From Des Moines to Corsica

Today marks the 80th Anniversary of the end of Dad's war. He was on B-24 42-78127 on a bombing run over Toulon harbor when the pilot was killed and the plane damaged by anti-aircraft fire. The co-pilot  attempted to return to base in Venosa, Italy, but it was unable to make it. He ditched the plane in the bay at Argentella, Corsica. The plane broke up and six crew members died. Three of the survivors, including Dad, were rescued by the fourth before the back of the plane went underwater.

There are still remains of the wreck in the harbor and on the adjoining remote beach. A French retiree found one this spring, found this blog somehow, and sent me pictures. From his message:

I take the initiative to contact you hereby about your Dad's aircraft, to provide you with a very small piece of information.

I live in Galeria a good part of the year since 3 years and often go to Argentella beach.

Last sunday (2 days ago, April 21, 2024), I found quite fortuitously a 0.50cal bullet (12.7mm per french standards) on Argentella beach but on the side leaning towards Crovani pond... 

The bullet is complete, that is to say cartridge+bullet  and it is an unfired cartridge. 

Right now, it is still a non-neutral cartridge (powder still in and not unprimed). It's an M2 ammunition that was used by Browning guns, I believe (I'm not a specialist at all), and B24 were equipped with many such guns. 

So that I guess it could be an ammunition coming from your Dad's B24, of course unfired, which crashed on the beach with the aircraft and re-appeared 80 years later, probably under wild cow hoofs!!! (there are many over there) 

May be it was an ammunition of your Dad himself since it seems to me he was one of the top gunners into this B24 42-78127!

This is all I can say for the time being.I will send you 2 photos of the bullet if you wish. Of course, I can perfectly keep the bullet available for you and I will try to know in which conditions I shall store it (in compliance with regulations).

Kind regards 

(I omit his name, as I don't know if he cares to have it out there).

He kindly sent pictures:

This is almost certainly from Dad's plane, and possibly from his .50 top turret gun. The cartridge is marked "DM," which stands for Des Moines. This means it was from the old ammunition plant in Ankeny, Iowa, very close to where I live now. The road to the long-closed plant is still named "Magazine Road."

So - 80 years. I'm very grateful that Dad got his "bonus years" after he survived the crash. We had the privilege to visit the wreck site in 2010, and I hope to go again. Corsica is wonderful, and all the Corsicans we met were great.