The Mysterious Tragedy of The Lady be Good
by The little known mystery of a missing ww2 Liberator bomber called Lady Be Good. The sad events are listed in detail for you.
The mysterious tragedy of Lady Be Good.
“Lady Be Good” is the name of a world war two Consolidated Liberator heavy bomber. The bomber was named by the pilot William J Hatton, in war time it is a tradition for the lead pilot of an aircraft to name his aeroplane, it was seen as good luck!
A consolidated Liberator in flight during WW2.
The Liberator or B24 as it was more commonly known was a lesser known bomber aircraft from WW2. Most people associate the Boeing B17 Flying Fortress as the iconic cymbal of American bombers.
This particular B24 became world famous for a mystery which surrounded its disappearance on its first combat mission of WW2. The mystery starts in Libya in 1943. The Lady Be Good B24D was based at Soluch Field in Libya with the 514th Bomb Squadron of the American Air force.
An early picture of the crash site of Lady Be Good.
The B24D was a large bomber aircraft for the time and it carried a crew of nine. The Liberator was a superb aircraft with a very long range, which made it ideal for long range bomber sorties.
After a few getting up to speed training missions “Lady Be Good” was deemed ready for her first combat mission to Italy. The target was to be the Harbour installations at Naples. The mission was scheduled for late afternoon on April 4th 1943. At 3.00pm 13 B24D’s took off for Naples among them was “Lady Be Good”. The mission didn’t start well as not long after the 13 Liberators grouped together in a defensive box, they flew straight into a huge sand storm!
9 of the 13 aircraft suffered mechanical failure due to sand entering the air filters on the engines of the B24’s, with engines gasping for air and running rough 9 of the B24’s made emergency landings back at their base. “Lady Be Good” and 4 other Liberators carried on towards Naples and their target.
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Post Commentken bultman
On March 12, 2010 at 2:20 pm
AAA reporting of a historical tragedy. I enjoyed reading this and wept at the results.
PR Mace
On March 12, 2010 at 2:42 pm
This did bring tears to my eyes over the sad loss of these brave men and the disrespect given the memory of her crew and the aircraft. You have told this tale quite well and though it was a sad read it was a good read.
papaleng
On March 13, 2010 at 10:52 am
I first heard about this story in a National Geographic documen tary. such a tragic fate they experienced. Reading your post made the story more clear to me now. Thanks for the very educational share.
Olivia Van Logum
On March 13, 2010 at 4:41 pm
What a very sad story but a very interesting piece of history.
If only they had more experienced navigators on board, the tradegy may have been averted.
Larry Warren
On March 30, 2010 at 2:01 am
Sorry to have to say it, but this is an C- story. Too many errors.
You should always check your facts before writing an article.
Below are the corrections to make it right.
1. William Hatton DID NOT name the “Lady Be Good” because it was not his aircraft. The “Lady was assigned to Samuel “Doc” Rose who was the original pilot and neither he nor any member of his crew named her. The “Lady” was named by a member of the ground crew.
2. The B-24 was NOT lesser known than the B-17. It was just least liked by many pilots. Also, they were both SYMBOLS (NOT cymbals) of American HEAVY bombers.
3. The 514th Bomb Squadron was a member of the American ARMY AIR CORP not the Air Force. It was part of the Army until 1947
4.The mission on April 4th, 1943 was mission 109 and consisted of 28 B-24s to bomb Naples Harbor. At 1:30pm the bombers began to take off creating a sand storm. 26 of the bombers were able to take off but one of them could not retract its land gear and had to land. The other 25 bombers continued on the mission. “A” Flight consisted of 13 bombers and “B” Flight, flying slightly behind them, consisted of 12 bombers. Sorry, no sand storm after takeoff. “A” Flight had 8 bombers reach the target and drop their bombs. 5 bombers aborted and did not reach the target. “B” Flight had all of their planes abort before reaching the target. The “Lady” was leading the last group of 4 planes when she turned back and the other 3 bombers turned back with her instead of going on to the target. 23 of the bombers returned to base at Soluch and 2 bombers diverted to Malta.
