B-24D - Lady Be Good

Hi guys

Was thinking about this famous wreck last week and just came across reference to this website. Haven't checked it out yet but thought I'd share while I was here!

www.ladybegood.com

Cheers and beers

Andy

 

Great story Andy.

 

Good story indeed, Andy. Nevertheless, I disagree with the following statement posted at the site's introduction:

"1942 witnessed the dark days of World War II.....not one victory over the Axis Powers had been achieved."

Midway, anyone?

JT

 

good point JT, you have a keen eye for detail.

 

Good story indeed, Andy. Nevertheless, I disagree with the following statement posted at the site's introduction:

"1942 witnessed the dark days of World War II.....not one victory over the Axis Powers had been achieved."

Midway, anyone?

JT
Might have been a genuine error, then again it could have been done to give a bit weight to their story. Good story though all the same.

 

Good story indeed, Andy. Nevertheless, I disagree with the following statement posted at the site's introduction:

"1942 witnessed the dark days of World War II.....not one victory over the Axis Powers had been achieved."

Midway, anyone?

JT

Not as decisive as Midway to the war at sea however on land, victories involving Australians, who in order defeated the Italians, The Germans and The Japanese in 1942 before the final major victory at El Alamein in November.

Battle of Bardia


Bardia was the site of the first battle fought by Australian troops in the Second World War. On the morning of 3 January 1941, troops of the 16th Brigade of the 6th Australian Division attacked and broke through the western face of the defensive perimeter, while the 2/6th Battalion mounted a diversion in the south. Troops of the 17th Australian Brigade joined the fighting later in the morning to clear the southern portion of the Italian defences, while the 16th Brigade advanced toward Bardia itself. Bardia was captured late in the afternoon of 4 January, but Italian resistance in the southern portion of the perimeter, which had been particularly determined, did not cease until the morning of 5 January; the diversionary force had encountered the toughest fighting of all. The attack had cost the 6th Division 130 men killed and 326 wounded but netted them approximately 40,000 Italian prisoners and large quantities of arms, rations, equipment, and alcohol. All of which was put to good use by the Australians.

Siege of Tobruk


This was the position when the Germans launched their ill-fated attack on April 13^th, 1941. Known as the "Easter Battle", the Germans had confidently expected a walk-over - instead it had ended in their being completely routed. The spirit of co-operation, trust and comradeship between the men of the garrison, consisting of two thirds Australian and one third British, was the real strength of Tobruk. No other Middle East front saw understanding between the men of these countries so complete.
On Easter Sunday the enemy made his attack with infantry action against the perimeter. The vigorousness of his attack was matched however by the vigour of our defence, and his success in this phase was very limited.
On the morning of Easter Monday the Germans launched their attack by tanks. The familiar pattern employed by these "Blitzkrieg" experts was to have the tanks break
through the defences - a deep armoured thrust - and through the gap would pour the infantry. In Poland, France and Belgium these tactics had never failed. Once the tanks had broken through it had always been the beginning of the end and the rolling up of the defences had been a matter of course - until Tobruk.
Here the enemy's tanks did not so much break through as they were let through. The Australians lay low until the German infantry appeared in the wake of the tanks. These were engaged by our fire with the result the tanks were left to advance without the support they had expected, and the further they advanced the more intense became the fire they encountered. For there was the secret of our defence - a defence in depth. The combined force of our artillery and tanks lay waiting for them. They were hit with every calibre weapon at our command capable of damaging them. The fire of our 25-pounders at point-blank range was particularly devastating. As the enemy armour in retreat poured through the gap they had made in our lines, they came under the fire of Brens, mortars, rifles and shells and terrible confusion resulted.
Thus ended the Afrika Corps' first attempt to capture the garrison. Tobruk was a nut they could not crack and further attempts such as the Battle of the Salient in April-May had little more success. While Rommel gained a small amount of territory with his far superior forces, the men of the Fortress inflicted such heavy casualties he did not seriously attack Tobruk again in 1941. Under the inspired leadership of General Morshead the actual defensive task of holding Tobruk was, in reality, held by offensive tactics.

