B-24 ?

[Devildog]

Several plus years ago (in the 80's), my "employer" sent me into Libya for a few days "Holiday" to perform an attitude adjustment on some certain individuals who were causing some problems out in the Med. We were not to far from the Egyptian boarder. During our "visit, we came across the wreakage of a B-24. I know it was a B-24 because I've seen pictures of them and I"m absolutely certain on what it was. We explored it briefly due to that we had other pressing matters in which we were obligated to perform. Most of it was "sandblasted" from the desert storms but we could barely see a name on it. "L..dy b.....o.d". We looked for a serial number and the only number we could find was "41-124301". Over all condition looked good but there were pieces missing which I think was scavenaged by Nomads. I took a few pictures of it before we had to move on and I'll try and dig them out of my "Box of a million pictures" and post them. I tried to find some information a few years ago but never had the opportunity to dedicate a lot of time into it. Maybe some of you know of this plane ? Is it a post war crash ? Did it land there to be abandonded ? I heard back in the day that Oil Companies had bought a lot of surplus aircraft and were using them to survey the area. I don't know.

[Bodston]

So you saw Lady be Good in the flesh, so to speak. You lucky chap.. I think that the wreckage has now been moved. I'm sure I read about it in an old aircraft magazine article. I hardly ever throw anything away. I'll see if I can lay my hands on it.

Bod

What an interesting first post.. Welcome, by the way.

[Gotthard Heinrici]

They actually found the "lady be good" before they found the crew. Took years to locate the bodies and they found the skeletons in the middle of the desert.

[Devildog]

Lady Be Good ? Hell, we were thinking it was like "Lady Bod" or something because we looked real hard for the "naked Lady nose art" kind of thing. Guys in that kind of occupation kinda think along those lines if you know what I mean. Was this Bomber important or just forgotten ? Was it shot down ? We also observed bullet holes throughout the fuselage but they were small caliber, not the 50 cal kind of damage you'd expect plus the bullet holes were everywhere. We guessed that it was used as target practice after it was on the ground. This raised our alarm level of alertness up because if there were small arms fire evidence on this wreakage, it meant that someone had been there to put it there.

[Gotthard Heinrici]

Devildog, here's an article from good ol' Wiki about the Lady be Good: Lady Be Good (aircraft) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Devildog]

Thanks Gotthard. I just read Bodston's link and it gave me chills as I was reading it. To think I got to touch a piece of History without having to sneak across some plushy rope. I wish I had known then. I would have tried to have stayed longer and take more pictures but we had other pressing matters to take care of. Damn. It slipped through my fingers like sand. I'm going to do my best to dig up this pictures of mine and have them framed.

[Devildog]

I dug up my Journal that I kept at that time where I recorded the discovery. I marked a Grid reference of the location and that we came up on it approx. 0630 hours. It was on a Plateau which our map stated when we checked our Bearings. It was flat as far as the eye could see and already the heat was getting up there in temp. We noticed mirages because that was the first time we ever experienced them. That is how we discovered the wreakage because we thought it was a vehicle that we may have to contend with. We didn't come across any human remains but we did come asross the mummified remains of a Camel. I guess those "humps" don't hold water forever.
There was debris or "floatsum" laying about but we didn't pick anything up because we didn't want to add any additional weight than what we were already carrying. Soldiers don't like to carry anything unless they have to just so you know. There were deterioated pieces of canvas, a few tools, oxygen bottles and what we guessed, a piece of white silk tied to the fuselage. I kick myself now that I'm learning all this. I could have picked up the Silk. That wouldn't have weighed much and it was a small piece.
Then again, knowing what I know now, it was a grave and it wouldn't have been right to take a souvenir. At least I have the pics and I got to sit in the Pilot's seat.
Our visit was brief and we had to move out fast but I'm glad now that we checked it out.

[Peter Clare]

'Lady Be Good' as she was found on November 9 1958 by Ronald G. MacLean, an employee of D'Arcy Exploration Co. Ltd a division of British Patroleum .

[Devildog]

That last pick is how I remembered it and I took one like that very simular. I've been reading more with the links eveyone has offered and this story is incredible ! These guys tried to walk out of the Desert and from what I'm reading, they practically had nothing as far as survival gear. And to think I bitched about Desert Survival Training at CAX. I'll never bitch again.

[Gotthard Heinrici]

Those guys were sooo unfortunate. It was terrible what happened. God rest their souls they died an awful death.