Found Crew Journals Reveal a Horrifying End
In April of 1943, a U.S. Army Air Forces B-24D Liberator bomber, known as the Lady Be Good, took off from Soluch Airstrip near Benghazi, Libya, for a military mission targeting Naples, Italy. However, after radio communication abruptly stopped that evening, the plane and its nine-man crew vanished, their fate unknown for nearly two decades.
The Lady Be Good was among 28 bombers assigned to a two-wave attack on Naples’ harbor, aiming to disrupt Axis supply lines. Harsh sandstorms and strong winds plagued the mission, causing many pilots to abort and return to base. Despite worsening conditions, pilot William Hatton and his crew pressed on until mechanical concerns, exacerbated by the sand, forced them to turn back. Unfortunately, as they reversed course, their automatic direction finder failed, leaving them unable to navigate accurately toward Soluch.
With visibility poor due to the sandstorm and nightfall, the crew struggled to find their way. Soluch airstrip attempted to signal them with flares, but the plane overshot the base by a staggering 440 miles to the south, flying deep into the Libyan desert. After several hours, all radio contact ceased, and the U.S. military presumed the aircraft had crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. Searches turned up nothing, and the crew was declared dead.
Fifteen years later, in 1958, British geologists surveying North Africa for oil spotted aircraft wreckage in the heart of the Calanshio Sand Sea. At first, military officials showed little interest, as no records suggested a missing plane in the area. However, after further examination and a letter from a geologist detailing crew names found among the wreckage, authorities launched a formal investigation in 1959.
The investigation revealed that the Lady Be Good had made a controlled crash landing in the desert, relatively intact. Equipment, logs, and personal items were found inside, but the crew was missing. Following an extensive search, remains of five crew members were discovered nearly 80 miles north of the crash site, indicating they had attempted to walk back toward civilization. Additional remains were later found even farther from the wreckage. Tragically, the men had died from exposure and exhaustion in the unforgiving desert terrain.
The discovery of the Lady Be Good provided a chilling insight into the crew’s desperate struggle for survival. Their tragic fate serves as a haunting reminder of the perils of wartime aviation and the vast, merciless expanse of the Sahara Desert. Today, the story of the Lady Be Good endures as one of World War II’s most harrowing aviation mysteries.
