The B-24D Liberator bomber, 42-40506, named, Fightin' Sam, was inherited by the 801st special night Bombing Group from the 389th Bomb Group in the 8th Air Force, from Station 179, on the night of May 29-30, 1944. It was the first B-24 airplane that was flown by the Bale's crew, including Jeffrey Ethell's father, theirs, and his, first mission with the 801st. The 801st Bomb Group was established as part of the 8th Air Force in late March, 1944, to carry out night missions over France and other parts of occupied Europe to support resistance forces by dropping in agents, supplies and leaflets into enemy territory. The B-24 Liberators flown by the 801st Group were painted black to enable the crews to evade detection by enemy antiaircraft positions. The Bales' crew flew, Fightin' Sam, for their first night combat mission on the nights of 31 May - 1 Jun 1944. The plane was later transferred back to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) in late 1944 with the 859th Bomb Squadron of the 8th Air Force.