"Liberty Belle" was the name of a B-24 Liberator, a four engine heavy bomber of World War II. The ship and its crew were part of the 15th Air Force, 47th Bomb Wing, 450th Heavy Bombardment Group, 723rd Squadron. The 450th were known as the Cottontails, because of the white tail markings they employed early in the war. From their base in southern Italy, the Liberty Belle crew and the other Cottontails attacked Ploesti, Vienna, and other targets in southern Europe, in the face of determined resistance by Luftwaffe fighters and ground based anti-aircraft fire. On their 25th mission, the crew flew in a replacement plane, "Sweet Chariot," and their conduct on this mission earned them all the Silver Star. Here are some photographs and memories of them and their ship, assembled by Liberty Belle tail gunner Joe Rapoza and his son, Larry Lanteigne.
Photographs of the crew and the ship
A contemporary newspaper account of the crew's 25th mission
A brief biography of Joe Rapoza
The Liberty Belle crew. Top row, left to right: 1st Lt. Bryant L. Smick, 1st Lt. Theodore Sorenson, 2nd Lt. Joel Fulmer, 2nd Lt. Edward Pontz. Bottom row:Staff Sgt. Jack Thompson, Staff Sgt. Joseph Rapoza, Tech Sgt. Harold Brown, Staff Sgt. Max Dowdy, Staff Sgt. Max Roven--not pictured is Staff Sgt. Oliver Russell.
Tail gunner Joe Rapoza doing maintenance on the tail turret. The Liberty Belle was mostly unpainted, bare aluminum overall. Behind Joe and to the right one can see an older Cottontail color scheme, olive drab green overall, with the white marks on the tail that gave the bomber group its name. The top circle contains a broken triangle, and the lower circle a stenciled numeral "4", indicating that the 450th Bomb Group was the fourth Bomb Group in the 47th Bomb Wing.
This is the nose art, painted on the starboard side near the cockpit.
A screwdriver handle shows the size of the hole made by a 20 mm shell in the thick acrylic of Sweet Chariot's tail turret. (Photo courtesy of Al Saldarini)
Joe Rapoza gazes at the piece of plastic that saved his life. (Photo courtesy of Al Saldarini)
The following is a wartime newspaper account taken from Joe Rapoza's hometown newspaper in Fall River Massachusetts, and it quotes another news report at length.
One of the most heroic crews ever to fly a B-24 bomber was the 10 man detail that graced the "Liberty Belle" which operated out of bases in Italy as a member of the 15th Air Force. Gathered from all corners of the United States and trained for many months in the nation's finest schools, these young men in their early twenties established an enviable record until the eventful May 24, 1944, on a bombing run over Vienna, Austria, when fate intervened on their 25th mission. One of the crew was killed and three suffered wounds which sent them to hospitals, one back in the United States for surgery and extended treatment. This crewmember was a Fall River resident, Staff Sergeant Joseph B. Rapoza, tail gunner, of 193 Hope Street. The craft, riddled with flak and machine gun holes numbering approximately 1,100, limped back to its home field with its shattered human cargo. All later received the Silver Star medal for their heroism.
The 25th mission was in recent months dramatized, the sketch being given in the Western Coast States under the title of "Today's American Hero." The text of this sketch is as follows:
This is the story of 10 heroes. When a bomber leaves its base you usually can figure on one man being a hero--or mabye two. But seldom do all the members distinguish themselves. However, all 10 men who went out on a raid over Austria last summer in a B-24 bomber were heroes. The War Department has announced that they were awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action.
The target was an important airdrome in Austria. When they had almost reached the field, about 45 enemy fighter planes rose to meet them. The anti-aircraft fire was heavy. The ack-ack scored. The bomber's hydraulic system was shot out and the turrets and flaps were so badly damaged they would not work. Holes showed in three propellers, in the wings, and throughout the fuselage.
The pilot, Lt. Bryant Smick, of St. John Washington, began to take inventory of the damage. He checked each of his men, asking if he was all right. He called each man's name, and they reported on the damage the ground guns had done. Three of the men said they were seriously wounded, but they were going to stick to their posts. But when he called the fourth gunner, Sgt. Harold Brown of New York, there was no answer. Again and again the pilot called, "Brown, Sgt. Brown." But over the intercom came only silence. Smick sent Sgt. Max Dowdy of Washington, Kansas back to check on Brown. A few minutes later, over the intercom, came Dowdy's report. "Brown got his, sir." Smick asked, "What happened?" Dowdy answered, "A machine gun bullet in the head." Smick ordered Dowdy to stay there and take over for Brown. Dowdy said "Yes sir," then Smick said, "Men we are in pretty bad shape. Our ship is full of holes. The flaps are damaged, the hydraulic system is out and there are holes in the propellers, wings and fuselage and I don't know if we can make it back or not. Do you want to drop out of formation and turn back, or do you want to try to drop the bombs on the target?" Sgt. John Roven of Glassport, Pennsylvania said, "We came to drop these bombs, so let's finish the job." One by one the men elected to go ahead with the mission. Somehow, Lt. Smick and the co-pilot, Lt. Theodore Sorenson of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, managed to keep the bomber in formation. They aided in a successful bomb run. As they left the target area, they saw fires generating from the airdrome.
After the bombs were gone, the bombardier, Lt. Edward Pontz of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and the navigator, Lt. Joel Fulmer of Memphis, Tennessee went back to the three wounded gunners to help them drive off the enemy planes. Then, after the planes had left, they administered first aid to the wounded men.
The pilot and co-pilot managed to keep the plane in formation all the way home, even after the controls had jammed.
The three men wounded on this mission were Staff Sergeant Joseph Rapoza of Fall River, Mass., Staff Sergeant Max Dowdy of Washington, Kansas and ball turret gunner Technical Sergeant Oliver Russell of Dupuyer, Montana.
