Planes They Flew with the 448th BG
Heaven Can Wait
This picture is what we believe the plane they flew to England in December 1943 looked like. The plane was never officially named Heaven Can Wait, and thus the names were never painted on it.
The drawing was made by Ingemar Melin.
The drawing was made by Ingemar Melin.
"Heaven Can Wait"/ "Spittin' Kitten" for the nose turret- names decided before the group left Herington, KS to move overseas.
SN 41-28601
Radio Call letter was Z
B-24H
Manufactured at Douglas Aircraft, Tulsa OK
Olive drab and grey camouflage paint
Assigned to 715th BS/ 448th BG at Sioux City, Iowa on 21 Oct 1943
Flew to ETO with group on 17 Nov 1943; arrived England 10 Dec 1943
The crew flew this plane on their first and second missions on 24 Dec and 30 Dec 1943.
Dropped from US inventory on 17 Jan 1944
The name "Heaven Can Wait" caused some confusion as other crews were using it too and it appeared in the papers when one of them went down. Grandad assured my grandmother in one letter that it wasn't them.
41-28601 was belly-landed at Yeovilton by Lt. R.P. Slater on 31 Dec 43 on return from a combat mission to Cognac/Chateaubernard, France. It was salvaged 10 - 17 Jan 44.
Other planes they flew while with the 448th BG include:
Jan 4 in 42-7764 P BAG O' BOLTS
the radio call letter of this plane was later changed to B
Jan 11 in 42-7758 D DOWN AND GO
Jan 29, Feb 5, Feb 13 and Feb 21 in 42-73497 K VADIE RAYE(they also aborted on Feb 10 in this aircraft
SN 41-28601
Radio Call letter was Z
B-24H
Manufactured at Douglas Aircraft, Tulsa OK
Olive drab and grey camouflage paint
Assigned to 715th BS/ 448th BG at Sioux City, Iowa on 21 Oct 1943
Flew to ETO with group on 17 Nov 1943; arrived England 10 Dec 1943
The crew flew this plane on their first and second missions on 24 Dec and 30 Dec 1943.
Dropped from US inventory on 17 Jan 1944
The name "Heaven Can Wait" caused some confusion as other crews were using it too and it appeared in the papers when one of them went down. Grandad assured my grandmother in one letter that it wasn't them.
41-28601 was belly-landed at Yeovilton by Lt. R.P. Slater on 31 Dec 43 on return from a combat mission to Cognac/Chateaubernard, France. It was salvaged 10 - 17 Jan 44.
Other planes they flew while with the 448th BG include:
Jan 4 in 42-7764 P BAG O' BOLTS
the radio call letter of this plane was later changed to B
Jan 11 in 42-7758 D DOWN AND GO
Jan 29, Feb 5, Feb 13 and Feb 21 in 42-73497 K VADIE RAYE(they also aborted on Feb 10 in this aircraft