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This Remembrance Profile was originally created by CMSgt Don Skinner - Deceased
Contact Info
Home Town Edisto Island
Date of Passing Mar 01, 1944
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Records concerning SSgt Eldon Hunter are scarce. No NARA enlistment record can be found. Clemson University records show he graduated from there in 1941. It also states he was born in Edisto, Island, South Carolina, but the date is not given. Based on age and experience a guess would be circa 1920.
He was acting as flight engineer on a B-24 being ferried in the South Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft left Waller Field in the British West Indies, bound for Belem, Brazil. It made one radio check en route, and was never heard from again.
An intensive aircraft and blimp air search was made, but no trace of the aircraft was found.
All personnel aboard are memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the East Coast Memorial, located in New York, New York.
www.findagrave.com/search www.cualumni.cle,son.edu.page.aspx?pid=1770
www.accident-report. com/crews/alpha/namehite-hy.html
www.warmemorial.us.mediawiki3/index.php?title_ELDON_D_HUNTER
www.forum.armyairforces.com/tm.aspx?m=168215=page?print=true
USAAC-USAAF Aircraft Inventory Records
Other Comments:
SSgt HUnter was flight engineer on B-24H # 41-28773, no known name.
There were two Missing Air Crew Reports issued for this incident, 2452 and 2602. They identify the crew as:
1 Lt James S. Buchanan p
2 Lt Victor R. Harmon c-p
2 Lt John F. Healy nav
SSgt Eldon D. Hunter, Jr. eng
SSgt Lawrence Garsha r/o
Cpl Benjamin M. Evans passenger (radar mech)
Cpl Louis J. Enderle passenger (radar mech)
A notation on one of the MACRs speculates a fire caused by a gas leak as the cause of the mishap. It goes on to note that 12 aircraft had been delayed at Waller Field for that reason in the past three weeks.
1943-1944, B-24 Liberator
From Year 1943
To Year 1944
Personal Memories
Not Specified
Image
B-24 Liberator Details
Aircraft/Missile Information
Specifications
Model Consolidated B-24J Liberator Length 67.16 ft | 20.47 m Width 110.01 ft | 33.53 m Height 18.01 ft | 5.49 m Engine(s) 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-65 radial piston engines generating 1,200hp. Empty Weight 36,500 lbs | 16,556 kg MTOW 65,001 lbs | 29,484 kg Max Speed 290 mph | 467 km/h | 252 kts Max Range 2,001 miles | 3,220 km Ceiling 28,002 ft | 8,535 m | 5.3 miles Climb Rate 800 ft/min (243.84 m/min) Hardpoints 0 Armament 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in nose assembly. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in tail assembly. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in upper-fuselage turret. 2 x 12.7mm machine guns in under-fuselage assembly. 1 x 12.7mm machine gun in left-waist fuselage position. 1 x 12.7mm machine gun in right-waist fuselage position.
Up to 8,800lbs of internal bombs. Accommodations 10 Operators the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
* Model 31 - Flying Boat Model whose wing assembly would become the basis for the B-24 design. * Model 32 - Base B-24 Model Series Designation. * XB-24 - Initial Prototype Model Designation fitted with R-1830-33 radial piston engines generating 1,200hp. * YB-24 - Preproduction Model Designation * B-24A - Fitted with 2 x 7.62mm tail guns, 6 x 12.7mm machine guns in nose assembly, dorsal and waist gun positions. * B-24C - Fitted with turbocharged R-1830-41 engines; 8 x 12.7mm machine guns - nose (single gun), ventral, waist (left and right), dorsal turret (two guns) and tail turret (two guns). * B-24D - Based on the B-24C model but fitted with R-1830-43 engines; later models of this series would feature the twin 12.7mm ball turret gun assembly in the ventral fuselage position; self-sealing fuel tanks; 2,381 produced. * B-24E - Modified propeller systems; 801 produced. * B-24G - Fitted with R-1830-43 engines; powered nose turret with 2 x 12.7mm machine guns. * B-24H - Improved Model with extended nose section; 3,100 produced. * B-24J - Fitted with R-1830-65 engines; improved bombsight; autopilot functionality; 6,678 produced. * B-24L - Based on B-24J model but fitted with hand-operated tail guns; 1,667 produced. * B-24M - Based on B-24J model with lighter mounting for hand-operated tail gun; 2,593 produced. * XB-24Q - General Electric Conversion Model of B-24L model fitted with radio-controlled tail turret. * B-24Q - Final Production Model Designation * B-24Q * LB-30 - Transport Variant * C-87 - Air Force Transport Variant * RY - Navy Transport Variant * C-109 - Fuel Tanking Model * F-7 - Photographic Reconnaissance Model * PB4Y-1 - Patrol Bombing Model * PB4Y-2 - Specialized Model with single vertical tail surface assembly. * GR - British Maritime Reconnaissance Model.