Consolidated B-24J-165-CO Liberator Bomber 532 44-40532 of the 30th Bomb Group, 819th Bomb Squadron 7th AF. “Night Mission” Nose Art
The crew of “NIGHT MISSION” named their B-24J in the hope of being assigned nocturnal bombing runs, which they believed were safer than daytime raids. Despite not achieving this goal, the aircraft successfully completed 44 combat missions with the 30th Bomb Group, and additional sorties with the 11th Bomb Group.
“NIGHT MISSION” had its first flight on April 13, 1944, and was delivered to the Army Air Forces in San Diego six days later. On September 24, 1944, the aircraft participated in a particularly challenging mission where ten B-24s bombed targets on Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands. Piloted by 1Lt Winton E. Newcomb, “NIGHT MISSION” was the last to reach the target, flying at less than 50 feet and sustaining heavy flak damage. Despite two wounded crew members and a severely damaged rudder, Newcomb managed to navigate 800 miles back to Saipan, where he executed a difficult landing on the island’s airstrip.