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Foil Proof
B-24H-20-FO 42-94805

453rd Bomb Group, 735th Bomb Squadron

 

Photo courtesy of F. Kyle
This B24 from the Ford production plant started life as an olive drab aircraft but at some point it appears to have been stripped of its camouflage paint and repainted with a variation of the original nose art cartoon girl. A very early photo of this plane shows that there was initially no girl at all, just a 2 line stepped title on the right side. A standing cartoon figure was then added. Note the Purple Heart pinned to her right breast indicated battle damage. Later still, with the camo paint laboriously stripped away and revised cartoon bikini figure, this time seated, was added with the title flanking her. Finally, a sharkmouth was applied across the nose. Note also, that the 453BG winged emblem which was applied below the cockpit to many of the later B24s of the group was largely blocked out by the addition of extra armour plating to protect the pilot. Under the watchful eye of her crew chief MSgt Perrault, "Foil Proof" completed 111 combat missions.
  Additional image Of  
Photo courtesy of Michael Benarcik

Known Mission List

Date Pilot

Target

 Notes
23 Apr 1944 Assigned to 735BS. C/chf: Perrault
24 Apr 1944Gablingen
26 Apr 1944Gutersloh
27 Apr 1944McKayBlainvilleR/E (NS) - gas leak
7 May 1944Osnabruck / Munster
8 May 1944FosdickBrunswick
11 May 1944Belfort - Chaumont
12 May 1944Zeitz
13 May 1944Tutow
19 May 1944Brunswick
20 May 1944Reims
23 May 1944Orleans - Bricy
24 May 1944Bricy airfield
25 May 1944Terrenes MY
27 May 1944Saarbrucken
28 May 1944Zeitz/Merseburg
31 May 1944Lumes recall
2 Jun 1944FosdickSt AubinR/E (NS) - blown cylinder
6 Jun 1944St Laurent (1st)
7 Jun 1944Argentan
12 Jun 1944Monteforte RR bridge
15 Jun 1944La Port Boule bridge
18 Jun 1944FosdickHamburgBD - flak. (G)Sgt J Matsey lost arm
19 Jun 1944Fienvillers NoBall
21 Jun 1944BerlinR/E - eng failure (S)
24 Jun 1944(1) Conches airfieldBD - flak
24 Jun 1944(2) Pont-a-Vendin power staion
28 Jun 1944Saarbrucken
29 Jun 1944Kothen airfield
5 Jul 1944O'ConnellL'Isle Adam
7 Jul 1944HalleBD - flak
11 Jul 1944Munich-Reims air park
12 Jul 1944DentMunich-Reims air parkR/E (NS) - #1 prop governor
13 Jul 1944Saarbrucken
17 Jul 1944Belfort MY
18 Jul 1944Caen
19 Jul 1944Leipheim - Laupheim
20 Jul 1944Gotha
21 Jul 1944Saarbrucken MY
24 Jul 1944St Lo (abortive)
25 Jul 1944St Lo
28 Jul 1944Paris (abortive)
29 Jul 1944DentBremenFlak hit nose wheel and smashed "Gee" set
31 Jul 1944Ludwigshaven
1 Aug 1944Montereau (abortive)
3 Aug 1944Conches airfield
4 Aug 1944(1) Scherwin
5 Aug 1944Brunswick
6 Aug 1944DentHamburgCat B (severe) - flak - to sub-depot
13 Aug 1944St Malo
14 Aug 1944Anizy RR bridge
15 Aug 1944Wilhamshaven
16 Aug 1944Dessau
24 Aug 1944Brunswick
25 Aug 1944Wismar
26 Aug 1944Eindhoven
27 Aug 1944DentN.Germany (abortive)
8 Sep 1944Karlsruhe
9 Sep 1944Mainz
10 Sep 1944Ulm
11 Sep 1944DentMisburgBD - flak, landed with right tyre flat
13 Sep 1944JenkinsUlmR/E (NS) - weather, joined another group but recalled
21 Sep 1944Coblenz
22 Sep 1944Kassel
25 Sep 1944Coblenz
26 Sep 1944Hamm
30 Sep 1944RushHamm
2 Oct 1944Hamm
3 Oct 1944Lachen-Speyersburg
5 Oct 1944Rheine
6 Oct 1944Hamburg
7 Oct 1944KasselSlight BD - flak
9 Oct 1944Coblenz
12 Oct 1944Osnabruck
14 Oct 1944Kaiserlautern
19 Oct 1944Mainz
30 Oct 1944CrockettCuxhaven
31 Oct 1944E O'LearyRecall?
1 Nov 1944Gelsenkirchen
2 Nov 1944RossCastrup-RauxelR/E (NS) - (P) heated suit out
5 Nov 1944KarlsruheLanded away
9 Nov 1944Metz-Fort L'Aisne
10 Nov 1944Frankfurt
11 Nov 1944ParsonsBottropR/E (NS) - voilent tail flutter
21 Nov 1944McGilvaryHamburgBombed Frisian Islands and turned back, #2 eng out
25 Nov 1944Bingen
26 Nov 1944Bielefeld
29 Nov 1944Altenbeken
30 Nov 1944Hamburg
10 Dec 1944BingenR/E (NS) oil pressure, #3 eng feathered
11 Dec 1944Hanau MY
12 Dec 1944Frankfurt (recalled?)
18 Dec 1944(Sortie) Recalled
24 Dec 1944Mainz / Mayen
29 Dec 1944Neuwied bridge - Coblenz
30 Dec 1944Wapler(?)Euskirchen
31 Dec 1944Coblenz RR bridge
5 Jan 1945RushSobernheim & Neustadt
7 Jan 1945Zwiebrucken
1 Mar 1945Ingolstadt MY
2 Mar 1945Magdeburg
3 Mar 1945Magdeburg
4 Mar 1945J McKenzie / E MartineauGiebelstadt (recalled)(see McKenzie ebook)
5 Mar 1945Harburg
7 Mar 1945Soest
8 Mar 1945Siegen
9 Mar 1945Munster MY
10 Mar 1945Paderborn MY
17 Mar 1945Munster MY (recalled)
19 Mar 1945Neuberg
21 Mar 1945Achmer
23 Mar 1945Munster
24 Mar 1945Wesel (low-level supply drop)BD - flak
25 Mar 1945EhmenR/E (NS) - personnel
30 Mar 1945Wilhelmshaven
31 Mar 1945Brunswick
Plane Names & Fancy Noses Tales To Noses Over Berlin Merseburg: Blood, Flak & Oil Plane Names & Bloody Noses The Flight of Eagles  
Information Update for Readers of
"Plane Names & Fancy Noses - 91st Bomb Group (Heavy)"


© Ray Bowden 17 December 2018