“Ball Of Fire Junior”

Captain Joe Tate found a new B-24 sitting idle at a modification center in Scotland and, with his original Ball of Fire left behind in England, unofficially claimed it as his own, naming it Ball of Fire Junior. Flying it in the North African desert, Tate once took off successfully with only three engines running, the fourth catching just before the ship left the ground. His crew was reviewed and photographed alongside visiting Lord Trenchard during his stop at Hardwick.

On April 16, 1943, with Franklin Lown substituting for Tate in the pilot's seat, Ball of Fire Junior went missing in action on the Brest mission. Two crewmen were killed and the rest became prisoners of war. This aircraft is distinct from Ball of Fire, Tate's original ship, which was converted into a formation-assembly ship after being pulled from combat rotation.