ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 100912
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| Date: | Friday 25 August 1944 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Consolidated B-24H Liberator |
| Owner/operator: | 791st BSqn /467th BGp USAAF |
| Registration: | 41-29420 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 9 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Belton, 6¼ miles north-west of Lowestoft, Suffolk, -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Rackheath, AAF Sta.145, Norfolk |
| RAF Rackheath, AAF Sta.145 |
B-24H-15-CF Liberator 41-29420 "4Z-L": “BELLE OF THE EAST” of the 791st Bomb Sqn, 467th Bomb Group, USAAF. Written off (damaged beyond repair) 25 August 1944 when crashed at Belton, 6¼ miles north-west of Lowestoft, Suffolk. On return from mission to attack Lubeck, Germany,, this plane was abandoned in air by crew after the engine cut out. The reason being that the crew believed that that B-24 was out of fuel,
However, despite this, plane flew on - unmanned - and made a survivable crash landing at Belton, 6¼ miles north-west of Lowestoft, Suffolk, all engines torn out. Three crew slightly injured due to injuries sustained during their bale outs.
41-29420 was one of 36 aircraft which took off at 07:30 for a mssion to Lubeck, Germany. 33 aircraft dropped 324 x 500 lb GPs, 5 x 500 lb XG20 and 5 x 500 lb G25 leaflets. One plane dropped 10 x 500 lb GP bombs at 53”50’N-12”32’E. Lt. Col Smith led the group in the PFF ship. The results of the bombing were very good. Heavy inaccurate flak was encountered to the target. 25 aircraft in a dog fight were seen at 53”40’N-12”00’E.
41-29420 was salvaged at Belton, Suffolk on 4-5 Sept 1944, and authorised for reclamation as scrap and components.
On the 26th August 2006, exactly 62 years after the event, villagers in Belton, Norfolk*, gathered for a ceremony to unveil a road sign called "Belle Of The East Way" in memory of the Group B-24 that crash-landed here during WW2.
(*Belton moved from Suffolk to Norfolk due to post-war boundary changes)
Sources:
1. http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1941_4.html
2. http://www.americanairmuseum.com/place/133868
3. http://www.467bg.com/4129420.htm
4. http://beltonhistory.co.uk/?p=177
5. http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Aug1944O.htm
6. Nose Art: http://www.the467tharchive.org/belleoftheeastnoseart.html
7. http://www.the467tharchive.org/Belleoftheeastway.html
8. https://www.facebook.com/groups/209080115899870/permalink/877370342404174/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Jul-2017 01:27 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 23-Mar-2020 17:45 | DG333 | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Operator] |
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