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41-11840

B-24 Liberator

  • Nose art of B-24 Liberator 41-11840, The Witch, of the 343rd BS 98th BG 9th AF, lost on Ploesti 1st Aug 43 raid, made a forced landing near the border of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia following a running fight with enemy fighters. Six of the crew became POWs in Bulgaria, the other four evaded and joined with Yugoslav partisans for almost a year. MACR 173.

    Nose art of B-24 Liberator 41-11840, The Witch, of the 343rd BS 98th BG 9th AF, lost on Ploesti 1st Aug 43 raid, made a forced landing near the border of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia following a running fight with enemy fighters. Six of the crew became POWs in Bulgaria, the other four evaded and joined with Yugoslav partisans for almost a year. MACR 173.

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  • The B-24D Liberator, # 41-11840, 'The Witch', of the 8th Air force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 343rd Bomb Squadron. Lost on Ploesti raid, Made a forced landing near the border of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia following a running fight with enemy fighters. Six of the crew became POWs in Bulgaria, the other four evaded and joined with Yugoslav partisans for almost a year. MACR 173.

    The B-24D Liberator, # 41-11840, 'The Witch', of the 8th Air force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 343rd Bomb Squadron. Lost on Ploesti raid, Made a forced landing near the border of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia following a running fight with enemy fighters. Six of the crew became POWs in Bulgaria, the other four evaded and joined with Yugoslav partisans for almost a year. MACR 173.

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  • Nose art of B-24 Liberator 41-11840 'The Witch' of the 343rd BS 98th BG 9th AF, lost on Ploesti 1st Aug 43 raid, made a forced landing near the border of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia following a running fight with enemy fighters. Six of the crew became POWs in Bulgaria, the other four evaded and joined with Yugoslav partisans for almost a year. MACR 173.

    Nose art of B-24 Liberator 41-11840 'The Witch' of the 343rd BS 98th BG 9th AF, lost on Ploesti 1st Aug 43 raid, made a forced landing near the border of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia following a running fight with enemy fighters. Six of the crew became POWs in Bulgaria, the other four evaded and joined with Yugoslav partisans for almost a year. MACR 173.

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  • 1LT Bernard E Leimbach

    1LT Bernard E Leimbach

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  • RH Side - Walt Disney Character -

    RH Side - Walt Disney Character - "Snow White Theme" - LH Side - Unique Mission Markers - "Witch Holding a Bomb" Survived Operation TIDAL WAVE, Ploesti Romania. Aug 1, 1943 - Force-Landed near Bulgaria/Yugoslavia Border - MACR 173 - Pilot Julian T. Darlington (389th BG)

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The aircraft, 41-11840, named, The Witch, was in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, and the 343rd Bomb Squadron left. It deployed for duty in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations in July, 1942. It's pilot, Lt. Glade Jorgenson, played a supporting role in an effort made by Capt. Rollo Lawrence and his crew to interest other 343rd Bomb Squadron crews to use characters from Walt Disney's "Snow White" movie as a theme for naming their nine ships after Snow White and the seven dwarfs. But, the proposal met a cool reception from the other 343rd crews, and only two of the aircraft were so named, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", only two, 41-11913 - Rollo Lawrence's crew, and, 42-40364 - with Glade Jorgenson crew. The 343rd Squadron started combat operations from Palestine in Aug, 1942.

Aircraft 41-11840, named, The Witch, was lost on the low level Ploesti mission on Aug 1, 1943, flown by Pilot Lt. Julian Darlington, and his replacement crew, on loan to the 98th Bomb Group, from the 389th Bomb Group. Following a running fight with enemy fighters, leaving Ploesti, The Witch's crew made a forced landing near the border of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia Six of Darlington's crew members became POWs in Bulgaria. The other four crewmen evaded capture and joined with Yugoslav partisans for almost a year. The sole survivors were the tail gunner, Stanley Horine, and Pilot Julian Darlington. They were POWs together in Bulgaria. 1 Aug, 43. - Failed To Return - 6 POW - 4 RTS - MACR 173.

Service

Aircraft

  • 42-40364 The Pink Elephant - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

    B-24 Liberator
    The Pink Elephant, 42-40364, was in the 9th Air Force, the 98th Bomb Group, who called themselves, "The Pyramiders", and the 343rd Bomb Squadron. First named, The Pink Elephant, 42-40364, was the second B-24D, that was later renamed, "Snow White and...

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Units

  • 9th Air Force

    9th Air Force

  • 98th Bomb Group

    98th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 98th trained for bombardment missions with B-24 Liberators during the first half of 1942. ...

  • 343rd Bomb Squadron

    343rd Bomb Squadron

    Squadron
    Established as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron and trained by Third Air Force. Deployed to Egypt in June 1942 over South Atlantic Transport Route transiting from Morrison Field, Florida though the Caribbean to Brazil; performed trans-Atlantic...

People

  • Lloyd Brisbi

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
    Assigned to 389BG 8AF USAAF. TDY to 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 173 Awards: DFC, PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Julian Darlington

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 98th Bomb Group
    Lt. Julian Darlington was assigned to the the 8th Air Force, and the 389th Bomb Group, TDY to the 9th Air Force, USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti mission in the B-24D, The Witch, 41-11840. - Shot down. Prisoner of War (POW). 1 Aug 43. MACR 173. ...

