Last
Updated: 05/29/2008
Previously
published maps of the LBG crash
site area, the path of the crew's traverse, and the positions where
their
remains were found, have been
sorely lacking in quality, mostly hand drawn,
and vary widely in terms of detail and accuracy. Literary claims
of how far they walked vary widely as well. How far did these
men actually travel? To find out, we have endeavored to create
a map which gathers
the
known
details
of these
elements
and accurately measures them. The result is the map
at left. Click the map to see a full sized version.
The
positions, distances, and azimuth headings on the LGB
map were plotted and calculated using Google Earth and were based
on coordinates
published in Martinez, McClendon and elsewhere. These
positions were then carefully transferred to a satellite photo
of the area
in Adobe Photoshop.
We
believe the locations, distances, and azimuth
headings of map to be plotted as accurately as possible,
given the variables that may exist in the original source data
(see "Assumptions
of Accuracy" on the Map
Notes page).
We have thus plotted the known positions of
the LBG wreck and crew remains and
taken careful distance and azimuth readings to correlate
and plot the positions of the Italian and British vehicle
tracks.
The distances mentioned in the available accounts have
been used to verify that these vehicle tracks are in
relatively close
correlation to those seen during the investigations in
1959. The timeline positions of the crew have been plotted
by carefully
studying the diary entries of both Toner and Ripslinger
and using a "Walking
Timeline Calculations" formula
based on the rest times they mentioned in the diary entries,
the previous and subsequent rests it can be assumed
were taken in the hottest part of the afternoons
thereafter,
and average
walking
speeds
to be expected by a group of men whose debilitation
increases as their walking speed correspondingly decreases
over the course of several days. Where parachute markers
were placed,
a half
hour
(with
eight
men at
work) for
their construction
has been allotted. The parachute marker positions are
based on the
available published accounts, and
Steve Whitby's
excellent map in Jim Walker's history of the 376th
Heavy Bomb Group entitled "The Liberandos" (1994)
that contains over 60 pages of authoritative information
dedicated
to the LBG story.
Interestingly,
even with the Italian track course diversion factored in, the
crew's
overall
bearing of 332* from the rally point shows that they
managed to maintain an almost perfect reciprocal of their 150*
flight
heading as they walked northwest towards Soluch. Careful usage
of their emergency kit compasses seems to have been very effectively
utilized.
For
a detailed description of other elements and considerations that
went into the map's creation see: Map
Notes and Data Sources
Last
Updated: 07/27/2011
The GE map is now up to Version 1.3
see update notes below!
An
Interactive Exploration...
Google
Earth's remarkable ability to dynamically view the world from
any perspective, combined with it's intuitive interface, and
user customization and geo-plotting capabilities make it a perfect
platform to chart and explore the various aspects surrounding
the Lady Be Good story. If you have Google Earth installed you
can simply single left click the screenshot at left (or the link
above) and it will open your GE installation, load
the
elements
and imbedded information contained in the file, and zoom to central
Libya. Right clicking
on the same and choosing "Save Target As..." will
save the KMZ file to your hard drive. Once downloaded, double
clicking
on it will likewise open GE and load the mapped data. It will
then temporarily reside in you GE "Temporary Places" folder,
so make sure and right click the
file in the file window at the left of your GE screen
and
choose
"Save To My Places" if you wish to keep the data and
settings as part of your default GE files. If you don't have
GE installed
you can download a free copy here,
courtesy of Google.
We've
plotted a variety of LBG information into the GE file: The
flight path of the Lady Be Good including her starboard descent
to the crash site, the rally point after bail-out, path of the
crew on their trek northward,
parachute markers and discarded items the men left behind,
the Italian and British vehicle tracks they followed and crossed,
and the positions where investigator's finally discovered the
airmen's remains. Left clicking on any of the imbedded icons
will bring up a text bubble with much more information about
that aspect of the map.
The
positions of the Lady Be Good wreck and crew remains are well
known and have
been plotted
with a
high degree of certainty. The other elements such as the crew's
path, vehicle tracks and discarded items and markers have been
extrapolated from a variety of informational data.
