| Serial Number: | 42-30039 |
| Name: | LIBERTY BELLE |
| Manufacturer: | Built by the Boeing Airplane Company, B-17F-85-BO, Camouflage |
| Squadron: | 544th Bombardment Squadron (H) |
| Squadron ID Code: | 544th‑SU*H |
| Start Date: | 1 April 1943. Transferred. |
| Missions: | This aircraft was credited with 3 combat missions with the 384th. |
| End Date: | 14 August 1943. Transferred: Sent to 2 SAD, Little Staughton. |
| Photo Album: | No Photo Album For This Aircraft |
| History: | 42-30039 Delivered to Cheyenne, Wyoming for modification on 2 April 1943; Sioux City, Iowa on 14 April 1943; Kearney, Nebraska on 3 May 1943; Dow Field, Maine on 24 May 1943. Assigned to the 337th Bombardment Squadron, squadron code AW-Q, 96th Bombardment Group in the US. Transferred to the 544th Bombardment Squadron, squadron code SU-H, 384th Bombardment Group, station 106, Grafton Underwood, UK on 29 May 1943. The aircraft flew three combat missions with the 384th Bombardment Group and then was transferred to the Second Strategic Air Depot (2 SAD) at Little Staughton, station 127 on 14 August 1943. The aircraft was transferred to the Aphrodite Project, 803 Bombardment Squadron, 388th Bombardment Group, RCM, at station 136, Knettishall in January 1944; Missing in Action on a mission to Heligoland, Germany on 15 August 1944 with Lieutenants R. Betts and M. Garvin. Aircraft Name: LIBERTY BELLE. |
| Bits & Pieces: |
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| Number | Date | Target | Results | Mission/Sortie Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | 23 June 1943 | Bernay-Saint-Martin, France, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | HSqLd Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 2⇗ | 25 June 1943 | Target: Industrial Area & Submarine Pens Type: Military Location: Hamburg, Germany | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | High Squadron lead. Returned to base due to weather conditions; pilot was unable to maintain contact with the formation. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 3⇗ | 26 June 1943 | Target: Villacoublay Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Paris, France | Completed Mission | Low Squadron Lead. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 6⇗ | 4 July 1943 | Target: Gnome et Rhone Aircraft Engine Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Le Mans, France | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Turned back when pilot became ill. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| -- | 9 July 1943 | Abbeville, France, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 7⇗ | 10 July 1943 | Target: Drucat Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Abbeville, France | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Lead Group. Turned back because #2 engine began to 'miss and vibrate' so it was feathered. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 8⇗ | 14 July 1943 | Target: Villacoublay Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Paris, France | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | High Squadron deputy. Turned back at 0715 hrs over Channel because aircraft could not stay in formation - it felt 'sluggish.' Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 9⇗ | 24 July 1943 | Target: Aluminum & Magnesium Plants Type: Industry Location: Herøya, Norway | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| -- | 26 July 1943 | Hamburg, Germany, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | Capt. William F. Gilmore Flt Ldr; turned back w #2 engine feathered Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 12⇗ | 29 July 1943 | Target: Naval Base Type: Military Location: Kiel, Germany | Did Not Take Off | Did not take off: aircraft apparently not in flying condition. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 13⇗ | 30 July 1943 | Target: Aircraft Assembly Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Kassel, Germany | Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused | |
| 14⇗ | 12 August 1943 | Target: Synthetic Fuel Hydrogenation Plant Type: Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |