Shopworn Angel Data
Built at the Glenn L Martin factory at Baltimore, Maryland as a B-26B-50-MA. Accepted by the Army Air Force on 1/12/43. Then flown to the 3rd AF staging area at Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia (from 21/12/43). Assigned to the 344th BG at Hunter Field. Flown overseas to the UK via the Southern Ferry Route (Listed as Carribean Wing), departing the USA on 20/1/44. The aircraft record card then lists, SOXO A (Europe – 8th AF) on 20/1/44, and SOXO R (Europe – 8th AF) from 19/2/44. Original group aircraft flown overseas in January 1944 by 1st Lt. Henry C Woodrum. Nose art painted by George Hoagland of the armament section at Stansted. Belly landed in at Stansted returning from its 12th mission on 21/4/44, the target a V-1 Launch site at Bonnieres, France. The landing gear was damaged by flak. The aircraft was repaired and returned to duty. The pilot was Capt. Lucius D Clay the 495th BS operations officer, later went on to be CO of the same squadron. The normal pilot was 1st. Lt. Henry C Woodrum. Then Capt. Woodrum, He was in London on leave at the time. The aircraft was repaired and rejoined the squadron. Hit by flak over the target & crashed on Valentines Day 1945 (14/2/45) on the mission to the Neuweid RR bridge at Engers, Germany. The aircraft flown by Capt. Thomas Gough Brennan, Jnr was hit directly over the target just before releasing bombs. It was seen to pull off the target with the left engine smoking, and soon after went into a spin, crashing 1.5 km SW of Kruft, in the Mayen district, Germany. Three of the crew managed to bail out and were captured as POW’s. The final entry on the aircraft record card lists, GLUE 9AF CON FLAK on 15/2/45. Nose name, serial, and squadron details confirmed on MACR.
