July 31, 1944. A B-24 Liberator bomber nicknamed The Irishman's Shanty returns safely to her home base at North Pickenham, East Anglia, England. Inside she carried the O'Sullivan Crew 713. These men had just become the first crew from the 492nd Bomb Group (H) to complete a 30 mission combat tour.

7 days later on August 7th, 1944 the 492nd Bomb Group was removed from combat status. The 492nd suffered staggering losses. Several tough missions and old fashioned bad luck combined to plague the group almost from their first missions. The group as an active combat participant was only in action 89 days... less than 3 months. Of the original 70 B-24 Liberators and the roughly 700 men who served aboard them, only 15 original crews remained 3 months later. To this day the 492nd remains the only heavy bombardment group to be removed from combat in the history of the Army Air Force and later the United States Air Force.

"Crew 713" tells the story of this historic and yes lucky crew. The tale of Crew 713 and the sad, short and violent history of the 492nd Bomb Group are forever entwined. The men who flew The Irishman's Shanty held a deep seated sense of duty, honor, courage and brotherhood. In these qualities they were emblematic of all the crews who flew the Liberators for the 492nd Bomb Group over the dark skies of Occupied Europe.

"Crew 713" is the story of one crew. But it is the shared history of every crew who flew the Liberators, Fortresses, Mitchells, Marauders and the fighter groups that escorted them over Europe, Italy, North Africa and the vast waters of the Pacific.

"Crew 713" is a Shanty Films Production. Directed by Alejandro Mena. Estimated release: 2013.