All things considered the crew of lady be good did not stand a chance. The crew of lady be good were on their first combat mission, having arrived in libya on march 18, 1943. If the above picture looks blank to you, youre not missing something.
The usaaf 376th bomb groups b24d liberator lady be good aaf serial no. Then a series of parachutes was found, each weighted down with stones, to mark the crew s route. The mystery of the american bomber lost in the desert for. Im sure it was inspired by the story of the lady be good and her crew. This hefty 618 page hardcover volume was published in 1994 and is out now of print, but the 376th heavy bomb group veterans association, has recently reprinted the book in limited release. Toner, copilot of the consolidated b24d known as lady be good. Following an april 4, 1943 bombing raid on naples, italy. Based at benina airfield in soluch today suluq, libya, it crashed in april 1943 returning from a. The story of the lady be good by dick campbell youtube. Evidence at the site indicated that the crew had become lost in the dark on return from naples and had flown over their base and southward into the desert. Remains of world war ii b24 bomber lady be good in tobruk.
May 23, 2018 after a while, the crew of the lady be good must have realized they were lost, so they began searching for the coastline. Case closed mysteries solved, secrets revealed, and questions finally answered. Apparently, i am not the only one thinking this as the. The plane was lost on a mission over libya, failing to return from a 4 april 1943 bombing raid over naples, italy, the lady be good. Jul 01, 2016 movie ww2 plane crash and crew were ghosts. Based at benina airfield in soluch today suluq, libya, it crashed in april 1943 returning from a mission and was later discovered in 1959 hundreds of miles into the sahara with its crew mysteriously missing. Aircraft parts were strewn by the consolidated b24d lady be good as it skidded. Instead, the aerial survey team from darcy oil company later.
With all of the coverage of libya in the news lately, it got me wondering if we will ever see the return of the remains of the b24 lady be good to the united states, or at least the consignment of it to a museum. Mystery of wwii lady be good crash has qc connection. An army issue elgin a11 wrist watch found near the remains of a lady be good crewmember is on display at the army quartermaster museum at fort lee. Oct 17, 2016 it can be seen to the right where the remains of each crew member were found as well as where the lady be good crash landed. The plane, from 376th bomb group, had been on a bombing raid to naples on april 4, 1943 when it was lost. Despite everything, lady be good and her crew valiantly carried on. A young woman struggles to sever ties from the boy who loves her as she prepares to join a noviciate stage of an order of nuns. Lady be good is a usaaf b24d liberator that disappeared without a trace on its first combat mission during world war ii. The history of lady be good was the topic of a recent talk at the national air and space museum, given by roger connor, of the aeronautics department. B24 lady be good crashed in 1943, finally discovered. It was the first mission for both the plane and the crew. Lantz, waist gunner ac 4337563 lady be good show caption about this. Five of the crews remains were found 78 miles north of the crash site. I stumbled across some new photos of the lady be good.
The mystery of the american bomber lost in the desert for 15. Following an april 4, 1943 bombing raid on naples, italy, conducted by the 376th bomb group, the lady be good of the 514th bomb squadron failed. Evidence at the site indicated that the crew had become lost in the dark on return from naples and had flown. As long as someone remembers their sacrifice, the crew of the lady will live on in the memories of a new generation. The b24d liberator named lady be good was anything but lucky. Lady be good national museum of the united states air. One crew member of the lady be good was found 200 miles away. B24 lady be good crashed on its first and last mission. It is the story of lady emma wellsfinch who has come from england to texas to do research and also to ruin her very proper reputation in order to avoid a marriage that she doesnt want. Its one of the last entries in the diary of lieutenant robert f. Based at soluch field 1 note 1 in soluch today suluq and benina international airport, libya as part of the 514th bomb squadron, 376th bomb group, it failed to return from an april 4, 1943 bombing raid on naples, italy. Lady be good was an american b24d liberator, aaf serial number 4124301, which flew for the united states army air forces during world war ii.
