44-40470 Worry Bird

B-24J-165-CO

Project # 92673 (493rd BG original aircraft)

April 6, 1944: accepted by USAAF.
May 13, 1944: departed USA to fly to UK via the northern route as a replacement aircraft (flew no combat missions with 493rd BG).
Date unknown: assigned to 34th BG, 7th BS, with call letter A in exchange for an olive drab B-24H

A 493BG Original, squadron and letter unknown

Any combat missions with the 493BG are not known to me.

Transferred to the 34BG between May 29th and June 11th 1944, assigned to the 7th Squadron as E/A.

MISSION LIST

Mission #14 June 11, 1944 44-40470 E/A 7BS Swenson Worry Bird

Mission #15 June 12, 1944 44-40470 E/A 7BS Swenson Worry Bird

Mission #17 June 17, 1944 44-40470 E/A 7BS Hardison Worry Bird (lead)

Mission #18 June 20, 1944 44-40470 E/A Bice Worry Bird (ground spare-lead)

Mission #19 June 20, 1944 44-40470 E/A 7BS Hardison Worry Bird                Plane salvaged from damage. 2 KIA, 1WIA.

MISSION DETAILS

May 30, 1944 44-40470 Meyer (spelled Meyers)

Took off at 1700 hours on a flight to Honington.

No landing time given.

Mission #14 June 11, 1944 44-40470 E/A 7BS Swenson Worry Bird

Took off at 0442 hours.

Flew position 1-3 in High Squadron.

Carried 24 250 lb GP bombs. Brought back all bombs to base due to 10/10 cloud coverage of target.

No battle damage reported.

Landed 1040 hours.

Swenson (P)

Arango (CP)

Clemens (B)

Baker (R)

Garmon (E)

Rockwell (G)

Gillespie (G)

Moreno (G)

Barron (G)

Mission #15 June 12, 1944 44-40470 E/A 7BS Swenson Worry Bird

Took off at 0513 hours.

Flew position 4-3 in Lead Squadron.

Carried a K-24 camera.

Carried 24 250 lb bombs. Dropped on the Primary at 0910 hours from 22,000 feet.

No damage reported.

Landed 1101 hours.

Swenson (P)

Arango (CP)

Clemens (B)

Baker (R)

Garmon (E)

Rockwell (G)

Gillespie (G)

Moreno (G)

Barron (G)

Mission #17 June 17, 1944 44-40470 E/A 7BS Hardison Worry Bird (lead)

Took off at 1639 hours

Flew Lead of High Squadron.

Carried 12 500 lb bombs. Dropped on Primary at 2022 hours from 18,400 feet.

No battle damage reported.

Landed 2244 hours.

Hardison (P)

Tavasti (Command Pilot)

Stringham (CP)

Metz (N)

Priddy (N2) (listed on Formation chart but not on crew loading list)

Shore (B)

Price (R)

Johnson (E)

Hayes (G)

Furr (G)

Tolbert (G)

Mission #18 June 20, 1944 44-40470 E/A Bice Worry Bird (ground spare-lead)

Bice (P)

Rowley (CP) (flew this mission with Crew #11, Thrun)

Forister (R)

Blackham (E)

Golden (NG)

Weelfel (TG)

Snyder (BG)

Mission #19 June 20, 1944 44-40470 E/A 7BS Hardison Worry Bird

Took off 1741 hours.

Flew position 1-2, Deputy Lead, of Group A.

Carried 52 100 lb bombs. Dropped on Primary but no time or altitude shown.

Plane suffered major flak damage. 2 KIA, 1WIA.

Crash landed at 2204 hours at Woodchurch. Plane was salvaged.

No crew loading lists for this mission.

Hardison, Joseph H. (P) 1 Lt O-793764 KIA

Stringham (CP) WIA

Metz (N)

Priddy (PN)

Blackman, William B. (TG) S/Sgt 14178361 KIA

NOTE from Metz: Hit hard by AA fire over Noball target at Haute Cote. Joe Hardison, Pilot and William Blackman, Tail Gunner, were killed. Co-Pilot, Stringham was wounded in the temple, but managed to get the plane safely to fighter base in Southern England and landed on the metal airstrip. The nose wheel collapsed, sending the plane skidding to a stop on its nose, tail high.

June 20, 1944: crash-landed at AAF 419, Woodchurch, Kent, with the nose wheel up. The nose was damaged back to Sta.4 and 1MRRSq salvaged the aircraft Jun 29 & 30.
June 23, 1944: CON AFMSC.