The Strawberry Bitch was a D model B-24 Liberator. Her serial, or tail, number was 42-72843. Daniel Rice was the pilot whose crew accepted delivery of the new B-24, ferried her overseas, and delivered her to the 376th HBG.
The above 2 photos from Walter Bjerklund
Photo and note from Harry Porter
Photo from Wiley Golden
Prior to her restoration and shipment to Dayton.
The Strawberry Bitch, photographed in 2011 during the 376th Veterns Association annual reunion, carried RCL 24.
Group Date A/C # and Mission Target Pilot
Mission # letter
1 169 9/20/1943 24 U Pescara Italy Kenneth Iverson
2 170 9/22/1943 24 U Eleusis Greece Guy Iovine
3 171 10/ 1/1943 24 U Weiner Neustadt Austria Paul Brown
4 172 10/ 4/1943 24 Tatoi A/D Greece Daniel Rice
5 173 10/ 5/1943 24 D Eleusis Greece Daniel Rice
6 185 11/10/1943 24 Villar Perosa Italy Daniel Rice
7 186 11/11/1943 24 Annecy France Daniel Rice
8 187 11/15/1943 24 Eleusis Greece Paul Brown
9 189 11/25/1943 24 Klagenfurt Austria Paul Brown
10 191 11/28/1943 24 Dogna Tunnel Italy Thomas Haigh
11 192 11/29/1943 24 Casala A/D Italy Daniel Rice
12 193 11/30/1943 24 Klagenfurt Austria James Collison
13 200 12/14/1943 24 Tatoi A/D Greece Ralph Jackson
14 201 12/15/1943 24 Avisio Italy Daniel Rice
15 205 12/25/1943 24 Udine Italy Harlan Wenzinger
16 207 2/ 4/1944 24 C Toulon France Gerald Brown
17 208 2/ 8/1944 24 Viterbo Italy E Wood
18 209 2/10/1944 24 Campoleone Italy James Mullen
19 210 2/12/1944 24 Anzio Italy Fritz Sandberg
20 211 2/14/1944 24 Verona Italy David Burton
21 212 2/16/1944 24 Prato Italy Edward Clendenin
22 214 2/20/1944 24 Anzio Italy Arthur Clune
23 215 2/22/1944 24 Regensburg Germany Benjamin Chase
24 216 2/23/1944 24 Steyr Austria David Burton
25 220 3/ 7/1944 24 Prato Italy Edison Heintz
26 221 3/11/1944 24 Toulon France Robert Puddlewitts
27 222 3/15/1944 24 Cassino Italy Robert Puddlewitts
28 223 3/17/1944 24 C Schwechat Austri Richard Zuber
29 226 3/24/1944 24 Steyr Austria Kenneth Benoit
30 228 3/28/1944 24 D Mestre Italy Clyde Keator
31 231 4/ 2/1944 24 Steyr Austria Clyde Keator
32 232 4/ 3/1944 24 C Budapest Hungary Arthur Clune
33 233 4/ 4/1944 24 Bucharest Romania Charles Hamblen
34 234 4/ 5/1944 24 C Polesti Romania Edison Heintz
35 235 4/ 7/1944 24 C Mestre Italy Edward Clendenin
36 239 4/16/1944 24 C Brasov Rumania Wayne Grooms
37 240 4/17/1944 24 C Sofia Bulgaria Lee Humphrey
38 242 4/23/1944 24 Schwechat Austria Arthur Clune
39 243 4/24/1944 24 C Polesti Romania Arthur Clune
40 244 4/25/1944 24 C Varese Italy Harry Gillett
41 245 4/28/1944 24 C Porto Santo Stefano Italy Jerry Brown
42 246 4/29/1944 24 C Toulon France Wayne Grooms
43 247 4/30/1944 24 C Alessandria Italy Vaughn Steele
44 248 5/ 2/1944 24 C Castel Maggiore Italy Clyde Keator
45 251 5/10/1944 24 C Weiner Neustadt Austria August Dugi
46 252 5/12/1944 24 C Piombino Italy Harold Drake
47 254 5/14/1944 24 C Vicenza Italy Lee Humphrey
48 256 5/18/1944 24 C Polesti Romania Harold Drake
49 257 5/19/1944 24 Spezia Italy Harold Drake
50 258 5/22/1944 24 C Porto Marghera Italy Jerry Brown
51 259 5/23/1944 24 C Frascati Italy Robert Hunter
52 260 5/24/1944 24 C Weiner Neustadt Austria Jerry Brown
53 262 5/26/1944 24 C Nice France Vaughn Steele
54 263 5/27/1944 24 C Marseille France Harold Drake
55 269 6/ 5/1944 24 K Castel Maggiore Italy Vaughn Steele
56 272 6/10/1944 24 Trieste Italy James White
The website 376bg.org is NOT our site nor is it our endowment fund.
At the 2017 reunion, the board approved the donation of our archives to the Briscoe Center for American History, located on the University of Texas - Austin campus.
Also, the board approved a $5,000 donation to add to Ed Clendenin's $20,000 donation in the memory of his father. Together, these funds begin an endowment for the preservation of the 376 archives.
Donate directly to the 376 Endowment
To read about other endowment donation options, click here.
DATES: Oct 26-29, 2024
CITY:Tucson, AZ
HOTEL: Double Tree Suites Airport hotel
7051 South Tucson Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85756
520-225-0800
Click here to read about the reunion details.