Beautiful Betsy
Encyclopedia
Beautiful Betsy was the name of an American Liberator Bomber
. The wreckage of the plane was discovered in what is now Kroombit Tops National Park
, located in The Boyne Valley in central Queensland
, Australia
.
Those killed in the crash were:
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
. The wreckage of the plane was discovered in what is now Kroombit Tops National Park
Kroombit Tops National Park
Kroombit Tops is a national park in Central Queensland, Australia. Located between Monto and Calliope in The Boyne Valley, it is 399 km northwest of Brisbane. Cania Gorge National Park is located approximately 25 km to the south....
, located in The Boyne Valley in central Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Fact sheet
- B-24D-53 "Beautiful Betsy" Serial Number 42-40387
- MIA February 26, 1945
- MACR 12758
- Discovered August 2, 1994
Background and mission
The Beautiful Betsy had suffered combat fatigue and was only being used for short supply runs. It had been retired from combat. Its final mission was a Fat Cat run from Darwin to Brisbane - transporting men and supplies as part of a regular flight. It disappeared in stormy weather.Those killed in the crash were:
- 1st Lieutenant William Emmett McDaniel - pilot
- 2nd Lieutenant Eugene A. Kilcheski,
- 2nd Lieutenant Hilary E. Routt
- LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Raymond L. Owen - Technical SergeantTechnical SergeantTechnical Sergeant is the name of one current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States military.-United States Air Force:Technical Sergeant, or Tech Sergeant, is the sixth enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant. A technical sergeant is...
Raymond L. Tucker - Technical Sergeant Harold J. Lemons.
- Flight LieutenantFlight LieutenantFlight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
Thomas John Donald Cook - British SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
pilot - Flying OfficerFlying OfficerFlying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
Roy Albert Arthur Cannon - British Spitfire pilot