#B24 bomber crew full#

The 449th operated from Grottaglie from January 1944 until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. From Tunis they flew to their forward operating base at Grottaglie Field near Taranto, Italy. From Dakar the planes flew north to Tunis by way of Marrakech. The Atlantic crossing was made from Brazil to Dakar, Africa. Each crew flew its aircraft overseas by a route which took them to southern Florida, then to Puerto Rico and thence to Brazil. By December 1943, training was complete and the 449th was ordered overseas to the European theater. At that time the 449th consisted of a total complement of 184 officers and 1,203 enlisted men.Īt Bruning the 449th was equipped with some 62 B-24 aircraft. The move to Bruning was completed on 18 September 1943. On 6 September 1943 the Group was again relocated, this time to Bruning Field, Nebraska. On 1 July 1943 the Group was moved to Alamogordo, New Mexico.

#B24 bomber crew full#

Over the next 7 months the Group steadily increased to full strength as the training program progressed. The strength of the Group on that date was listed as 52 officers and 33 enlisted men. The 449th was activated on at Davis-Monthan Field near Tucson, Arizona. The 449th Bomb Group was composed of four Squadrons - the 716th, 717th, 718th, and 719th. The 449th - equipped with B-24 Liberator bombers - was a typical heavy-bombardment group of the 15th Air Force. The 47th Wing consisted of four, heavy-bombardment groups: the 98th BG, the 376th BG, the 449th BG and the 450th BG. A single fighter wing - consisting of 7 fighter groups - was an integral part of the 15th, as were a reconnaissance and a weather squadron.

The 47th, 55th and 304th Bomb Wings consisted of four Bombardment Groups while the 49th Wing had three Bombardment Groups. The 5th Wing was equipped with the B-17 Flying Fortress. T/Sgt: Engineer: Prell crew 1 Prell crew 2 Individual photo: Bacon, George W. Shaw crew 2 Individual photo: Backus, Donald G. Four Wings - the 47th, 49th, 55th, and 304th - were equipped with B-24 Liberators. Felsenthal crew Individual photo: Bachman, Lawrence W. By, the 15th Air Force contained 21, heavy-bombardment groups organized into five wings. The 15th Air Force began operations on 1 November 1943 with a nucleus of six heavy-bombardment groups and three fighter groups transferred over from the existing 12th Air Force. Photo by: MIA Recoveries, Inc.The 15th Air Force was formed in November 1943 for the purpose of using southern Italy as a base of operations for a strategic air force, equipped with long-range heavy bombers capable of reaching targets in central and eastern Europe that lay beyond the range of the 8th Air Force operating from bases in England. (l-r) Mishmi villagers, Tapir, and Clayton. Miuli family elders with Clayton and Tapir. Three generations of the Miuli family with Clayton Kuhls. (l-r) Mountain guide with Tapir, and Clayton. Photo by: MIA Recoveries, Inc.Īnother shot of the hanging bridge. Mate Miuli, Tapir, and Clayton Kuhls before Cheppe. (l-r) Mate Miuli, Tapir, and Clayton Kuhls at the start of their trek to Cheppe. Shidibi Mountain, site of the wreckage, shrouded in clouds. View of the wreckage in India where the remains of Lieutenant Bob King and nine other servicemen rest on a mountainside more than two miles high. He’s been working to recover remains from them ever since. The people he met there told him of crash sites throughout the mountains. Photo by: MIA Recoveries, Inc.Ĭlayton Kuhls drive to climb the most challenging mountains led him to India. The B-24 was a bomber but in this case he and his crew were flying not bombs, but cargo between India and China to support Chinese troops fighting the Japanese. Photo by: MIA Recoveries, Inc.įirst Lieutenant Robert King was in command of a B-24 nicknamed the Flub Dub. He was scheduled to come home after that mission-78 years later, now there’s a chance that he will. First Lieutenant Robert King lost his life trying to get through some of the most dangerous flying weather on Earth.