41-23722 - Bomerang

Object Number - UPL 14929 - The B-24D Liberator, 41-23722, Bomerang, was in the 8th Air Force, the 93rd Bomb Group, and the 328th Bomb Squadron. It was the first 8th Air Force...

- NOTE : The B-24D, 41-23722, named, Bomerang, should not be confused with the B-24D, 42-40115, named, Boomerang, and which was also based in Britain. Boomerang was shot down and lost on the Ploesti mission. FTR. 1 Aug 43.

The B-24D, 41-23722, Bomerang, like most 8th Air Force planes, was also originally based in Britain, in the 93rd Bomb Group and the 328th Bomb Squadron. It flew on the 93rd Bomb Group's maiden mission, 9 Oct 1942, and sustained the worst battle damage of the ten Liberators damaged on that mission, with over 200 flak splinter holes in the plane. Due to shortages of B-24 parts in the U.K. early in the war, common practice dictated that, 41-23722, was to be cannibalized to repair other aircraft, but the aircraft's crew chief, Master Sergeant Charles Chambers, adamantly refused to scrap his plane, and the aircraft was saved with the support of the pilot, Lieutenant John Stewart.

Bomerang, was flown on Operation Tidal Wave by Pilots Lt. Roy G. Martin and Col. Luther Smith Bird, both of whom, survived the mission to return with their plane, safely to Benghazi, Libya. RTB. 10 RTB. 1 Aug 1943.

Survived Operation Tidal Wave, Ploesti Romania. 1 Aug 43. 
Bomerang, was the first 8th AF B-24 to complete 50 missions. After completing 53 missions, was flown back to the States by Major Walter Stewart for a War Bond tour.
My uncle, Lt. Jack Roach, was the Bombardier on Bomerang on the, 1 Aug 43,  mission  to Ploesti. He was KIA along with two of his fellow crew members on another B-24 during the Osnabruck mission, 22 Dec 43.  -   Info Contributor - Kent Jaquith 

Bomerang, became the first B-24D Liberator of the 8th Air Force to complete it's 50 mission total, qualifying to be sent home from combat. On completion of the aircraft's 53rd mission on, 4 Apr 1944, General Ted Timberlake visited the plane and crew at Hardwick, U.K. for their "50 Mission" going away party.

On 17 April, 1944, Bomerang, flown by Walter Stewart, returned to Fort Worth, Texas, and embarked on a national war bond tour with its crew led by Col. Stewart, with Lt. Royden Lebrecht flying in his plane, The Squaw, and Lt. John Young in, The Blue Streak.

Bomerang's Crew On The Ploesti Mission :

Roy G. Martin - Pilot
Luther C. Bird - Copilot
Donald R. Dahl - Copilot
James W. Reid - Navigator
Jack M. Roach - Bombardier
Charles R. Molina - Top Turret Gunner
George H. Kelly - Waist Gunner
Herschel W. Dodd - Waist Gunner
Francis A. Sullivan - Ball Turret gunner
Robert O. Sparks - Tail Gunner
Harry A. Strand - Engineer

When Bomerang's crew arrived back at the 36th Street Airport, Miami, Florida, for it's bond tour, it's crew members were:

Col. Walter Travis Stewart - Pilot
M/Sgt. George E. Ewald
M/Sgt. Charles A. Chambers
S/Sgt. Enos H. Lee
Lt. George G. Everhart
T/Sgt Alfred B. Bergkamp
Lt. William N. Ford

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

The insignia of the 93rd Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

A bomber crew of the 93rd Bomb Group with their B-24 Liberator (serial number 41-23722) nicknamed "Bomerang". 

Printed caption on reverse: '506535 AC - England - These airman headed the Consolidated B-24 "Bomerang" out across the Atlantic in early Sept. 1942 ... the first transatlantic formation flight in history. The "pioneer" heavy bombardment group was led by Brig Gen Edward J (Ted) Timberlake, Jr., of St Patersburg, Fla. This crew took the bomber into combat over Lille, France, on 9 October 1942; m
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 724369
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 329th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 17020867
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 14062779 / O-668185
  • Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 13108804
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail gunner
A bomber crew of the 93rd Bomb Group with their B-24 Liberator nicknamed "Boomerang". A censor has obscured the insignia on the airmen's jackets. Passed as censored 5 Apr 1944. Printed caption on reverse: '"Boomerang" 53-Mission Liberator Goes Home. Associated Press Photo Shows:- Crew of the Liberator "Boomerang" before leaving for U.S. L-R squatting : 1st. Lt. William N. Ford of Jersey City, N.J. Navigator; Sgt. George C. Ewald of Norfolk, Va. crew chief; T/Sgt. Edwin D. Kleine of Long Island City, N.Y.,
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 330th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 13037816
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner

Places

  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Soluch Airfield

Missions

  • Date: 1 August 1943
  • Official Description: 177 B-24’s, of IX Bomber Command (including Heavy Bombers on loan from Eighth AF) are dispatched to bomb oil refineries at Ploesti and nearby Campina. The operation (TIDALWAVE) is costly, 54 planes and 532 airmen being lost, but damage to the targets...
  • Date: 9 October 1942
  • Official Description: B-24’s join air assault in first US mission in which more than 100 bmrs are dispatched from UK. The principal tgts are the steel and engineering works of the Compagnie de Fives at Lille and the locomotive and freight car works of Ateliers d’Hellemmes...

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - Bomerang
  • Unit: 93rd Bomb Group 328th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - Little Sheppard
  • Unit: 448th Bomb Group 712th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - Boomerang
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 566th Bomb Squadron

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Ploesti Survivor

Ploiești, Romania 1 August 1943 Survivor of 1 Aug 43 raid on the Ploesti oil refinery complex. Returned safely to Libya.

