In God We Trust
On January 08, 1951, the landing gear collapsed on C-46 #44-78505. The plane crashed at Chungju Air Base (K-41) in South Korea, striking two other C-46s (#44-78270) and (#44-78262). The standing planes were damaged beyond repair. There were three persons in #44-78505. Of those, two died of wounds received in the collision. The KWE does not know the name of the lone survivor, but he was the plane's crew chief.
Fatalities
Muhleback, 1Lt. Charles E. - Charles was born in Dixon, Illinois, on October 03, 1926. He was a son of Frank and Rachel Bush Muhleback, and his siblings were: Frank Edward Muhleback (1924-2017), Clarence Muhleback, Joseph Muhleback, Lucille Muhleback Book (1929-1975), Caroline Muhleback Ehrecke, Mrs. Jim (Marie Muhleback) Foley, and Mrs. Dick (Helen Muhleback) Snyder. Charles is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Dixon, Illinois.
Yaich, 1Lt. Arthur D. - Arthur was seriously wounded in the collision and died of wounds on January 13, 1951. He was born September 20, 1924, son of August William Yaich (1878-1958) and Etelka M. Yaich (1887-1968). Arthur was a World War II veteran who served with the 374 AF Troop Carrier W. He is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery, Wheat Ridge, Colorado.
A Soldier's Medal was awarded to a 2nd Infantry Division soldier on the ground. The citation reads:
Headquarters, 2d Infantry Division
General Orders No. 302 - July 16, 1951
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Soldier's Medal to Sergeant Edward J. McGuire (ASN: RA-16308395), United States Army, for heroism not involving actual conflict with an enemy of the United States as a member of the 2d Quartermaster Company, 2d Infantry Division, in action on 9 January 1951, in the vicinity of Chungju, Korea. Sergeant McGuire was in charge of the detail unloading supplies in the airlift for divisional and attached units during the critical period prior to the launching of the Wonju offensive. On that day Sergeant McGuire was unloading a C-46 when the landing gear of another C-46 collapsed and crashed into the plane which was being unloaded. Sergeant McGuire leaped to safety just before the crash. Despite the danger of imminent explosion and fire from the leaking gasoline, and with complete disregard for his own safety, Sergeant McGuire entered the plane and removed the Crew Chief to safety. He then re-entered the plane end removed the co-pilot who later died. Entering the plane for the third time he removed the body of the pilot. His alertness and disregard for personal safety undoubtedly saved the life of the Crew Chief. The heroism displayed by Sergeant McGuire reflects great credit upon himself and upholds the highest traditions of the Military Service of the United States.
A B-29 Superfortress bomber crashed near Seguin, Texas, on January 11, 1951. The plane was returning to Randolph Air Force Base near San Antonio, Texas. Six of the crew members were killed, while five other men parachuted to safety. The following information from a Times Union newspaper article (January 12, 1951) about the crash was sent to the KWE by Art Lajeunesse of Latham, New York.
"A B-29 Superfortress--groping through an overcast--crashed in flames last night, killing six men. Five other men aboard parachuted to safety. Only one of the five was injured. Capt. Norman A. Bivens, 27, of Los Angeles, the pilot, said the plane was returning to Randolph Air Force Base from a seven-hour training flight. He said at 8,000 feet he cut off the automatic pilot and began flying on instrument as he started to let down through the overcast. Suddenly my flight instruments went out," he said. "I couldn't reach my mike so I hit the emergency bell and released cabin pressure in the navigator's compartment enabling the men down there to get out. I locked the emergency bell down and went out the nose wheel door." The plane crashed 10 miles southwest of Sequin. Randolph base is some 18 miles from San Antonio, TX."
Fatalities
Bennett, Cpl. Ernest - CPL Ernest Bennett, 24, was the right gunner. He was survived by his mother, Mrs. Floyd Bennett, Paris, TN. Born 1927. Service Number AF14276000.
Calkins, Capt. Leonard Hamlin - Calkins, age 47, was the navigator. He was from San Antonio. Service Number AO501894. Captain Calkins was born March 09, 1903 in Stillwater, Oklahoma, a son of Lincoln Hamlin Calkins (1862-1949) and Sarah Jane "Sadie" Means Calkins (1865-1946). His siblings were Wiley Daniel (1887-1978), James William (1889-1978), Earnest Roscoe "Ross" 1893-1967), Esther Lucille Calkins Boyce (1899-1973), Horace Adali (1905-1960), and two more sisters and one more brother. Captain Calkins is buried in Graceland Memorial Park, Coral Gables, Florida.
Cameron, Cpl. Donald James (tail gunner) - survived by his mother, Mrs. Clara Cameron, Chicago. He was born August 12, 1928, the son of Hugh Aldred Cameron (1867-1954) and Clara O. Luedke Cameron. His service number was AF16303056. He is buried in Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island, Illinos.
Howey, S/Sgt. Roderick Allen (central fire control gunner) - He was born June 16, 1925 in Los Angeles, California, the son of Paul James Howey (1895-1978) and Magdalene P. Metsch Howey (1892-1986). In December of 1950 he married Mary Nararro (1929-2020). He was killed in the crash two weeks later. His service number was AF15344219. He is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.
Shaw, 2Lt. James Earl (radio observer) - He was born January 17, 1929 in Grenada, Mississippi, the son of James Earl Shaw Jr. (1905-1985) and Louise Graham Honeycutt Shaw (1905-1970). He was married to Mary Nell Rayburn (1926-2015). She was later Mrs. John Loren Derhammer. His sister (1927-1927) died as an infant . His service number was AO1911515. He is buried in Woodlawn Memorial Park, Grenada.
Wilson, 1Lt. Robert L. (co-pilot) He was from Bellflower, California. He was born December 29, 1916 in North Platte, Nebraska. His service number was AO754453.
Survivors
Arp, Capt. Howard E. (bombardier) Albuquerque, NM
Barns, SSgt. James J. (flight engineer) from Searcy, AR
Bivens, Capt. Norman A. (pilot)
Kintner, Capt. Otho V. (navigator) - Forth Worth, TX. Kintner's back was slightly injured.
Schwartz, Cpl. Ralph T., (radio operator) Charleston, SC.
On 23 March 1951, a C-124 49-0244 flying from Limestone AFB Loring for a transatlantic flight to Mildenhall Royal Air Force Base, Lakenheath, UK, reported a fire in the cargo crates, signaling Mayday. They began jettisoning the crates and announced they were ditching. The C-124 ditched southwest of Ireland.
The last radio call from 49244 was to USCGC Casco at station Yankee, and it occurred at approximately 1 p.m. in the early afternoon. Casco weighed anchor, continued radio contact, followed the track of 49244 until the plane ditched and gave it's exact location. Casco was also in contact with the B-50 from Lakenheath and directed the B-50 to the exact point of ditching where Capt Muller and his crew spotted the survivors in life rafts. The B-50 loitered over the survivors until bingo fuel and had to return to Lakenhealth. Casco arrived at the ditching site and the men had disappeared.
The aircraft was intact when it touched down on the ocean. All hands exited the aircraft wearing life preservers and climbed into the inflated 5 man life rafts. The rafts were equipped with cold weather gear, food, water, flares, and Gibson Girl hand crank emergency radios. Shortly after the men were in the life rafts, a B-29 pilot out of Ireland spotted the rafts and the flares that the men had ignited. Their location was reported and the pilot left the scene when his fuel was getting low.
No other United States or Allied planes or ships made it to the ditch site for over 19 hours, until Sunday, March 25, 1951. When the ships arrived, all they found were some charred crates and a partially deflated life raft. Only a few small pieces of wreckage were found 450 miles off the west coast of Ireland. Ships and planes continued searching for the next several days, but not a single body was found. The men of C-124 #49-0244 had disappeared. There is circumstantial evidence that the airmen may have been "snatched" by the Soviet Union for their intelligence value, but their fate remains a mystery. It is a fact that Soviet submarines and surface vessels were active in this area and that the Soviets had no qualms about capturing and holding American servicemen, particularly aviators.
An article in the Lewiston Evening Journal dated March 24, 1951, stated that five ships went to the area where the plane was reported missing. The five ships were two U.S. transport ships (General Muir and the Golden Eagle), the British submarine Thule, and two international weather ships, Jig and Charlie). The British steamship Hesione intercepted the following message from a searching B-29 at 1:12 a.m. (GMT): "Sighted rockets and have seen flares and lights at 50.22 north 22.22 west. Also believe to have sighted something that seems to be rockets and parachutes with one-man rafts at 50.33 north 20.46 west." The Korean War Educator is seeking more information about this crash. Contact us.
