Liberator

From Islapedia
Revision as of 15:06, 26 June 2018 by MDaily (talk | contribs)
Consolidated B-24E wrecked July 5, 1943, San Miguel Island


LIBERATOR Consolidated B-24 E #42-7180 crashed on San Miguel Island's Green Mountain on July 5, 1943, killing all twelve men aboard. The site was not located until March 19, 1944. The bomber had been dispatched to find a missing B-24 that was later found 10 miles inland from Santa Barbara. All personnel were members of the 2nd Air Force, 34th Bomb Group, 7th Bomb Squadron stationed at Salinas Army Air Base, Salinas, California. The remains of the crew were [allegedly] returned to their next of kin. The eight officers and four enlisted men were:





In the News~

July 13, 1943 [Santa Cruz Sentinel]: “Bomber From Salinas Missing In Flight Over Ocean. Salinas, July 12 —The Salinas army air base disclosed today that a heavy bomber with 12 officers and men has been missing since July 5 on a flight over the Pacific ocean. The air base list of the men who were on the plane included:

  • First Lieut. Douglas Thornburg of Casa Grande, Ariz.
  • Second Lieut. Floyd P. Hart of Bakersfield, Calif.
  • Second Lieut. Noah H. Yost; wife, Salinas.
  • Second Lieut. Bose Gorman; wife, Salinas.
  • Second Lieut. Justin M. Marshall; wife, Salinas.
  • Flight Officer Vernon C. Stevens; wife, Salinas.
  • Staff Sgt. Bernard Littman, Pittsburgh, Pa.
  • Staff Sgt. Ralph S. Masterson, Voth, Tex.
  • Staff Sgt. Lyle L. Frost, Mountain, Wis.
  • Staff Sgt. Walter B. Eisenbarth, Route 1, Hazelton, N. D.
  • Staff Sgt. Lee E. Salzer, Pittsburgh, Pa.
  • Pvt. Henry L. Blair [sic], LaTrobe, Pa.


March 21, 1944 [Santa Cruz Sentinel]: “12 Killed in Army Bomber Crash. Santa Maria, Cal. March 20 — Wreckage of an army bomber missing since last July has been discovered on San Miguel Island in the Santa Barbara channel with 12 bodies aboard, Santa Maria army air field officials reported today.”


March 21, 1944 [San Bernardino Sun]: “Plane wreckage Found on San Miguel Island. Santa Maria, March 20 — Wreckage of an Army bomber missing since last July has been discovered on San Miguel Island in the Santa Barbara channel with 12 bodies.”


October 2, 1954 [LAT]: “Air Force Seeks Names in 1943 Crash On Island. A special Air Force identification team flew by helicopter to lonely San Miguel Island off Santa Barbara yesterday to undertake the grim task of identifying the remains of 12 crewmen killed in the crash of a Liberator bomber July 5, 1943. The World War II wreckage, more than 11 years old, was discovered several days ago and has been definitely identified as that of B-24 No. 27180 that took off from Salinas Air Force Base with eight officers and four enlisted men. Last Report. It was last reported two hours later near Santa Barbara and apparently the pilot attempted to crash land the Liberator on the grassy tableland of the island some 60 miles off the California coast. Robert W. Ralston and George J. Schwanderer were assigned out of Air Material Command headquarters (Memorial Affairs Branch) to attempt identification of the crew and return the bodies to the mainland for burial, according to Brig. Gen. Victor Bertrandias, Air Force Deputy inspector general, Norton Air Force Base, San Bernardino. Names of the dead were withheld pending identification and notification of next of kin. The 12 men had been listed as missing and presumably dead.”


October 3, 1954 [LAT]: cPlane crash 11 years ago linked to sea tragedy. Coast Guard cutter was en route to scene where 12 died when it collided with yacht. An 11-year-old plane crash on lonely San Miguel Island, which claimed 12 lives in 1943, yesterday contributed to a crash at sea which claimed two more. The Coast Guard cutter Morris, which collided with the yacht Aloha off Port Hueneme yesterday, was en route to San Miguel Island with a team of Air Force and civilian identification experts to search the scene where a B-24 Liberator bomber crashed with 12 crewman aboard on July 5, 1943. But two former Navy sailors yesterday told The Times that they knew of the bomber crash in 1944 and helped recover bodies at the scene then. Friday, officials at Norton Air Force Base had termed the new discovery of the wreckage by a fisherman the “’first word’ of the missing bomber since it disappeared in 1943…”


