458th Bombardment Group (H)
Arise My Love and Come With Me
B-24J-5-FO 42-50768
RZI – Salvaged in Altus, OK – October 1945
Arguably one of the more iconic photos to come out of the Eighth Air Force in World War II is the image of the 755BS crew of Captain Howard W. Slaton in front of Arise My Love and Come With Me on its Horsham hardstand. The photo appears to depict a battle-weary crew upon their return from a combat mission, but the truth is a little different. According to John Woodford, navigator on the crew, this was a staged PR photo shoot. The crew were not flying on this particular date, and had the day off. According to Woodford, none of them were thrilled to be chosen to don full flight gear and go down to the flight line to pose for pictures for a couple of hours.
It is uncertain exactly when this aircraft arrived at the 458th. Its first mission was on July 18, 1944. Before war’s end, the aircraft had flown 53 combat missions while only aborting two times. The aircraft was first assigned to the 754BS (Z5) and was transferred to the 755BS (J3) in October 1944. In mid-December it was again transferred, this time to the 753BS (J4), where it was to remain for the remainder of the war.
Missions
| Date | Target | Pilot | 458th Msn | Pilot Msn | Cmd Pilot | Ld | RCL | Sqdn | A/C Msn | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-Jul-44 | TROARN | LAMERS | 93 | 11 | FREEMAN | L2 | A | Z5 | 1 | |
| 19-Jul-44 | KEMPTEN | LOCKRIDGE | 94 | ABT | HINCKLEY | L2 | A | Z5 | -- | ABORT - INSTRUMENTS DEFECTIVE |
| 21-Jul-44 | MUNICH | SLATON | 96 | 29 | CLAGGETT | L1 | A | Z5 | 2 | |
| 02-Aug-44 | 3 NO BALLS | LOCKRIDGE | 101 | 11 | HINCKLEY | L2 | A | Z5 | 3 | |
| 05-Aug-44 | BRUNSWICK/WAGGUM | LOCKRIDGE | 105 | 12 | LaROCHE | L1 | A | Z5 | 4 | |
| 08-Aug-44 | CLASTRES | DANE | 108 | 9 | A | Z5 | 5 | |||
| 12-Aug-44 | MOURMELON | LOCKRIDGE | 111 | 13 | O'NEILL | L1 | A | Z5 | 6 | |
| 13-Aug-44 | LIEUREY | GABRIEL | 112 | 11 | A | Z5 | 7 | |||
| 15-Aug-44 | VECHTA | LOCKRIDGE | 114 | 14 | GORRELL | L2 | A | Z5 | 8 | |
| 25-Aug-44 | TERTRE | DANE | 119 | 11 | A | Z5 | 9 | HYDRAULICS SHOT OUT BY FLAK B4 TGT | ||
| 09-Sep-44 | MAINZ | BENO | 124 | 2 | CLAGGETT | L2 | A | Z5 | 10 | |
| 11-Sep-44 | MAGDEBURG | LOCKRIDGE | 126 | 16 | CLAGGETT | L2 | A | Z5 | 11 | |
| 14-Oct-44 | COLOGNE | DYER | 133 | 2 | A | Z5 | 12 | |||
| 17-Oct-44 | COLOGNE | BOWERS | 135 | 5 | A | Z5 | 13 | |||
| 30-Oct-44 | HARBURG | EVANS | 139 | 21 | BETZOLD | L4 | J | J3 | 14 | |
| 05-Nov-44 | KARLSRUHE | EVANS | 142 | 22 | SIMES | L3 | J | J3 | 15 | BALL TURRET |
| 08-Nov-44 | RHEINE | FLOYD | 144 | 17 | J | J3 | 16 | |||
| 16-Nov-44 | ESCHWEILER | MORAN | 147 | 11 | BREEDING | L | Y | J3 | 17 | |
| 11-Dec-44 | HANAU | GLAGOLA | 155 | 32 | Y | J4 | 18 | |||
| 24-Dec-44 | SCHONECKEN | GLAGOLA | 157 | 33 | Y | J4 | 19 | |||
| 28-Dec-44 | ST. WENDEL | LaJEUNESSE | 160 | 3 | Y | J4 | 20 | |||
