https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/8e9f8a24-cdcb-426a-b9ad-7275bb92b392 Support Our Channel : https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Originally broadcast on Armstrong Circle Theatre, this is the story of Lady Be Good! Lady Be Good was an American B-24D Liberator, which flew for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It failed to return from an April 4, 1943 bombing raid on Naples, Italy. At the time, the plane was assumed to have crashed into the Mediterranean Sea and its nine crew members were classified as Missing in Action. In 1958 the nearly intact Lady Be Good was discovered 440 miles inland. Subsequent searches uncovered the remains of all but one of the crew. 0:14–1:39 Introduction of the Mystery: The film introduces the B-24D bomber "Lady Be Good", which disappeared during a 1943 mission and was found 16 years later (May 1959) deep in the Libyan desert. 2:04–5:24 The Mission: In April 1943, the new crew, led by pilot Lt. William J. Hatton, took off from Soluch, Libya, as part of Mission 109, targeting Naples, Italy (750 miles away). 10:59–17:03 Mission Aborted & Loss: Due to engine failures and poor visibility, the formation broke up. Hatton's plane became the lead. The bombing run was aborted at 18:50 hours due to complete darkness. They set a course for the Soluch base, with an ETA of 21:45 hours. 18:06–21:26 The Final Call: Thirty minutes past the ETA, the crew realized they had missed the base. The radio operator sent an emergency call, which was received by an HFDF station that gave them a bearing of 330 degrees (northwest). This was the last sign of the aircraft. 21:40–24:08 Case Closed: Based on routine reports, the crew was officially presumed dead in action in 1944. The American Graves Registration Service closed the case in 1948, declaring the remains non-recoverable. 24:23–29:33 Discovery and Condition: In May 1959, a British oil team found the bomber 475 miles south of Soluch. Major William Roberts reported the plane's condition was remarkable: the interior and survival gear (food, water, flares) were untouched, and the radio was still in working order. This indicated the crew had bailed out north of the plane. 29:39–33:14 Search for the Crew: Captain Myron C. Fuller led the search, finding discarded boots and a World War II vehicle trail heading north. Along the trail, they found ten shoe markers (shoes weighed down with rocks, pointing north). The theory is that the crew bailed out, hit the trail, and walked north until they collapsed in the dunes, mistaking them for the coast. 33:46–37:30 The Navigational Error: Major Paul Fallon explained the likely error: The inexperienced crew missed the base's weak beacon and may have flown the correct 330-degree bearing (northwest) for home in the opposite direction (southeast), continuing deep into the trackless desert for hours until they were critically low on fuel. 37:37–38:45 Colonel Norman C. Apple, the group's Operations Officer, confirms they alerted Allied stations after the plane was overdue and requested the Benina bearing. 38:45–43:47 The Navigational Confusion: Apple explains the multiple errors: High tailwinds at altitude gave the crew a faster ground speed than they calculated. The inexperienced navigator likely didn't trust his celestial fixes . When the pilot descended, his radio compass pointed to the rear because they were already southeast of Soluch . Confused, he thought he was picking up a German signal. He then misinterpreted the Benina HFDF bearing as inbound (northwest) when they were actually far south. 43:47–46:44 Bailout Theory: The crew couldn't distinguish the desert from the sea at night. After the second and third engines failed , they saw rocky patches, convinced they were over land. The pilot ordered the bailout, telling the crew to head north toward the perceived coastline. They ignored the plane and marched into the sand sea , thinking they could make it to the coast in one night. 46:44–47:20 Five Major Factors: The five key factors in the loss were: high headwinds , unanticipated high ground speed , misinterpretation of both the radio compass and HFDF bearing , and the similarity between the desert and water at night. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD. 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