CRASH OF A B-24 LIBERATOR
NEAR LEICHHARDT CREEK
NORTH OF BLUEWATER CREEK
NEAR TOWNSVILLE, QLD
ON 28 MARCH 1944

visits since 4 November 2001

B-24 Liberator

USAAF B-24J Liberator, #42-73483, of the 403rd Bomb Squadron of the 43rd Bomb Group, crashed on a small hill near Leichhardt Creek north of Bluewater Creek (north of Townsville) on 28 March 1944. The aircraft became lost during bad weather associated with a cyclone on a flight from Dobodura in New Guinea to Garbutt airfield. 

The crash location was about 23 miles north west of Townsville, about two and a half miles inland from Ingham Road. The crashed aircraft was not located until 13 April 1944.

The following crew were killed in this tragic crash:-

A Mr. Church and another person were mustering cattle at the time of the crash. Garbutt airfield had been closed that day due to the bad weather. They heard the crash and saw the smoke coming from the other side of the small hill. This story seems to clash with the other one that suggested that the crash site was not located until about 2 weeks later on 13 April 1944. Mr. Church directed some American who were camped nearby to the crash site.

Photo:- via Bob Livingstone

Lt Spencer and crew, at Dobodura beside B-24J Liberator, #42-73483, of the 403rd Bomb Squadron of the
43rd Bomb Group, This is a different crew to those who were all killed on that tragic day in March 1944.

I visited the crash site on 28 October 2001 and took the following photographs:-

Subject:     B-24J Liberator, #41-47483
Date:              Tue, 29 Aug 2000 22:15:52 -0400
From:            "David Lyndon" <dlyndon@simflex.com>

I think I may be able to help with the exact date of the crash of the plane above. The details I have are sketchy at best, but I believe my Uncle, First LT. Arthur Emory Harris was the navigator of the flight. I have a newspaper clipping with the date of March 28, 1944 listed as the missing date. My father recalls the date of the discovery as April 18, 1944, but he made be mistaken. I do not have any data with the actual serial number of my uncle's plane, however I do know that it was a B-24. If you can help me locate more info on my uncle and this particular event, I would be most appreciative.

David Lyndon
dlyndon@simflex.com

NOTE:- I had previously believed that this aircraft was Serial #41-47483. The correct Serial No is #42-73483.

Thanks to Bob Livingstone and Peter Johnstone for bringing this error to my attention. Bob had acquired the photo of the aircraft and previous crew near the top of this page and Peter Johnstone was able to work out which aircraft it was. The information that Bob supplied with the photo was as follows:-

42-73483 B-24J 43BG 403BS

CR Leichhardt Creek (23m NW Townsville) about 2 ½ miles inland from the Ingham road in a cyclone on a flight Dobodura-Garbutt and not found until 13/04/44

ACCREP 440328 B-24J 42-47483 403BS 43BG 5 KCR 5 Miskin, Erwin N AST Townsend/23mi NW

[Accident Report 28/03/44 (the quoted serial is quite wrong) 43BG 403BS Category 5 (destroyed) 5 killed pilot Erwin N Miskin Australia 23 miles NW of Townsville (incorrectly named)]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I'd like to thank Ross Thomas and Ed Clements for their assistance with this home page.

REFERENCE BOOK
"Diary of WWII - North Queensland"
Complied by Peter Nielsen

Can anyone help me with more information on this crash?

Heaps of WW2 books available at Amazon.com

"Australia @ War"

This page first produced 9 February 1999

This page last updated 11 August 2008