Dakota queen
{|{{Infobox Aircraft Begin
|name = DAKOTA Queen
|image = Image:No Photo Available.svg
|caption =
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{{Infobox Aircraft Career
|sole example of type?= N
|type = [[B-24 Liberator]]
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|manufacturer = [[Consolidated Aircraft]]
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|owners = [[United States Army Air Forces]]
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{{quote box2 |width=25em | bgcolor=#B0C4DE |align=left|halign=left |quote=Crew
*Pilot: [[George McGovern]]
*Co-pilot: Lt. Ralph Rounds
*Navigator: Lt. Sam Adams
*Engineer: Sgt. Mike Valko
*Gunners: Sgt. Bill McAfee & Robert O’Connell
*Waist gunner: Sgt. Bill Ashlock
*Radio operator: Sgt. Ken Higgins
*Tail gunner: Sgt. Isador Irving Seigal}}
The '''Dakota Queen''' was an aircraft based in Italy that conducted [[strategic bombing during World War II]] in the [[European Theater of Operations]], particularly missions of the [[Oil Campaign of World War II|Oil Campaign]]. The bomber was piloted by [[George McGovern]] (later a US Senator and the [[United States presidential election, 1972|1972 Democratic presidential nominee]]) and named after his wife (both were from South Dakota).<ref name=Ambrose>
{{cite book |last=Ambrose |first=Stephen E. |authorlink=Stephen Ambrose |year=2001 |title=The Wild Blue: The Men and boys who flew the B-24s over Germany |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=nJw-o7Rm988C&pg=PA180 |format=html—Google books |location=New York |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |isbn=0-7432-0339-9 |pages=102,182,193,211,254}}<br>
*'''NOTE''': Ambrose cites a McGovern's book.</ref>{{Rp|102}}
{{clear}}
Notable missions include:
** December 16, 1944: The lead [[741st Missile Squadron|741st BS]] pilot bypassed the [[Most|Brüx]] refinery due to flak: "''I'm not sure to this day that he wasn't right in avoiding that almost [...] bomb run''" (George McGovern.)<ref name=Ambrose/>{{Rp|182}}
** February 8, 1945: An attack on the Regensburg airfield destroyed 12 [[Me 262]]s on the ground.<ref name=Ambrose/>{{Rp|211}}
** a mission{{When|On Dec 28, 44-40503 landed at Vis Island[http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/1944_4.html]|date=March 2008}}<ref name=Baugher>{{cite web|last=Baugher |first=Joseph F. |authorlink=Joe Baugher |title=1944 USAAF Serial Numbers (44-83886 to 44-92098)|url=http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/1944_4.html |format=html |work=Encyclopedia of American Aircraft |publisher=home.att.net/~jbaugher |accessdate=2009-03-16}}</ref> in which both engine numbers 2 and 3 were put out of operation by flak damage, and the aircraft landed at [[Vis (island)|Vis Island]] in the Adriatic Sea.<ref name=Ambrose/>{{Rp|193}}
After [[World War II]] the Dakota Queen flew missions delivering food in Europe.<ref name=Ambrose/>{{Rp|254}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Individual aircraft of World War II]]