RCAF B-24 Liberator 3701, 'Harry', Montaigne Noir, Quebec
Posted by: 
bluelamb03
N 46° 15.050 W 074° 17.805
18T E 554207 N 5122157
The wreckage of, and monument to, a RCAF B-24 Liberator that crashed in 19 October 1943 on Montaigne Noire.
Waymark Code: WMBHD8
Location: Québec, Canada
Date Posted: 05/22/2011
Views: 75
The Royal Canadian Air Force B-24 Liberator, #3701, 'H' for "Harry" (previously USAAF 41-24236) was flying from RCAF Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron 10 in Gander, Newfoundland carrying 24 aircrew. It crashed on Montaigne Noire (Black Mountain), near Saint-Donat in Quebec.
The 24 airmen comprised the crew of two B-24's on leave for few days and the crew members of 3701 'Harry' that was used as a transport that night.
The cause of the crash was a combination of poor weather, there was a snow storm that closed their first destination; bad maps, the Montaigne Noire was marked as being much lower that it actually is on their maps; and pilot error, the altimeter was not set properly and they were flying lower than they believed.
The wreckage was found in 1946 and the crew interred in a cemetery on the site. Most of the wreckage was gathered into one area, though if you wander about you can find bits all over the site. The memorial and the wreckage is accessible via a long and rough hiking trail up the mountain. Not for the faint of heart or weak of leg.
After the grave site was vandalized in 1985 the remains were moved down the mountain to St. Donat and the cemetery there. In 2000-2001 a local ATV club rebuilt the memorial. See this site for a pdf of a personal story from a descendant of a cew member.