This B-24 Liberator, 42-40965, was reported deployed to the South Pacific Theater of Operations, and is one of two B-24s known to have been named, Lil De-icer. It's pilot was Lt. Robert E. Allred. It was assigned to the 90th Bomb Group in the 11th Air Force, in the Pacific Theater of Operations.



It's crew were all killed (KIA), except for the nose gunner, SSgt. Campbell, on another B-24, Weezie, 42-41081.



This B-24D, Lil De-icer, 42-40965, shows up in the Best Web list of B-24s, first, with a photograph showing it with a twin .50 cal. gun turret on it's nose, and it's serial number, 42-40965, and listed as a B-24-D1 Model, that, normally, did not have the forward twin .50 cal. gun turret installed on the nose of later model B-24G and H models. A second photograph shows the plane with the same nose art, with a twin .50 machine gun nose turret, which the B-24 D models usually did not have, but could have later been installed in the field from a wrecked, F, G, or H model B-24.



- Note : The accuracy of the information on this B-24, 42-40965, is not confirmed. This airplane was only listed here to differentiate it from another B-24D, named, Lil De-icer, 41-11836, a B-24D model in North Africa, in the 9th Air Force, and the 98th Bomb Group, that flew on Operation Tidal Wave to Ploesti, Romania. 1 Aug 43.