Hot Stuff (aircraft)
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| Hot Stuff | |
|---|---|
 U.S. Army personnel remove bodies from the wreckage of Hot Stuff after it struck a mountainside in Iceland, May 1943 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Consolidated B-24 Liberator |
| Manufacturer | Consolidated Aircraft |
| Owners | United States Army Air Forces |
| Serial | 41-23728 |
| History | |
| Fate | Crashed May 3, 1943 |
Hot Stuff is the name of a Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 41-23728, of the 8th Air Force that was used in World War II. It was the first heavy bomber in the 8th Air Force to complete twenty-five missions in Europe in World War II. It flew several more missions, and finally the crew was scheduled to return home and help sell war bonds. However it crashed in bad weather flying back to the United States, which claimed the life of those on board including Supreme Allied Commander in Europe at the time.
The aircraft crashed in Iceland en route to the USA while carrying Lt. Gen. Frank M. Andrews and Brigadier general Charles H. Barth Jr.
Hot Stuff was part of the 8th Air Force out of Hardwick (Station 104), England, and part of the 93rd Bomb Group, 330th Bomb Squadron. Hot Stuff flew its 25th mission on February 7, 1943, against long odds at a time when many planes were being shot down. Hot Stuff became the first heavy bomber and crew, and first B-24, in the 8th Air Force to complete twenty-five missions in Europe in World War II. It reached its 25th mission milestone three-and-a-half months before the widely celebrated Memphis Belle. After Hot Stuff completed thirty-one missions, it was selected to return to the United States on May 3, 1943, to tour the country and help sell war bonds.[1]