June 17, 2018 [EdHat]: ”MEMORIAL TO HONOR WWII AIRMEN WHO CRASHED ON SAN MIGUEL ISLAND. Seventy-five years after their plane crashed on San Miguel Island, 12 members of a U.S. Army Air Forces bomber squadron will be honored for the first time. The event, “Salute to San Miguel Island’s Lost Liberator,” will be held at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum on July 5th, 2018, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. The event is sponsored by the Santa Cruz Island Foundation, Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation, and the museum. Their heavy bomber, a B-24 Liberator, was lost on July 5, 1943, after being dispatched from Salinas Army Air Base to search for the “Eddie Rickenbacker,” a B-24 bomber that had gone missing a day earlier from a nighttime training mission off the coast of Santa Barbara. Believed to be flying in foggy conditions at a 500 foot altitude the search plane crashed into Green Mountain, a gently sloping 817-foot peak on San Miguel Island. The remains of the 12 airmen and the wreckage of the plane, which was scattered over an acre area, were not found until eight months later. The wreckage of the “Eddie Rickenbacker” was found inland, ten miles north of Santa Barbara, having crashed due to fuel shortage. The Rickenbacker crew parachuted prior to the crash, with eight members surviving. "Windy and exposed San Miguel Island, the westernmost of four northern Channel Islands, is often called the "Graveyard of Ships," said Marla Daily, President of the Santa Cruz Island Foundation. “But on July 5, 1943 it also became the graveyard of twelve men who gave their lives in service to our country, who until now, had never been recognized. It is an honor to bring their stories to life 75 years later." Flight crew of the 2nd Air Force, 34th Bomb Group, 7th Bomb Squadron being honored include Pilot Vernon C. Stevens, Command Pilot Douglas Thornburg, Copilot Floyd P. Hart, Bombardier Instructor Justin M. Marshall, Navigator Bose Gorman, Bombardier Noah H. Yost, Engineer Bernard Littman, Asst. Engineer Ralph S. Masterson, Radioman Lyle L. Frost, Gunner Walter O. Eisenbarth, Gunner Lee E. Salzer, and Asst. Radioman Henry L. Bair. "It’s important to remember these 12 men who perished in 1943 are part of the history of the Channel Islands,” said John W . Blankenship, Co-Founding Director of the Pierre Clayssens Veterans Foundation. “The mission of the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation is to honor all those who served so they are never forgotten." Executive Director Greg Gorga said, “The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum is honored to be a part of this project and to host this monument, honoring the brave men who lost their lives in defense of our country.” Active and retired military personnel and community members are invited to attend the memorial tribute and the unveiling of a new monument commissioned by the Santa Cruz Island Foundation. Bagpipe music will preview the ceremony starting at 3:30 pm.”


June 26, 2018 [The Log]: Fast Facts: San Miguel Island’s “Lost Liberator”. CHANNEL ISLANDS — One of the Channel Islands – San Miguel Island – was the site of a plane crash. The plane: a bomber belonging to the U.S. Army Air Forces. The B-24 Liberator was lost on July 5, 1943. She was dispatched out of Salinas Army Air Base that day to search for another B-24 – Eddie Rickenbacker – which went missing during a training mission off the Santa Barbara coast the previous evening. Foggy conditions apparently caused Liberator to crash into San Miguel Island’s Green Mountain. The mountain’s peak is 817 feet and Liberator was believed to be flying at a 500-foot altitude. Officials reportedly required eight months to recover wreckage of the plane – and the bodies of the 12 men aboard. Those 12 men will be honored on July 5 of this year – exactly 75 years after they crashed into Santa Miguel Island. Eddie Rickenbacker’s wreckage was eventually found on the mainland, 10 miles north of Santa Barbara. Fuel shortage reportedly caused the bomber’s crash. Her crew, according to a report, parachuted from the plane prior to the crash. Eight of the bomber’s airmen reportedly survived. Santa Barbara Maritime Museum will host an event commemorating the lost flight of Liberator. The “Salute to San Miguel Island’s Lost Liberator” event will be held July 5, 4-6 p.m., at the museum. Santa Cruz Island Foundation, Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation and the museum sponsor the event.

Retrieved from "https://www.islapedia.com/index.php?title=Liberator&oldid=61900"