Adler, S/Sgt. Glenn E. (509th BWng 830th BSqd) - Sergeant Adler was born in 1929, in Aurora, Illinois, a son of John Bernard Adler (1893-1978) and Dorothea Frieda Emilia Luebke Adler (1895-1967). A graduate of Lincoln Park High School in 1946, he entered the Air Force shortly thereafter. In 1950 he was a member of the Air Force Good Will Tour in Germany, France, England and other European countries. His siblings were Carol Jane Adler Long (1922-2018) and brothers Dale O. Adler and John H. "Jack" Adler.
Adrean, Capt. Phil Bentley (Pilot, 509th BWng 830th BSqd)
Ambrose, Sgt. George W. (509th BWng 4013th ArmElecMaintSqd)
Ambrose, Cpl. Sterling L (509th BWng 715th BSqd
Amsden, S/Sgt. Robert D. (CREW) (Flight Engineer, 509th BWng 2nd StrtgcSpt Sqd)
Armstrong, 2 Lt. Karl R. Jr. (CREW) (Navigator, 509th BWing 2nd StrtgcSptSqd)
Ayers, SSgt. Herbert Spencer
Bell, Maj. Robert Scott (CREW - In command of flight; squadron ops officer who was doing a route check on the pilots, Capt. Collins & 2nd Lt. Mathers) (Pilot, 509th BWing 2nd StrtgcSptSqd)
Bernis, S/Sgt. Barton C. (CREW) (CE, 509th BWing 2nd StrtgcSptSqd)
Berenberg, Pvt. Dwight Alden (Radio Operator, 509th BWing 830th BSqd.)
Bristow, Sgt. Robert Raymond (Radio Operator, 509th BWng 393rd BSqd)
Broussard, Sgt. Joseph D. (CREW) (CE, 509th BWing 2nd StrtgcSptSqd)
Chute, Cpl. Arthur F. (CREW) (FC, 509th BWing 2nd StrtgcSptSqd)
Collins, Capt. Emmett Edward (CREW) (Pilot, 509th BWing 2nd StrtgcSptSqd)
Counsell, Capt. John Edward (Bmbdr, 509th BWng 393rd BSqd)
Crow, Cpl. Jack R. (CREW) (FC, 509th BWing 2nd StrtgcSptSqd)
Cullen, Brig. Gen. Paul Thomas (Commander, SAC 2nd Air Force 7th Air Div.)
Davies, Capt. Francis N. (CREW - squadron navigator who was evaluating 2LT Armstrong) (Navigator, 509th BWng 2nd StrtgcSptSqd)
Dubach, Capt. Mark O. (Navigator, 509th BWng 715th BSqd)
Dudek, Capt. Mieczyslaw Thomas "Mathew" (Bmbdr, 509tyh BWng 393rd BSqd)
Dughman, S/Sgt. Gene D. (509th BWng 393rd BSqd)
Fife, 1LT. Jack Radford (Pilot, 509th BWng 715th BSqd)
Fisher, 2LT William E. Jr. (Navigator, 509th BWng 715th BSqd)
Gray, Col. Kenneth Neil (SAC 2nd Air Force 7th Air Div.) (SAC budget officer)
Green, T/Sgt. Charles Edgar (Flt Eng, 509th BWing 2nd StrtgcSptSqd)
Greene, S/Sgt. Thomas E. (509th BWng 4013th ArmElecMaintSqd)
Hopkins, Lt. Col. James I. (Pilot, SAC 2nd Air Force 7th Air Div.) (chief of SAC's military personnel division)
Jones, S/Sgt Homer Jr. (Radio Operator, 509th BWing 2nd StrtgcSptSqd)
Kampert, Capt. Robert Kenneth (Bmbdr, 509th BWng 393rd BSqd)
Kelly, Capt. Thomas Robert (Bmbdr, 509th BWng 830th BSqd)
Krawiec, Capt. Carl N. (Bmbdr, 509th BWng 715th BSqd)
Lee, 2LT. Max D. (Navigator, 509th BWng 830th BSqd)
Lengua, S/Sgt. Nicolo A. (Radio Operator, 509th BWng 830th BSqd)
Lutjeans, Samuel P. (Bmbdr, 509th BWng 715th BSqd)
Mathers, 2Lt. Howard P. (Pilot, 509th BWing 2nd StrtgcSptSqd)
McGee, Sgt. Ronald D. (Radio Operator, 509th BWng 393rd BSqd)
McKoy, Lt. Col. Edwin A. (Pilot, SAC 2nd Air Force 7th Air Div.) (SAC material directorate)
Meckler, Sgt. Frank A. (FltEng, 509th BWng 830th BSqd)
Peterson, Capt. Walter T. (Pilot, 509th BWng 393rd BSqd)
Porter, Capt. Calvin (Bmbdr, 509th BWng 393rd BSqd)
Rafferty, Lawrence E. (Pilot, 509th BWng 715th BSqd)
Scarbrough, M/Sgt. Everett Doyle (CE, 509th BWing 2nd StrtgcSptSqd)
Stoddard, Maj. Gordon H. (Pilot, SAC 2nd Air Force 7th Air Div.)(assigned to SAC dictorate of plans)
Swisher, Cpl. Clarence G. (509th BWng 393rd BSqd)
Thomas, Cpl. Bobby G. (509th BWng 715th BSqd)
VanGilder, M/Sgt. Taylor Hawkins (509th BWng 509th AvSqd)
Vincent, Capt. Roger S. (Pilot, 509th BWng 830th BSqd) (from Sandwich, IL)
Wagner, Capt. Walter A. Jr. (Pilot, 509th BWng 830th BSqd)
Williamson, M/Sgt. Herbert C. (509th BWng 509th Av Sqd)
Witkowski, Raymond L. (Bmbdr, 509th BWng 715th BSqd)
Zabawa, Capt. Edwin D. (Bmbdr, 509th BWng 830th BSqd)
Zalac, Capt. Frank B. (Pilot, 509th BWng 715th BSqd)
Zweygartt, Capt. John C. (Bmbdr, 509th BWng 830th BSqd)
Last Flight of 49244 (Don Wagner Research) (PDF File)
[KWE Note: The PDF article is the product of research conducted by Don Wagner, son of Capt. Walter A. Wagner Jr.]
Ambrose, George W. Ambrose
Adler, S/Sgt. Glenn E.
Adrean, Capt. Phil Bentley
The following bio is from the Findagrave website:
Phil Bentley Adrean was born January 28, 1925 to Phyllis May (nee Andre) and Vernon Lee Adrean in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was one of three siblings having an older brother Vernon and younger brother Jack. Phil's father was employed as a certified public accountant.
Phil was a 1942 graduate of Central High School in Tulsa, and then attended Oklahoma A & M in order to qualify for the Aviation Cadet Program. He enlisted in the Army Air Forces on January 25, 1943 completing flying training in January 1944. He was commissioned a second lieutenant with a pilot rating, ASN: O-704449.
After combat crew training Phil deployed to England. He had been assigned to the 750th Bomb Squadron, 457th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, operating from RAF Glatton, Army Air Forces Station 130, located about 70 miles north of London. Phil was serving as co-pilot with the 2nd Lt Donald K. Goss crew.
On Friday, August 25, 1944 the 457th Bomb Group target for today was the hydroelectric hydrogen plant at Peenemünde, the German rocket research center located in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea coast. This was Phil's twenty-fifth mission, he and crew were operating B-17G, s/n 42-98018, named 'Lady Katherine', piloted by 2nd Lt Goss. The plane was hit by flak just after dropping bombs on Peenemünde. The flak blew a large hole in the wing and knocked out engine #2. It also appeared that it had done major damage in the bomb bay. The crew had also suffered injuries. The ball turret gunner, Charles Gentile, was bleeding in a dozen places, the radioman's hands were both injured and bleeding, the waist gunner had a broken leg and there were other injuries. Lt Goss made a decision to fly to Sweden so that his crew could get medical help sooner. After a survey of the damage to the plane it was decided that the plane was structurally damaged and would probably break up on landing so a decision was made that all would bail out.