The Battle of Milne Bay was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese marines attacked the Australian base at Milne Bay on the eastern tip of New Guinea on August 25, 1942 and fighting continued until the Japanese retreated on September 5, 1942. The battle was the first in the Pacific campaign in which Allied troops defeated Japanese land forces.
The British Field Marshal Sir William Slim, who had no part in the battle, said:
<dl><dd>Australian troops had, at Milne Bay, inflicted on the Japanese their first undoubted defeat on land. Some of us may forget that, of all the allies, it was the Australians who first broke the invincibility of the Japanese army.</dd></dl>

 

Good man Spidge, You can always trust the Aussies to get stuck in first!

 

Wierd....I just posted a reply in the What is This? thread (sure I am wrong) and referenced the same website. After seeing a photo I thought of this aircraft. Small world.

 

Wierd....I just posted a reply in the What is This? thread (sure I am wrong) and referenced the same website. After seeing a photo I thought of this aircraft. Small world.

Posted by another Aussie as well.

Look out we are taking over:p:p

 

Australian troops had, at Milne Bay, inflicted on the Japanese their first undoubted defeat on land. Some of us may forget that, of all the allies, it was the Australians who first broke the invincibility of the Japanese army.

Fine account, Spidge, and three cheers for Oz!

The good people on some WWII websites tend to be rather eurocentric, and neglect the Pacific and CBI theaters.

The Japanese on New Guinea were practically on Australia's front door step.

JT

 

Fine account, Spidge, and three cheers for Oz!

The good people on some WWII websites tend to be rather eurocentric, and neglect the Pacific and CBI theaters.

The Japanese on New Guinea were practically on Australia's front door step.

JT

That's what I tell people when they ask why the Aussie troops were not involved in D-Day..They were BUSY!

 

Found a heap of pics of LBG as found on the Fine Scale Modeller forum.

Re: famous B-24 - FineScale.com Forums

 

That's what I tell people when they ask why the Aussie troops were not involved in D-Day..They were BUSY!
Indeed ye were Geoff! And I would like to state that even though I am a Eurocentric, I am trying to read up about the Pacific Theater and always read the posts about the Pacific with interest!

 

Similar B-24 but still at its crash site in Alaska.

atkab24d

 

Some pics of LBG as recovered fairly recently by the Libyans to prevent further souveniring. Apparently, she was carefully dismantled as much as would allow.

LBG Photos Anyone find her on Google Earth?

Pics will take a bit to download. Thought I'd post back on topic since I hijack enough of other people's threads and go off topic elsewhere! :p

 

Just found this link:

http://www.archive.org/download/ladybegoodmyster011000mbp/ladybegoodmyster011000mbp.pdf

The entire downloadable book "The Lady Be Good: Mystery Bomber Of World War II", by Dennis E. McClendon.

 

Apparently, she was carefully dismantled as much as would allow.

Hmmm; I am really not sure, if I have the same understanding for "carefully dismantled" as you, Andy. Lot of "dismantling" was obviously done by a heavy axe...

What I heard is that the sad remnants were moved again - now they shall be at el-Adem AFB.

 

Kuno
Apparently, she was carefully dismantled as much as would allow.

Hmmm; I am really not sure, if I have the same understanding for "carefully dismantled" as you, Andy. Lot of "dismantling" was obviously done by a heavy axe...

That is what I had heard as well, via ATB as far as I can recall she was taken from the desert , quite broken up but transporting her was the name of the game and to do so she had to be rendered transportable.

"Lady Be Good" B-24 Bomber, Quartermaster Graves Registration Search and Recovery

Arkno

LIFE: The Wreck Of The Lady Be Good - Hosted by Google

(No victory against the Axis ....Moscow ?)

A bit off topic but has anyone seen a drama about the recovery of the dead at a ww2 crashsite in the desert based on TLBG ...as seen by the ghosts of those tied to the crash site as the remains are recovered and the story of the crash unfolds.
Saw soemthing of this nature many years ago .....................

 

The film you saw was called 'Sole Survivor'

Sole Survivor (1970 film - VisWiki)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065007/usercomments?start=10

 

Cheers Mike .

YouTube - sole survivor part 1

Managed to get a copy on eBay.

YouTube - Lady be Good, lost B-24 bomber story