Note : The olive drab B-24D, 41-23816, named, Black Jack, was originally assigned to the 8th Air Force and flown by Lt. Coleman Whitaker. It was one of two B-24Ds in the MTO named, Black Jack. Whitaker's olive drab Black Jack, 41-23816, was in the 8th Air Force, the 44th Bomb Group, and the 68th Bomb Squadron, based in the U.K. in the ETO, before reassigned (TDY) to the MTO for Operation Tidal Wave over Ploesti, Romania.                                                                                                                                                                                     Whitaker's, Black Jack, 41-23816, should not be confused with Lt. Delbert Hahn's pink B-24D, 41-23661, also named Black Jack, but was originally from the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 244th Bombardment Squadron based in Nort Africa from 1942. Delbert Hahn's pink colored, Black Jack, 41-23661, also flew in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO), and flew on the Ploesti raid assigned to the 9th Bomber Command, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 344th Bomb Squadron. It was one of the 98th's pink colored ships and had a very different nose art from Whitaker's, with the nose art of a mule kicking his hind legs up in the air, and was based in North Africa, at Lete, Benghazi, Libya, earlier in 1942. Black Jack, 41-23661, appears in a color photo made shortly after the Ploesti mission, with, the B-24D, Valient Virgin's, vertical stabilizer fin, installed on it's RH side to repair battle damage to, Black Jack, 41-23661's, RH vertical fin, which had been flak damaged over Ploesti. The RH  fin from, Valient Virgin, was, apparently, removed undamaged and robbed (serviceable) by, Black Jack, 41-23661's, mechanics from the, Valient Virgin, 42-40765, some days after the Ploesti mission, on 1 Aug 43,  while the fin was still painted with it's 8th Air Force olive drab camouflage paint, and was still showing, Valient Virgin's, abbreviated serial number, 240765 and it's RCL, "M". 5-7 Aug 43.



                   Lt. Coleman Whitaker's, Black Jack, 41-23816, from the 8th AF in Britain, had the nose art of a picture of a "Black Jack" hand of cards, showing it's hand of 21, equal to it's abbreviated serial number,123816, which added up to a total of 21. Black Jack, 41-23816, did not take part in the Ploesti mission, but did fly other missions out of Benghazi, Libya, with the 98th Bomb Group. Later, after the Ploesti mission, Lt. Whitaker in, Black Jack, 41-23816, returned to Britain and was shot down, killed in action, and failed to return from a mission over Germany (FTR). He was reported killed (KIA) in October 1943, after a mission to Weiner Neustadt, Germany. Coleman Whitaker's 8th Air Force, Black Jack, 41-23816, was hit by flak in it's bomb bay and caught on fire shortly after leaving the target area over Bremen, Germany. The aircraft rolled over and fell into an uncontrollable spin, quickly losing altitude as the fire in it's bomb bay blow torched into an inferno. The plane broke apart and crashed in the target area near Weiner Neustadt. Five crewmen were killed in action (5-KIA), including Lt. Whitaker. Five of the crewmen successfully bailed out of the bomber, were captured, and became prisoners. (5-POW). The aircraft failed to return and was lost. FTR. 1 Oct 43. 5 KIA. 5 POW. MACR 3312



          One of the vertical tail fins from Coleman Whitaker's and the 44th Bomb Group's,  Black Jack, 41-23816, was photographed and recovered from the airplane's wreck, and photographed in Berlin after the war. Although not an Operation Tidal Wave veteran, Coleman Whitaker's, Black Jack, did go to the Libyan desert as proven by the RAF fin flashes painted on it's vertical fins. The 8th Air Force ships from England usually did not receive the British fin flashes, so the presence of the painted fin flashes, on, 41-23815, is certain proof this ship spent some time flying missions in the North African desert. Whitaker's olive drab colored B-24D, Black Jack, 41-23816, had  completely different nose art of a "Black Jack" card hand, quite different from Delbert Hahn's, 41-23661, and the 98th Bomb Group's pink, Black Jack, nose art, the  picture of the kicking mule with horse shoes painted on it's nose for missions. - Contributor - Col. David H. Klause