As the plane approached Sweden, Swedish fighter aircraft were sent out from Ljungbyhed airfield in southern Sweden to escort the damaged fortress. Once over land the order to bail out was given. The injured men's hands were placed on their parachute D-ring they were pushed out the door. All nine crew members successfully bailed out and were quickly recovered once on the ground. The crew, except for the ball turret gunner who was taken to the hospital, was together by morning and took the train to Kristianstad where they were officially welcomed to Sweden by the town's Mayor. The Lady Katherine crashed in some woods outside Ljungbyhed and was completely destroyed. The crew was interned in Sweden for the duration of the war in Europe. The other members of Phil's crew during this mission were as follows:
2nd Lt Donald K. Goss (P)- INT/RTD
2nd Lt Gerhardt C Hoelzel (N)- INT/RTD
S/Sgt William H. Sokolowski (RWG- Toggleer)- INT/RTD
S/Sgt Peter G. Stern (ETTG)- INT/RTD
S/Sgt Henry M. Githens, Jr. (Radio)- INT/RTD
S/Sgt Ruben L. Hernandez (LWG)- INT/RTD
Sgt Charles C. Gentile (BTG)- INT/RTD
S/Sgt John A. Roe, Jr. (TG)- INT/RTD
After VE-Day Phil returned to the United States. He was honorably discharged from the Army Air Forces during demobilization. He electing to remain in the active reserve with the 323 Bomb Group at Tinker Army Air Field near Tulsa. Phil enrolled in school at the University of Tulsa, later transferred to the University of Oklahoma at Norman where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business in 1949. After one semester of postgraduate work he re-joined the Air Force.
After entering the Air Force he received training as a B-29/B-50 pilot and was assigned to the 830th Squadron, 509th Bomb Wing, 47th Air Division, 8th Air Force, Strategic Air Command, Walker Air Force Base (AFB), located near Roswell, New Mexico. In late 1950 Brig. General Paul T. Cullen had been recently tasked to develop and expand the 7th Air Division of Strategic Air Command to be based across the United Kingdom. This Deployment started on Wednesday 21 March 1951, utilizing C-124A Globemaster II Serial Number 49-0244 transport commanded by Major Robert Scott Bell of the 2nd Strategic Support Squadron. The plane departed Walker AFB, New Mexico, with almost 50 of the nation's top strategic bombing and nuclear weapons personnel from the 509th Bomb Group onboard. The final destination was to be the RAF base at Lakenheath, England.
The plane first landed at Barksdale AFB, Shreveport, Louisiana where they remained overnight. On Thursday 22 March, General Cullen and his staff joined the other passengers and boarded the aircraft. The Globemaster then departed and following an uneventful eight hour flight, the C-124 landed at Limestone AFB (later Loring AFB) Limestone, Maine. This was the last stop before the long North Atlantic crossing. While the aircraft was being refueled, the pilots and navigators went to base ops where they received an updated weather briefing. They filed the flight plan for the final leg: Limestone direct Gander, (great circle rhumb line) to Mildenhall RAFB, U.K.
The 23 March transatlantic flight progressed without incident with normal check-ins with weather vessels along the route. Then about 800 miles southwest of Ireland, the airplane issued a Mayday call, reporting a fire in the cargo crates. The C-124 ditched reporting a final position of 50°45'0.00"N, 24° 3'0.00"W (600 miles west-southwest of Ireland). The aircraft was intact when it touched down on the ocean. All hands excited the aircraft wearing life preservers and climbed into the inflated 5 man life rafts. The rafts were equipped with cold weather gear, food, water, flares, and Gibson Girl hand crank emergency radios.
The 509th Bomb Group element stationed at RAF Lakenheath, England launched a B-50 Superfortress from its 830th Bomb Squadron, commanded by Captain Harold Muller to search for the survivors. He located the men when they fired several flares. The B-50 was not carrying any rescue equipment that could be dropped to the survivors. Captain Muller radioed back that he had located the men and would remain on station as long as fuel allowed. They continued circling and hoping for rescue aircraft to arrive but to no avail. Reaching critical fuel, Captain Muller was forced to abandon his fellow airmen and return to base.
Incredibly no other aircraft were launched to take station over the survivors until rescue vessels could arrive. Just as incredible it was another "Nineteen" (19) hours the following day before the first surface rescue vessel arrived, which was the US Coast Guard Cutter Casco (WAVP-370). All that was found was a burned briefcase and a partially deflated life raft. Despite the largest air and sea search up to that time, not one body was found. Phil Adrean and the 52 airmen with him had disappeared.
Later it was revealed that Soviet submarines and surface vessels were active in the area. It has been speculated that Adrean and his companions were taken aboard Soviet submarines and brought to the Soviet Union for interrogation. Due to their expertise in nuclear and other defense matters, Cullen and the other men on the airplane would have been an intelligence windfall to the Soviets.
In reality the Soviet connection may be a weak excuse for the poor to nonexistent immediate rescue response to recover survivors. It is more likely Phil and the other 52 survivors were taken by the North Atlantic Ocean after being abandoned for nineteen hours in weather conditions of driving rain and high seas. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 many cold war secrets have been revealed but not one word about this C-124 ditching or Soviet snatching of any of its occupants. The disappearance of Captain Phil Bentley Adrean and other survivors remains a great mystery of the Cold War.
Ambrose, George W.
Sgt. George W. Ambrose, Jr., 21, was the son of George W. And Laura Ambrose, 501 Ninth Avenue, Brunswick, Maryland. Sergeant Ambrose, better known as "Bunky", was in the Army Air Forces about two years. He was stationed in New Mexico, Texas and Mississippi before being assigned in the C-124 that left Limestone, Maine on Thursday for Mildenhall Air Base, Suffolk, England. He was a member of the 1947 Brunswick High School graduation class. Cousin to Sterling L. Ambrose.
Ambrose, Cpl. Sterling Lee Owen Jr.
Cpl. Sterling L. Ambrose, 19, was the son of Sterling Lee Owen Sr. (deceased) and Mrs. Rosie Ambrose Weller, of 115 Ninth Avenue, Brunswick, Maryland. Corporal Ambrose had been in the service since his graduation from Brunswick High School in 1948. He was a stepson of William Weller, Brunswick radio shop proprietor. Cousin to George W. Ambrose.
S/Sgt. Robert Amsden
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Amsden, S/Sgt. Robert D.
S/Sgt. Robert Amsden, a graduate of Roslyn High School, Long Island, New York, was 21 years old when the Globemaster plane that he was on crash landed far off the coast of Ireland. The son of Mr. and Mrs. John J. Amsden of Schenevus (originally from East Williston, Long Island), Robert enlisted in the Air Force on March 4, 1947 after graduating from high school. His father was a retired naval officer.
Armstrong, 2Lt. Karl "Sonny" Raymond Jr.
Lieutenant Armstrong was born October 20, 1928 in Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia. He was a son of Karl Raymond Armstrong Sr. (1893-1960) and Gretchen M. Armstrong (1901-1970). He married his childhood sweetheart, Vivian Imogene "Gene" Grantham (Benjamin) (1928-1990).
According to his niece, Meryl Murphy:
"This entire event just absolutely devastated my family. He attended Texas A & M College, which is now a university. It was all male college then and everyone was in the corps. He married my daddy's sister after being sweethearts since grade school. They both lived in Cisco, Texas, but were living in New Mexico when this happened. He was 24 years old. He was a Second Lieutenant and was a navigator. Growing up I only heard that his plane blew up over the Irish sea. I never really asked too many questions--it was not a topic to discuss. When I got older and my daddy was dying, I asked him. He said it was the worst time in his life. My grandfather was a judge and he went to every senator in Texas and then to Washington DC to get information. He has been missed every day."
Ayers, S/Sgt. Herbert Spencer
Herbert Spencer was born February 25, 1929 in Calhoun County, Florida, a son of Jessie McKinley Ayers (1896-1977) and Allie Mae Ayers Ayers (1902-1994). His siblings were Jessie Mae Ayers Price (1919-2019), Cathy Ayers Smith, James McKinnon "Mack" Ayers, William A. Ayers, Carolyn Ayers Dykes (1926-2015), Carrol Ayers (deceased infant twin of Carolyn), and deceased infant sisters Barbara and Elizabeth Ayers. There is a memorial stone for Herbert in the Magnolia Baptist Church Cemetery, Blountstown, Florida.
Bell, Maj. Robert Scott
Born on March 8, 1920 in Searcy, Arkansas, he was a son of Louis Thomas Bell (1892-1979) and Clara Pearl Watson Bell (1900-1978). A World War II veteran, he married Elwanda Beatrice Hoofman (1921-2006) Bell in 1943. They were parents of a son, Robert Scott Bell Jr. (1946-2019). Robert's brother was Arthur Watson Bell Sr. There is a marker for Major Bell in the Oak Grove Cemetery, Searcy, Arkansas.
Berenberg, Pvt. Dwight Alden
Private Berenberg was born November 24, 1925 in Wichita, Kansas, the son of Emanuel Berenberg (1898-1982) and Myrtle Winifred Smith Berenberg (1901-1940).
