Consolidated B-24 Liberator

The crew was on its way from the US to RAF Watton, Norfolk, to deliver the aircraft. Due to poor weather conditions, he should postpone the departure for 24 hours and spent a night at RAF Valley (Anglesey Airport), Wales. Few minutes after departure, while cruising to the east, the four engine aircraft went through a cloudy area and was flying too low. It hit the base of the Mt Clip yr Orsedd located south of Penmaenmawr, crashed and burned. Six crew were slightly injured while five others were killed.
Crew:
Adrian J. Schultz, pilot
Arthur W. Davis, copilot, †
Julian S. Erts, radio navigator,
Passengers:
Norman P. Boyer,
Samuel Louis Offutt, †
John E. Tymczak,
Harold Alexander,
William M. Lorenz, †
William G. Nichols, †
Joseph Nieglos,
Nicholas Cennemo, †.

A formation of five Consolidated B-24E Liberator was on its way from Wendover AFB to Pocatello, Idaho. While cruising at an altitude of 11,100 feet, the Liberator registered 42-7183 that was in the third position was left behind so its captain increased power to regain its position in the formation. Doing so, the tail of the 42-7183 hit the left wing of the 42-7408. On impact, the number one engine of 42-7408 was sheared off and both aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a huge explosion. All 25 occupants on both aircraft were killed.
Crew:
2nd Lt Richard Ralph Abmyer,
Sgt Edward W. Arnold,
1st Lt Milton O. Bell,
Sgt Anton P. Brajkovich,
1st Lt Austin W. Clark,
Sgt Ralph E. Dahlkamp,
S/Sgt Joseph L. Guth,
Cpl Francis E. Hanson,
S/Sgt Hans R. Priester,
Sgt Stanley F. Roberson,
Cpl Hugh W. Robinson Jr.,
2nd Lt John D. Rogers,
2nd Lt James B. Sharp.

A formation of five Consolidated B-24E Liberator was on its way from Wendover AFB to Pocatello, Idaho. While cruising at an altitude of 11,100 feet, the Liberator registered 42-7183 that was on third position was left behind so its captain increased power to regain its position in the formation. Doing so, the tail of the 42-7183 hit the left wing of 42-7408. On impact, the number one engine of 42-7408 was sheared off and both aircraft went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a huge explosion. All 25 occupants on both aircraft were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Saul Becker,
Pvt Lloyd E. Fowler,
2nd Lt Ray W. Gambol,
Cpl Lawrence A. Griffin,
Sgt Clyde Hewitt,
2nd Lt James H. Hutcheson,
2nd Lt Paul J. Kohler,
2nd Lt William D. Lieber,
2nd Lt Lawrence G. McGinnis,
2nd Lt Carroll Edward Meyer,
2nd Lt John H. Moffett,
2nd Lt Richard Settineri.

Crashed following an engine failure near Ludlow, California. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Layman L. Cash,
2nd Lt Renato Casini,
1st Lt Robert E. Johnson,
Cpl Sidney R. Vaughn.

The four engine aircraft departed by night on a transatlantic flight to Europe. After a takeoff roll of 7,000 feet, the airplane rotated but encountered difficulties to gain height when it struck Australian pines and crashed in a huge explosion just past the runway end. Twelve crew members were killed while two others were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Crew:
Samuel Gerald Dean, pilot, †
Edward Joseph Wolbers, copilot, †
Radamés E. Cáceres, navigator, †
Douglas Laurent Dauphin, bombardier, †
Bert Garland Sauls Jr., master gunner, †
Kenneth N. Markle, radio operator, †
Louis Karp, artillery gunner, †
James Henry “Jim” Henderson, artillery gunner, †
Douglas Vincent Schmoker, artillery gunner, †
Howard George Sewell, turret gunner.
Passengers:
George M. “Pud” Durrett, †
Robert H. Watson, †
Harold Edwin Richards, †
James Dixon “Big Jim” Fore. †

While flying over the North Sea, the bomber was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed into the sea off Texel. All 10 crew members were killed and the aircraft christened 'Boomerang II' was lost.
Crew (93rd BG):
S/Sgt Robert D. Bogan, air gunner,
2nd Lt Orval Carder, copilot,
T/Sgt Arthur Demario, radio operator,
1st Lt Harry A. Daywalt Jr., pilot,
2nd Lt Robert E. McFaddin, navigator,
T/Sgt Colin Jones, air gunner,
S/Sgt Darrell V. Parrott, air gunner,
S/Sgt Pravdomil Sroubek,
2nd Lt Russell Unangst, bombardier 1.

