| Built at the Glenn L Martin factory at Baltimore, Maryland as a B-26B-55-MA. Accepted by the Army Air Force on 14/2/44. Then flown by New Castle (2nd Ferry Group), Wilmington, Deleware (from 16/2/44), to Florence Army Air Field, South Carolina (from 18/2/44), and on to WRAD (Warner-Robbins Air Depot, Georgia) from 21/2/44, for the installation of N-6A gun sights. Next went to the 3rd AF staging area at Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia (from 22/2/44). Then went to Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, Florida (from 5/3/44), and on to Homestead Army Air Field, Florida (from 7/3/44), from where the aircraft was flown overseas to the UK via the Southern Ferry Route (Listed as Caribbean Wing), departing the USA on 6/3/44. The aircraft record card then lists, SOXO A (Europe - 8th AF) from 6/3/44, and SOXO R (Europe - 8th AF) from 21/3/44. Entered combat with the 1st Pathfinder SQN on 23/6/44, coded IH-S, and named "Terrible Turk II". Damaged by flak on the bomb run whilst leading the 394th BG to the target, the Neuweid RR bridge, Germany, wounding the bombardier. Suffered a landing accident at A-61 Beauvais / Tille, France returning from a combat mission on 23/12/44. The aircraft flown by Capt. Paul H Jones came in for a normal landing on runway 55, and all the indications showed that the landing gear was down and locked. After touchdown at 1530 hours, and just as the aircraft slowly lost speed it swerved to the left. The pilot thinking that the aircraft had a flat tire did not attempt to go round, but tried to hold the aircraft straight on the runway with the brakes, but the landing gear then folded up. The aircraft suffered Cat.4 damage and was sent to the service group for repairs. The aircraft which had flown 35 missions, returned to the SQN, was recoded IH-C1, and renamed "Leslie". Flew an additional 8 combat missions from 23/3/45 to 16/4/45. The final entry on the aircraft record card lists, GLUE CON SAL FEA on 15/10/45. |