41-24040 - What's Cooking Doc? - Big Operator

The nose art of a B-24 Liberator (serial number 41-24040) nicknamed "What's Cookin' Doc" of the 344th Bomb Group featuring Bugs Bunny. media-418600.jpg FRE 9046 The nose art of the B-24D Liberator, 41-24040, named, What's Cooking Doc ? - Big Operator, in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bombardment Group, and the 344th Bomb Squadron, featuring nose art of Bugs Bunny from the cartoon, "Big Operator". Aborted Operation Tidal Wave - supercharger. Returned to base. (RTB). 1 Aug 43.
Aircraft lost. Shot down near Corfu. 6 KIA - 4 POW. 3 Sept 43. Roger Freeman Collection

Added details. - Kickapoo

Object Number - FRE 9046 - The nose art of the B-24D Liberator, 41-24040, named, What's Cooking Doc ? - Big Operator, in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bombardment Group, and...

The B-24D, 41-24040, first named, Big Operator, and later, What's Cooking Doc, was in  the 9th Bomber Command, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 344th Bombardment Squadron, based at the Lete airbase, Benghazi, Libya. The aircraft started out on Operation Tidal Wave, to bomb the Ploesti oil refineries, piloted by Lt. Hoover Edwards, but Lt. Edwards aborted the mission near the island of Corfu with turbo supercharger problems and turned back to Benghazi. RTB.  1 Aug 1943.







Operation Tidal Wave Crew:



Pilot - Hoover Edwards

Copilot - Homer S. McCollom

Navigator - John R. Fontenrose

Bombardier - Albert J. Mickish

Aircraft Engineer - Bernard M. Boullioun

Radio - Dale E. Petty

Top Turret - Gene J. Colley

Right Waist - John S. Alesauskas

Left Waist - Vernon C. Utter

Tail Turret - Raymond Waters                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The plane was converted to a transport aircraft. 17 Aug 43.

On September 3, 1943, What's Cooking Doc, would fly it's last combat mission. The mission was supposed to be a routine one, over Sulmona, Italy. But on the way to the target, the B-24D, What's Up Doc? - Big Operator, was attacked by JU-88 and ME-110 fighter planes with cannons and rockets. What's Up Doc?, took several direct and devastating hits. It pitched over into a dive, fell into a flat spin, and crashed. Six crewmen, including Lt. Harold Korger, the bombardier on this mission, successfully bailed out, and were captured (6 POW). Korger earned the first of his two Caterpillar Club pins for successfully bailing out of his airplane. He hit the ground hard and was injured, but survived. He was arrested by the Italian police and held in several German and Italian prison camps for the next two years, 1943 to 1945. Four of the crew were killed. Six were captured. 6-POW - 4 KIA.  Sept 3, 1943.

Connections

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Units served with

Three airmen of the 389th Bomb Group stand with a B-24 Liberator used as a Flight Assembly Ship. Image via Tim Bivens. Handwritten caption from Bivens: 'My friend remembers it being named "Bucksheesh Benny" that it was used to fly Jack Benny around USA shows. Says it flew in North Africa with Benny and was eventually assigned to 389th as a hack and later as a form-up ship. He thinks it was originally with another group (possibly 376th or 98th).' Handwritten caption on reverse: '389th BG Form-up ship.'
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Ninth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 16023226 / O-54160
  • Highest Rank: Colonel
  • Role/Job: Bombardier
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 98th Bomb Group 343rd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 18052906 / O-2043731
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Role/Job: Bombardier

Places

  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Berka, al Birkah
  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Bengazi Airfield, Wheelus Airbase

Missions

Aircraft

The nose art of a B-24 Liberator (serial number 41-24040) nicknamed "What's Cookin' Doc" of the 344th Bomb Group featuring Bugs Bunny.
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - What's Cooking Doc? - Big Operator
  • Unit: 98th Bomb Group 344th Bomb Squadron

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Survived Ploesti. Aborted mission.

Ploiești, Romania 1 August 1943 Started out on the Ploesti oil refinery mission piloted by Lt. Hoover Edwards. Aborted near Corfu with turbo supercharger problems and retuned to base (RTB). 1 Aug 43

Other

Converted

17 August 1943 Converted to a transport on 17 Aug 43.

Crashed

Sulmona 3 September 1943 On September 3, 1943, What's Cooking Doc, would fly it's last mission. The mission was supposed to be a routine one, over Sulmona, Italy. But on the way to the target, What's Up Doc ? - Big Operator, was attacked by JU-88’s and ME-110’s with cannons and rockets. The plane took several direct and devastating hits. It pitched over into a dive, fell into a flat spin, and crashed. Six crewmen, including the bombardier who had survived Ploesti, Lt. Harold Korger, successfully bailed out and were captured (POW), earning Korger the first of his two Caterpillar Club pins. He hit the ground hard and was injured, but survived. He was arrested by the Italian police and held in several German and Italian prison camps for the next two years, 1943 to 1945. Four of the crewmen were killed. Sept 3, 1943. 6 POW - 4 KIA

Assigned

Benghazi, Libya 344th BS, 98th BG, 9th AF.

Revisions

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http://www.b24bestweb.com / Roger Freeman Photo.

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Black Sunday-Ploesti - Michael Hill

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Corrected error in crew line up spacing.

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Completed Operation Tidal Wave crew from sortie report on 1 Aug 1943.

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Wording, punctuation changes. - Kickapoo

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Wording, punctuation. - Kickapoo

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Wording, punctuation. - Kickapoo

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Wording changes. - Kickapoo

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Black Sunday-Ploesti - Michael Hill

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Added details. - Kickapoo

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Added Details. - Kickapoo

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Added details. - Kickapoo

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Black Sunday - Michael Hill

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Added details, correctios to text. - Kickapoo

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Best Web - B-24 - 41-24040 - What's cooking Doc ? - Big Operator

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togetherweserved.com - Korger Harold Francis, Col.

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togetherweserved.com - Korger Harold Francis, Col.

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togetherweserved - Korger, Harold, Col.

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Best Web - B-24 - 41-24040 - Big Operator

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FindaGrave Memorial ---- Into The Fire -- Duane Schultz ---- Black Sunday -- Michael Hill

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ContributorAl_Skiff
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http://www.b24bestweb.com / Roger Freeman Photo.

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http://www.b24bestweb.com / Roger Freeman Photo.

41-24040: Gallery (3 items)