1943 Gibraltar B-24 crash
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 4 July 1943 |
| Summary | Crashed on take-off |
| Site |
Gibraltar Airport 36°48′N 5°13′W / 36.8°N 5.21°WCoordinates: 36°48′N 5°13′W / 36.8°N 5.21°W |
| Passengers | 11 (est.) |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 16 (est.) |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
| Aircraft type | Consolidated B-24 Liberator |
| Operator | Royal Air Force 511 Squadron |
| Registration | AL523 |
| Last stopover | Gibraltar |
| Destination | London |
The 1943 Gibraltar B-24 crash resulted in the death of an estimated sixteen people, including general Władysław Sikorski, the commander-in-chief of the Polish Army and the Prime Minister of the Polish government-in-exile. Sikorski's Liberator II crashed off Gibraltar almost immediately after takeoff, with the plane's pilot being the only survivor. While this catastrophe was ruled as an accident, several conspiracy theories continue to persist.
The relationship between the Soviet Union and Poland was tenuous at best during World War II for a variety of reasons, and became more so, after the 1940 Katyn massacre of over 20,000 Polish servicemen by the Russians came to light. However, pragmatic general Władysław Sikorski was still open to some form of normalisation of Polish-Soviet relations, while general Władysław Anders was vehemently opposed. To boost morale, Sikorski began a tour of inspection of the Polish forces stationed in the Middle East in May 1943, tending to political affairs where necessary.
On 4 July 1943, while Sikorski was returning to London from an inspection of Polish forces deployed in the Middle East, his aircraft, a Royal Air Force Consolidated B-24 Liberator, serial number AL523, operated by No. 511 Squadron RAF, crashed into the sea 16 seconds after taking off from Gibraltar Airport at 23:07 hours.
The Liberator II was an LB-30 model built as an unarmed transport and operated by No. 511 Squadron of RAF Transport Command on long range flights between the UK and Gibraltar.
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