"THE GREEN HORNET" (B-24D, Serial
Number: 42-40101, tail number: 240101) was portrayed in a painting by Paul
Sample in Life magazine. This image was painted on Midway Atoll in mid- 1943
and shows the plane being unloaded on Eastern Island (location of the AAF base)
by the ground crew after the mission to bomb Wake Island. While this work was
in progress, 2Lt Doxaras (Navigator) saw a man with an easel up on a dune. He
went up and asked about the picture. Paul Sample introduced himself and asked,
“Is that your plane?” Doxaras confirmed that it was. Then Sample said that he should
watch for the picture to be published in Life magazine in a few months. The
crew checked the magazines that made their way out to the combat area, but it
was almost a year before the picture was published. (Issue: 26 June 1944, page
60 & 61. The plane’s name was not mentioned in the article.)
“THE GREEN HORNET” was a B-24 D heavy bomber built by Consolidated and assigned to First Pilot, 2Lt Herbert T. Kurz in February 1943 at Topeka Army Air Base. Herbert signed for the plane and preserved the original shipping ticket in his archives, which shows that the plane was issued by the 468th Bombardment Squadron of the 333rd Bomb Group.
Confusion between THE GREEN HORNET (101) and GREEN HORNET which was lost in May 1943 with Lou Zamperini ("Unbroken")
This confusion likely developed due to the similarity of the names, and the way that they may have been identified in various notes or articles. The story about Olympic runner Lou Zamperini has appeared in many articles and at least two books (most recently: Unbroken by L. Hillenbrand). Lou Zamperini clearly states the name of the plane that crashed in the Pacific in May 1943 as GREEN HORNET, but did not list the serial number. William Cleveland who compiled the 11th BG Association archives and edited Grey Geese Calling mistakenly added the serial number for THE GREEN HORNET to the article about Zamperini published in that book. Joe Baugher identified the correct serial number forGREEN HORNET as 41-24097. Zamperini also flew as bombardier (aboard another plane – SUPERMAN) during the same mission to bomb Nauru when Herbert Kurz piloted THE GREEN HORNET in April 1943, but there is no other connection between these two different planes.
“THE GREEN HORNET” was a B-24 D heavy bomber built by Consolidated and assigned to First Pilot, 2Lt Herbert T. Kurz in February 1943 at Topeka Army Air Base. Herbert signed for the plane and preserved the original shipping ticket in his archives, which shows that the plane was issued by the 468th Bombardment Squadron of the 333rd Bomb Group.
Confusion between THE GREEN HORNET (101) and GREEN HORNET which was lost in May 1943 with Lou Zamperini ("Unbroken")
This confusion likely developed due to the similarity of the names, and the way that they may have been identified in various notes or articles. The story about Olympic runner Lou Zamperini has appeared in many articles and at least two books (most recently: Unbroken by L. Hillenbrand). Lou Zamperini clearly states the name of the plane that crashed in the Pacific in May 1943 as GREEN HORNET, but did not list the serial number. William Cleveland who compiled the 11th BG Association archives and edited Grey Geese Calling mistakenly added the serial number for THE GREEN HORNET to the article about Zamperini published in that book. Joe Baugher identified the correct serial number forGREEN HORNET as 41-24097. Zamperini also flew as bombardier (aboard another plane – SUPERMAN) during the same mission to bomb Nauru when Herbert Kurz piloted THE GREEN HORNET in April 1943, but there is no other connection between these two different planes.