View Full Version : What happened?
11bang_bang1983-87
02-08-04, 04:52
Ok ladies and gentlemen here the first of hopefully many questions pertaining to WWII.
An incident occurred during a high altitude bombing mission over the Lybian desert. Signs of this incident weren't discovered untill 16 yrs. later.
What happened?
Who discovered it?
Who was involved?
The first person to get this completely correct will be awarded 25 milcreds. HAPPY HUNTING!
***Please be VERY specific with your answer***
On the 4 April 1943, a B24 Bomber, the "Lady be Good" from 514th Squadron, 376th Bomb Group was attempting a bombing mission over Naples, Italy. They turned back after 30 minutes but had an unknown malfunction, maybe engine trouble and crashed in the desert in Libya.
The wreckage was found in 1959 by an Oil Exploration team who recovered 8 out of the 9 crew from beneath the shifting sands.
At last they rest in peace.
Cheers, Dw, but it might not be enough info for Mr Bang Bang
Drone_pilot
02-08-04, 18:31
if i remember wasn't this made in to a strange film, were we saw the crew sitting on the wreck of the plane talking and joking, waiting to be rescued, one of them eventually decides to walk to the nearest outpost.
rescue team turns up and blatantly ignores the crew. who continue to plead with the rescuers, one by one the crew disappeared as bodies are discovered around the plane.
turns out that they had all died shortly after the plane had crashed, and were doomed to remain trapped there until there bodies were discovered.
can't remember the name of it but it wasn't to bad a film.
It was called "Flight of the Phoenix" with Jimmy Stuart as the pilot. There was a pretty good cast in it if I recall. Ernest Borgnine and A British actor that I can't name but have seen in lots of films.
Could be Richard Attenborough, Peter Finch or Ian Bannen?
Richard Attenborough sounds real familiar. I can picture him but just cannot put a name with him, It could very well be him.
He is very famous in Europe for Acting and Directing. He starred in loads of post war war films and directed "Gandhi" amongst many others
I think he is pretty well known over here too. At least by my generation. I've seen him in many WWII films.
Eagledriver
02-08-04, 19:20
List of the crew of the "Lady Be Good." From the website of the Lady Be Good.
514th Squadron, 376th Bomb Group, 9th Air Force:
1st Lieutenant William J. Hatton, Pilot Whitestone, New York
2d Lieutenant Robert F. Toner, Copilot North Attelboro, Massachusetts
2d Lieutenant Dp Hays, Navigator Lee's Summit Missouri
2d Lieutenant John S. Woravka, Bombardier Cleveland, Ohio
Technical Sergeant Harold J. Ripslinger, Flight Engineer Saginaw, Michigan
Technical Sergeant Robert E. LaMotte, Radio Operator Lake Linden, Michigan
Staff Sergeant Guy E. Shelley, Gunner/Asst Flight Engineer New Cumberland, Pennsylvania
Staff Sergeant Vernon L. Moore, Gunner/Asst Radio Operator New Boston, Ohio
Staff Sergeant Samuel R. Adams, Gunner Eureka, Illinois
The Flight of the Phoenix - what a top movie, I saw this years and years ago - in fact I was one year old when it was made - in 1965!
CAST
James Stewart
Richard Attenborough
Peter Finch
Hardy Kruger
Ernest Borgnine
George Kennedy
Ian Bannen
Dan Duryea
Ronald Fraser
Christian Marquand
Gabrielle Tinti
Eagledriver
02-08-04, 19:49
It was an excellent but spooky movie, to say the least. usa; med;
It's full of the ususal war film suspects tho' isn't it?
Dickie Attenborough, Hardy Kruger, Borgnine etc - great stuff!
Yes it is, but it's still an all star bunch. I think it would take quite some doing today, to assemble a cast with a lot of todays male stars. The funny thing about Flight of the Phoenix is that I don't remember it as a blockbuster movie by any means. But thne again, 1965 is when I went into the army. :cool:
Did not the investigators of the mishap find that when one of the crew members bailed out, his parachute malfunctioned and he died upon impact with the desert. I seem to recall they found his remains still strapped into his 'chute.
Now that you mention it, I think you're right.
Is there possibly a mix-up of movies here?
The plot of the movie "Flight of the Phoenix" deals with a crash, and the survivors' efforts to build a flying machine from the wreckage to fly out of the desert.
