Another unusual action shot brought to you by Aerothentic

In the heat of New Guinea's mid-morning a 500 pound bomb is fused in the bomb bay of Big Emma, Consolidated B-24D-1-CO Liberator #41-23751 assinged to the 320th Squadron of the 90th Bombardment Group. Big Emma crashed near Gaile village, East of Port Moresby on the evening of 8th August 1943.

Big Emma was one of the first combat Liberators to appear in the theatre, assigned to the 90th Bombardment Group, the Jolly Rogers. The bomber entered service with the Army Air Corps in July 1942 and was first assigned to a 90th Bombardment Group crew headed by 2/Lt Leroy C. Iverson at Sacramento on 12th September 1942. The crew then flew the new Consolidated bomber to Hamilton Field, where they prepared for a challenging Pacific crossing to Australia. Three days later they departed, yet when Iverson's crew jointly decided to call their Liberator Big Emma it was crew member Cantrell who used his artistic talents to apply the name and nose-art, although exactly when the name was applied is unclear.

This photo was taken at 7-Mile, near Port Moresby, and If you took the same photo in the year 2004 you would see the Airways International Hotel at the base of the hill on the lower right.

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