Lost B-24 Discovered in Storage!

[ALOHADAVE]

I announced the discovery of this B-24 at the Yankee Air Museum, Willow Run Airport 7 Oct 2015. My presentation will be on youtube shortly.

History of the last true Canadian B-24 Liberator in existence

Built by Consolidated, Fort Worth, Construction #: 1603
USAAF B-24J-95-CF, Serial number: 44-44308
Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Liberator model B. Mk. VI
RCAF assigned serial number: KK237

Detailed history thanks to Canadian Michael DesMazes

USAAF aircraft destined for RAF use, re-directed to the RCAF for use to train RAF personnel (aka The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan) according to the Ogdensburg Agreement.
November 22nd, 1944, Taken on Strength (T.O.S.). Delivered to Boundary Bay, British Columbia (B.C.), Canada and placed in Western Air Command (W.A.C) storage.
December 11th, 1944, issued to the # 5 Operational Training Unit (O.T.U.), assigned aircraft code “BI”.
KK237 was one of 59 other B-24J's T.O.S. at No. 5 O.T.U. and was one of six B-24’s in the KK series that were used by No. 5 O.T.U. The Liberator was used at both Boundary Bay and Abbotsford Detachments depending on the maintenance rotation and training requirements. KK237 was used for all aspects of operational training including bombing runs, formation flying, cross country flights, and fighter aircraft affiliation training.
March 21st, 1945, photograph shows KK237 with the code letter ‘BI’ on flight line
Between March 21st and April 24th 1945, KK237 was stripped of its camouflage paint and was assigned new code letter ‘VU’. Liberators were stripped of their O.D. to bare aluminum because of weight and visibility. The lead paint accounted for several hundred pounds which hurt fuel consumption and the polished aluminum improved visibility to locate the aircraft if it crashed in the forests of British Columbia.
October 16th 1945, KK237 was Struck off Charge (S.O.C.) from No. 5 O.T.U. pending disposal. KK237 had been used by the #5 O.T.U. for operational training for approximately ten months and logged 596 hours.
October 31st, 1945, six weeks after the Japanese surrender, No. 5 O.T.U. was officially disbanded, however; KK237 never left the #5 O.T.U. Abbotsford Detachment location.
November 27th 1945, reported stored at Abbotsford B.C.
February 1st, 1946, reported on strength with the No. 7 Reserve Equipment Maintenance Satellite, (R.E.M.S.) and later the No. 7 Reserve Equipment Maintenance Unit, (R.E.M.U.) at the Abbotsford Aerodrome.
October 8th, 1946, KK237 was S.O.C. and was reported for sale by the War Assets Corporation. It was stored at Abbotsford until it was broken up 1946.
Late 1946, at Abbotsford a scrap metal merchant was hired and a large guillotine was brought in. The aircraft was chopped into bite size chunks that could be easily trucked off to the smelters. There was also a huge surplus sale and it seems that most of KK237 was sold to someone with a bold idea. The story goes that a fellow in Chase B.C. who bought it had an idea to open a burger joint or perhaps a chain of establishments called “Bomber Burger”. The fellow in Chase is reported to have had two Liberators.
KK237 was later reported sold to another farm owner in Celista B.C. (about 31 miles NW of Chase). Reportedly the sale included a nose section, tail fins, and turrets.
1971, KK237 Hulk was recovered from a farm in Chase, B.C. and advertised for sale. Sold to an unnamed American museum.
1977, Featured in Air Classics Magazine story? (I'm looking for a copy of it)
1983, KK237 nose section was acquired by the U.S. Air Force for use in a developing Air Force Museum, possibly the Travis AFB Museum, who was looking for a B-24 at that time. 2 Photographs shows it on an USAF shipping pallet. The nose section was officially "accessioned" or added to the USAF Museum inventory in 1983 as confirmed by the inventory tag 1983-237-3 and aircraft number 44-4308 translating to USAAF B-24J-95-CF serial 44-44308, ex RAF KK237 hanging from the artifact. This also makes me believe that the -1 and -2 artifacts may be the tail fins and turrets.
2012, Discovered in storage at Barksdale AFB Museum hidden from the public. Barksdale AFB has another B-24J, serial number 44-48781 “Louisiana Belle II” at the Barksdale Global Power Museum. It appears they were using #44-44308, (KK237) for spare parts for their static display B-24J. I was told that Barksdale also has boxes of parts that go with the nose section. I was granted special access to view the nose section due to my connections with the military.