Many of the positions of these various elements are
based on careful azimuth and distance measurements taken in Google
Earth
to insure they correspond as accurately as possible with the
information that was readily available. Given
the limitations of there never having been a precision cartographic
record produced of the
various
pieces
of the
investigation
puzzle (to our knowledge anyway) most positions
of the various elements herein should be considered
approximations so far as their "precise" latitude and longitude
are concerned. As stated above,
this excludes the LBG crash site and the crew's remains, which
are
well documented.
Painstaking care has been given to
make sure that the imbedded textual information
is also correct and we have crossed
referenced
and
double
checked
it to
insure it is as accurate as possible. When and if more precise
or even contradictory evidence
is offered or discovered we
will update the KMZ file accordingly.
The
best way to explore the map is to start
at the Lady
Be Good herself,
at the southern end of the map, and work northward. Clicking
on the wreck will bring up an brief introductory overview of
the
most
important
aspects
of the story. Moving northward (as the crew did from the rally
point) will bring up a variety of other pieces of the puzzle,
dispersed with diary entries from the crew during that part
of their journey. The yellow "Timeline" markers contain
a running dialogue of the crew's ordeal, while the other elements,
(mostly in white) contain more detailed descriptions and historical
tidbits about the Army investigation and other various facets
of the story.
The
Google Earth format provides a uniquely immersive environment
by which
to consider and contemplate the story of
the LBG, and
in creating it we hope we have accurately portrayed and
honorably remembered her men in the doing.
For
user tips and a detailed description of other elements and considerations
that went into the GE map's creation see: GE
Map Notes and Tips
02/21/010 UPDATE (Version 1.2) : Recently updated high resolution Google Earth Textures appear to finally show the exact location of the original crash site as being several hundred yards NW of where we previously had mapped with the old coordinates. Roads in the area converge on this spot where a well worn area at their junction indicate this was the precise location of the LBG for the many years she lay in the desert. The GE map has been updated to reflect this location (Version 1.2).
Last
Updated: 07/29/2011
What's
up with a "Flight Simulation Test" you ask?
The
primary focus of the 1959/60 Army investigations was to find,
recover,
and repatriate the remains of the Lady's
men. The effort required by the Army investigation teams to find clues to the men's whereabouts occupied the bulk of their time in the desert.
Though
many photos were taken of the crash site during the course
of the investigation, and items from the scene
examined and inventoried,
the unexpected difficulty of finding the lost airmen, combined
with expense and manpower required to do so,
likely left little
enthusiasm or auxilary resources to linger upon the more subtle
aspects of the crews final moments aboard their doomed Liberator, or at least its last few minutes aloft. That the LBG was running out of fuel,
that the crew bailed out,
the plane crashed, and that all but one of their crewman's remains were eventually recovered,
was enough to close the investigation. Now, over fifty
years later, could any insights as to what happened on the
night
of
the crash be discovered from the known facts, archival photos,
and
historical
records?
Armed
with a good computer, original copies
of both the 1942 and 1944 editions of the B-24 pilots manual,
and well tuned
Flight Simulation software, we decided
to see. We set out to find a Liberator.After downloading and testing many "virtual" models, we
were successful in finding a D model with finely tuned
(and surprisingly
accurate)
flight
dynamics, which included the ability to specify the weight of bomb load, remaining fuel, and crew distribution parameters. This was the aircraft
to conduct our experiments.
For screenshots
we gave
it
an
LBG
repaint, with the best known rendering of "Lady Be Good" on the starboard nose, the 514th bomb group squadron number on the port side, and the AAF production ID (42-30124) on both tailfins, and headed out to the
Calanscio
gravel
plain in
central
Libya.
At
best,
we might discover what likelyhood of certain factors of airspeed, heading, rate of descent, altitude, throttle, mixture, and manifold pressure must have been in play in order for the crash to have occured as it did. A challenging experiment perhaps. At the very least, it would be an illuminating of excercise in aeronautical forensics.
Our
full report chronicles
what what we hoped to find out, how we conducted our tests,
and
the results
observed.
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