This Day in History: 1942-04-21

Martin B-26 Marauder 40-1473 “Kansas Komet” of the 33rd Bombardment Squadron, 5th Air Force, United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) crashed at Garbutt Field, Townsville, Queensland on 21 April 1942. The aircraft took off before dawn armed with two 1,000 pound bombs on a flight bound for 7-Mile Drome near Port Moresby. During the take off, the aircraft suffered an engine failure and struck trees beyond the runway and crashed. The wreckage caught fire and one of two bombs aboard exploded, destroying the plane and killing the entire crew. There were 8 fatalities. Sources: Pacific Wrecks; aviation-safety.net website