Other

War Bond

Miami-Dade Aviation Department, Miami International Airport (MIA), 4200 Northwest 36th Street, Miami, FL 33166, USA 17 April 1944 First 8th AF Liberator to complete 50 missions. After completing 53 missions, it was flown back to the States by Walter Stewart for a War Bond tour.

Assigned

Benghazi, Libya Temporary Duty with 9th Air Force.

Revisions

Date22 Mar 2023 01:36:42
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

 World War Photos |- Consolidated B-24 Liberator named Bomerang 41-23722 of 328th Bomb Squadron

https://www.worldwarphotos.info › usa › b-24-bomber     Info Contributor - Kent Jaquith                           

USAAF AIRCRAFT MARKINGS AND CAMOUFLAGE  -  1941 - 1947  -  Chapter 2. p.103

Date22 Mar 2023 01:22:55
ContributorKickapoo
Changes
Sources

 World War Photos |- Consolidated B-24 Liberator named Bomerang 41-23722 of 328th Bomb Squadron

https://www.worldwarphotos.info › usa › b-24-bomber     Info Contributor - Kent Jaquith                           

USAAF AIRCRAFT MARKINGS AND CAMOUFLAGE  -  1941 - 1947  -  Chapter 2. p.103

Date15 May 2022 17:46:44
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesChanges to unit associations
Date20 Mar 2022 14:08:25
Contributordecwriter
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

Updated crew for the Ploesti mission to include Lt. Donald R. Dahl as Copilot per 93rd BG sortie report for 1 Aug 1943.

Date18 Mar 2022 11:17:26
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to aircraft associations
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 42-40115 - Boomerang

Date18 Mar 2022 11:11:55
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

Details added, word spacing. - Kickapoo

Date18 Mar 2022 09:42:01
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to nicknames
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - Bomerang

Date5 Dec 2021 10:48:27
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to nicknames
Sources

Punctuation, details changed. - Kickapoo

Date5 Dec 2021 10:38:28
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

Black Sunday-Ploesti - Michael Hill

Date5 Dec 2021 09:15:34
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 41-23722 - Boomerang - ( not : Bomerang )

Date20 Nov 2021 10:07:30
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to nicknames, markings and description
Sources

Name spacing. - Kickapoo

Date18 Nov 2021 06:46:27
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to markings and description
Sources

Punctuation, spelling errors corrected. - Kickapoo

Date26 Aug 2021 07:16:08
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to markings
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 41-23722 - Bomerang

Date26 Aug 2021 07:10:13
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to markings, description and unit associations
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 41-23722 - Bomerang

Date10 Aug 2021 14:14:24
ContributorEmily
ChangesChanges to nicknames, markings, description, events, unit associations, place associations and mission associations
Sources

Account of 41-23722's first mission in ' The Mighty Eighth', Roger Freeman, p20

Edited biography for coherence and relevance, transferring content not applicable to the history of the aircraft to other records as required, and changing all instances of aircraft name into sentence case to as per best practice for accessibility.

Date6 Aug 2021 06:40:47
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

Word spacing, punctuation, for clarity and accuracy - Kickapoo

Date6 Aug 2021 04:51:52
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

Word changes - Kickapoo

Date6 Aug 2021 04:47:09
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

Word changes, punctuation - Kickapoo

Date3 Aug 2021 08:02:17
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

Black Sunday - Michael Hill - Note: Error on p. 209. 41-23722-C's name is mistakenly listed as, "BOOMERANG". It was named, BOMERANG. - Kickapoo

Date29 Jul 2021 16:15:46
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to markings and description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 41-23722 - BOMERANG

Date29 Jul 2021 16:06:48
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to nicknames and markings
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - BOMERANG -

Date6 May 2021 09:51:31
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'Bomerang'

Date24 Apr 2021 02:37:08
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'Bomerang'

Date24 Apr 2021 02:27:12
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'Bomerang'

Date24 Apr 2021 02:16:59
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to production block number, markings and description
Sources

Best Web - B-24 - 'Bomerang' - Info Contributor - Kent Jaquith

Date3 Jan 2021 11:12:03
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesChanges to description, events and place associations
Date2 Jan 2021 07:45:58
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to markings
Sources

The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart

Date2 Jan 2021 07:35:13
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart

Date2 Jan 2021 07:29:49
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart

Date2 Jan 2021 07:21:36
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart

Date2 Jan 2021 07:15:31
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

Black Sunday - Michael Hill ---- The Great Ground-Air Battle Of 1 August 1943 - James Dugan & Carroll Stewart

Date19 Dec 2020 11:10:59
ContributorKickapoo
ChangesChanges to description and person associations
Sources

personal archives - John S Young Jr

Date28 Nov 2019 17:58:33
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesChanges to events and media associations
Date28 Aug 2019 14:44:22
ChangesChanges to person associations
Date19 Nov 2018 01:07:05
ContributorRayWells
ChangesChanges to nicknames
Sources

From various photos

Date31 Jan 2018 02:40:41
ContributorJohnMelson
ChangesChanges to media associations
Sources

This signed photo was given to James Edward Melson, Sr. who was the plant manager at Rockwell-Marlin Bearing Company in Plainville, Connecticut. My father, Robert Melson, has it now.

Date31 Jan 2018 02:27:17
ContributorJohnMelson
ChangesChanges to media associations
Sources

This was given to James Edward Melons, Sr. who was the plant manager at Rockwell-Marlin Bearing Company in Plainville, Connecticut. My father, Robert Melson, has it now.

Date11 Apr 2015 15:16:00
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesCreated entry with serial number, aircraft type, production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, description, events, unit associations, person associations, mission associations and media associations

41-23722: Gallery (16 items)