Last B-24

In December 1944, a U.S. B-24 Liberator bomber known as the Tulsamerican crashed off the coast of the former Yugoslavia. Although most of the crew were rescued, three men on board—flight engineer Charles E. Priest, navigator Russell C. Landry, and pilot Captain Eugene Ford—were unable to escape and went down with the aircraft into 135 feet of water. Filmmaker Kirk Wolfinger’s PBS-aired NOVA documentary details the story of the Tulsamerican and the efforts to locate the missing fliers who disappeared. The plane was notable for being the last B-24 built in Oklahoma, and it was financed by the factory workers, who contributed their own funds to its construction. The U.S. Department of Defense located the wreckage of the Tulsamerican near what is now the Croatian island of Vis, and in 2017 a combined U.S. and Croatian military team joined underwater archeologists to investigate. Extensive forensic testing was done on the recovered remains, which offered a degree of closure for the families of the missing fliers. The film includes an interview with one of the Tulsamerican crash survivors, bombardier First Lieutenant Val Miller, who describes the tragic event in vivid detail (the 94-year-old Miller passed away shortly after the interview). Serving up a fascinating mix of World War II history and cutting-edge investigative technology, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)