aircraftmanufacturing

This is a photo of the end of B-24 Liberator production at Consolidated - San Diego. The front to back, the three aircraft are Consolidated B-24M-45-CO Liberator bombers, USAAF Ser Nos. 44-42720 (c/n 6656), 44-42721 (c/n 6657), and 44-42722 (c/n 6658). 44-42722 was the last Liberator bomber to roll off of Consolidated's Liberator production line. All of these last Liberators in the photo would be converted into F-7B photo reconnaissance aircraft.

The aircraft in the left foreground, US Navy Douglas TBD-1 Devastator, BuNo 0300 (c/n 1782), VT-2 (Torpedo Squadron 2), was lost on May 8, 1942, with the sinking of USS Lexington (CV-2) during the Battle of the Coral Sea.

This photo was published in the New Britain Herald. July 30, 1923, Page 9 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014519/1923-07-30/ed-... From the caption: "Official Photo, U. S. Army Air Service" "Photo gives splendid indication of the real size of the Barling Bomber, world's largest air plane, soon to take the air at Wilbur Wright Field, Dayton, O. Note the height of the wheels compared with that of General Mitchell. Left to right: Walter H. Barling, designer of the plane, General William Mitchell, assistant chief, Air Service; Major Martin, Major A. W. Robins, Mr. Carisi. Lieutenant Dichman and Lieutenant Blackburn." The Evening Star. August 19, 1923, Page 4 chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1923-08-19/ed-... has a description of the aircraft. See also www.earlyaviators.com/eschobe5.htm

This took a full day of research, but I have identified each and given them a Wikidata entry, if they lacked one already: Walter Henry Barling (1890-1965) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107577357 General William Mitchell (1879-1936) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q863201 Major Harold Smith Martin (1892-1961) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107580274 Major Augustine Warner Robins (1882-1940) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4821225 John Carisi (1884-1960) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107577822 Lieutenant Ernest Wyckham Dichman (1892-1955) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107579240 Lieutenant Thomas Welch Blackburn (1892-1964) www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107580412