Looking for info on a 15th AF B-24

Mon Apr 20, 2009 5:31 pm

Hi All,

My wife is a nurse in a nursing home, and is currently caring for a gentleman (Jack Curtis) who was a navigator on a B-24 with the 15th AF. He was shot down on his 31st mission, and finished the war as a POW. He's a lifelong resident of Battle Creek, Michigan, and rehabbed here at Percy Jones Army Hospital after the war.

I'm considering building a model of Mr. Curtis's aircraft, but haven't been able to get much info. According to an interview he gave for a book, he was assigned to the 514th BS, 376th BG, and his plane was called "Reddy Maid." He says he was shot down on a mission to Marburg, Yugoslavia, on October 14, 1944. I've found a listing for one 15th AF B-24M called "Reddy Maid," but it's from a different bomb group.

If anyone out there has a serial number or even a photo of the nose art, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks,

Steve

Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:36 pm

So he was in the same squadron as the Lady Be Good? Sure could be some great stories to come out of an interview with him!

44-50382 "Reddy Maid" did fly with the 456th according to the 456th website. They were with the 15th AF as well, so it's possible your guy's airplane was bounced between groups/squadrons.

http://www.456thbombgroup.org/ac_names.html

Just a thought/possibility.

kevin

Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:46 pm

Aircraft did move around from Group-to-Group in the 15th, especially if they had been through depot level repairs and refurbishment. I don't know if the depots kept any kind of records of such reassignments, but I think the best place would be the individual Group maintenance records.

That being said, 44-50382 wasn't delivered until early '45 and Mr. Curtis was shot down in October of '44, so we've got more research to do.

Scott

Mon Apr 20, 2009 9:05 pm

D'oh! Thanks Scott, for noticing what I didn't. I just threw it up there without checking the delivery dates. Thanks for noticing. Back to hunting...

kevin

Mon Apr 20, 2009 10:45 pm

44-50382 wasn't delivered until early '45 and Mr. Curtis was shot down in October of '44,

Looking at the serial I figured 44-50832 was probably too late to be Curtis's plane (having been ordered in fiscal 1944.) Of course, it's quite possible that there was more than one Reddy Maid (I wouldn't be surprised to find many aircraft carried that name during the war.)

As for the LBG, Curtis was still in training when she went down, so he never met her crew. By the time he was assigned to the squadron, the were operating from Italy.

SN[/quote]

Tue Apr 21, 2009 10:11 am

MACR 9332, 44 pages total. It's available on Footnote.com

Jack was a crew member on B-24J 42-51719 when it was shot down, 7 of 11 KIA. Nickname of Aircraft...None.

Tue Apr 21, 2009 12:21 pm

Thanks, Mike! The report info jives with Mr. Curtis's interview..he mentions that there were 11 on board, and only 4 made it out. No aircraft nickname..that would explain why I couldn't find any info. I'll see if maybe my wife can get anything specific from him (but she's admin now, and doesn't really have time to chat with residents much.)

I thought the B-24 only had a crew of ten..I wonder why there were 11 on board.

SN

Tue Apr 21, 2009 1:21 pm

A couple of things...

I am amazed by the detail in that report. The serial numbers on the engines and the guns? I guess the Army is what it is...they kept track of everything?

and

Wow...that footnote stuff is amazing..I found a document with a statement made by my uncle on a MACR. Interesting...thanks.