Bemis, S/Sgt. Barton C.
Born in 1924, he was a son of Ernest E. Bemis (1891-1953) and Lucy Thurber Bemis (1894-1972). His siblings were Maynard Nial Bemis (1933-2014), Gordon Bemis, Hugh Bemis, Howard "Chub" Bemis, Charlotte Bemis Lawrence, and Barbara Bemis Goldsmith. The Bemis family was from Vermont and New Hampshire.
Bristow, Sgt. Robert Raymond
Sergeant Bristow was born August 3, 1926 in Leavenworth, Kansas, a son of Charles Robert Bristow (1887-1952) and Ola Rae Jackson Bristow (1889-1937). He was a graduate of North Kansas City High School and then joined the Army Air Corps, serving in the South Pacific during World War 11. His siblings were John, Rosemary, Margaret Bristow Fauer, and Charles Winford Bristow (1918-1942). His wife was Odel Bristow and his daughter was Mary Kathleen Bristow, age four.
Broussard, Sgt. Joseph D.
Born October 12, 1931, a son of Dewey J. Broussard (1908-1985) and Rose Aimee Broussard (1909-2000) he was from Maurice, Louisiana. He attended Maurice High School in 1947-48. There is a memorial marker for him in Saint Alphonsus Cemetery, Maurice, Louisiana.
Chute, Cpl. Arthur F.
Corporal Chute was born in Saco, Maine in 1931, a son of Arthur F. Chute (1903-1965) and Catherine Margie McCarn Chute (1901-1981). His siblings were Lloyd Francis Chute (1924-1991), Mrs. Josephine Wheeler, and John W. Chute.
Collins, Capt. Emmett Edward
Captain Collins was born on September 13, 1907 in Billings, Montana, a son of George Collins and Bessie Elizabeth Turner Collins Brazier (1880-1968). His brother was Paul Lee Collins (1912-1977).
Counsell, Capt. John Edward
Captain Counsell was born on March 27, 1919 in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Dr. Chester Mason Counsell (1883-1967) and Muriel Susan James Counsell (1886-1964).
Crow, Cpl. Jack R.
Corporal Crow was a son of Mr. and Mrs. R.C. Crow of the Detroit area. He attended Northwestern High School, but enlisted in the Air Force after his junior year. He completed his high school degree while in the military. He completed Air Force school at Walker Air Force Base in Roswell, New Mexico. He had two siblings.qqqqqqqq
Cullen, Gen. Paul Thomas
Born May 30, 1901 in Peru, Paul Thomas Cullen was an US Air Force General. First commander of the 7th Air Division of Strategic Air Command and deputy commander and chief of staff of the 2nd Air Force. Lost and presumed killed when his C-124A Globemaster II transport ditched and sank during a routine Atlantic flight to the United Kingdom. Cullen and his command staff were picked up at Barksdale Air Force Base by the airplane that had left Walker Air Force Base at Roswell, N.M., with almost 50 of the nation's top strategic bombing and nuclear weapons personnel from the 509th Bomb Group.
Gen. Paul Thomas Cullen
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On March 23, 1951, about 800 miles southwest of Ireland, the airplane issued a Mayday call, reporting a fire in the cargo crates. The C-124 ditched and all aboard exited safely with life preservers and climbed into life rafts equipped with cold weather gear, food, water, flares, and Gibson Girl hand-cranked emergency radios. A B-29 from England located the survivors, who fired several flares, but was not carrying any rescue equipment. The B-29 radioed the coordinates of the survivors and circled until it was reached critical fuel and was forced to return to base.
When the first rescue craft reached the scene 19 hours later, all that was found was a burned briefcase and a partially deflated life raft. Despite the largest air and sea search up to that time, not one body was found. Cullen and the 53 men with him had disappeared. Later it was revealed that Soviet submarines and surface vessels were active in the area. It has been speculated that Cullen and his companions were taken aboard Soviet submarines and brought to Russia for interrogation.
Due to their expertise in nuclear and other defense matters, Cullen and the other men on the airplane would have been an intelligence windfall to the Soviets. Cullen had been the air service's leading expert on aerial reconnaissance and aerial photography. He also was the head of photography at the Crossroads atom bomb tests in the Pacific in the late 1940s. He also had served as commander of the 2nd Operations Group on two occasions during World War II. An Air Force trophy for excellence in aerial reconnaissance, the Brig. Gen. Paul T. Cullen Award, was named in his honor. (bio by: John Andrew Prime)
General Cullen was married to Reva Joy Hurwitz, a Denver Post military writer. [KWE Note: Mrs. Cullen was born in 1915 and died in 1989. A New York Times article in 1946 shows Paul Thomas Cullen was at that time engaged to Edith Virginia Sinnott, daughter of the ex-postmaster of Brooklyn.]
Davies, Capt. Francis N. "Frank"
Capt Francis M. "Frank" Davies
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Captain Davies was born December 07, 1918. Captain Davies' widow was Virginia "Ginnie" Arnold Davies, daughter of Dr. Clifford H. Arnold, who was the brother of General "Hap" Arnold. She never remarried, and lived in the same house in Tucson from about 1958. She was born on September 01, 1913 and was a reservation agent with American Airlines when she married Frank Davies in 1948. After she lost Frank, her father also died. He was in the Army Medical Corp in World War I and World War II. Hap Arnold attended Francis and Virginia's wedding, in El Paso, Texas. According to the wedding newspaper announcement, Captain Davies flew in the Caribbean and South America during World War II. Ginnie Davies died August 02, 2014 in Tucson.
Dubach, Capt. Mark Otto
Captain Dubach was born August 08, 1916 in Kansas City, Missouri, a son of Otto Frederick Dubach (1875-1960) and Ana King Dubach (1876-1975). He was married to Betty Lee Good in 1948. Betty later married John J. Foster and they were parents of two children. Betty Foster was born in 1920 and died in 2019. Mark's siblings were Merrill King Dubach Sr. (1903-1980), Kenneth Myers Dubach (1904-1990) and Frank Everett Dubach (1910-1994).
Dudek, Capt. Miezyslaw Thomas "Mathew"
Captain Dudek was born July 18, 19in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, son of Andrew Dudek (1884-1974) and Frances Dudek (1893-1962). From West Allis, Minnesota, he was a chain belt inspector before being recalled to the service in March 1951. He originally enlisted in the Army Air Corps on November 30, 1942 in San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center, Texas. He had a wife Mabel and two children.
Dughman, S/Sgt. Gene Dale
Sergeant Dughman was born June 13, 1926 in Seneca, Nebraska, a son of Rolland Glen Dughman (1892-1952) and Chloe Beatrice Evans Dughman (1906-1951). He was married to Helen Marie McCarthy (9/23/1926-10/23/2014). Helen later married James Oscar Carey. She lived in Omaha, Nebraska. Gene's sibling was John Whitesul Dughman (1930-2002).
Fife, 1Lt. Jack Radford
Lieutenant Fife was born October 14, 1919, Houston Heights, Harris County, Texas, a son of James Emmett Fife Sr. (1878-1929) and Anna Mae Boyd Fife. His siblings were James Emmett Fife Jr. and an infant sister (1917-1917).
Fisher, 2Lt. William Edward Jr.
Born August 27, 1922 in Oklahoma, he was the son of William Edward Fisher (1889-1965) and Elizabeth Florence Dean Fisher (1895-1976) of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His siblings were Elizabeth Dean (Bettie) Fisher and Ruth E. Fisher. There is a memorial marker for him in Rose Hill Burial Park, Oklahoma City.
Gray, Col. Kenneth Neil
Born June 5, 1909 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he was a son of Conard Neil Gray (1873-1942) and Mabel Helen R. Taylor Gray (1876-1928). He married Franc Angela Fischer Gray (1909-1988) in 1939. His brother was Edward Taylor Gray (1906-1908). He was a SAC budget officer from Minnesota. There is a marker in his memory at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Green, T/Sgt. Charles Edgar
Sergeant Green was born November 27, 1921 in Haworth, Oklahoma, a son of Vance Joseph Green Sr. (1891-1985) and Luaddie Robinson Green (1897-1959). His siblings were Vance Joseph Green Jr. (1914-1934), Melba Louise Green (1919-1936), Charles Edgar Green, Earl Eugene Green, and James Harold Green.
Greene, S/Sgt. Thomas Eli Sr.
