Sculpture of ‘Hot Stuff’ WWII Bomber Comes to Texas With a Fascinating Story

On Sunday, an eight-foot stainless steel sculpture of the B-24 Liberator bomber called “Hot Stuff” stopped in Austin at the Lost Creek Country Club to honor American heroes. An actual piece of the wreckage was on display along with the monument that was made last year by Colorado artist Terry Hinde.

“Hot Stuff” completed 31 missions in Europe during WWII. This is a rare achievement since bombers had a one in five chance of being shot down during 25 missions. However, when “Hot Stuff” crashed in Iceland on its way to the United States in 1943, 14 people died. Lt. Gen. Frank M. Andrews, commander of forces in Europe at the time, was killed along with members of his staff.

Only one crew member survived the crash, tail gunner Sgt. George Eisel. He worried about burning to death as he was stuck inside the plane for 26 hours, but heavy rains kept the fire from overcoming him.

Five crew members were kicked off of the flight due to Andrews and his crew needing to get to the United States. One of these people who were sparred the crash was native Austinite Robert “Jake” Jacobson. Jacobson’s friend James Lux learned the of the story, and since Jacobson passed away, Lux went to Iceland to find “Hot Stuff.”

Plans for a permanent monument set in Iceland are set for the 75th anniversary of the crash, May 3, 2018 which Lux is currently raising funds for.