  • Daryl Epp

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 389th Bomb Group
    Assigned to 389BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY to 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Evaded (EVD). MACR 173 Awards: DFC, WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Major Gillett

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 389th Bomb Group
    Assigned to 389BG 8AF USAAF. TDY 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Evaded (EVD). MACR 173 Awards: DFC, PH, WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Walter Hardiek

    Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
    Assigned to 389BG 8AF USAAF. TDY to 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Evaded (EVD). MACR 173 Awards: DFC, WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Ned Howard

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
    SSgt Ned Aubry Howard was assigned to the 389th Bomb Group, and the 8Air Force in the USAAF, TDY to the USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti bombing mission in the B-24D, The Witch, 41-11840. 1-Aug-43. Shot down. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 173 ...

  • Dale Hulsey

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator/Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
    Assigned to 343BS, 98BG, 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Evaded (EVD). MACR 173. ...

  • Bernard Leimbach

    Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 98th Bomb Group
    First Lieutenant Bernard "Bernie" Elmer Leimbach flew on the mission to Ploesti, Romania, and served as the replacement Navigator on the B-24D Liberator bomber, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', SN #42-40364 Y. He was Killed in Action (KIA) on the...

  • Joseph Quigley

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 389th Bomb Group
    Assigned to 389BG, 8AF USAAF. TDY to 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 173 Awards: DFC, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Anthony Rauba

    Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
    Assigned to 389BG 8AF USAAF. TDY to 9AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ploesti raid in B-24 'The Witch' 41-11840 1-Aug-43; Shot down. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 173 Awards: DFC, PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

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Missions

  • Operation Tidal Wave

    1 August 1943
    Operation TIDAL WAVE. B-24D Liberators attack the oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania. The bombers flew low to avoid radar detection and dropped time delayed bombs. Out of the 177 B-24s that took part in the raid 167 managed to attack their targets. 57...

Places

  • Benina

    Military site : airfield

Events

Event Location Date
Failed To Return (FTR) Bulgaria / Yugoslavia 1 August 1943

Failed To Return - This aircraft was lost on the low-level Ploesti mission 1 Aug 43. It made a forced landing near the border of Bulgaria and Yugoslavia following a running fight with enemy fighters. Six of the crew became POWs in Bulgaria, the other four evaded and joined with Yugoslav partisans for almost a year. MACR 173.
Nicknames
The Witch
Production block number
B-24-D-CO
Manufacturer
Consolidated
Markings and paint scheme/livery

The B-24D, 41-11840, The Witch, was painted overall in the USAAF standard sand color. It's insignias were the early 1943 white stars on blue roundels with a yellow surround around the border of the roundel. It's nose art was a picture of an ugly witch holding a bomb marked,"For Hitler", on the LH forward nose section. It's abbreviated serial number, 111840, was painted in red on the OB sides of it's two vertical stabilizers, with it's RCL, recall code, a larger red, "P".

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
30 September 2021 10:27:18 Kickapoo Changes to markings
Sources

Details added. - Kickapoo
Date Contributor Update
11 September 2021 18:12:50 Kickapoo Changes to description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 41-11840 - The Witch
Date Contributor Update
28 August 2021 07:41:23 Kickapoo Changes to markings and description
Sources

Crew details added. - American Air Museum in Britain. The Witch.
Date Contributor Update
28 August 2021 05:21:04 Kickapoo Changes to description
Sources

Punctuation. - Kickapoo
Date Contributor Update
28 August 2021 05:17:03 Kickapoo Changes to nicknames, markings and description
Sources

Detail added. - Kickapoo
Date Contributor Update
03 April 2021 14:10:10 Al_Skiff Changes to markings, description, events and aircraft associations
Sources

http://www.b24bestweb.com / http://www.aviationarchaeology.com / MACR 173
Removed circular database link
Date Contributor Update
01 April 2021 08:17:56 Kickapoo Changes to person associations
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - # 41-11840 - 'The Witch'
Date Contributor Update
01 April 2021 08:15:11 Kickapoo Changes to production block number, description and aircraft associations
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - # 41-11840 - 'The Witch'
Date Contributor Update
01 April 2021 07:16:08 Kickapoo Changes to description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - # 41-11840 - 'The Witch'
Date Contributor Update
01 April 2021 07:10:23 Kickapoo Changes to description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - # 41-11840 - 'The Witch'
Date Contributor Update
31 March 2021 22:35:07 Kickapoo Changes to nicknames
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'The Witch'
Date Contributor Update
31 March 2021 22:14:43 Kickapoo Changes to description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'The Witch'
Date Contributor Update
31 March 2021 21:58:52 Kickapoo Changes to aircraft associations and unit associations
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'The Witch'
Date Contributor Update
31 March 2021 21:55:35 Kickapoo Changes to markings
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'The Witch'
Date Contributor Update
31 March 2021 21:39:17 Kickapoo Changes to nicknames and description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 41-11840
Date Contributor Update
31 March 2021 21:14:06 Kickapoo Changes to description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'The Witch' - # 41-11840 - Info Contributor - Bill Whitney
Date Contributor Update
30 March 2021 09:30:26 Kickapoo Changes to description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'The Witch' - # 41-11840
Date Contributor Update
30 March 2021 09:21:12 Kickapoo Changes to nicknames and description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'The Witch' - # 41-11840
Date Contributor Update
21 November 2016 04:49:04 466thHistorian Changes to production block number, nicknames and place associations
Sources

http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_bombers/b24_18.html
Date Contributor Update
19 March 2015 12:11:33 Al_Skiff Created entry with serial number, aircraft type, manufacturer, nicknames, description, events, unit associations, person associations, mission associations and media associations
Sources

http://www.b24bestweb.com / http://www.aviationarchaeology.com / MACR 173

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