B-24 (42-95133) 'Lady Jane' Crash Site Plaque
Details:
Affixed on the left wall beside the entrance door.
A grey rectangular plaque with curved upper edge, inscribed in English in relief lettering. On the top-center of the plaque is the relief of the 8th Air Force insignia. The plaque commemorates the fallen crew of the B-24 #42-95133 “Lady Jane”. Another plaque on the bottom tells the original placement of the plaque.
The crew of B-24 42-95133:
2Lt | Ralph J Dooley | Pilot |
2Lt | Burton W Wheeler, Jr | Co-pilot |
2Lt | Paul E Gorman | Navigator |
2Lt | John Kowalczuk | Bombardier |
S/Sgt | Paul A Wadsworth | Radio Operator |
S/Sgt | Johnie J Jones | Flight Engineer |
S/Sgt | John A Phillips | Top Turret Gunner |
S/Sgt | Oscar B Nelson | Ball Turret Gunner |
S/Sgt | Ralph W VonBergen | Waist Gunner |
S/Sgt | Don P Quirk | Tail Turret Gunner |
2Lt Ralph Dooley and crew were assigned to the group on a busy day. Two of its combat crews (one on Detached Service to Scotland) were lost on operational missions, and one crew crashed during a training flight. Dooley had arrived just in time to partake in the Truckin' Missions during September, flying four of these gas hauls to Lille, France. At the beginning of October the group went back on operational status. Dooley and crew had a rather short career with the group, flying eight combat missions (not including two abortive attempts) in their 10 weeks with the group. Unfortunately their tour ended abruptly, not in combat, but on a practice mission on a cold and foggy November day just before Thanksgiving.
2Lt Burton Wheeler and 2Lt John Kowalczuk were not on the practice mission that day. They would later both complete their tours and be rotated back to the States. Flying as co-pilot that day was Ralph Dooley's good friend, 2Lt Arthur C. Akin who had his own crew. Akin and Dooley were both assigned with their crews on the same day. He was filling in for Burton Wheeler who had just lost his brother, a pilot in the 94th Bomb Group flying B-17's out of Bury St. Edmonds. John Kowalczuk was not along, as he had been removed from the crew to undergo training to be a lead bombardier.
DESCRIPTION OF ACCIDENT - Report No. 45-11-24-516
On 24 November 1944 at 1730 hours, A/C B-24 (H) 42-95133 returning from a Practice Mission and in the process of making an instrument landing approach to AAF Station 123. The weather was: 3900 yards Viz, with 400-600 foot ceiling, 10/10ths coverage and the wind NW at 12-14MPH.
The A/C hit the steeple of St. Philips Church on Hamm [sic] (actually Heigham) Road, damaging the right wing and right tail assembly and continued 1000 yards, apparently in normal flight at which time the right wing dropped and the ship crashed and burned. Wreckage shows that landing gear was retracted.
Source of information: Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register, www.458bg.com
Source of image: Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register
Monument Text:
TO THE MEMORY OF THE
UNDERMENTIONED MEMBERS OF
753RD SQUADRON, 458TH BOMB GROUP
2ND BOMBARDMENT DIVISION U.S.A.A.F.
WHO DIED NEAR THIS SPOT
24TH NOVEMBER 1944
THE PILOT OF THE BOMBER AS HIS
LAST ACT AVOIDED CRASHING ON
THIS AND SURROUNDING COTTAGES
THUS PREVENTING THE POSSIBLE
LOSS OF CIVILIAN LIVES
2/LT. RALPH J. DOOLEY, | PILOT. 744 E. ONTARIO STREET, PHILADELPHIA, PA. |
2/LT. ARTHUR AKIN JR. | PILOT. 92 WALLACE CIRCLE, PORTSMOUTH, VA. |
2/LT. PAUL E. GORMAN, | NAVIGATOR. 2542 E. 29TH ST. BROOKLYN, N.Y. |
S/SGT. JOHN J. JONES, | WAIST GNR. GENERAL DELIVERY. GEM., TEXAS. |
S/SGT. PAUL A. WADSWORTH, | RADIO OPERATOR. BOX 635, FORSAN, TEXAS. |
S/SGT. OSCAR B. NELSON, | BALL TURRET GUNNER. VASHON, WASH. |
S/SGT. JOHN A. PHILLIPS, | ENGINEER. NORTH MAIN ST. NORWOOD, NORFOLK, N.Y. |
S/SGT. DON P. QUIRK, | TAIL GUNNER. MUNCIE, IND. |
S/SGT. RAPLH VON BERGEN, | WAIST GUNNER. 607 LIPAN ST. DENVER, COLO. |
THE ABOVE TABLET WAS REMOVED FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF HEIGHAM STREET UPON REDEVELOPMENT IN 1972 |
Commemorates:
People:
Units:
458th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
753rd Bomber Squadron, 458th Bomber Group (Heavy)
8th Air Force
US Army Air Corps
Wars:
WWII