42-72843, no. 24, Strawberry Bitch

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.

Missions Flown

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