Corgi 1:72 USAF B-254 Liberator, “Strawberry Bitch”, Benghazi 1943, No. AA35003

Description

Corgi WWII Europe & Africa - Consolidated B-24D Liberator - USAAF WWII - “Strawberry Bitch” - No. 1249 of 2700 distributed.
No. AA34003, Scale - 1:72
Unit - 376th Bombing Group, Mediterranean Theater of Operations. On October 19, 1942, one of only two B-24D equipped bomb groups, the 376th was constituted at Lydia in Palestine and was nicknamed the “Liberandos.” Based from Egypt and striking targets in Italy, Sicily and Tunisia between Nov. 1942 and Sept.1943, the group became part of the Ninth Air Force and then the Twelth before the Fifteenth officially began with the Nov. 2, 1943 raid of the Messerschmitt plant at Wiener Neustadt.
Campaign - Benghazi, Libya 1943 - this plane survived the legendary Ploesti Raid of August 1943. The mission suffered heavy losses but inflicted vast damage to major portions of the strategic oil field. Of 179 Liberators participating, 43 were lost and another 14 aborted. A total of 532 aviators lost their lives.
Markings - cream tan/desert pink camouflage with with Star and blue circle and yellow command stripe in mid-fuselage. No. 24 in white with model, mission tags, unit insignia and name “Strawberry Bitch” in front of cockpit. Various unit insignia on fuselage and tail (including triangle, 2 and 272843 in black and other Allied markings with black and white stripes).
Model - B-24D Consolidated - was the worlds most produced bomber, heavy bomber, multi-engine aircraft, and American military aircraft in history. At inception, the B-24 was a modern design featuring a highly efficient shoulder-mounted, high aspect ratio Davis wing which gave it a high cruise speed, long range and the ability to carry a heavy bomb load. But compared to contemporaries (and later favorites such as the B-17 Flying Fortress), it was relatively difficult to fly and had poor low-speed performance (with a lower ceiling and overall strength vs the B-17).
Condition - New with minor wear on box.
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