Involved in a test flight (propeller test following maintenance), the aircraft was carrying a crew of five. In the morning, the crew left Ladd AAF located in Fort Wainwright, east of Fairbanks. At around 1100LT, the crew overflew Big Delta and maintained an altitude of 23,000 feet. While cruising in clouds, the number one engine failed. Shortly later, the pilot lost control of the aircraft that entered a spin. During the descent, the captain ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft but only two occupants managed to bail out. Out of control, the aircraft dove into the ground and eventually crashed in a huge explosion near the Charley River. By an outside temperature of -51° C, one of both crew that bailed out landed in a thick layer of snow and tried to find his colleague but without success. For six days, SAR operations cleaned out a large area but did not found any trace of the aircraft nor the five occupants. In extreme cold and appalling conditions, the First Lieutenant Leon Crane made 84 days before returning to civilization and eventually be transferred to his base. All rest of the crew did not survive the accident.
Crew:
2nd Lt Harold E. Hoskin, †
M/Sgt Richard L. Pompeo, †
1st Lt James B. Sibert, †
1st Lt Leon Crane,
S/Sgt Ralph S. Wenz. †

The aircraft was engaged in a bombing mission over Bremen. While approaching the target, the aircraft collided an USAF Ford B-24H-1-FO. Following the collision, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in a field, killing its entire crew of ten. Fortunately, the crew of the second aircraft was able to land safely.
Crew:
S/Sgt Thomas J. Appeldorn,
2nd Lt Jack A. Gates,
2nd Lt James A. Harper,
T/Sgt Charles E. Krauss,
2nd Lt Gordon L. Marcouiller,
S/Sgt Edward R. Markus,
S/Sgt Alton S. Railing,
S/Sgt Thomas C. Ray,
1st Lt Alexander Trolese,
S/Sgt Raymond E. Wright.

The aircraft left Port Moresby-7 Mile Airfield at the end of the day on a reconnaissance flight over the Bismarck Sea. A last radio communication was set at 2145LT and as the aircraft failed to return, SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. The wreckage and bones were found by locals on Mt Eiyawaiy, near the village of Engati, in 1982.
Crew (43rd BG):
1st Lt Richard Heuss, pilot,
2nd Lt Robert Miller, copilot,
2nd Lt Robert R. Streckenbach, navigator,
2nd Lt Edward French, bombardier,
T/Sgt Charles Bode, flight engineer,
S/Sgt Ivan O. Kirkpatrick, assistant to flight engineer,
S/Sgt Roy Suribian, radio operator,
S/Sgt William K. Musgrave, assistant to radio operator,
S/Sgt James T. Moran, air gunner,
S/Sgt James B. Moore, air gunner,
S/Sgt Lucian I. Oliver Jr., air gunner.

The crew left Adak NAS on a maritime patrol flight over the Bering Sea. En route, the four engine aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances north of the Atka Island, some 80 miles east of Adak Airfield. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found.
Crew:
T/Sgt Paul J. Anderson,
S/Sgt Edgar H. Armstrong,
T/Sgt David W. Cassabaum,
2nd Lt Jerry F. Cerny,
Sgt Robert L. Eldredge,
2nd Lt Ray E. Fernandez,
S/Sgt Robert A. Manchester
S/Sgt George W. Myers,
2nd Lt Kenneth D. Nicol,
S/Sgt John W. O'Brien,
2nd Lt Richard A. Payne.