According to Sergeant Rapoza who recalls the mission as if it were today, Technical Sergeant Brown, whose home was in Canandaigua, New York, met his death as the result of a bullet penetrating the aircraft. Russell also suffered a leg injury from a 20 mm shell fragment and Dowdy had an arm injury from the effects of ack-ack.
Rapoza was hit once in the shoulder and twice in the left leg. The fuses of 20 mm shells being responsible for the injuries which resulted in his ultimate return to the United States and treatment at the Newton D. Baker Hospital in Martinsburg, West Virginia. He is now enjoying a rest furlough here pending surgery, if needed, at a later date.
Among Sergeant Rapoza's proud possessions, in addition to the Purple Heart, Air Medal with clusters and Silver Star are the two 20 mm fuses that Air Force surgeons removed from his shoulder and leg last May in Italy following the return from his 25th mission.
The crew no longer functions as a single unit. Lt. Sorenson and Sergeant Jack Thompson are back in this country for a rest follwing many missions. Lt. Smick, Sgt. Roven and Lt. Fulmer are said to be prisoners of war in Germany and Sergeants Russell and Dowdy were still in Italy assigned to non-flying duties after a long list of missions when Rapoza last heard from them. They correspond with each other frequently and since his return to the United States, Sgt. Rapoza has visited the families of several of his former crewmates and is hopeful of meeting the others in the months to come.
Joseph B. Rapoza was born on 28 August 1915 in St. Michael's, Azores. His family moved to Fall River, Massachusetts when he was 10 months old and he was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1936. He joined the Army National Guard in 1933 and served in the 241st Coast Artillery for 6 1/2 years. He volunteered for the U.S. Army and enlisted on 4 February 1943. His basic training was conducted in Miami, Florida. After basic training, Joe attended Armament School in Ft. Myers, Florida. After Gunnery School, Joe was sent to Salt Lake City for Group, Squadron, and crew assignments. He was assigned to the 450th Bomb Group, 723rd Bomb Squadron in Manduria, Italy. His new crew was sent to Biggs Field in El Paso, Texas for full crew training. The crew was then sent to Topeka, Kansas to pick up their new B-24G aircraft, which was to become the "Liberty Belle." The new crew and plane were sent to their Port of Embarkation, Morrison Field, Florida, and they embarked for Manduria, Italy with stops in Belen and Natal, Brazil. The crew arrived in Manduria on 1 April 1944.
Joe and his crew flew their first mission on 2 April 1944. Joe flew a total of 25 missions to Ploesti, Vienna, Sofia, northern Italy, Yugoslavia, and the submarine pens in Toulon, France. The "Liberty Belle" was severely damaged on the 24th mission, and the B-24 "Sweet Chariot" was assigned as a replacement for the crew's 25th mission.
The 25th mission, on 24 May 1944, was a bombing run to airfields in Vienna, Austria. Near the target, the bombers were met by approximately 50 Me-109's and FW-190's bearing the Goering "Yellow Nose" markings. The anti-aircraft fire was heavy, and it scored hits on the "Sweet Chariot." The bomber's hydraulic system was shot out, and the turrets and flaps became inoperable. Huge holes appeared in three propellers, in the wings, and throughout the fuselage. During this engagement, the Flight Engineer/Gunner was killed. The Ball Gunner, Radio/Gunner, and Tail Gunner (Joe Rapoza), were all seriously wounded. The pilot, Lt. Bryant Smick of St. John, Washington, took inventory of his men and the condition of the plane. Lt. Smick reported the plane's condition to his crew through the ship's intercom, and told them that they might be unable to make it back to their home base. He asked the men whether they wanted to drop out of formation and attempt to return home immediately, or continue on to bomb the target. One by one, the men voted to continue. Somehow, Lt. Smick and his co-pilot, Lt. Theodore Sorenson of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, managed to keep the bomber in formation, and proceeded to bomb the target.
After the bombs were released, the bombardier, Lt. Edward Pontz, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the navigator, Lt. Joel Fulmer of Memphis, Tennessee, went back to the wounded gunners and helped them drive off the enemy planes. After the enemy planes had left, they helped administer first aid to the wounded. The pilot took the bomber to a higher altitude to allow the blood flow on the wounded to freeze, so they would not bleed to death. Over 1,100 flak and 20 mm shell holes were counted on the crippled "Sweet Chariot" after it's return to base. The entire crew later received the Silver Star for the heroism shown on their 25th mission. Sgt. Rapoza, on his 25 missions as a B-24 tail gunner, was credited with 2 enemy plane kills and 3 probables.
Sgt. Rapoza was hit once in the shoulder and twice in the leg. He was treated for his injuries in Bari, Italy and eventually moved to Martinsburg, West Virginia for two years of hospitalization and rehabilitation. Sgt. Rapoza became an Air Force photographer and served in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Texas before retiring in 1967. He received a total of 12 medals including the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, an Air Force Commendation medal, and a European Theater Medal. Joe Rapoza worked as a photographer for the National Archives in Washington, D.C. and retired from this position in 1981. Today, Joe and his wife, Jennalee, reside in Columbia, Maryland and enjoy traveling and visiting with children and grandchildren.
Further materials on the Cottontails can be found at the The Cottontails Scrapbook.
An excellent account of Cottontail battle action and later POW captivity can be found in the book "War of the Cottontails: Memoirs of a WWII Bomber Pilot," by William R. Cubbins, ISBN 0-912697-96-2.
More information on B-24's and the men who flew them can be found on the Internet B-24 Veterans Group.
The web page author (Dave Lanteigne) wishes to thank Al Saldarini for the post-mission photos of Joe, and Robert A. Davis, historian of the 450th BG Association, for background photos and information.