Dp Hays was the navigator on the B-24 Liberator bomber 'Lady Be Good' that crashed in the Libyan Desert in 1943. His remains, along with others of the crew, were discovered in 1960.
Not only was The Lady Be Good making her maiden voyage into combat on April 4, 1943, but so was the entire crew. She took off from a makeshift airbase located on the coast of Libya, for a bombing mission over Naples. The Lady Be Good never made it back to base. The assumption was that they had crashed into the Mediterranean. Search planes were sent out the next morning, but found no floating wreckage and no signs of any crew. Families were notified and, eventually the official word from the Army Air Force was that the crew was missing and presumed dead.
In May of 1958, during an aerial survey by a British oil exploration team, they spotted what looked like a World War II era plane. In March 1959 a ground geological team visited the aircraft and it was confirmed to be The Lady Be Good.
The crew, except for SSgt. Moore, was eventually found in March of 1960.
Fellow crew members:
Lieut. William J. Hatton;
2nd Lt. John S. Woravka;
T/Sgt. Harold S. Ripslinger;
T/Sgt. Robert E. LaMotte;
S/Sgt. Guy E. Shelley;
S/Sgt. Vernon L. Moore;
S/Sgt. Samuel E. Adams;
2nd Lt. Robert Toner
At the request of family, Dp's remains were flown to the states and are interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
Not only was The Lady Be Good making her maiden voyage into combat on April 4, 1943, but so was the entire crew. She took off from a makeshift airbase located on the coast of Libya, for a bombing mission over Naples. The Lady Be Good never made it back to base. The assumption was that they had crashed into the Mediterranean. Search planes were sent out the next morning, but found no floating wreckage and no signs of any crew. Families were notified and, eventually the official word from the Army Air Force was that the crew was missing and presumed dead.
In May of 1958, during an aerial survey by a British oil exploration team, they spotted what looked like a World War II era plane. In March 1959 a ground geological team visited the aircraft and it was confirmed to be The Lady Be Good.
The crew, except for SSgt. Moore, was eventually found in March of 1960.
Fellow crew members:
Lieut. William J. Hatton;
2nd Lt. John S. Woravka;
T/Sgt. Harold S. Ripslinger;
T/Sgt. Robert E. LaMotte;
S/Sgt. Guy E. Shelley;
S/Sgt. Vernon L. Moore;
S/Sgt. Samuel E. Adams;
2nd Lt. Robert Toner
At the request of family, Dp's remains were flown to the states and are interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
Dp Hays was the navigator on the B-24 Liberator bomber 'Lady Be Good' that crashed in the Libyan Desert in 1943. His remains, along with others of the crew, were discovered in 1960.
Not only was The Lady Be Good making her maiden voyage into combat on April 4, 1943, but so was the entire crew. She took off from a makeshift airbase located on the coast of Libya, for a bombing mission over Naples. The Lady Be Good never made it back to base. The assumption was that they had crashed into the Mediterranean. Search planes were sent out the next morning, but found no floating wreckage and no signs of any crew. Families were notified and, eventually the official word from the Army Air Force was that the crew was missing and presumed dead.
In May of 1958, during an aerial survey by a British oil exploration team, they spotted what looked like a World War II era plane. In March 1959 a ground geological team visited the aircraft and it was confirmed to be The Lady Be Good.
The crew, except for SSgt. Moore, was eventually found in March of 1960.
Fellow crew members:
Lieut. William J. Hatton;
2nd Lt. John S. Woravka;
T/Sgt. Harold S. Ripslinger;
T/Sgt. Robert E. LaMotte;
S/Sgt. Guy E. Shelley;
S/Sgt. Vernon L. Moore;
S/Sgt. Samuel E. Adams;
2nd Lt. Robert Toner
At the request of family, Dp's remains were flown to the states and are interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
Not only was The Lady Be Good making her maiden voyage into combat on April 4, 1943, but so was the entire crew. She took off from a makeshift airbase located on the coast of Libya, for a bombing mission over Naples. The Lady Be Good never made it back to base. The assumption was that they had crashed into the Mediterranean. Search planes were sent out the next morning, but found no floating wreckage and no signs of any crew. Families were notified and, eventually the official word from the Army Air Force was that the crew was missing and presumed dead.
In May of 1958, during an aerial survey by a British oil exploration team, they spotted what looked like a World War II era plane. In March 1959 a ground geological team visited the aircraft and it was confirmed to be The Lady Be Good.
The crew, except for SSgt. Moore, was eventually found in March of 1960.
Fellow crew members:
Lieut. William J. Hatton;
2nd Lt. John S. Woravka;
T/Sgt. Harold S. Ripslinger;
T/Sgt. Robert E. LaMotte;
S/Sgt. Guy E. Shelley;
S/Sgt. Vernon L. Moore;
S/Sgt. Samuel E. Adams;
2nd Lt. Robert Toner
At the request of family, Dp's remains were flown to the states and are interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
