While doing Birds !!!! & a question !!!!!
One day at Waco I heard a peculiar and distinct sound overhead and was treated to this beauty !!! No clue about the bombing markings? Must be designating something post war since no bomber has completed that many missions.
One interesting point in this image is the dark line on the right side from top to bottom ..... Any clue what it is ? Answer to follow
Comments welcome and much appreciated
Have no clue as to what that black line might be...:confused: I like the new species of bird though...:p;):D:):cool:
Maybe a hair or eyelash on the lens???
Great image, Al! What an awesome plane!
I would guess the dirt from the props
Interesting guesses but mystery hasn't been solved Will wait a bit see anyone comes up with it !!!
.... also I just noticed the props are not turning .... interesting !!!
Is it the prop from the plane where the pic was shot from
Props not turning...rotational motion frozen in time by an ultra high shutter speed at point of capture...:D:cool:
That was the first thing I did notice but I like photographing planes. I figure you had your camera set for the higher shutter speeds birds usually require and not the slow ones to create prop blur.Originally Posted by Alfred Forns
Nice old B-24. I am poking around trying to come up with something about the markings.
Heres your plane.
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Collings%20Foundation/Consolidated%20B-24J%20Liberator/1368422/L/&width=1024&height=695&sok=keyword_(%27+%22b-24%22%27_IN_BOOLEAN_MODE))_&sort=_order_by_photo_id_DESC_&photo_nr=7&prev_id=1374418&next_id=1349639
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled-(The-Collings/Consolidated-B-24J-Liberator/1349639&tbl=photo_info&photo_nr=8&sok=keyword_(%5C%27%2B%5C%22b-24%5C%22%5C%27_IN_BOOLEAN_MODE))_&sort=_order_by_photo_id_DESC_&prev_id=1368422&next_id=1345383
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untit...ator/0837607/M
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinqu...0&cmndfind.y=0
Nice image but the HAP are going to be all over you on this one.
I'm stumped about the line as well.
Last edited by Mike Tracy; 11-08-2008 at 06:26 PM.
this B24 was delivered to India in 1944. and abandoned at Chakeri Air Base in 1946. It has gone to several owners before being bought by the Collings Foundation and restored in 88/89. It has had several names including "All American" and "Golden Girl", renamed "The Dragon and his Tail" (1999), renamed "Witchcraft" (2005).
Congrats Al!! if my research has not failed me, you got a photo of the VERY last B24!!!
as for the line, i'll have to study some more. i have no idea!!
more research reveals: The famous B-24 Liberator "Witchcraft" (Tail #252534), the pride of the 467th Bombardment Group. This plane flew 130 missions in the European Theatre of Operations without an abort, the most of any Allied bomber in World War II.
130 missions, AL!!!!! i told you you were lucky!!
the dark line. is it a shadow thrown onto the camera from the rotating blades? or an extra terrestrial pass through!!!?
Congrats on this capture, according to Mr. H you have a treasure here. No clue on the line.
Here is the answer to the shadow !!! None other than a hanging shutter blade !!! Don't see it often but that what it looks like in the slightest of instances. See anything like and camera goes for a shutter replacement. I believe it was the Mk2 and the shutter was good for 250,000 actuations .....went over :)
Thanks on the info Harold. Mike the site you game me its my favorite Awesome images there !!!
btw I don't see how its possible for a plane to complete 130 missions? Even if it went into service early in the war figure how many they can fly a month. They did not fly daily because of the weather, five missions in one month would be good. Even if they did not miss any can't see getting that many. Perhaps it flew something other than long range missions to Germany.
Hi Al,
130 missions could have been flown by the Liberator as the Lancaster bomber was put into service October 1941, and over 30 flew more than a 100 . . .
The least number of ops we flew in a month of our first tour was 6, and usually between 8 & 9 per month. Then the Lanc flew with other crews in part of `41, all of `42, `43, `44 & 3 mo. in `45 approx. 40 mo. So, it is quite possible to hit 150 if a kite survived. Only 35 Lancs survived enough years to hit over 100
Here's an official excerpt:
" Lancaster III EE176 ‘QT-M’ (‘Mickey the Moocher') of 61 Squadron, based at Skellingthorpe, one of only 35 Lancaster centurions - aircraft that survived more than 100 missions. ‘Mickey' is believed to have flown between 115 and 128 missions against targets including Berlin (15 missions), Cologne, Dortmund, Brunswick and the breakout at Caen.
