On 22 July 1944, Maj. Harold Blehm and 1st Lt. Guy Hudson led an experienced B-24 crew toward one of the most heavily defended targets in Europe: the oil facilities at Ploesti, Romania. Their aircraft, B-24H Liberator 42-51136, was serving as a Pathfinder equipped to help guide the bomber force to its target.
Pathfinder to Ploesti
Operating from Italy with the 464th Bombardment Group of the Fifteenth Air Force, the crew faced heavy anti-aircraft fire and German fighters as the formation approached Ploesti. P-51 Mustangs of the 332nd Fighter Group—the Tuskegee Airmen—were among the fighters supporting the bomber force.
B-24 Liberators over Ploesti amid smoke and defensive screens.
After releasing its bombs, 42-51136 was critically damaged. Hudson bailed out at high altitude shortly before the Liberator exploded. He and other surviving crewmen were captured and became prisoners of war; other members of the crew were lost.
A Surviving B-24 Relic
The material associated with the artwork comes from a surplus B-24 cowl flap preserved after the war. Although more than 18,000 Liberators were produced, comparatively few complete airframes survive today.
Surviving B-24 Liberator cowl flap panel.
The story remained personal decades later: Guy Hudson's daughter, Shelly Crofut, and members of the family attended the artwork unveiling.
Shelly Crofut, Lt. Guy Hudson's daughter, and family at the artwork unveiling.
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