Sergeant Greene was born May 06, 1915, son of Christopher Wilson Greene (1882-1952( and Connie Thompson Greene (1892-1928). He was married to Ethel Mae Eubanks on January 29, 1939. Their son was Don Thomas Greene (1939-1973). He was also married to Hazel E. MacDonald Greene. They had sons Thomas Eli Greene Jr. (1942-2015) and Winston Ray Greene (1941-1942).
Hopkins, Ltc. James I. "Hop" Jr.
James I. Hopkins was a native of Palestine, Texas. He attended Texas A&M college for three years before enlisting in the Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program at Randolph Field in San Antonio, Texas. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on February 7, 1941. He married Catherine Crittenden shortly thereafter. They had two children, Jim (1941--) and Patricia (1945-2017). After the war began, he deployed to North Africa with the Desert Air Force, a component of the Ninth Air Force in support of General Bernard L. Montgomery's Eighth Army. He flew 43 combat missions and was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross. After his return to the US he became an instructor pilot and then was assigned as Operations Officer to the 393rd Bomb Squadron commanded by LTC Tom Classen. The 393rd was then chosen to be the strike force of the newly created 509th Composite Bomb Group in Wendover, Utah, commanded by Colonel Paul Tibbets with Classen as his deputy, and (now) Major Hopkins continuing as Operations Officer. After intense training the 509th deployed to Tinian North Field, Mariana Islands where he flew the photographic plane on the Nagasaki mission. He was promoted to LTC a few weeks later. After the war, the 509th was relocated to Walker Air Force Base, Roswell, New Mexico. LTC Hopkins remained with the 509th and played a key role in Operation Crossroads which saw the third atomic bomb dropped. He was subsequently selected to attend the Air War College and after graduation joined the Headquarters of the Strategic Air Command in Omaha, Nebraska where he was serving at the time of his last flight on the C-124 Globemaster that ditched on March 23, 1951 in the North Atlantic.
(Thanks to Scott Muselin for the details of LTC Hopkins's military assignments.)
Kampert, Capt. Robert Kenneth
Captain Kampert was a World War II veteran who was recalled to service in March 1951. Born March 28, 1916 in Barrington, Illinois, a son of Herbert Lampbert Kampert (1886-1947) and Frieda Wanda Berg Kampert (1891-1984), he was the co-owner of the Nu-Block Company cement firm in Barrington, IL. He married Lorraine Minnie Maicke Kampert (1918-2000) in 1942, and they were parents of four small children. His siblings were Roger Henry Kampert (1910-1970), and (the KWE believes) Herbert, Chester, Keith, Mrs. Raymond (Betty M.) Schmidt (1923-2007), Mrs. Ralph (Joan) Raessner, Mrs. Frank (Pat) Trestick, and Mrs. Richard (Kay) Blizzard.
Kelly, Capt. Thomas Robert
Captain Kelly was born November 11, 1918 in Springfield, Illinois, a son of Thomas Edward Kelly (1887-1945) and Mary McCutcheon Kelly (1889-1980). Mary later married Leo Shea. Captain Kelly flew 72 missions as a bombardier during World War II. He was recalled to service in March 1951. His wife was Mildred and he had two sons, Kenneth, age 5 months, and Greg, age 4 years. Thomas' siblings included 1Lt. John Edward Kelly, who was killed in action April 29, 1945 in Mamming, Germany while serving as a platoon leader in the 124th Armored Engineer Battalion, 13th Armored Division. He also had a sister, Mary K. Kelly and brother George B. Kelly.
Lutjeans, Samuel Pearson
Samuel Lutjeans was born June 18, 1919 in Michigan, a son of Alfred George Lutjeans (1882-1930) and Rose Buberle Lutjeans (1890-1958). He was a graduate of Lakeview High School. During World War II he was shot down in a bombing mission and was held as a prisoner of war in Germany for one year. He married Geniveve E. Greenberg (1922-2011). He was recalled to service in March 1951. Besides his wife, he was survived by a daughter Nanette, age 3. Among his siblings were Theodore R. Lutjeans (1923-1947), Alfred G. Lutjeans (1925-2002), Marianne Olivia Lutjeans Dytkowski, and Joan Lutjeans Karger (1924-1973).
Mathers, 2Lt. Howard Poehler
Lieutenant Mathers was born October 23, 1922 in Casper, Wyoming, a son of Andrew "Andy" Leon Mathers (1880-1947) and Marvel Augusta Poehler Mathers (1895-1938). His siblings were Roberta Ann Mathers and Glenn T. Mathers.
McKoy, Ltc. Edwin Anderson II
Lieutenant McKoy was born January 13, 1913 in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of Edwin Anderson McKoy Sr. (1874-1930) and Catherine Malcomson Gadsden McKoy (1889-1971). His sister was Mrs. Charles Paul (Margaret McKoy) MacDonald Sr. There is a marker in Edwin's honor in the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.
Peterson, Walter
See News Articles section below.
Porter, Calvin
Calvin Porter
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Phillip Porter's website is dedicated to his father, Capt. Calvin Porter, one of the missing passengers from this Globemaster crash landing, and the other passengers and crew members. The site included accident reports, newspaper articles, and documents about this Globemaster.
Missing C-124 Globemaster
Rafferty, Capt. Lawrence E.
Born June 13, 1921 in Highland Park, IL., Captain Rafferty was captain of a bombing crew in Europe during World War II. He served with the 759th Bomb Squadron during that war. From Great Lakes, Illinois, he was recalled to service in March 1951. He had a wife Frances and four children between the ages of two and five at the time the Globemaster crew and passengers disappeared.
Captain Rafferty had completed 50 missions in three months in World War II starting on D-Day and received a medal of bravery for one of those missions. His wife Frances was coloring Easter eggs on Good Friday with her four children when servicemen came to her home to deliver the telegram that her husband's plane has disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean. Captain Rafferty was only 29 and a passenger on a plane going to the British Isles.
Wife = Thecla Frances Fortman Rafferty. Children = Sandra L., Minna Elizabeth, Stephen, Linda M., and Lawrence Rafferty. Parents = Alexander Andrew & Minna Johanna Elizabeth Christine Gensch Rafferty.
10 March 1951 Walker AFB New Mexico, Area 51, SAC - Capt Lawrence Rafferty, Pilot, is reactivated during the Korean War as General Curtis LeMay expands Strategic Air Command capabilities. Larry is assigned to the 715th Weapons Squadron, Medium, of the 509th Bomb Wing. Larry was going to be checked out in the B-50D Medium Bomber, capable of carrying nuclear weapons. This Bomb Wing delivered "Fat Man", the 1st nuclear weapon against Japan. The 509th was the core of SAC. Capt. Rafferty, who is currently non-qualified, will be upgraded to Pilot current, after training missions at Lakenheath & Mildenhall RAFB. His orders have been cut and direct that, he will be unaccompanied. (Upon completion of training his pregnant wife Frannie and children may come later.)
26 March 2012, 3:15PM Arlington National Cemetery Washington D.C. Capt. Lawrence E. Raferty is memorialized in a service attended by his widow, Francis Fortman Rafferty, his children, grandchildren, two Fortman families, his sister, Rosemary Rafferty Beckman, age 93 and four Rafferty nieces and nephews. May he Rest in Peace wherever this Warrior lies.
26 Mar 2012 Grave-Side..... Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, DC. 3:15 PM Monday, the Funeral Cortage, with its Military Casson, carrying the flag draped coffin in memory of Capt. Larry Rafferty and pulled by 4 Air Force horses winds its way through the tombstone surrounded pathways of Arlington. A Color Guard leads the way with an Air Force Band following in front of the Casson. A crowd of some 63 people follow the coffin to a hillside grave site. There is Larry's tombstone. Two Chaplains read the service in front of widow Frannie Fortman Rafferty. From the crest of the hill three volleys of gunfire ring out in salute to Larry. The crowd is mournful in the breezy afternoon sun. The flag presentation is finished and the AF Colonel Chaplain presents the flag to Frannie. "On behalf of the President and people of the United States, please accept our deepest sorrow at your loss and let me present you ............"
Scarbrough, Everett Doyle
Master Sergeant Scarbrough was born October 19, 1924 in Ardmore, Oklahoma, a son of John Wesley Scarbrough (Indian Territory Oklahoma 1899-1991) and Jessie Beulah Johnson Scarbrough (Chickasaw National 1898-1988). He married Martha Belle Beaty (1913-1987) on March 3, 1951, twenty days before he and the other passengers/crew of the Globemaster disappeared. Martha later married Marshall B. Wise, but they divorced in 1984. Martha died November 26, 1987. Everett's siblings were Benjamin "Paul" Scarbrough (1933-2021) and Wesley Alden "Pete" Scarbrough (died 2021).