Subsequent searches uncovered the remains of all but one of the crew. The crew, thinking they were over the ocean, put on their life jackets and bailed out. The gallery includes artifacts belonging to the crew of the lady be good, a b24 bomber that crashed in the desert while returning from a mission in. Lady be good became a war statistic as did her crew, and the statistics are staggering. Despite looking in the area for months, the team was unable to locate any of the crews remains. To optimize your experience with your screen reading software, please use our website, which has the same tickets as our fandango. I have seen several photos of the crash site and this is a remarkable accurate representation of the remains. Neither plane nor crew were found until oil geologists 15 years later spotted the bomber from the air. Lady be good was an american b24d liberator of the united states army air forces, serial number 4124301, during world war ii. The ghost liberator lady be good can still be counted on. This was the first of several films powell made with skelton.
The physics of quicksand by alan bellows 05 january 2006. The nine crew members responsible for the plane had also just arrived in the country, and their first ever assignment was to join a squadron of 25 bombers and attack the harbor of naples, italy across the mediterranean. This is what the sahara desert looks like from about 16 miles upa blank, featureless void. This is not the first diorama of the lady be good, nor will it likely be the last. Though well researched and useful in enriching the story of the lgbs crew, the hard fact remains that these few diary entries, along with the artifacts found with the crews remains and along the path of their trek, are the only hard evidence we have of the thoughts. Lady be good is proud to make regular appearances at ripleys aquarium of. Newer photos of the lady be good the fedora lounge. The crew of the lady be good new aircraft military aircraft memphis belle leather flight jacket contemporary photographers nose art hot shots world war two ww2 possibly the remains of sgt. A sixth was discovered 24 miles northwest of the first five. As the b24 flew deeper into the desert, the plane ran out of gas. All but one of the crews remains were recovered between february and august 1960. Lady be good flew on through the dark night, slowly descending to crashland sixteen miles from the mens gathering place. It wasnt until 16 years later in 1959 when a british oil exploration team was flying over the libyan desert and identified the remains of the lady be good that the story was revealed. The liberator and its crew disappeared on the crews first combat mission, following a raid on naples on april 4, 1943.
There were no signs of the remains of the crew who were on board lady be good. Story of the 195960 search for and recovery of crew members of the b24 bomber lady be good. B24 bomber lady be good takes off on first operation. The remains of the eight other crew members of the lady be good were brought to the united states, whereas the wreckage of the plane was kept in a compound in libya. Connor discussed the history of the aircrafts discovery and the fate of the crew, who bailed out before the crash. Lady be good recovery in 1959 of b24 bomber crew lost in libyan desert in 1943 story of the 195960 search for and recovery of crew members of the b24 bomber lady be good. Life magazine published an article on the lady be good in their march 7, 1960 issue. Remains of five airmen were found in a group nearly 80 miles. The diary, perfectly preserved and belonging to the lady be good copilot, answered many of the questions still surrounding the lost plane and crew. When i saw this book i jumped on it, thinking of that movie thats stayed with me for so long and the book ended up haunting me much more than the movie had because the book is true, its about real men put into a horrible situation that they were simply unable to escape. No human remains were found by the team and it was concluded that any remains had probably been covered up by blowing desert sand. The story of the wwii bomber, lady be good, and her crew.
The discovery of the lady be good and her crewmembers valiant efforts to survive the libyan desert received world wide media coverage. On april 4, 1943, lady be good of the 514th bomb squadron in soluch field, libya. I was stationed at wheelus 69 70, the prop was taken from the flagpole and is property of the air force national museum in dayton ohio, its currently on loan in front of the village hall in lake linden michigan the home of robert e. When she failed to return to base, the usaaf conducted a search. Dec, 2011 i dont think its easy to take a single story from the pages of aviation history and call it the best or most interesting because the competition is fierce, but the doomed crew of the world war two b24 liberator lady be good ranks for the.
At least two books and numerous newspaper and magazine articles have been devoted to this subject. The illfated crew of the lady be good, from the left. Ssgt samuel ellis adams 19191943 find a grave memorial. Evidence at the site indicated that the crew had become lost in the dark on return.
