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USAAF B-24D Liberator Bomber Air Crash MemorialPrint Page 
A poignant and long overdue ceremony at the Australian War Memorial on Friday recognised the worst air disaster to occur on Australian territory.
Moments later the plane, which had a wing span of 33.5 metres and would have weighed just less than 30 tonnes with a full fuel and bomb load, crashed into a convoy of Studebaker trucks being used to ferry Australian soldiers from the 2/33 infantry Battalion to Dakotas to join the battle for Lae.
The confusion is understandable given the indescribable violence of the impact. The Liberator had been carrying four 500-pound bombs and was fuelled up with almost 12,000 litres of high-octane avgas. Three of the bombs exploded in the blaze that erupted immediately after the impact. Machine-gun ammunition, mortar rounds and hand grenades being carried by the soldiers who were in full battle kit, rifle and Bren gun ammunition ''cooked off'' as the fires progressed.
Those killed instantly were the most fortunate. Some took another 11 days to die from horrific and untreatable burns and infections that swamped Port Moresby's rudimentary military hospital facilities. The 11-man Liberator crew were killed on impact.
Military authorities ordered the survivors straight into battle and warned them of dire consequences should they talk.
The families of the dead received terse telegrams telling them their loved ones had been killed in an air crash in the south-west Pacific.
The news blackout was identical to that which had been imposed three months before when a B-17 carrying 41 people (including six crew) from New Guinea to Australia had crashed on takeoff at Baker's Creek near Mackay on June 14. Only one man survived that crash, making it the second-worst air disaster on Australian territory.
Swept under the carpet for propaganda reasons, the Port Moresby tragedy receives only the briefest of mentions in the AWM's official war histories. Both accidents remain under a cloud. Mr Gibson said there were rumours the Pride of the Cornhuskers had been sabotaged by American Japanese serving with the USAF. The Baker's Creek B-17 had been badly shot up some months before and questions were later asked about its fitness to fly.
The Canberra Times, 9th September 2013.
Location
| Address: | Elizabeth Street, ANZAC Memorial, Centenary Extension, Hyde Park South, Sydney, 2000 |
|---|---|
| State: | NSW |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -33.875697 Long: 151.2109 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Monument |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
Dedication
In memory of the 62 Australian soldiers and 11 USAAF flight crew who lost their lives and 90 Australian soldiers Injured
2/33 Australian Infantry
Battalion Association
2/33 Australian Infantry Battalion
[ Names ]
158 General Transport Company
[ Names ]
USAAF 43 Bombardment Group
[ Names ]
B-24 D Liberator Bomber 42-40682 " Pride Of The Cornhuskers"
Jackson`s Airfield, Port Moresby
7 September 1943
Lest We Forget
