Under a thunderous sky, engines inspection and maintenance operations of “Kate Smith", a B-24D Liberator of USAAF’s 345th Bomb Squadron, 98th Bomb Group “Pyramidiers”, 9th Air Force, at Benina, airfield, Libya, where the Group was based from February to September 1943. “Kate Smith", Consolidated B-24D-85-CO Liberator, s/n 42-40654, in the pink sand finish and with the red circled insignias adopted on 28 June 1943 and with the cockpit and nose’s glass covert by canvas as protection against the sun and the sand, was destroyed by a land accident at Benina on 29 July 1943 two days before the 98th Bomb Group’s low level raid over Ploesti, 1 August 1943, when of the 40 aircraft which arrived over the target 19 was lost (15 of them shot down in the target area, and four crashed lost on the return leg). Victor Sierra

Under a thunderous sky

Consolidated B-24D-85-CO Liberator #42-40664 of 515th Bomb Squadron, 376th Bomb Group “Liberandos”, 9th Air Force "Teggie Ann", former "Honey Chile", taxing on a North African base. The latter is likely Benina, near Benghazi, where the 376th arrived on April 1943, from other Palestinian and North African airfields. The missions from Benina began on 26 April 1943 with a raid over Bari and from here flew the low-level mission against Ploesti, Rumania on August 1, 1943. "Teggie Ann" was one of the Liberators which raided Ploesti in this day and in this circumstance was flown by Col. Keith Compton, commanding officer of the 376th BG. But "Teggie Ann" survived to this missions only for two weeks. The aircraft was in effect lost on the August 16, 1943 during a mission over Foggia, Southern Italy, shoot down by a German fighter and crashed in the Melfi area. Crew POW. Victor Sierra

"Teggie Ann"

Three USAAF’s Consolidated B-24 Liberator of the 512th Bomb Squadron, 376th Heavy Bomb Group “ The Liberandos”, 9th Air Force, at Benina airfield, Benghazi, Libya, prior to the low level mission to Rumanian Ploesti Oil Fields, August 1,1943. None of this three planes, notice the first in all dark green finish, the other in the pink sand finish, survived to year 1943, two of them lost quite during the Ploesti mission. The nearest, "Brewery Wagon", B-24D-25-CO s/n 41-24294, not returned from Ploesti, shot down over Ploesti by a Bf 109, crew two KIA seven POW. Second aircraft from left: "Desert Lily" later renamed "Minerva II" (23-A), B-24D-25-CO s/n 41-24258, shot down by a German fighter Bf 109G-6 near Wiemath, Austria, November 2,1943, crew 8 KIA, 2 POW. Third aircraft, "Wongo Wongo!" (28-D), B-24D-70-CO s/n 42-40563, crashed into Mediterranean Sea for unknown reasons after the take-off for the Ploesti mission on August 1, 1943, all 10 crewmember killed. Victor Sierra