Local historian dick campbell tells the story of the american liberator bomber, lady be good, which vanished into the night on april 4, 1943. She eventually turned around just prior to reaching the target in naples. The lady be good ghost bomber of wwii the diary page. With vivien endicott douglas, grace glowicki, rebekah miskin. We are also the firstcall band for some of torontos top event venues, as well as wedding and event planners across the gta. We wish to welcome all persons who are interested in the lady be good, contributed to discovering her, have written about her, and have either touched or have been touched by her story and the story of the men who flew her on her last fateful flight on sunday, april 4th, 1943. World war iis most famous ghost plane daily planet. The saga of lady be good and her crew martinez, mario on. No human remains inside or outside of the aircraft, plus an absence of parachutes, indicated the crew had bailed out. Five of the crew s remains were found 78 miles north of the crash site. A ground party that reached the site in march 1959 discovered the plane to be a b24d.
Lady be good is the second book in the wynette, texas series. The nine crew members responsible for the plane had also just arrived in the country, and their first ever assignment was to join a squadron of 25 bombers and attack the. Story of the lady be good story of the lady be good a b24 bomber disappears while. The story of world war iis mystery bomber and her crew bluejacket books martinez, mario on. It was suggested by the researchers that the bombardier had a rough landing and probably died on impact. Failure to acknowledge this call was probably the reason the lady be good flew on and disappeared, martinez writes on his web site.
Hatton, toner, hays, woravka, ripslinger, lamotte, shelly, moore, adams. The aircraft was also new, having reached the 376th bombardment group heavy on march 25. The lady be good was an american b24d liberator of the united states army air forces, serial number 4124301, during world war ii. Lady be good cast and crew cast photos and info fandango.
Oct 31, 2017 still waiting for help, still praying. A ground crew eventually located the site, where a quick inspection of the remains identified it as a b24d liberator called the lady be good, an allied bomber that had disappeared following a bombing run in italy in 1943. About lady be good toronto wedding band live music. Lady be good aircraft from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Incredibly, ripslingers remains were found 26 miles further on. In 1958 the nearly intact lady be good was discovered 710 km 440 miles inland. Nov 21, 2017 on april 4, 1943, lady be good of the 514th bomb squadron in soluch field, libya. Lady be good was a usaaf b24d liberator that mysteriously disappeared without trace on its first combat mission during world war ii. The disappearance of the lady be good and her young air crew is one of the most intriguing and haunting stories in the annals of aviation. Lady be good model diorama of b24d liberator 4124301 on. The strange tale of the lady be good hometown weekly.
The plane, which was from 376th bomb group, was believed to have been lostwith its nineman crewin the mediterranean sea while returning to its base in libya following a bombing raid on naples on april 4, 1943. Lady, which had been one of the last planes to depart for the mission, never caught up with the formation. While working for the local zoo, i was sent to africa with a video crew to film water fowl in their natural habitat. She meets kenny traveler, playboy, hothead and pro golfer. The b24 lady be good crashsite second world war 1939. The remains of one crew member were found near the crash site. The april 4th, 1943 bombing run on naples had been the first call to action for lady be good and her crew.
Based at benina airfield in soluch today suluq, libya, it crashed in april 1943 returning from a mission and was later discovered hundreds of miles into the sahara with its crew mysteriously missing. Intensive searches were made for clues as to the fate of the crew, and in 1960 the remains of eight were found, one near the plane and the other. But remains of the crew members were found as far as 100 miles away from the site where they had landed. Movie ww2 plane crash and crew were ghosts information. William hatton of whitestone took off from an american air base on the coast of north africa, bound for italy with a crew of eight in a b24 bomber christened lady be good. Not realizing that their plane and its supply of food and water were a scant sixteen miles away, the men estimated that travelling northwest would bring them back to the airbase in soluch. The remains of the lady be good were in a police yard in tobruk as of october 27, 2012.
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