| 08-Jan-45 | STADTKYLL | SEALY | 167 | 16 | Y | J4 | 21 | |||
| 13-Jan-45 | KAISERLAUTERN | WILLIAMS, DG | 169 | 6 | Y | J4 | 22 | |||
| 14-Jan-45 | HALLENDORF | WILBURN | 170 | 6 | Y | J4 | 23 | |||
| 17-Jan-45 | HARBURG | O'REGAN | 172 | 3 | Y | J4 | 24 | |||
| 29-Jan-45 | MUNSTER | HARTSWICK | 175 | 2 | Y | J4 | 25 | |||
| 06-Feb-45 | MAGDEBURG | HOEY | 178 | 21 | Y | J4 | 26 | ABORT - SORTIE - MAJ BATTLE DMG | ||
| 14-Feb-45 | MAGDEBURG | GARDNER | 181 | 4 | Y | J4 | 27 | |||
| 15-Feb-45 | MAGDEBURG | GARDNER | 182 | 5 | Y | J4 | 28 | |||
| 21-Feb-45 | NUREMBERG | WILBURN | 185 | 10 | Y | J4 | 29 | |||
| 22-Feb-45 | PEINE-HILDESHEIM | SPRATT | 186 | ABT | Y | J4 | -- | ABORT - WILBURN ON FC | ||
| 23-Feb-45 | GERA-REICHENBACH | WILBURN | 187 | 11 | Y | J4 | 30 | |||
| 24-Feb-45 | BIELEFELD | BROWN, R | 188 | 3 | Y | J4 | 31 | |||
| 25-Feb-45 | SCHWABISCH-HALL | WILBURN | 189 | 12 | Y | J4 | 32 | |||
| 26-Feb-45 | BERLIN | BROWN, R | 190 | 4 | Y | J4 | 33 | GROUP 200TH MISSION | ||
| 27-Feb-45 | HALLE | BECKSTROM | 191 | 28 | Y | J4 | 34 | |||
| 07-Mar-45 | SOEST | KELLY | 198 | 12 | Y | J4 | 35 | |||
| 08-Mar-45 | DILLENBURG | WILBURN | 199 | 15 | Y | J4 | 36 | |||
| 10-Mar-45 | ARNSBURG | MONTGOMERY | 201 | 2 | Y | J4 | 37 | |||
| 12-Mar-45 | FRIEDBURG | WILBURN | 202 | 16 | Y | J4 | 38 | |||
| 19-Mar-45 | LEIPHEIM | BROWN, R | 207 | 10 | Y | J4 | 39 | |||
| 21-Mar-45 | HESEPE | McCOY | 209 | 13 | Y | J4 | 40 | |||
| 22-Mar-45 | KITZINGEN | WILBURN | 210 | 18 | Y | J4 | 41 | |||
| 23-Mar-45 | OSNABRUCK | BROWN, R | 211 | 11 | Y | J4 | 42 | |||
| 24-Mar-45 | NORDHORN | WILBURN | 212 | 19 | Y | J4 | 43 | |||
| 25-Mar-45 | HITZACKER | CARTER | 214 | 1 | Y | J4 | 44 | |||
| 30-Mar-45 | WILHELMSHAVEN | KELLY | 215 | 17 | Y | J4 | 45 | |||
| 31-Mar-45 | BRUNSWICK | WILBURN | 216 | 20 | Y | J4 | 46 | |||
| 04-Apr-45 | PERLEBERG | WILLIAMS, DG | 217 | 26 | Y | J4 | 47 | |||
| 05-Apr-45 | PLAUEN | WILBURN | 218 | 21 | Y | J4 | 48 | |||
| 07-Apr-45 | KRUMMEL | WILBURN | 220 | 22 | Y | J4 | 49 | |||
| 09-Apr-45 | LECHFELD | BROWN, R | 222 | 16 | Y | J4 | 50 | |||
| 10-Apr-45 | RECHLIN/LARZ | WILBURN | 223 | 24 | Y | J4 | 51 | |||
| 16-Apr-45 | LANDSHUT | HACKEY | 227 | 4 | Y | J4 | 52 | |||
| 18-Apr-45 | PASSAU | CARTER | 228 | 9 | Y | J4 | 53 |
Return to Zone of Interior – June 1945
Additional Photos
Scroll left and right for images
Disposition
B-24J-5 FO 42-50768 ARISE MY LOVE AND COME WITH ME
NMF
RCL: A Z5 (754)
RCL: J J3 (755)
RCL: Y J3 (755)
RCL: Y J4 (753)
Lead aircraft.
RCM equipment.
Transferred from 754th BS to 755th BS between 14 & 30 Oct 44, radio call letter changed from J to Y between 8 & 16 Nov 44 and transferred from 755th BS to 753rd BS between 16 Nov & 11 Dec 44.
Repaired at Woodbridge, Suffolk, 25 & 26 Aug 44 – hydraulic system and control cables.
RZI. (Arrived at Altus, OK, 29 Oct 45 for storage and subsequent salvage).
(Info courtesy: Tom Brittan)