1944 is the year of all decisions and also the year when the center of the military activity moves from North Africa to the Europe, and with this chift the number of airplanes on the route between the UK and the Mediterranean decreases, marking also a decrease in the number of landings and accidents in Portuguese territory.
In the island of Flores, in the Azores, an Avenger aircraft of the American aircraft carrier Guadalcanal is lost, a disaster that part of the population watches rom the shre unnable to assist the three crew members that will perish.
The last allied plane to make a forced landing was an American B-17 bomber who, curiously, was returning to his country with a veteran crew. Already the last belligerent planes to arrive at Portugal were also bringing "refugee pilots", but instead of French ones as it happened in 1940, there are now Germans who seek to escape of a war that is destroying their country...
01-01-1944 Consolidated B-24D Liberator 42-40937(⇓Lisbon)
20-01-1944 Grumman TBF-1C Avenger BuN 47972 (⇓Flores Island)
09-02-1944 Vickers Warwick I BV232 (⇓Quarteira)
21-02-1944 Martin B-26C Marauder 42-96104 (⇓Lisbon)
22-02-1944 Lockheed Hudson VI EW906 (⇓Estrela Mountain)
06-03-1944 Lockheed Hudson IIIA FK791 (⇓Mira)
06-03-1944 Vickers Wellington XIII MF148 (⇓Lisbon)
12-04-1944 Douglas C-47A-80-DL Skytrain 43-15307 (⇓Lisbon)
17-07-1944 Douglas C-47 Skytrain A 42-100930 (⇓Vila do Bispo)
05-08-1944 Bristol Beaufighter X NV321 (⇓Cascais)
25-08-1944 Vickers Wellington MX MF683 (⇓Sines)
03-11-1944 Bristol Beaufighter X NV555 (⇓Aljezur)
18-11-1944 Consolidated B-24 Liberator 44-40484 (⇓Lisbon)
24-11-1944 Handley Page Halifax V LK966 (⇓Lisbon)
12-12-1944 Douglas A-26B Invader 43-22284 (⇓Lisbon)
27-03-1945 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 42-37785 (⇓Loulé)
Fontes/ Sources
Publicações/ Publications
Aviões da Cruz de Cristo – Mário Canongia Lopes / / "Bloody Biscay" - Chriss Goss //Lokheed Hudson in World War II - Andrew Hendrie // Revista "Mais Alto" - Diversos // Jornal "O Algarve"
Documentos e Arquivos/ Documents and Archives
Arquivo do Ministério dos Negócios Estrangeiros - Portugal // Evade & Escape Report - National Archives - London Kew // Portreath ORB - National Archives/ London Kew // Arquivo ANA -Aeroportos e Navegação Aérea de Portugal - Lisboa// Ficha de saída dos Bombeiros Municipais de Faro - Arquivo Distrital de Faro // NARA - National Archives and Record Administration - Washington // Hurn ORB - National Archives UK - London, Kew // National Archives Australia
Sites e Fóruns
Commonwealth War Graves Commission - site CWGC // "rafcommands.com" - varius threats //uboatnet.net// voaportugal.org // armyairforces.com
Pessoas/ People
Thomas De Paolis// Mário Canongia Lopes //Ostenberg family // Gilbert Weiss
