The Last B-24 Liberator Ever Made in The Tulsa Oklahoma Plant, the "Tulsamerican"

  Information Request 

I was the navigator on the Bill Donald crew, whose photo appears on your home page with the Tulsamerican, which we ferried over to Italy. I'm the first one from the left in the standing row. I lost contact with Bill about two years ago. Do you have any suggestions for trying to, locate him?  Stu Lefkowits  Send me an email here

Hi Jeff,
Yeah it's solved:
1Lt Albert G. Ripley, nav, 446 BG, 704BS, KIA 11 April 1944 @ Lohne, Germany (Vechta, Germany)
B-24 #42-9942=B-24J--55-CO, built at Consolidated San Diego, CA "Brown Knowser"
Wallace R. Forman's "B-24 Nose Art Name Directory" does not have a photo
John Bybee

Hi John,
Oh my gosh I can`t believe all the information you`ve come up with! It answers so many questions. I asked my mom about the birth date and she confirmed that it`s right. When I asked her about whether he was a pilot or navigator she thought they were the same thing. So that also clears up a lot of questions. Phillip Westcott who survived the crash apparently stopped in and visited my grandparents many years ago and assured my grandmother that Uncle Bud was killed. She had spent a lot of sleepless nights worrying about him because she didn`t think he was dead -that he`d been taken prisoner and tortured. The MACR- if you think it will reveal any more information then yes go ahead and order it.  As far as having his remains shipped back, my Mom didn`t seem too kean on the idea. She had another brother who served in WWII in the Pacific theater who made it back but suffered a lot of physiological problems for years after and with Uncle Bud`s death it was a very bad time for the family and she doesn`t want to go there again. Just knowing where he is-that there is actually a grave site- brings me a great amount of relief. I`ve always felt bad knowing he was over there alone. Wow I`ve got a lot of reading and writing to do now! I want to get it down in printed form before I lose it all. To actually read about the events as they occurred that day is far more than I ever could have imagined! I can`t thank you enough for everything. I`ve learned more today than I have in the last 2 years of looking and I`ll be sure to pass this on to the family. If you find out any more let me know-I find this whole era so fascinating. Thank you again. Al

The Last Flight of the Lady Jeannette is outstandingly researched by Mr. Cole. The Book resolves around a legend of a grave located in Cartigny, France with a stone cross headstone that reads 'American Aviator-Unknown-23 November 1944'(in French) Normally all American remains of WWII are buried in a American Cemetery overseas or sent home at next of kin request. Mr. Cole based the book kind of like a autobiography during his research. He is a WWI enthusiast who stumbled upon this grave in Cartingy, France and became determined to find out whose remains are in this grave. His research leads him to many people and to many places in the United States and France. He finds a secret that has been kept for 50 years which involves two Medal of Honor winners. The grave holds the remains of four Airmen of the B-17 Bomber 'The Lady Jeannette' Today Mr. Cole had placed a Monument at the grave identifying these 4 men who died for their country in a horrible way and at the crash site. These four men also have official graves in the states and at an American Cemetery in France which gives the book a good twist of reading. The book is almost set up like a mystery which does keep you interested even while he goes thru his routine of visiting WWI places and giving a book tour of the WWI battlefield areas. This could get boring if you are not a history buff or a military history buff at that. The book is good reading for both WWII and WWI buffs.

The Tulsamerican Nose Art
Click Here's some of the names that are signed on the aircraft. 
L. Miller, F. G. Mochlcakamp, Tulsa, Okla.     E. Walker, Okla.      LG. Wleylen, 20 West 1st H. Tulsa Oklahoma. J. L. Scott, 503 So. Harvard, Tulsa, Okla. Elaine Connelas.      J. Walker 6409 E ??, Tulsa.     Dave Calvert,  Floyd Lowes
Mans Badge Number 21891
From the Webmaster.  This is the best that I can do trying to read the signatures printed on this aircraft. But click on the photo and look at the rivets very closely.  You will notice that the rivets are not drilled straight and, by today's standards, this plane would not pass any inspection for aircraft quality.  These rivets just had to be  close and that was it.  This shows the difference in the technology of yesterdays aircraft and today's.
Now the rivets on modern aircraft are flush mounted and perfectly straight.  Also, even more advanced, there are no rivets, instead many components are either welded or bonded.  As far as stealth,  every rivet is a radar reflection point.