5.The “Lady” was spotted the first time from the air on April 17th, 1958. She was spotted again FOR THE SECOND TIME on November 9th, 1958 by the same oil prespecting team. THERE WERE NO MORE INDEPENDENT REPORTS RECEIVED ABOUT THE BOMBER. A visit to the bomber was made by the same oil team on February 27th, 1959. They thought it was an important find and notified Wheelus Air Force Base. A recovery team from Wheelus went to the site on May 25th, 1959.
6. Concerning the color photo taken in 1959, ALL of the vandalism and theft was done by the recovery team from Wheelus.
7. It was the same oil company that, on February 11th, found five of the crew APPROX. 86 MILES North of the bomber. They were NOT SEATED IN A CIRCLE, but were laying on the ground in an irregular line running from West To East. In fact, Lt. Hatton was laying face down in the sand. If you can find a back issue of LIFE magazine dated March 7th, 1960, the color photo of the bodies will show that they were not in a circle. The photographer was standing at Hatton’s feet looking across the line of bodies when he took the photo.
8. THE 5 BODIES were flown to Germany for identification and THEN FLOWN to America for burial.
9. IT WAS NOT THE FOLLOWING YEAR that 2 more of the bodies were found. It was May 12th, 1960 that the body of Guy Shelley was FOUND 37 MILES North of the group of 5. Five days later, May 17th, 1960, the body of Harold Ripslinger was found. He was only 26 miles from the group of 5.
10. IT WAS NOT THE CO-PILOT AND 2 OTHERS who elected to carry on walking. It was the FLIGHT ENGINEER (Ripslinger) and the TWO WAIST GUNNERS (Shelley and Moore) that traveled on. Sgt. Moore’s body has never been found.
11. On August 11th, 1960 the body of the bombadier was found. He was found 14 miles northeast of the bomber. When he jumped, his parachute only partially deployed and he died on impact.
12. The photo that states “Pieces of the fuselage are now for sale…” is a photo of a B-17 and not the “Lady” or even a B-24.
13. THE HEAVY ENGINES WERE NOT STOLEN. The # 2 engine was returned to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, the # 4 engine disintegrated during the crash, and the other two engines are still with the bomber. (minus a few parts)
14. The “Lady” WAS NOT CRUDELY CUT INTO SECTIONS BY THE LIBYANS, but was recovered as she was found at the time. The complete wing section was returned intact when it would have been easier to have cut it in half to make it easy to carry.
15. The “Lady” WAS NOT DUMPED IN THE BACKYARD OF THEIR NATIONAL MUSEUM,but is on display at Jamal Abdelnasser Air Force Base. You can see photos of her that were taken in August of last year at this website:
http://www.rommelinlibya.com/ladybegood/lbgphotos.html
As you can see from the 15 mistakes, it is very easy to screw up a good story.
Larry Warren
On March 30, 2010 at 2:03 am
Sorry to have to say it, but this is an C- story. Too many errors.
You should always check your facts before writing an article.
Below are the corrections to make it right.
1. William Hatton DID NOT name the \”Lady Be Good\” because it was not his aircraft. The \”Lady was assigned to Samuel \”Doc\” Rose who was the original pilot and neither he nor any member of his crew named her. The \”Lady\” was named by a member of the ground crew.
2. The B-24 was NOT lesser known than the B-17. It was just least liked by many pilots. Also, they were both SYMBOLS (NOT cymbals) of American HEAVY bombers.
3. The 514th Bomb Squadron was a member of the American ARMY AIR CORP not the Air Force. It was part of the Army until 1947
4.The mission on April 4th, 1943 was mission 109 and consisted of 28 B-24s to bomb Naples Harbor. At 1:30pm the bombers began to take off creating a sand storm. 26 of the bombers were able to take off but one of them could not retract its land gear and had to land. The other 25 bombers continued on the mission. \”A\” Flight consisted of 13 bombers and \”B\” Flight, flying slightly behind them, consisted of 12 bombers. Sorry, no sand storm after takeoff. \”A\” Flight had 8 bombers reach the target and drop their bombs. 5 bombers aborted and did not reach the target. \”B\” Flight had all of their planes abort before reaching the target. The \”Lady\” was leading the last group of 4 planes when she turned back and the other 3 bombers turned back with her instead of going on to the target. 23 of the bombers returned to base at Soluch and 2 bombers diverted to Malta.
