42-7463

Object Number - UPL 47756 - B-24E - '463' - V1
The TB-24-E-25-FO, was built at the Willow Run Ford plant and was known as, '63' and '463'. '63' was painted on the forward left and right side of it's nose. It's serial number was SN # 42-7463 - RCL #-V #-P. The first mission of 'Halpro' was flown on 12 June, 1942, against the Romanian oil facilities at Ploesti. Thirteen B-24 bombers took off from Fayid in Egypt during the night of 11/12 June, and of these, 12 aircraft attacked at dawn. Four of the 13 aircraft later landed at a British base in Iraq which had been designated for recovery of the flight, three others landed at different Iraq airfields, two landed in Syria, and were interned in Turkey after landing in that country. Although the damage inflicted on the target was negligible, the raid was significant as the first USAAF combat mission in the European, African and Middle Eastern theatres in World War II, and as the first attack on a target which later become famous, indeed notorious, for its general survivability.
It was one of the twelve B-24s that flew in Operation Halpro, the first high altitude mission to bomb the refineries at Ploesti. Romania in 1942.
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Units served with

- Unit Hierarchy: Detachment
- Type Category: Bombardment
Missions
- Date: 12 June 1942
- Official Description: 13 B-24’s of detachment under command of Col Harry A Halverson en route from US to China take off during 11Jun from Fayid to bomb oilfields at Ploesti. Only 12 attack at dawn. 4 of the 13 land at base in Iraq which was designated for recovery of the...
Aircraft

- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Unit: Halverson Detachment
Revisions
Removed aircraft nickname which referred to the abbreviated serial number on the aircraft nose- not a valid nickname
Code Names - Secret Operations - Operation HALPRO
Best Web - B-24 - SN # 42-7463 - '63'
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