I believe it is not fair that Barksdales AFB has two B-24s. One should go to the Yankee Air Museum at Willow Run for their new home in the old Ford Bomber plant.

Attachments

[ALOHADAVE]

Photos from Barksdales AFB Museum Storage

Attachments

[ALOHADAVE]

More photos from Barksdale AFB Museum storage

Attachments

[ALOHADAVE]

More photos of the B-24 Liberator nose section in storage at the Barksdale AFB Museum. Higher resolution photos available upon request.
ALOHA Dave

Attachments

[seabee1526]

Saw a pic last month from a friend who visited Barksdale. The Ford has a new coat of paint.

[JohnB]

I wonder if that isn't the B-24 I saw on a truck at Fairchild AFB in the early 80s?

[Pat Carry]

I have a better idea, how about sending both B-24's to the YAM! The one outside needs to go inside somewhere.

[helinut]

I don't think its the last one in exsistsnce what about the one that was recovered in Labrador,and now in storage in Goose bay.

[helinut]

I don't think its the last one in exsistsnce what about the one that was recovered in Labrador,and now in storage in Goose bay.

[Pat Carry]

I don't think its the last one in existence, what about the one that was recovered in Labrador,and now in storage in Goose bay.

Didn't Tom reilly attempt to bring this one back to the states a number of years ago? I cant remember why the attempt fell through.

[SaxMan]

The deal for the Labrador bird fell through because Newfoundland claimed ownership of the bird. They said because Newfoundland was not part of Canada during World War II (it was its own dominion) that Canada could not make decisions regarding the recovery and trade with the United States.

In this case, the Smithsonian was seeking to acquire the B-24, and the trade involved one or two T-33s, IIRC. It looked like it was a "done deal" before the Newfoundland Authorities put a stop to it. What they are planning on doing with it, who knows? It just seemed like the Newfoundland folks were more interested in marking their territory than actually preserving a piece of history.

The fact that the NASM has no example of the most produced American warplane of all time seems to be a terrible oversight. While it would be nice to see this plane as a basis for a restoration to have a B-24 at Udvar-Hazy, the reality is that their restoration shop is so underfunded and understaffed that we probably wouldn't see a completed product in our lifetime. I would agree that Willow Run is the logical decision. Or perhaps the USAF will pull one of their outside complete static birds...that would even make more sense.

[ALOHADAVE]

What would make sense is:
B-24J, serial number 44-48781, Ford built, returned to Willow Run Museum where it was built and where it would be cared for and appreciated!

B-24 Liberator, RCAF KK237, Return to Canada where it would be restored, displayed and appreciated!

We can only hope!

[Quest Master]

Dave,
We cross paths again!
There is another Canadian B-24...I used to own it and sold it to Yankee a few years ago!!:

B-24L-20-FO-44-50022. This B-24 was recovered from Canada and originaly built by the Ford Motor Company in Willow Run, Dearborn Michigan. This aircraft was transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force as Liberator Mk VIII and served briefly with the R.C.A.F. until the end of the war (note production A.A.F. markings over painted with R.C.A.F. markings). After the war this B-24 was scrapped in Canada.
More pictures inside of the fuselage on my website:
http://www.questmasters.us/B-24_44-50022.html

This fuselage section is not on display yet at YAM, it is in storage in one of their outer buildings.

[DH82EH]

Van, I believe that this section of B-24, along with the tail section of PB4Y-2 #59905, are being built in to a very impressive B-24 display at Y.A.M.
See this thread viewtopic.php?f=26&t=54636 for pics and more info.

Andy

[Quest Master]

Oh cool! It was about 2 years ago since I've been up to see it. I really hope they leave the original paint on the outsides....she is the only one left on the planet with her original paint.