5.The \”Lady\” was spotted the first time from the air on April 17th, 1958. She was spotted again FOR THE SECOND TIME on November 9th, 1958 by the same oil prespecting team. THERE WERE NO MORE INDEPENDENT REPORTS RECEIVED ABOUT THE BOMBER. A visit to the bomber was made by the same oil team on February 27th, 1959. They thought it was an important find and notified Wheelus Air Force Base. A recovery team from Wheelus went to the site on May 25th, 1959.
6. Concerning the color photo taken in 1959, ALL of the vandalism and theft was done by the recovery team from Wheelus.
7. It was the same oil company that, on February 11th, found five of the crew APPROX. 86 MILES North of the bomber. They were NOT SEATED IN A CIRCLE, but were laying on the ground in an irregular line running from West To East. In fact, Lt. Hatton was laying face down in the sand. If you can find a back issue of LIFE magazine dated March 7th, 1960, the color photo of the bodies will show that they were not in a circle. The photographer was standing at Hatton\’s feet looking across the line of bodies when he took the photo.
8. THE 5 BODIES were flown to Germany for identification and THEN FLOWN to America for burial.
9. IT WAS NOT THE FOLLOWING YEAR that 2 more of the bodies were found. It was May 12th, 1960 that the body of Guy Shelley was FOUND 37 MILES North of the group of 5. Five days later, May 17th, 1960, the body of Harold Ripslinger was found. He was only 26 miles from the group of 5.
10. IT WAS NOT THE CO-PILOT AND 2 OTHERS who elected to carry on walking. It was the FLIGHT ENGINEER (Ripslinger) and the TWO WAIST GUNNERS (Shelley and Moore) that traveled on. Sgt. Moore\’s body has never been found.
11. On August 11th, 1960 the body of the bombadier was found. He was found 14 miles northeast of the bomber. When he jumped, his parachute only partially deployed and he died on impact.
12. The photo that states \”Pieces of the fuselage are now for sale…\” is a photo of a B-17 and not the \”Lady\” or even a B-24.
13. THE HEAVY ENGINES WERE NOT STOLEN. The # 2 engine was returned to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, the # 4 engine disintegrated during the crash, and the other two engines are still with the bomber. (minus a few parts)
14. The \”Lady\” WAS NOT CRUDELY CUT INTO SECTIONS BY THE LIBYANS, but was recovered as she was found at the time. The complete wing section was returned intact when it would have been easier to have cut it in half to make it easy to carry.
15. The \”Lady\” WAS NOT DUMPED IN THE BACKYARD OF THEIR NATIONAL MUSEUM,but is on display at Jamal Abdelnasser Air Force Base. You can see photos of her that were taken in August of last year at this website:
http://www.rommelinlibya.com/ladybegood/lbgphotos.html
As you can see from the 15 mistakes, it is very easy to screw up a good story.
Larry Warren
On March 30, 2010 at 2:18 am
Sorry to have to say it, but this is a C- story. Too many errors.
You should always check your facts before writing an article.
Below are the corrections to make it right.
1. William Hatton DID NOT name the Lady Be Good because it was not his aircraft. The LADY was assigned to Samuel Rose who was the original pilot and neither he nor any member of his crew named her. The LADY was named by a member of the ground crew.
2. The B-24 was NOT lesser known than the B-17. It was just least liked by many pilots. Also, they were both SYMBOLS (NOT cymbals) of American HEAVY bombers.
