B-24D PLOESTI RAID SIGNED BY WALTER STEWART MODEL

This B-24 Liberator was operated by the 15th Air Force in Cyrenaica and flew on raid to the Ploesti oilfieds on August 1, 1943. The bombers were painted in desert pink.

The B24D Liberator was the first liberator that was put into mass production by Consolidated. More than 2,700 B-24D was produced. The first production of B-24D was almost similar to B-24C and was delivered to the Army Air Corps. The B-24Ds long deep fuselage enabled the Army Forces to settle in to a continuous diversity of attacks. The B-24D served commendably not only as bombers but also as photo reconnaissance aircraft, anti submarine aircraft and as cargo planes too.

In 1943, The B24D Liberator replaced the B-17 Flying Fortress as the heavy bomber in the South Pacific. The liberator was flown by the Army and Navy Aircrews. Five months after the production of the B-24D in San Diego, Consolidated began a new production of the B24D in Forth Worth. The Liberator attained recognition during the WWII as one of the Army Air Forces most reliable long range bombers.

Signed by Walter Stewart, B-24 Pilot, flying 236 hours of combat.