1942 B-24 Wreckage Discovered in N. California

Craig59 · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 11:42 am

My brother forwarded the following link to a fascinating story about a man's search for the wreckage of his uncle's B-24.

http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080519/NEWS/805190305

Edited to include a link to video:

http://www.brightcove.tv:80/title.jsp?title=1545122395&channel=294434709

The Inspector · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 12:50 pm

Ztex · **Posted:** Thu May 22, 2008 11:22 pm

Amazing...the video is touching...God bless them.

TimAPNY · **Posted:** Fri May 23, 2008 10:06 am

Thanks for the video link, That was well worth the watch.

Tim

TonyM · **Posted:** Fri May 23, 2008 10:06 am

Members:

The B-24D that crashed near Jenner, California (about 9.5 miles southeast of Stewarts Point),
on 12-6-42 is B-24D # 41-24262.

B-24D # 41-24260 that disappeared on 12-6-42 remains missing with its crew of seven.
Its last postion report at 1000 PWT was 37 degrees 30 minutes North/131 degrees 15 minutes West.

TonyM.

n5151ts · **Posted:** Fri May 23, 2008 10:10 am

TonyM wrote:

Members:

The B-24D that crashed near Jenner, California (about 9.5 miles southeast of Stewarts Point), on 12-6-42 is B-24D # 41-24262.

B-24D # 41-24260 that disappeared on 12-6-42 remains missing with its crew of seven.
Its last postion report at 1000 PWT was 37 degrees 30 minutes North/131 degrees 15 minutes West.

TonyM.

although the recent search last year in Nevada did find 6 or 7 uncharted wrecks. it seems like a WW II bomber couldn't completely disappear unless it went down in a body of water.

Matt Gunsch · **Posted:** Fri May 23, 2008 10:21 am

It is very easy for a plane to dissappear. A plane that flies into the ground at high speed shreds up, and leaves lots of little pieces. if it goes in vertical into a forest, not much would be visiable.
Here are some photos of a wreck site I found, this is like Where's Waldo, except it is a plane in pieces. I will give you a hint, it was a C-47

TonyM · **Posted:** Fri May 23, 2008 10:58 am

Matt,

Last May, I went to an F-84 wreck site near Salome (I think), Arizona, and it was smashed to very small pieces. Well, almost all of it, the engine (about 12 feet long when intact) was compressed to about 3 feet block of crushed aluminum; the turbine shaft was turned into a "U" shape. The desert was covered with thousands of pieces no bigger than a silver dollar. The F-84 hit the ground at a very steep angle while traveling in excess of 700 mph. I have been to many crash sites in Arizona, California, Utah, and I can see why the crash sites are hard to spot from the air. You probably know some of the guys I know out there. See me finding wrecks on www.arizonawrecks.com. TonyM.

TonyM · **Posted:** Fri May 23, 2008 11:05 am

[/quote]
5151 wrote:
although the recent search last year in Nevada did find 6 or 7 uncharted wrecks. it seems like a WW II bomber couldn't completely disappear unless it went down in a body of water.[/quote]

5151,
There are at least 77 USAAF airplanes missing in the continental US and its waters from the WWII years; there are 331 AAF airmen and one female WASP pilot still missing in the US from WWII. There are at least two AAF airplanes missing over dry land with no over water flight profile. One in Arizona and one in North Carolina.

Also, many USAAF airplanes missing in Canada and Alaska from the WWII years.

TonyM.

peter · **Posted:** Fri May 23, 2008 11:06 am

Wuld it not be possible for an archaeological dig to be undertaken to find and recover any human and aircraft remains?

TonyM · **Posted:** Fri May 23, 2008 11:20 am

Peter,

Sure it is. But you have to know where to dig.

Concerning recently discovered missing aircraft: There are many recovery efforts going on in China, India, Papua New Guinea and other places. A P-39 and its pilot were found a couple years ago on Fiji; the airplane was missing since 1942. Several missing USAAF aircraft have been discovered and identified in the last few years, especially in Asia. The remains of the dead airmen have been returned to their families here in the US.

And a couple of years ago in the California desert right here in the United States, a previously known B-24 crash site was re-excavated when additional human remains were found by wreckchasers. Most US homefront AAF remains have been recovered from known crash sites. The remains of a USN pilot was found recently in Hawaii and returned to his family.

And concerning the aircraft wreckage--if the crash occurred in a very remote area, the wreckage would be left there. Especially during WWII. It was just not ecomomical to recover the wreckage.

TonyM.

n5151ts · **Posted:** Fri May 23, 2008 12:43 pm

Matt Gunsch wrote:

It is very easy for a plane to dissappear. A plane that flies into the ground at high speed shreds up, and leaves lots of little pieces. if it goes in vertical into a forest, not much would be visiable.
Here are some photos of a wreck site I found, this is like Where's Waldo, except it is a plane in pieces. I will give you a hint, it was a C-47

I was with an investigation team looking in to an F-16 crash....it went in vertically at very high speed and hit on the shoreline of a lake in deep mud. there was basically a black hole in the ground and a few bits and pieces. strangely we found the pilots boots but nothing else....oh and it looks like a very small debris field in one of the small washes that terminates in an aluvial rock fall fan.!

TonyM · **Posted:** Fri May 23, 2008 1:03 pm

TonyM wrote:

5151 wrote:
although the recent search last year in Nevada did find 6 or 7 uncharted wrecks. it seems like a WW II bomber couldn't completely disappear unless it went down in a body of water.[/quote]

5151,
There are at least 77 USAAF airplanes missing in the continental US and its waters from the WWII years; there are 331 AAF airmen and one female WASP pilot still missing in the US from WWII. There are at least two AAF airplanes missing over dry land with no over water flight profile. One in Arizona and one in North Carolina.

Also, many USAAF airplanes missing in Canada and Alaska from the WWII years.

TonyM.[/quote]

A/C Maurice Herzog

I almost forgot--in addition to this listing is the incredible mystery of Aviation Cadet Maurice Herzog. In November of 1943, the Vultee BT-13 that was flown by A/C Herzog was found intact near Puerto Penesco, Sonora, Mexico. The airplane was out of fuel; the AAF fueled the aircraft up and flew it back to the states. As of today, the whereabouts or ultimate fate of A/C Maurice Herzog remains a mystery.

TonyM.

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1942 B-24 Wreckage Discovered in N. California

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