3. The 514th Bomb Squadron was a member of the American ARMY AIR CORP not the Air Force. It was part of the Army until 1947
4.The mission on April 4th, 1943 was mission 109 and consisted of 28 B-24s to bomb Naples Harbor. At 1:30pm the bombers began to take off creating a sand storm. 26 of the bombers were able to take off but one of them could not retract its land gear and had to land. The other 25 bombers continued on the mission. A Flight consisted of 13 bombers and B Flight, flying slightly behind them, consisted of 12 bombers. Sorry, no sand storm after takeoff. A Flight had 8 bombers reach the target and drop their bombs. 5 bombers aborted and did not reach the target. B Flight had all of their planes abort before reaching the target. The LADY was leading the last group of 4 planes when she turned back and the other 3 bombers turned back with her instead of going on to the target. 23 of the bombers returned to base at Soluch and 2 bombers diverted to Malta.
5.The LADY was spotted the first time from the air on April 17th, 1958. She was spotted again FOR THE SECOND TIME on November 9th, 1958 by the same oil prespecting team. THERE WERE NO MORE INDEPENDENT REPORTS RECEIVED ABOUT THE BOMBER. A visit to the bomber was made by the same oil team on February 27th, 1959. They thought it was an important find and notified Wheelus Air Force Base. A recovery team from Wheelus went to the site on May 25th, 1959.
6. Concerning the color photo taken in 1959, ALL of the vandalism and theft was done by the recovery team from Wheelus.
7. It was the same oil company that, on February 11th, found five of the crew APPROX. 86 MILES North of the bomber. They were NOT SEATED IN A CIRCLE, but were laying on the ground in an irregular line running from West To East. In fact, Lt. Hatton was laying face down in the sand. If you can find a back issue of LIFE magazine dated March 7th, 1960, the color photo of the bodies will show that they were not in a circle. The photographer was standing at Hattons feet looking across the line of bodies when he took the photo.
8. THE 5 BODIES were flown to Germany for identification and THEN FLOWN to America for burial.
9. IT WAS NOT THE FOLLOWING YEAR that 2 more of the bodies were found. It was May 12th, 1960 that the body of Guy Shelley was FOUND 37 MILES North of the group of 5. Five days later, May 17th, 1960, the body of Harold Ripslinger was found. He was only 26 miles from the group of 5.
10. IT WAS NOT THE CO-PILOT AND 2 OTHERS who elected to carry on walking. It was the FLIGHT ENGINEER (Ripslinger) and the TWO WAIST GUNNERS (Shelley and Moore) that traveled on. Also, Sgt. Moores body has never been found.
11. On August 11th, 1960 the body of the bombardier (Woravka) was found. He was found 14 miles northeast of the bomber. When he jumped, his parachute only partially deployed and he died on impact.
12. The photo that states: Pieces of the fuselage are now for sale… is a photo of a B-17 and not the LADY or even a B-24.
13. THE HEAVY ENGINES WERE NOT STOLEN. The # 2 engine was returned to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, the # 4 engine disintegrated during the crash, and the other two engines are still with the bomber. (minus a few parts)
14. The LADY WAS NOT CRUDELY CUT INTO SECTIONS BY THE LIBYANS, but was recovered as she was found at the time. The complete wing section was returned intact when it would have been easier to have cut it in half to make it easy to carry.
15. The LADY WAS NOT DUMPED IN THE BACKYARD OF THEIR NATIONAL MUSEUM,but is on display at Jamal Abdelnasser Air Force Base. You can see photos of her that were taken in August of last year at this website:
http://www.rommelinlibya.com/ladybegood/lbgphotos.html
As you can see from the 15 mistakes, it is very easy to screw up a good story.
Larry Warren
On March 30, 2010 at 2:21 am
Sorry to have to say it, but this is a C- story. Too many errors.
You should always check your facts before writing an article.
Below are the corrections to make it right.
1. William Hatton DID NOT name the Lady Be Good because it was not his aircraft. The LADY was assigned to Samuel Rose who was the original pilot and neither he nor any member of his crew named her. The LADY was named by a member of the ground crew.
