USAAF aircraft record cards WW2: translation!

[Phil Irwin]

Can anyone tell me what Occident and Ugly mean please.


Have a reference to Occident A and Occident R, also Ugly R


Many thanks

[ian hunt]

Hi Phil
What’s the context of those names, please?
Could they be drop zones, or patrol areas of some sort?

[Stig Jarlevik]

Ocident (written as such in my list), was the codeword for North Atlantic ATC.
It was formerly known as Occidental, meaning that ocident is probably a spelling error in the list

Ugly was the code word for 8th AF in Britain.

No idea though what the letters A and R afterwards mean.
How is it written?

Cheers
Stig

[Phil Irwin]

Thanks for that Stig,

They are literally written as Occident A and Occident R, unless they are both A or R !


It was an anti-submarine B-24 that may have been ferried to UK and back again for mods.


There is also SOXO that seems to coincide with it crashing so I wondered "Struck Off" ?

[Stig Jarlevik]

Phil

I should perhaps have been more explicit.
All these codes are destination codes.
SOXO replaced UGLY at some point for 8th AF in Britain.

The USAAF IARC can be very difficult to read since a lot of what's in there
are in codes. Normally the assigned stations are written with four digits
within the US and one letter + three digits outside the States. If you are
lucky they are written in clear language, now and then shortened.

If you want to read these cards properly you should get Robert Mann's
Aircraft Record Cards of the United States Air Force.
Unfortunately the book doesn't answer all questions, but it is a good
beginning!

Cheers
Stig

[Phil Irwin]

Sorry, my mistake, it is Ocident.


The date beside Ugly is July 43, and SOXO R is Dec 43 when it crashed.


There is also CON AFMSC on the same line as soxo and before it if that makes sense.


Definitely A and R

[Leendert]

Perhaps more can be traced if we hear the serial number of the B-24 involved?

Regards,
Leendert

[Phil Irwin]

It was 42-40474


Came to the UK in June 43 with the 4th Antisubmarine Squadron which along with the 19th, was part of the 479th AS Group.


Initially flying from St Eval, they relocated to Dunkeswell and around the same time it was decided that the US Navy would take over the AS operations.


In the meantime the 6th and 22nd arrived in the August.



When the 479th was disbanded to make way for the US Navy, the 4th, 6th and 19th were absorbed into the 8th AF. The 22nd became the 36th BS and proceeded to Alconbury to prepare for the Carpetbagger operation, flying supplies to the French Resistance.


The B-24s used went to Base Air Depot 1, Burtonwood for various modifications and 474 was clearly one of them.


On 27th Dec 43 it flew into a hillside in bad weather 30 miles from where I live killing all on board.


The record card shows built 19th March Fort Worth then straight to a Mod Centre "Proj Dom 130 5/5"

16th April Love Field (Dallas, was a mod centre)



I presume the mod may have been anti-submarine radar, can anyone confirm?


This where is gets complicated. Anti-sub B-24Ds were modified. The tail turret was mounted in the nose and the nose was lowered by about 12".



29th April 474 is at Olmstead. This was Middletown where the nose mods were done.



When the 4th and 19th were hurriedly moved to the UK, there was discussion as to what aircraft they would take as not all had been modded (and Burtonwood hadn't opened at that point) There was talk that the 4th would take modded aircraft and that the 19th return theirs to Middletown from the UK as replacement modded aircraft became available.


Do Middletown records exist?