Russian B24 photo thanks to Ed West & eBay

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

I saw but now cannot find, a photo on the other page of a B24 of the USSR.

Thanks to Ed West and his eBay links.

I do beleive that the photo is of B24 H-30-FO serial number 42-95342 of the 451st Bomber Group 724th Bomber Squadron that was lost on Mission 244 to Linz , Austria on the 25th April 1945.

MACR13991.

IIRC that B24 was carring the a/c in Squadron number "29", she had some 66 missions under her belt when she was lost due to flak.

If so then I wonder what became of her crew ?

A second , camofalged B24 with red star can also be seen in the same photo.

Night

Alex

[HGabor]

Hi Alex,

no, it was a B-24J-10-FO plane ('Marjorie H'), S/N: 42-51610, #29 of the 461st BG (not the 451st), which landed on the Zombor (now Sombor) airfield, piloted by Lawrence O. Woodruff. As far as I know they returned to Italy.

Gabor

[Alex Smart]

Hi gabor,

When you say returned to Italy, did you mean the crew or both crew and aircraft ?

Thanks.

Alex

[HGabor]

Hi Alex,

only the crew returned to Italy. Libs: 42-51610, 44-41065 and 42-51990 were handed over by the 17. Soviet AF to the 45. GvBAD on March 30, 1945 as the first planes of the new 45. Soviet (test) GvBAD. The 203. Soviet ('Orlov') GvBAP used the B-24s, the 890. GvBAP used the B-17s. The soviet pilots preferred the B-17s, and called them '4 engined UT-2'. Many B-24s were collected from Hungary, Rumania and even Poland to these BAPs for test purposes. In 1948 more B-24s of the 203. GvBAP were sent to Kazany (22. Factory) for the crew training of the new Tu-4 heavy bombers (The Soviet 'supercopies' of the B-29). For this the B-24 was better training plane than the B-17, due to their nose wheel. The last Soviet B-24s remained in service as late as the early '50s. I hope this helps.

Gabor

[Carl-Fredrik Geust]

Just a small correction to Gabor´s initiated message:

- 45 TBAD (Heavy Bomber Aviation Division) and 890 TBAP (Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment) were never Guards units, while the bomber regiment numbered 203 was indeed a Guards unit (ex 25 GAP of ADD, numbering changed DEcember 26, 1944 after ADD was transformed into 18th Air Army). 25 GAP was in its turn elevated to Guards status from ADD-regiments 746 OAP and 412 TBAP on September 18, 1943.

- 45 TBAP consisted of two equipped regiments (initially equipped with Pe-8): 890 TBAP (in 1945-46 to get B-17s) and 203 GTBAP (which as told got the B-24s).
Carl

[Alex Smart]

Hello Gabor & Carl,

What ever B24 the photo shows it is still a good photo and one of a very few that I have seen of B24's in Soviet use.

Now that Carl has entered into the discussion may I ask his opinion on the following -

B24L-15-CO serial 44-49937, and B24M-1-FO that apear in his list in Red Stars 4. '937 as Disassembled for spares.

The former is reported to have been at Walnut Ridge Ark, in January of 1946 while the latter is reported to have been at Kingman Arz in January of 1946.
How is this?

The thirty that he lists, what became of their crews, were they all returned How many were killed?
As I am not able to aquire all 30 MACRs to attain crew names etc.

Thank you both for your exelent work.

Alex

[cubflyer]

Originally Posted by HGabor

Hi Alex,

no, it was a B-24J-10-FO plane ('Marjorie H'), S/N: 42-51610, #29 of the 461st BG (not the 451st), which landed on the Zombor (now Sombor) airfield, piloted by Lawrence O. Woodruff. As far as I know they returned to Italy.

Gabor

Hello HGabor,
My name is James Carter, and I was doing a "google" search on the aircraft that my father was a crew member on during WWII. He was on the "Marjorie H" when it crashed.
I take it, from this forum thread, that there were pictures of this plane after it crashed, and also I take it that the Russians were flying it. Do you know where I can get a look at this picture?
Thanks
Jim

[Rick Quesnel]

Alex, I have sent you a private message. Did you recieve it and if not please try.

Gentlemen,

An article appeared in the USSR proganda magazine Soviet Life back in 1984 dealing with the ALSIB routes and ferrying lead lease aircraft to the USSR. It mentions that a US delegation flew via Alaska to Moscow by B-24. During the return flight the B-24 experienced engine problems in Siberia. Not having any replacment parts, it was abondoned and the Americans flown out by C-54 to Alaska. The article states the superior workmanship of Soviet workers manufactured the required parts and made the B-24 flyable. It was taken on strength in the Soviet airforce.

Let me see if I can locate that article and post it on this web site.

Norman Malayney

[Nokose]

I was looking through allaces.ru and under the history of the 25 GAP DD it listed that they recieved B-24D's that they trained 10 crews. It stated that they began flights in July44 after training in June. On 04Jul44 FW. Dueding 1./NJG100 claimed a Liberator at 25 Ost SL-6 at 23:15. Then Ofw Maisch 2./NJG200 claimed on 15-16Oct44 a Liberator NE of Tarnow at 19:37 and another on 16-17Oct44 at 20:34 NNE of Tarnow.

Could one or all of these been Soviet B-24s or were they U.S. or British B-24s?