USAAF B-24D from Clandestine Ops. Squadron in England.

[Yertiz]

I have recently received this Individual Aircraft History Card for B-24D, serial 42-40474, but am having difficulty decyphering certain details. The Smithsonian Institute provided a synopsis, which I have pasted onto the left side of the card. According to this, the aircraft left Occidental airfield in Newfoundland and flew to 8th Air Force in England. Some time later it was flown back to Occidental, where it stayed for a while before flying to England again for the second time. I would be most grateful if someone could clarify from the IAHC the 2 dates of arrival in England and the dates of the aircraft's time in Newfoundland in between these 2 dates.

This aircraft is of particular interest to me, as it crashed on Dartmoor (England), close to where I used to live. Paul Bellamy & Stewart Evans kindly provided information a few months back, including that it was assigned to the 36th BS, 482BG at the time and had only arrived at the squadron from BAD just 2 days before crashing on a training mission, killing all the crew, including the squadron operations officer on 27th December 1943. I was therefore interested to find out if it was a brand new aircraft or a 'recycled' anti-sub bomber (like many of the crews on the squadron). Now you may understand my interest in the aircraft's time in Newfoundland, from where I believe anti-sub patrols were flown to protect transatlantic convoys. As an added detail, the radio operator killed in the crash had previously served with the 22nd Anti-Sub Squadron of the 479th AS Group.

At the time of the crash the 36th Bomb Squadron had only just been established to clandestinely drop agents into France under the auspices of the OSS (precursor of the CIA), so I would be interested to know if the BAD would at this time have carried out on this aircraft the special modifications which the 'Carpetbagger' aircraft became famous for in more recent years (painted matt black overall, ball turret substituted for a 'trap door' to drop agents through etc., etc.). Maybe it was still too early in the squadron's development.
Thank you.

Attachments

[quemerford]

Looks like it arrived Occident 6 June 43; then departed there 28 June 43. Arrived UGLY 2 July 43 then assigned SOXO 31 December 1943.

[Yertiz]

Thank you for your reply. I have more recently been informed that "Ugly" and "Soxo" are both codenames for England/8thAF, Ugly being used earlier on, then being replaced later by Soxo. The aircraft crashed on 27th December 1943, so I imagine the 31st of December date would be when it was struck off charge.

[quemerford]

Thank you for your reply. I have more recently been informed that "Ugly" and "Soxo" are both codenames for England/8thAF, Ugly being used earlier on, then being replaced later by Soxo. The aircraft crashed on 27th December 1943, so I imagine the 31st of December date would be when it was struck off charge.

I think 31 December 1943 is when UGLY changed to SOXO. Possibly a clerical error though strike off does also make sense.

[Yertiz]

I think 31 December 1943 is when UGLY changed to SOXO. Possibly a clerical error though strike off does also make sense.

Thanks for that detail; good to know.