Divers recover US airman's remains from WWII bomber wreck near Malta

Dear Chode,

Please note that you post a photo of a North American B-25 Mitchell twin engine bomber, not that of a Consolidated B-24 4 engine bomber.

21 posted on 09/16/2023 4:38:15 PM PDT by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)

Enlisted at 25, out at 28 (87-90). Still young.

22 posted on 09/16/2023 4:56:36 PM PDT by Antoninus II

That’s a B-25. Medium bomber. My Dad flew them.

23 posted on 09/16/2023 5:00:14 PM PDT by Antoninus II

i know, the reference was to the M-M not the plane...

24 posted on 09/16/2023 5:23:53 PM PDT by Chode (there is no fall back position, there's no rally point, there is no LZ... we're on our own. #FJB)

To: Antoninus II

yup, hell of a plane

25 posted on 09/16/2023 5:24:31 PM PDT by Chode (there is no fall back position, there's no rally point, there is no LZ... we're on our own. #FJB)

Ah, Makes sense then. Thanks.

26 posted on 09/16/2023 6:20:58 PM PDT by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)

that’s one a hell of a catch, that Catch-22...

27 posted on 09/16/2023 6:57:12 PM PDT by Chode (there is no fall back position, there's no rally point, there is no LZ... we're on our own. #FJB)

The US produced somewhat north of 300,000 aircraft of all types (!), including some 10s of 1000s of the most popular of the bomber designs. The B-24 had a lower flight ceiling than the B-17, making them more vulnerable to ground fire.

Most of the earlier B-number planes built for WWII were scrapped by 1950, although (it sez here) an iteration or descendant of the B-24 was used in Korea.

Iwo Jima was taken to provide an emergency landing site for ailing B-29s, which were the long range bombers used to drop conventional incendiary bombs to incinerate 45 Japanese cities by August ‘45. While the battle of Iwo Jima was in progress (but the four airfields had been brought under US control) the first of such planes landed for repair. Every little flyspeck of land took on great importance in the Pacific War.

Even the B-29 was produced in the 1000s, and some of the largest B-29 raids on Japan’s home islands involved 1000 planes at a time. They must have had coordinated takeoffs from multiple bases with different flight times so they’d arrive together.

28 posted on 09/16/2023 8:32:18 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Putin should skip ahead to where he kills himself in the bunker.)

"...as part of the 486th Bomb Group in Sudbury, England."
He flew 32 bombing runs during World War II.
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29 posted on 09/17/2023 2:40:11 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Putin should skip ahead to where he kills himself in the bunker.)

Four airfields s/b three airfields, I think, but I’m too lazy to look it up.

30 posted on 09/17/2023 4:20:37 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (Putin should skip ahead to where he kills himself in the bunker.)

Welcome home, Sgt. Irving R. Newman. thank you for your sacrifice and may you rest in peace. I salute you.

31 posted on 09/17/2023 4:46:11 PM PDT by Redcitizen

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