2. The B-24 was NOT lesser known than the B-17. It was just least liked by many pilots. Also, they were both SYMBOLS (NOT cymbals) of American HEAVY bombers.
3. The 514th Bomb Squadron was a member of the American ARMY AIR CORP not the Air Force. It was part of the Army until 1947
4.The mission on April 4th, 1943 was mission 109 and consisted of 28 B-24s to bomb Naples Harbor. At 1:30pm the bombers began to take off creating a sand storm. 26 of the bombers were able to take off but one of them could not retract its land gear and had to land. The other 25 bombers continued on the mission. A Flight consisted of 13 bombers and B Flight, flying slightly behind them, consisted of 12 bombers. Sorry, no sand storm after takeoff. A Flight had 8 bombers reach the target and drop their bombs. 5 bombers aborted and did not reach the target. B Flight had all of their planes abort before reaching the target. The LADY was leading the last group of 4 planes when she turned back and the other 3 bombers turned back with her instead of going on to the target. 23 of the bombers returned to base at Soluch and 2 bombers diverted to Malta.
5.The LADY was spotted the first time from the air on April 17th, 1958. She was spotted again FOR THE SECOND TIME on November 9th, 1958 by the same oil prespecting team. THERE WERE NO MORE INDEPENDENT REPORTS RECEIVED ABOUT THE BOMBER. A visit to the bomber was made by the same oil team on February 27th, 1959. They thought it was an important find and notified Wheelus Air Force Base. A recovery team from Wheelus went to the site on May 25th, 1959.
6. Concerning the color photo taken in 1959, ALL of the vandalism and theft was done by the recovery team from Wheelus.
7. It was the same oil company that, on February 11th, found five of the crew APPROX. 86 MILES North of the bomber. They were NOT SEATED IN A CIRCLE, but were laying on the ground in an irregular line running from West To East. In fact, Lt. Hatton was laying face down in the sand. If you can find a back issue of LIFE magazine dated March 7th, 1960, the color photo of the bodies will show that they were not in a circle. The photographer was standing at Hattons feet looking across the line of bodies when he took the photo.
8. THE 5 BODIES were flown to Germany for identification and THEN FLOWN to America for burial.
9. IT WAS NOT THE FOLLOWING YEAR that 2 more of the bodies were found. It was May 12th, 1960 that the body of Guy Shelley was FOUND 37 MILES North of the group of 5. Five days later, May 17th, 1960, the body of Harold Ripslinger was found. He was only 26 miles from the group of 5.
10. IT WAS NOT THE CO-PILOT AND 2 OTHERS who elected to carry on walking. It was the FLIGHT ENGINEER (Ripslinger) and the TWO WAIST GUNNERS (Shelley and Moore) that traveled on. Also, Sgt. Moores body has never been found.
11. On August 11th, 1960 the body of the bombardier (Woravka) was found. He was found 14 miles northeast of the bomber. When he jumped, his parachute only partially deployed and he died on impact.
12. The photo that states: Pieces of the fuselage are now for sale… is a photo of a B-17 and not the LADY or even a B-24.
13. THE HEAVY ENGINES WERE NOT STOLEN. The # 2 engine was returned to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, the # 4 engine disintegrated during the crash, and the other two engines are still with the bomber. (minus a few parts)
14. The LADY WAS NOT CRUDELY CUT INTO SECTIONS BY THE LIBYANS, but was recovered as she was found at the time. The complete wing section was returned intact when it would have been easier to have cut it in half to make it easy to carry.
15. The LADY WAS NOT DUMPED IN THE BACKYARD OF THEIR NATIONAL MUSEUM,but is on display at Jamal Abdelnasser Air Force Base. You can see photos of her that were taken in August of last year at this website:
http://www.rommelinlibya.com
As you can see from the 15 mistakes, it is very easy to screw up a good story.
Lord Banks
On April 17, 2010 at 7:46 am
Thank you for all your comments. LB
1hopefulman
On October 15, 2010 at 11:52 am
I see what you meant!