Commemorative Air Force B29 B24 Squadron

Commemorative Air Force B29 B24 Squadron The CAF B-29/B-24 Squadron's mission is to maintain, preserve and operate the world’s most famous fly Tippie National Aviation Education Center (NAEC).
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The CAF B-29/B-24 Squadron was created in the 1970s to oversee the maintenance and operation of two of the rarest aircraft in the world: one of two airworthy B-29 Superfortresses "FIFI", and the oldest and only flying B-24A Liberator "Diamond Lil". The squadron operates these two iconic aircraft to honor America’s military aviation and veterans through flight and exhibition. Since October 2021 the

Squadron is based at the Commemorative Air Force National Air Base in Dallas, Texas. When the aircraft are not on the road touring the United States, they will be on display at the Henry B. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Commemorative Air Force and the B-29/B-24 Squadron, please visit our web site at www.cafb29b24.org. Please direct all media inquires to our Public Information Officer, Jacques Robitaille, at [email protected].

08/29/2026

Diamond Lil in her natural habitat. The air! 🥰

The crews are training hard to join the tour in Amarillo, and we can't wait to have her back out on the road! 🛣️

Diamond Lil took a training flight yesterday with a notable first. Meet Katie Pallasch, our first-ever female flight en...
08/28/2026

Diamond Lil took a training flight yesterday with a notable first. Meet Katie Pallasch, our first-ever female flight engineer!

Say hi to Katie!

Here's another from the 70s showing that the work on a warbird never stops. But it is definitely a labor of love and ...
08/27/2026

Here's another from the 70s showing that the work on a warbird never stops. But it is definitely a labor of love and has been for generations at this point. 🥰

Do you notice anything different about FIFI's engines?

It's and we're celebrating all the pooches that make our lives special like this cool dude posing with FIFI when we vi...
08/26/2026

It's and we're celebrating all the pooches that make our lives special like this cool dude posing with FIFI when we visited the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force recently.

Are you a dog person?

Yesterday you saw where the magic starts... but you just can't argue with the magic in the air. 😎
08/25/2026

Yesterday you saw where the magic starts... but you just can't argue with the magic in the air. 😎

This is where the magic starts. These friendly, smiling faces. The cockpit gets the glory, but the ride desk makes it h...
08/24/2026

This is where the magic starts. These friendly, smiling faces. The cockpit gets the glory, but the ride desk makes it happen. 🥰

How about helping us thank all our volunteers who help make the Airpower History Tour run?!

On 22 August 1944, while returning from Vienna, Austria, the B-24H Liberator “Scrappy” with the 725th Bomb Squadron trai...
08/22/2026

On 22 August 1944, while returning from Vienna, Austria, the B-24H Liberator “Scrappy” with the 725th Bomb Squadron trails smoke and loses altitude east of Zagreb, Yugoslavia.

The crew was headed back to Castelluccio, Italy, after its bombing mission when it developed serious trouble over Yugoslavia. While the photo seems to indicate flak damage, the missing air crew report explicitly lists the cause as “unknown.” T/Sgt. Theodore O. Bonney, flying in another B-24, reported that one of “Scrappy’s” engines was feathered. The bomber fell behind the formation, and Bonney saw two parachutes emerge before losing sight of it.

As the situation deteriorated, all 11 men bailed out. Postwar casualty questionnaires confirm that nobody remained aboard when the aircraft struck the ground near Veliki Zdenci, close to Daruvar in what is now Croatia, about 65 miles east-southeast of Zagreb.

All eleven men aboard escaped the bomber and survived the crash. Seven were captured as POWs, while four evaded capture and eventually returned to friendly territory. Navigator George Held died in captivity at Budapest on 12 September 1944, though documentation does not state a cause of death. Left-waist gunner Clinton E. Cross survived the loss of “Scrappy” and returned to Allied control, but died in Italy on 14 November 1944 in an unrelated noncombat aircraft accident. The remaining crew survived the war.

☆ 2nd Lt. Robert Louis Worsthorn, pilot
☆ 2nd Lt. Marvin Resnick, copilot
★ 2nd Lt. George Held, navigator (died in captivity)
☆ 2nd Lt. Jerome Bernard Fairbrod, bombardier
☆ S/Sgt. Robert Edgar Estell, upper-turret gunner
☆ S/Sgt. Herbert Mathew Brockel, lower-turret gunner
☆ S/Sgt. John Robert McDonald, right-waist gunner
★ Cpl. Clinton Ethen Cross, left-waist gunner (died in later accident)
☆ Cpl. Thomas Edwin Ford, nose gunner
☆ Sgt. Loren Hubert Urseth, tail gunner
☆ Cpl. Joseph Harrison Mount, photographer

What can we say? It was take your Mustang to work day.Anyone recognize the P-51 with us?📷
08/22/2026

What can we say? It was take your Mustang to work day.

Anyone recognize the P-51 with us?

📷

Here's a that takes us back a ways. In the top photo is a picture of FIFI taken in 1977 at CAF HQ, which was located i...
08/20/2026

Here's a that takes us back a ways. In the top photo is a picture of FIFI taken in 1977 at CAF HQ, which was located in Harlingen, Texas at the time. Walking her along in the blue coveralls is Bill Godwin, who originally painted the nose art on FIFI in 1974!

We couldn't help but compare the photo we took last year when American Airlines donated "Tug O'War" to the unit. We've come a long way in 50 years, haven't we?!

No better way to celebrate than to hug a pilot. 🥰A ride on a warbird is an emotional experience for sure. If you've t...
08/19/2026

No better way to celebrate than to hug a pilot. 🥰

A ride on a warbird is an emotional experience for sure. If you've taken a flight, tell us how it made you feel!

Address

5661 Mariner Drive
Dallas, TX
75237

Telephone

+19729774245

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