Uncle Gus
Gus the Liberator did not start operations in Europe until much later than the Lancaster? So if it has around one hundred how can that Liberator have so many?
btw I had no idea individual planes had gone that many missions I assumed it was probably impossible !!!
Hi Al:
Don't know that much about US participation except that they were a major reason we won the war in Europe.
However, with bombing missions comencing in 1942: Excerpt:
"While there, the decision was made for the force to carry out a single raid against the Ploesti oilfields in Rumania. Thirteen planes of the Halverson Detachment carried out the first Ploesti raid on June 11-12, 1942, which was also the first strategic attack of any significance of the war to be carried out by land-based aircraft of the USAAF"
Ploesti was a long raid, probably around 10 hours, there were a lot of 4-5 hour ops on the Rhur Valley, and at the start of US participation in Europe building up their bomber force they probably had more raids per aircraft then than later on. It wasn't until the Mustang was equiped with wing tanks that they could fly as far as Berlin as fighter cover.
Lancaster's were put in service Oct. 41, but didn't get into full service until the beginning of `42
Al, I think that the 130 missions by the Liberator was an actual count by a very lucky aircraft.
Sorry to be so windy.
Gus
Love the details Gus !!! The Lancaster was a converted Manchester frame.
Gus I'm doing this from memory but the firs Ploesti raids were not massive (classic) B 24 raids. I think they had some smaller bombers and a bunch of P-38s From what I remember it was a mass from lack of coordination, were picked up on radar all the way to the target and made wrong approach. From the earlier raids there was not much damage. The second go around later did inflict serious damage. Will hit my books and check !!!
Late to the party, but how cool and super historical info!!!!! Great plane and image
Hi Al:
The first American bombing mission over Europe began when thirteen Halpro B-24s took off from an R.A.F. airstrip at Fayid, Egypt, at ten thirty on the night of June 11, 1942. As a night flight, destined to put the bombers over Ploesti with the first rays of dawn, it was impossible to maintain a flight formation. Each pilot was on his own, navigating through the dark skies over the Mediterranean, while hoping to find his comrades when the morning sun rose over the Black Sea.
One of the thirteen bombers was forced to turn back to Egypt when frozen fuel transfer lines cut power to three engines. The remaining twelve continued on towards Ploesti where they dropped their bombs on what was believed to be the large Astra Romana refinery.
In fact, the first raid on Ploesti was unremarkable and inflicted only minimal damage to the Romanian refineries and German oil supply. The mission however, represented a significant step for American air power. Not only were these the first bombs dropped over Europe by Americans, it was a demonstration of the great range the B-24 afforded for Allied operations. Of the twelve Liberators that reached Ploesti, six landed safely in Iraq (the designated recovery point for the mission) and two landed in Syria. Four bombers were forced to land in Turkey where the aircraft were seized and the crews interned. The only injuries were minor, and not a single man was lost or killed in action
Tons of Ploesti info here: http://www.homeofheroes.com/wings/part2/09_ploesti.html
Gus
Gus we should start a Military Aviation gallery :)
Birds are birds.
Hi Al:
So many interesting subjects:
Example from Ploesti raid: " it was impossible to maintain a flight formation. Each pilot was on his own, navigating through the dark skies over the Mediterranean, while hoping to find his comrades when the morning sun rose over the Black Sea.
To think Al, that was 13 aircraft, we went on to 1000 plane night raids with each Navigator responsible for reaching the target." And lucky if we hit within a mile of the target from 20 - 25000' at 150 K.
Only photos I have: http://unclegus.150m.com/
Youth was the key.
Gus
Last edited by Gus Hallgren; 11-09-2008 at 09:16 PM.
Thanks very much for the photography and the interesting information. But most important, thanks to all of you who served.
I'm a son of a WWII veteran (26th U.S Infantry Division).
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