I wonder if everyone is thinking of the made-for-TV movie "Sole Survivor" released in 1970:
Complete credited cast:
Vince Edwards .... Maj. Michael Devlin
Richard Basehart .... Brig. Gen. Russell Hamner
William Shatner .... Lt. Col. Josef Gronke
Lou Antonio .... Tony
Lawrence P. Casey .... Gant
Dennis Cooney .... Brandy
Brad David .... Elmo
Patrick Wayne .... Mac
Alan Caillou .... Corey
Timur Bashtu .... Beddo
Noah Keen .... Maj. Gen. Schurm
Ian Abercrombie .... British co-pilot
David Cannon .... Capt. Patrick
John Winston .... British pilot
SOLE SURVIVOR
The Plot:
Returning from a bombing mission, an American bomber gets off course. Richard Basehart's character, Hamner, as navigator or bombadier (memory a bit fuzzy here), has a disagreement with the pilot and decides to bail out, leaving the crew to doom.
The plane gets way off course in the Sahara and is forced to crash land.
The crew stays lost in the desert for years (decades?) until they see a plane on the horizon, and successfully signal it. A rescue crew finally lands but, they can't seem to commnuicate with them...
As the sole survivor, and now a brigadier general, Hamner is brought to the scene to help piece things together. To save face Hamner tries his best to cover up his cowardice. His ghostly comrades, who finally realize their own predicament, inventively do their spiritual best to lead the investigating officer to the truth. A sublime struggle ensues as Hamner has to re-direct the investigation or risk his cowardice being revealed.
The sight of their first helicopter startles the ghostly airmen, until they realize what it is, and how much they don't know about the advancements of intervening decades.
As their remains are discovered, each of the airmen finally moves on. When the positions relative to the aircraft are revealed, the extent of their bravery is too. Hamner realizes just what an injustice he is perpetuating on his comardes-in-arms, and he slowly comes to terms with his own conscience.
Yes, I think you are correct Steve. As a postscript, there is a 2004 remake of "Flight of the Phoenix" with Dennis Quaid.
11bang_bang1983-87
03-08-04, 08:53
Awesome job tosh66! You are exactly correct with your answer. Thanks to all of you for your added info and comments. Bombardier sir can we award tosh the 25 milcreds please? Excellent job tosh. More to come later.
Bombardier
03-08-04, 13:04
Paid in full , well done tosh :mrgreen:
Rigger,
I don't think Phoenix was ever intended to be about the B24 crash. We just got off on a movie tangent there. :D
I've never seen "Sole Survivor" in fact I've never heard of it before. But it sounds like something I would watch. I may have to search thru some video stores or catalogs for it. Thanks for the info. :cool:
Drywall,
Yeah, it's an excellent film. I'd love to add it to my collection.
There's a lot of dialogue among the spirits of the crewmen, and, after the rescue people arrive, the crewmen will be chatting with each other and then suddenly one of them will react at the instant his remains are found.
"Guys...fellas....they found me."
And then his spirit leaves the group.
I think I'll start looking for this movie too.
Drone_pilot
03-08-04, 20:36
"Sole Survivor"
try this link
http://www.learmedia.ca/product_info.php/products_id/907
this is the film i had in mind it's a little strange but a good film.
IMHO Richard Basehart never played a better tongue in cheek role than as Admiral Nelson in Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea. A bit cheeky with the name but, wow, what a tv show!!! I hope it WAS tongue in cheek!
www.ladybegood.com
http://www.qmfound.com/lady_be_good_b-24_bomber_recovery.htm
Check out the above. The previous posts are a little brief on the story.
Bombardier
16-01-05, 08:20
Excellent information. Thanks Setaf :cool:
Drone_pilot
16-01-05, 09:32
Yes well done good reading material here. :)
Unregistered
17-11-06, 17:13
On the 4 April 1943, a B24 Bomber, the "Lady be Good" from 514th Squadron, 376th Bomb Group was attempting a bombing mission over Naples, Italy. They turned back after 30 minutes but had an unknown malfunction, maybe engine trouble and crashed in the desert in Libya.
The wreckage was found in 1959 by an Oil Exploration team who recovered 8 out of the 9 crew from beneath the shifting sands.
At last they rest in peace.
Did the logs record what it was like to die of thirst?
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