B-24 Liberator & Ju88

My 1:144 scale B-24 Liberator & Ju88 kits are built for another Dunkeswell diorama.

This one will be set on  4th September 1943 when six Ju-88 of 13/KG40 intercepted VB-103’s Lt James H Alexander’s B-24 ‘G’ B-7 “Impatient Virgin” off the Spanish coast. 

B-24 Liberator v Ju-88 diorama at Dunkeswell 

4th September 1943

VPB103: Lt. James H Alexander intercepted by 6 Ju-88s. 

During an antisubmarine patrol from Dunkeswell, Lt James H Alexander and crew were intercepted by six Ju-88 C fighters over the Bay of Biscay. During the attack, Alexander’s gunners shot down one of the Ju-88s flown by Lt Gerhard Blankenberg and crippled three others. His B-24 Liberator, numbered B-17 “G” and named Impatient Virgin was, however, damaged and unable to return to Dunkeswell. With flying instruments rendered inoperative and her four engines badly damaged, despite a painful head wound, Alexander effected a safe landing at sea.

Successfully abandoning the aircraft, he and his crew rode out a severe storm in a rubber life raft for 36 hours before being rescued by a passing Spanish fishing vessel. 

After a month recuperating, they were all repatriated back to England.

Lt James H Alexander was awarded the Navy Cross, his co-pilot and navigator the Distinguished Flying Cross and his crew the Air Medal. 

Sadly, on 3rd December 1943, Alexander, like so many of his fellow airmen, was to die in a training accident, at the age of just 23 years old.  

He has a cenotaph in Memorial Park Cemetery, Sioux City, USA

Models To Dunkeswell

I packed up my B-24 US Navy Liberators and U-Boats this morning for the short trip to their new home at the Dunkeswell Memorial Museum / Dunkeswell Airfield WW2

I’m so pleased these can be put to such a great educational use, rather than gather dust in my loft or display cabinet! I highly recommend a visit to Dunkeswell should you ever be down this way. 

https://www.southwestairfields.co.uk

B24 D Liberator

My latest US Navy Dunkeswell B24-D Liberator is complete. 

This is Minicraft’s 1:72 scale kit in the colours of B-13 ‘N' Berlin Express of VB-103 piloted by Lt. Chet Rief and Bruce Higgenbothem, and was one of the first Navy Liberators to arrive at Dunkeswell, Devon in 1943. 

US Navy Liberators went through a variety of camouflage schemes during World War II and Berlin Express can be seen here sporting the early tri-color camouflage scheme. 

Unfortunately Berlin Express had a short operational history, crashing on 3 December 1943.

 

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The kit 

Brand: Minicraft Model Kits
Title: Consolidated-Vultee USAF B-24D Liberator
Number: 11612
Scale: 1:72
Type: Full kit
Released: 1998 | Rebox

Battle for the Atlantic

Minicraft's 1:144 scale B-24 LIBERATOR & Revell's  1:350 scale  TYPE VII C U-BOAT 

B-6 “T” US Navy Liberator B-24J sinking U-243, a Type VII C U-Boat, in the Bay of Biscay on 8th July 1944. 

Revell provide decals for U-96, Buchheim’s inspiration for Das Boot, sunk on 30 March 1945 at Wilhelmshaven during a US air raid.

B24 J Liberator

 Just completed the first of a series of B-24 Liberators which flew from Dunkeswell, Devon, during WW2. 

This is US Navy B24 J Liberator B-6 “T” of VB-105, 1944-45. 

B-6 “T” was one of a few J-model Navy Liberators to retain the Emerson nose turret and a “high hat” upper turret. Note also the sea-blue replacement rudders. This aircraft was flown back to the US after the war. 

The model kit used in this build is the 1975 release of Airfix’s 1:72 B-24J Liberator with  generic decals from my stash. I scratch built the radar bubble replacing the belly gun turret and used Vallejo Air paints of White and US Navy Sea Blue to create, I hope, a passable likeness.

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The Kit

Brand:  Airfix
Title:   B-24J Liberator
Number:  05006-3
Scale:  1:72
Type:  Full kit
Released:  1975 | Rebox (Changed decals)