Second World War Archives - Page 8 of 40

Consolidated B-24 Liberator Nose Art Page 2

Consolidated B-24 Liberator Nose Art Page 2

Old Hickory

Old Hickory was a 380th Bomb Group 530th Bomb Squadron s/n 42-40827. It was written off on 1 March 1944 after a crash landing at Fenton, Australia.

Our Gal III

Our Gal III a Consolidated B-24J-90-CO s/n 42-100313 of the 5th AF, 22nd BG, 33rd BS

Peace Offering

Consolidated B-24M-10-FO, s/n 44-50811, Peace Offering of the 529th BS 380th BG, Okinawa, 1945.

Pistol Packin’ Mama

Pleasure Bent

Consolidated B-24J-75-CO Liberator s/n 42-100157 Pleasure Bent. Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 22nd Bombardment Group (22nd BG) “Red Raiders”, 2nd Bombardment Squadron (2nd BS). On April 18, 1945 during on a bombing mission against Toyohara, this aircraft was hit by flak. After a forced landing with two engines out, she was condemned and later scrapped.

Pug

Queen Mae

Queen Mae was a Consolidated B-24J 155-CO s/n 44-40314 319th Bomb Squadron, 90th Bomb Group. The aircraft survived the war and was scrapped in the Philippines

Rangy Lil

Consolidated B-24M-5-CO Liberator Rangy Lil s/n 44-41867 of the 529BS, 380BG, 5th AF

Road to Tokyo

Road to Tokyo a Consolidated B-24J s/n 44-40400 of the 90BG, 319BS, 5th Air Force

Sandra Kay

Consolidated B-24D-155-CO Sandra Kay s/n 42-72790 of the 380 BG 530 BS. Delivered to the USAAF on 31 July 1943. Flew 89 missions from Australia and New Guinea with another 34 from the Philippines for a total of 123. Written off on 19 May 1945 after a crash landing at Mindoro in the Philippines.

She ‘Asta

Consolidated B-24D-65-CO of the 380BG 530BS. Transferred to the RAAF as A72-5 on 3 March 1944. She’ Asta flew 28 missions before her transfer.

Shootin’ Star

Consolidated B-24J-25-CO Shootin’ Star s/n 42-73249 of the 308 BG 374 BS 14th Air Force. Shootin’ Star was lost on 12 January 1945 to friendly fire when shot down by three Vought Corsairs.

Six Bitts

Consolidated B-24J-80-CO Liberator s/n 42-100214 Six Bitts of the 380BG / 529BS. She flew 100 missions, 56 from Australia with another 44 from The Philippines.

Sleepy Time Gal

Snow Job II

Consolidated B-24J Liberator Snow Job II s/n 44-40572 of the 5BG 31BS. The plane was lost on January 10, 1945 while returning from a bombing mission in the Philippines.

Squeeze

Consolidated B-24M Liberator Squeeze s/n 44-42020 of the 308BG, 374BS. The camel mission tally indicates a mission over the “Hump” or Himalayas supplying the Chinese.

Sweet Revenge

Consolidated B-24 Liberator Sweet Revenge s/n 42-52648 of the 484BG, 15th Air Force

The Bitch’s Sister

Consolidated B-24J Liberator The Bitch’s Sister 308BG 375BS, 14th Air Force

The Carrier Pigeon

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Carrier Pigeon s/n 42-51451 of the 389BG 564BS coded YO-M

The Horrible Monster

Consolidated B-24J-175-CO Liberator The Horrible Monster of the 864th BS, 494th BG, 7th AF

The Red Ass

The Thunder Mug

Consolidated B-24H Liberator s/n 41-28750 The Thunder Mug 467BG 789BS

Toonerville Trolley

Consolidated B-24 Liberator Toonerville Trolley of the 389th Bomb Group 567th Bomb Squadron, s/n 42-50731 coded HP-Y

Unknown

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Japanese Battleship Nagato

Japanese Battleship Nagato

Commissioned into the Imperial Japanese Navy on 25 November 1920, Nagato was the lead ship of her class of battleships. Her sister Mutsu was commissioned a year later.

Nagato was modernised from 1934-36, with increased armour, updated machinery and the rebuilding of her superstructure into a pagoda mast.

During World War Two, she did not see combat until the Battle of the Philippine Sea in mid-1944, where she escorted the aircraft carriers Jun’yō, Hiyō and the light carrier Ryūhō. During the battle, she provided anti-aircraft fire, claiming to have shot down two Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers.

During the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Nagata formed part of the Center Force which planned to attack the American invasion force. During the initial the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea on 24 October, she was hit by two bombs one of which damaged the air intake to No. 1 boiler room, immobilizing one propeller shaft for 24 minutes until the boiler was put back online. On the morning of 25 October, Center Force sighted Taffy 3 and opened fire on the escort carriers, although Nagato did not achieve any hits.

At 06:54 the destroyer USS Heermann fired a spread of torpedoes at the fast battleship Haruna; the torpedoes missed Haruna and headed for Yamato and Nagato which were on a parallel course. The two battleships were forced 10 miles (16 km) away from the engagement before the torpedoes ran out of fuel. On turning back, Nagato fired forty-five 410 mm and ninety-two 14 cm shells but due to poor visibility claimed only two hits on a cruiser. At 09:10, the Japanese turned away and broke engagement.

On her return to Japan, Nagato was converted to an anti-aircraft platform, as the lack of fuel did not permit her to sortie again. Despite US Navy air attacks, she survived the war and was then expended as a target in US atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll.

Nagato in Service

Nagato with sight training devices on all turrets

Nagato in 1920 — Nagato with sight training devices on all turrets

Nagato Post-War

Nagato at Yokosuka (Japan), as seen from the U.S. Navy battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) — Nagato being guarded by US troops

British Aircraft Carrier HMS Warrior

HMS Warrior leaving Plymouth Sound bound for the Far East 1953

British Aircraft Carrier HMS Warrior (R31)

When completed on 2 April 1945, the Colossus-class aircraft carrier HMS Warrior was lent to the Royal Canadian Navy as HMCS Warrior. She remained in Canadian hands from 14 March 1946 until 23 March 1948.

Upon returning to British service, HMS Warrior was refitted at Devonport, where she was equipped with an experimental flexible deck. The concept of the rubber deck was to permit aircraft to land without an undercarriage, the impact of landing being absorbed by the flexible deck. Although successful it was not implemented and Warrior was paid off to reserve in 1949.

Re-commissioned in 1960, Warrior was used to transport troops and equipment for the Korean War. When she returned to the UK in 1955, she was refitted, and an angled deck installed, along with upgrades to the arrester system and catapults to enable the operation of aircraft up to 20,000lbs.

During 1957, Warrior was used as the headquarters ship for Operation Grapple the British hydrogen bomb tests. For this operations she embarked Grumman Avenger AS4s to collect samples and a flight of Westland Whirlwind helicopters. The Avengers became contaminated from flying through the radioactive dust clouds and were dumped overboard at the end of the operation.

Warrior was decommissioned on 28 February 1958 and sold to Argentina as ARA Independencia on 6 August 1958.