Blacked Out B-24 In Sweden

[CoastieJohn]

While researching famed flier COL Bernt Balchen, I came across a large sets of pics on Flicker that came from his collection in the SDASM. Some I thought may be of interest to folks here. Someone (A30yoyo) made some comments about a the B-24 and B-17 pics. I included those. There are many historical pics in this Balchen collection located at the link below.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchi ... 381238098/

A30yoyo 4 months ago | reply

This was the first flight on 'Operation Sonnie', an airlift to and from Neutral Sweden in 1944/1945 (overflying occupied Norway). It was set up by Norwegian born Bernt Balchen by then in the USAAF to augment the British/Norwegian civil flights and to fly out Norwegian refugees from Sweden and later interned US aircrews who had crash landed in Sweden. C-87 and CB-24Ds (field converted, war-weary B-24s) were used. The first Liberator on the night of 31March/1April 1944 from Leuchars, Scotland arrived at Stockholm-Bromma with no markings and the US Air Attache there, Felix Hardison, had it painted falsely as G-AFYO (as if a British Civil air transport) to keep the Swedish authorities happy .It visited Gothenburg-Torslanda on 2 April so marked. All later Sonnie flights just wore a small NC tail-number. Several thousand passengers were brought out in 550 flights with only one fatal accident. The crews were US military wearing civilian clothes. Guy Carnine who flew in Operation Sonnie wrote an account here;
http://www.b24.net/stories/carnine.htm

also see
http://www.amhult-lyse.se/torslandaflyg ... B/esgb_s...

Balchen Arrives in Sweden for Operation Sonni,,Gothenberg, Sweden, Note V near top of fuselage

What does the "V" mean?



Supposed to be the first USAAF plane down in Sweden/

A30yoyo 4 months ago | reply

23217 'Georgia Rebel was force landed by 1st Lt O.V. Jones, USAAF at Arjang, Sweden near the Norwegian border. The Swedes disassembled the wings and tail and shipped the B-17 across Lake Vanern to Satenas with a view to rebuilding it as a 4-engined airliner. Better examples of the B-17 began arriving in Sweden (e.g. 'Sack Time Susy' 42-3543) as the US bomber assault on Germany stepped-up and the 'Georgia Rebel' was eventually used for spares.

Found another gem at this Flicker link.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/4815870452/

Inscription reads, "To my good friend Charlie Babb. Billy Parker. In a 1912 Curtiss over B-29 at Okalahoma City-1945."

[SaxMan]

I'm wondering if any of the CB-24Ds were 27th Air Transport Group birds? I know they flew the C-87s and CB-24s.

[tulsaboy]

CoastieJohn-
Have you ever seen the photo of Billy Parker in his pusher airborne with the B-47 flying by? If not...



It's a good one! His pushers, by the way, still exist...

kevin

[CoastieJohn]

How many pushers did he have? I guess he did a few flybys and formation flights with other aircraft judging by the pics.

[tulsaboy]

He built at least 3, I think 4. There is one hanging in the OKC airport terminal, one hanging in the Tulsa International Airport terminal, and one at the Phillips 66 museum in Bartlesville, OK. Maybe one more in Hood River?

kevin

[tulsaboy]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/imarcc/4817204794/

Here is a link to the one in Tulsa...

There are some links on the net to the one at WAAAM as well...

kevin

[CoastieJohn]

I see in the notes it says it maybe a replica.

By the way....Were B-29's in OK? Altus???

[tulsaboy]

The one in Tulsa is the real deal. The guy posting the pic was just a tourist passing through. That one and the one in OKC were rigged by Billy Parker himself, and taken from the Phillips hangars directly to the Tulsa and OKC airports. They are as real and as well preserved as possible. The Tulsa one has been there for decades.

kevin