VanGilder, Taylor Hawkins
Sergeant VanGilder was born June 03, 1923 in Greene County, Arkansas, a son of Simeon C. VanGilder (1900-1967) and Arla Ann (Arlie) Wright VanGilder (1902-1986). Taylor enlisted in the military on October 24, 1945 at Drew Field, Tampa, Florida. He married Thelma Simpson (later Mrs. Johnnie J. Busher) in 1943. His siblings were Stanley Woodrow VanGilder (1919-2008) and Deborah Gail VanGilder Segas (1963-1989).
Vincent, Roger S.
Born December 16, 1913 in Sandwich, Illinois, Roger was a son of Charles Vincent (1865-1952) and Elizabeth A. Howard Vincent (1867-1946). His wife was Betty Vincent and his little daughter was Linda Vincent. His siblings were Florence Edna Vincent Stahlberg (1888-1989), Kitte M. Vincent Walters (1894-1977) and Clair Lyle Vincent (1901-1902). There is a marker for him in Arlington National Cemetery. See also News Articles section below.
Wagner, Walter A. Jr.
Walter A. Wagner, Jr.
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Walter Wagner was a pilot with the 509th Bomb Wing, 830th Bomb Squadron. The following biography was submitted to the KWE on September 15, 2013, by Captain Wagner's son, Don. His son told us:
"I am Don Wagner, the son of Capt. Walter A. Wagner, Jr. I am a retired naval aviator with 30 years of service and survivor of two plane crashes. Point of information: My brothers and I first gained access to the Accident Investigation file in the mid nineties thru numerous FOIA requests. Prior to this initial and partial release, the Accident Investigation file was Top Secret. The complete and unfettered/undoctored file is still Top Secret. Much of the information and facts contained in my Dad's bio concerning the ditching is thanks to Capt Muller and other members of the 830th Bomb Squadron."
Bio - Walter A. Wagner, Jr. Captain (Major) USAF
Walter A. Wagner Jr. was born to Walter Wagner Sr. and Nora Wagner on 6 February 1917, in the small town of Delta, Colorado. He was the second of four children and the first grandson of the notorious outlaw Butch Cassidy. He grew up on horseback in the high country of Colorado's Grand Mesa, where his father was a forest ranger. Walt Jr. graduated with honors from Grand Mesa High School and again with honors from UCLA, majoring in mathematics and physics.
With war raging in Europe and the Pacific, he joined the Army Air Corps in 1941 and entered flight school. After earning his wings on 27 Jun 1941, 2nd Lieutenant Wagner was assigned to the 75th Bombardment Squadron, 42nd Bombardment Group, Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. In January 1942 he was transferred to the 73rd Bombardment Squadron, 42nd Composite Group, Aleutians, Territory of Alaska. In February 1942, Lieutenant Wagner was assigned to fly one of the 17 new Martin B-26 Marauders.
On 3 and 4 June 1942, the Japanese Carrier Assault Task Force launched attacks on Dutch Harbor. Lieutenant Wagner and the airmen of the 73rd joined the foray and flew their first combat missions. Although none of the carriers were damaged, two Japanese dive bombers, 3 Zeros, and 2 Nakajima E8N2s were shot down. From June 1942 through April 1943 the Marauders flew almost daily missions against the Japanese invasion forces. In October 1942, Lieutenant Wagner was in the five plane flight that attacked two Japanese destroyers, sinking the Oboro Maru and severely crippling the Hatsuharu Maru while losing one Marauder and its crew.
In April 1943 the Marauders were withdrawn from the Aleutian campaign and reassigned to other air groups and squadrons. With ten months of demanding aerial combat flying, Captain Wagner was assigned advanced instructor duties and shuttled from base to base, qualifying in new type bombers, conducting the final phase of training and preparing bomber crews for the greatest challenge of their lives: aviate, navigate, communicate, engage the enemy, and survive. He performed these arduous duties at the following Army airfields: Lakeland, Ft. Worth, Barksdale, Kearns, Davis Monthan, Pueblo, and Peterson. While at Pueblo AAF, his wife Geraldine gave birth to their first son, Orren.
In addition to his duties training bomber crews, Captain Wagner was also a member of the select crew which flew General Hap Arnold across the Atlantic and into the Allies' areas of operation in Europe.
Following the end of World War II, Captain Wagner received orders to McChord Field, Washington, and remained there until May 1946, when he was transferred to Howard Field, U.S. Canal Zone. The 6th Air Force assigned Captain Wagner to the 6th Fighter Wing's Emergency Rescue Unit at Howard Field. His aircraft was the Boeing TB17H. His first flight was an areas of operation familiarization hop: Howard to Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Windward Islands, Trinidad and return leg to Howard. In October, Captain Wagner became a plank member of and instructor at the newly established 1st Rescue Squadron. He continued flying the modified B17s and on 13 March 1947, he was assigned duties to fly and deliver two B17s to Barksdale Field, Louisiana, then proceed to Norton Field, California and ferry two OA-10s (PBY Catalinas) back to Howard Field. He flew search, rescue, recovery, and escort missions all over Central America, South America, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and as far away as Florida and the Bahamas. The 6th Air Force ensured there were no U.S. Military flights over water without an escort by or near proximity stationing of 1st Rescue Squadron aircraft.
At the end of May 1949, Captain Wagner, his wife Geraldine, and their two sons, Orren and Donald, departed the Canal Zone for the United States mainland. Walter was issued orders to Mather Air Force Base, California to attend the Advanced Officer School, required for promotion to Major. Upon successful completion of AOS he received orders to report to the 509th Bomb Wing, AFSAC, Walker Air Force Base, New Mexico.
On 8 March 1950, Captain Wagner joined the 509th "Atomic Bombers" and was assigned to the 830th Bomb Squadron to fly the B-29D/50 Silverplate Superfortress. Gerry was busy setting up their newly-purchased house at 1617 West Alameda Street in Roswell, while the two lads, Orren and Don explored the neighborhoods with their spaniels, Queenie and Blackie.
On 25 June 1950, the Russian trained, equipped, and supplied Communist North Korean military launched a massive assault across the 38th Parallel in Korea and swept south, virtually unopposed, trapping what was left of the South Korean Army and the handful of American "advisors" in a small enclave around Pusan.
In July and August 1950, Captain Wagner accompanied hand-picked bomber crews of the 830th and 393rd to MacDill Air Force Base, Florida for Combat Crew Standardization Training. Returning to home plate at Walker, Captain Wagner and the crews resumed their flying of the Silverplate Superfortresses with renewed intensity. They knew that the Strategic Air Command was literally America's and Western Europe's only line of defense against Stalin's Russian hordes. The 509th stood up forward detachments of B-50s, aircrews, and support personnel in RAFBs Mildenhall and Lakenheath, England. The aircrews were on a 90-day rotation cycle, with a week to ten days overlap for handoff of missions, aircraft, and areas of operation orientation flights. The 2nd Strategic Support Squadron flew their C-124 Globemasters from Walker AFB to England delivering parts, supplies, replacement personnel, and rotating aircrews.
In March 1951, Captain Wagner's file was sent to the Majors Promotion Board. That same month he received orders for a ninety-day rotation with the 509th Forward in England. On the 21st of March he boarded C-124 #9244 and departed Walker with the other replacement crews bound for RAFB Mildenhall, England. They picked up Brigadier General Cullen and his staff of the newly-activated 7th Air Division (headquarters were to be established at South Rueslip, London, England). The flight was uneventful until 0110 Zulu, the 23rd of March, when three explosions rocked the cabin section and set off fires under the cargo crates. Fighting the fires proved hopeless and the Globemaster was forced to ditch. They were in radio contact with the British weather ship Explorer, which fixed the exact ditching point and relayed through high frequency radio to RAFB Shannon, Ireland and on to RAFB Mildenhall, England. Two Soviet guard ships, Orel and Kurshun, their topsides festooned with antennas, were shadowing the Explorer.
A single B-50 immediately launched out of England. Captain Wagner's best friend from the 830th, Capt. Harry H. Muller, was the flight commander. Captain Muller and crew flew into the black of night over the cloud-covered North Atlantic. The British weather ship Explorer provided radar vector positioning to the Superfortress and guided them to the ditching point. Muller's crew spotted the men, who were in life rafts, firing flares. The Superfortress began a low, slow, fuel-conserving orbit over the men. Their array of landing lights and spot lights illuminated the area. Thanks to the hand-cranked emergency Gibson Girls radios, the men and the Superfortress were in constant contact. All hands had survived the ditching and were awaiting rescue. The B-50 relayed through the Explorer via high frequency radio that they had located the men. No other aircraft came to relieve the B-50. The weather ship Explorer, although its crew was highly trained in locating and rescuing downed aircrews, did not leave its position. When the Superfortress reached critical fuel, Captain Muller had to make the gut-wrenching decision to abandon the men and return to base.
Two days later, when the "official" search began, the men had disappeared. The only remnants were a partially deflated life raft and Capt. Lawrence Rafferty's pilot valise. An eyewitness account from this time revealed around fifty U.S. airmen and a general officer's staff brought to a Soviet gulag facility outside of Moscow.
Captain Wagner was selected for promotion to Major while listed as Missing In Action. The Air Force refused to honor the promotion. He left behind a wife, Geraldine, and three sons, Orren, Don and Roy. He was also one of the very few aviators in the Air Force that held the ratings for pilot, navigator, and bombardier. His ratings included the B-17, B-18, B-24, B-25, B-26, B-29D, B-50, and OA10 (PBY Catalina).
[KWE Note: For an in-depth story about Captain Wagner, see 101 News (HighlandLakes.com), "Memorial Day: Mystery Over the Atlantic Ocean", authored by Daniel Clifton and published May 26, 2019.]
Witkowski, Raymond Louis
Captain Witkowski was born on August 28, 1915 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was a former Milwaukee County, Wisconsin medical examiner's assistant. The son of Anna M. Placzek of Milwaukee, he enlisted in the Air Corps on March 2, 1942. There is a marker for him in Arlington Park Cemetery, Greenfield, Wisconsin.
Zabawa, Capt. Edwin D.
Captain Zabawa was 31 years of age and from Franklin Park, IL. He was a graduate of Leyden Township High School and was a bombardier with the 8th Air Force during World War II. He was recalled to service in March 1951. He had a wife Sheila, age 27, and daughters Sharon, age 5, and Pamela, age 3.
Zalac, Capt. Frank B.
Age 29, Captain Zalac of Elwood, Illinois, served in World War II from 1942 to 1946 and served in the Pacific. He was recalled to service in March 1951. He was born May 23, 1922 in Pennsylvania. He had a wife Isabella, age 28, and an 8-month old son Matthew. Isabella Antoinette "Anna" Vuletick Zalac was born in 1924 and died in 2017.
Zweygartt, John Candee
A 1949 graduate of the School of Business Administration, University of Connecticut, John Zweygartt was from Hartford, Connecticut. Born August 15, 1923, he was the husband of Frances Zweygartt, the son of Henry Jacob Zweygarrt (1885-1940) and Lucy A. Locke Zweygartt (1887-1961), and the grandson of Mrs. R.D. Locke. He had a small son when the plane he was on went missing. His siblings were Robert Locke Zweygarrt (1917-1999), Henry Jacob Zweygartt Jr. (1914-1915), Mary C. Zweygarrt Flagler (1918-1983), and Mrs. Loring Griggs.
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"Capt John C. Zweygatt, 27, who was aboard an Air Force transport lost off the coast of Ireland, March 23, has been listed officially dead, according to an Air Force notification received Monday by his mother at 109 Grennan Rd, West Hartford. The Air Force made the finding after what it calls the largest air and sea searches for one plane. Fifty planes and five ships criss-crossed the North Atlantic area in which the Globemaster disappeared in the fog on Good Friday. Charred debris found in the water was later identified as belonging to the plane. Captain Zwegartt's wife, Frances, and their 2-year old son are making their home with his mother. He was graduated from Hartford Public High School in 1941 and joined the Army when he was 17. He served as a flyer in the Pacific in World War II.
Captain Zweygartt was employed by the Hartford Insurance Company. He had been transferred to Chicago by the company and was recalled to active duty drom from an Air Force Reserve Unit there. He had been on active duty for two weeks when his plane was reported lost. A memorial service will be held at a later date at Trinity Church, Mrs. Zweygartt said, on Monday night."
Air Force Times, 2011
Little remains today to mark the life of Air Force Brig. Gen. Paul Thomas Cullen. A quiet park on the East Reservation of Barksdale Air Force Base bears his name, and for about 40 years the 2nd Air Force of Strategic Air Command awarded a trophy in his name, but that ended in 1992 when SAC closed its shop. The official biographies page on the Air Force website does not list his name or share his life story.
A senior general officer at 2nd Air Force headquarters at Barksdale Air Force Base, he boarded a C-124 transport, tail number 49-0244, the afternoon of March 22, 1951, along with a handful of his senior staff officers. After a refueling stop in Maine, the transport that left Walker Air Force Base at Roswell, N.M., with 48 top pilots, bombardiers and weapons technicians from the service's nuclear 509th Bomb Group, flew east toward the British Isles. The airplane never arrived. It disappeared into the Atlantic gales, and into the annals of mystery, on March 23, 1951, Good Friday. Just under 60 of the nation's top nuclear military personnel had vanished, while the Cold War was starting and this nation was in combat in Korea.
"I think they [Cullen and his companions] would have been a very lucrative target" of the Russians, said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Peyton Cole, a former 2nd Bomb Wing commander whose late father, also an Air Force general, shut down Walker Air Force Base in the 1960s. His opinion is shared by former 2nd Bomb Wing historian Shawn Bohannon, now an archivist at LSU Shreveport. "It would have been a coup if they [the Soviets] had got their hands on that bunch of guys," Bohannon said. "No doubt about it."
Cullen had command experience in World War II, but a broken back and prolonged recovery shifted him into a field in which he excelled: photo-reconnaissance. He became the service's leading expert, handling photography at the top-secret Crossroads atom bomb tests in the late 1940s. He adapted the first jet airplanes for spy photography over North Korea and Russia, where he had been assigned briefly during World War II.
At the time of his death, he was a past commander and current vice commander of 2nd Air Force, and his mission to England was to form the Strategic Air Command's 7th Air Division, which would be the speartip of any U.S. strategic actions in Europe. That was the assignment Cullen was headed to when he and the hand-picked men with him disappeared.
Early March 23, about 800 miles southwest of Ireland, the C-124 issued a Mayday call, reporting a fire in the cargo hold. According to the Walker Air Force Base Museum website, "the aircraft was intact when it touched down on the ocean. All hands exited the aircraft wearing life preservers and climbed into the inflated 5 man life rafts. The rafts were equipped with cold weather gear, food, water, flares and Gibson Girl hand-crank(ed) emergency radios."
According to contemporary reports, a B-29 from England saw several flares fired and life rafts. But the B-29 was not carrying any rescue equipment. It radioed the coordinates of the survivors and circled until it reached critical low fuel and was forced to return to base.
As soon as daylight and weather conditions permitted, rescue ships, eventually including dozens of airplanes, weather ships, a British submarine and several Navy warships, including the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea, scoured thousands of square miles of ocean in what has been called the greatest sea-search in history, to no avail. "Ships and planes continued searching for the next several days but not a single body was found," the page says. "The men of C-124 No. 49-0244 had quite simply disappeared. ... It is a fact that Soviet submarines and surface vessels were active in this area and that the Soviets had no qualms about capturing and holding American servicemen, particularly aviators. We do not know what fate befell these men."
Freedom of Information Act requests were sent to the State Department, CIA, FBI and other agencies, all of whom directed queries to the Air Force. The Air Force provided a 140-page accident report that can be summarized in one sentence: The C-124 ditched in one piece, but nothing, including human remains, was found aside, from some charred plywood and a single briefcase.
Cullen and his wife, Edith Virginia Sinnott Cullen, had no children. Attempts to locate any of Cullen's family were unsuccessful.
Retired naval aviator Don Wagner, who was 3 years old when his father, decorated World War II pilot Capt. Walter Wagner, disappeared with Cullen on that flight, believes the men were taken to Russia on one or more submarines to have their brains picked. Thanks to service in Russia during World War II, Cullen would have been known and valued to Soviet intelligence.
Wagner thinks that after failing to find the missing men, and lacking any good explanation of what happened to them, the military "covered it up. I was looking up the history of each of the airmen who were aboard the flight. Most have been deleted or hidden or are non-existent."
The accident report notes that the Office of Special Investigations looked into reports of sabotage but found no evidence, something Wagner finds hard to believe. "There was one civilian that boarded the plane, [and] was on the flight either through Barksdale or [Maine] then got off," he said. He thinks that civilian, who knew when to get off the airplane, is the key to the mystery.
That U.S. military personnel were captured by Eastern bloc nations during the Cold War is a fact, noted in the web pages of the Defense Prisoner of War and Missing Personnel Office, which notes "the numerous accounts of Americans sighted in the Stalin-era Gulag prison camp system and the Soviet correctional labor colony system for political prisoners that succeeded the Gulag."
Though the loss of Cullen and the other men is hardly remembered by the Air Force today, it was shattering at the time. "I remember the incident vividly and the last time I saw my father and his buddies," Wagner said. "This accident devastated the Walker Air Force Base community and had a horrible impact on SAC and the U.S. Air Force. ... I still remember the huge commemorative services held at Walker for the missing officers and crewmen."
Ralph Ambrose lost a brother, George Ambrose, and a cousin, Sterling Ambrose. All were from Brunswick, Md. "I was 15 at the time it happened," Ralph Ambrose said. The military "sent us a few telegrams saying they were searching, that they found just a couple of pieces [of debris]," but were not told the investigation determined the airplane likely belly-landed intact, since cargo that would have survived and floated, like empty B-29 fuel tanks and spare aircraft tires, were never recovered. "We didn't hear any of that," he said.
Cole said he remains "astounded the slowness of the [search] response. Today that just wouldn't happen. It's astounding to me [rescuers] waited two days while they knew these men were in the water. They should have launched another airplane to relieve the first B-29. They should have ‘held hands' with those guys until surface craft arrived."
Bohannon wonders if the Soviets could have snatched the men from under the eyes of a searching armada. "All the [Soviets] had were modified German Type IX U-boats at that time. I don't know." Cole also has doubts. "If you are going to capture 53 souls, that's pretty difficult to hide," he said.
But these were U.S. military personnel left behind on a field of battle of the Cold War, and whose families deserve answers to this day. "A tremendous question begs to be answered," Cole said. "What happened to these men?"
Paintings in Brunswick City Hall honor Ambrose cousins
Originally published March 24, 2010 - By Patti S. Borda, News-Post Staff
Photo by Skip Lawrence
Artist Buck Musser on Tuesday donated two paintings of Brunswick-area veterans to Brunswick City Hall. Mayor Carroll A. Jones, left, holds the painting of Sterling Ambrose, whose nickname was Junior. Musser holds the painting of George W. Ambrose. The cousins went missing in action on March 23, 1951.
Two cousins lost at sea in 1951 have at last come home to Brunswick. Paintings of Air Force Sgt. George W. Ambrose Jr. and Pvt. Sterling L. Ambrose Jr. will hang in City Hall to honor their memory. Artist and veteran Buck Musser made the paintings as part of his ongoing mission to recognize local service members who have given their lives.
Mayor Carroll Jones accepted the gifts from Musser on Tuesday at Brunswick City Hall. Copies of the paintings will also hang at the Brunswick Veterans of Foreign Wars hall, Musser said. He donated those and copies to surviving family.
Ralph Ambrose, George Ambrose's brother and only surviving family member, attended the donation ceremony. Tuesday marked the 49th anniversary of the plane crash that took the lives of his brother and cousin. Ralph was 15 at the time. "We started getting telegrams" after the crash, he said, but no official word came until a week or so later when an official military car brought news. Ralph Ambrose said he and his father had seen "the brown car running around town" in search of his family's house and his cousin's. "We knew what it was." Ralph Ambrose and his wife, Lorraine, live not far from the Ninth Avenue home where he and his brother lived.
Jones said the city takes pride in honoring service members: A veterans memorial on A Street and an annual parade are testament. The paintings will be one more tribute. "They'll be in the public area of City Hall," Jones said.
A report from the Battle Monuments Commission states that the crash involving the Ambrose cousins occurred March 23, 1951, between Gander, Newfoundland, and England. A transport aircraft assigned to the 4013th Arms Electrical Maintenance Squadron, 509th Bomber Wing was headed from Newfoundland to Mildenhall Air Base, England. The plane "disappeared about 600 miles from Ireland," killing 53, including Brig. Gen. Paul Cullen, according to the report.
The cousins had joined the service at the same time, Lorraine Ambrose said. At the time of the crash, George Ambrose was 21, and Sterling Ambrose was 19. "They went in together, went down together," she said. "Now they're home." "I just wanted to keep them alive," Musser said. "They've come home on the day they died."
Friday, March 23, 1951 No Trace Of Craft Found In Atlantic
Searchers From Three Nations Join Hunt, Brig. Gen. Cullen Is Believed Passenger
"A giant U.S. Air Force transport plane with 53 persons aboard vanished in fog and rain over the Atlantic Ocean today while en route from the United States to England. One of the passengers was believed to be a brigadier general.
Search and rescue planes from three nations scoured the wind-tossed seas in a thus far fruitless search for some trace of wreckage, survivors or life rafts. Officials at Shannon airport in Ireland said the big plane, a C-124, which is known as the Globemaster radioed at 1 a.m. that it had 52 persons aboard including a VIP (very important person) with the rank of brigadier general . At the time of the report that plane crew gave their position as 800 miles southwest of Ireland.
The plane, of a type used to ferry personnel and supplies across the ocean, was en route to Mildenhall Air Base, Suffolk from the base at Limestone, Maine. At Limestone, the base public information officer confirmed that 53 persons were aboard. British, Irish and U.S. Planes were engaged in the search for the Globemaster, which normally would carry life rafts.
The Royal Air Force control station directing the search operations said the plane carried a Brigadier General Cullens. This report aroused belief that he was Brig. Gen. Paul T. Cullen, deputy commander at Barksdale Field, near Shreveport, Louisiana, who left there Wednesday for a European destination.
The U.S. Third Air Division, headquarters here and the Royal Air Force said they had no information about the number of persons aboard. The British Press association did not announce the source of its information on the number.
Air Force headquarters here and in Washington also would not confirm that General Cullen was on board. American and British search and rescue planes, some carrying lifeboats, combed the area where the plane was last reported, but saw no signs of the missing Globemaster even after it was presumed to have exhausted its gas supply.
That type of plane normally carries its own life rafts, equipped with ample food, water and clothing to enable its passengers to survive for sometime. The search planes reported low ceilings and bad weather in the area.
The missing plane took off from an intermediate stop at Gander, Newfoundland, at 4:20 p.m. (11:20a.m. EST) yesterday and was due at Mildenhall at 5:20p.m. (12:20 a.m.) Today. The first alert was sent out at 3:49a.m. (10:49p.m. EST Thursday) after the craft failed to give further position reports. No information was received from any of the weather ships along the route which the huge craft was supposed to follow.
The C-124, larger, more modern version of the C-74 troop and cargo plane, is capable of transporting more than 200 troops with full field equipment. When fully loaded it can fly about 2,000 miles without refueling."
Roger Vincent
Walter Peterson
"The community was shocked Friday when it became known that Captains Roger Vincent and Walter Peterson were aboard the ill fated plane, the Globemaster, which was reported missing on a flight from Limestone, ME, Air Base to the United States Air Force Base at Mildenhall, England. 53 were aboard the plane.
Captains Peterson and Vincent, both veterans of World War II, had been recalled to active duty on March 10 when they reported at O'Hare field near Chicago for their orders. They were among the 1500 reserves of the 441st Troop Carrier Wing at O'Hare Field to be called. The 441st was activated in June 1949 and the pilots trained on week ends at the field in C-46 transport planes.
The two pilots were assigned to the Strategic Air Command. They were assigned to the air base at Roswell, NM, and given a week for travel time. On Monday they were given orders for overseas duty and on Tuesday evening, Captain Vincent called his wife here to tell her he was going overseas. Captain Peterson's family had gone to his wife's parents home in Amarillo, TX, when it was learned that he would go overseas.
Friday afternoon Mrs. Vincent received official word from the government that her husband was aboard the Globemaster and that she would be informed of further developments. On Sunday she received another telegram stating that the search for the missing plane was being continued. Mrs. Peterson received similar messages in Texas and called her husband's relatives here to tell them the tragic news.
Both pilots had outstanding records in World War II and received the Distinguished flying Cross in recognition. Captain Peterson flew his first thirty missions in the European Theater of operations in a few months and then returned to the States. Later he was sent to the Pacific theater of operations.
Captain Vincent flew 1000 hours over the Hump in the China-Burma-India theater of operations. On returning to Sandwich he established the Sandwich airport and taught many of the people in this area to fly a plane. About two years ago, he became co-owner of the Sandwich Motor Co.
Captain Vincent's wife is the former Bette Scott. They have one daughter, Linda Lea, three years old. His father, Dr. C. S. Vincent, is now in California and one of his sisters, Mrs. Carl Walters, resides here.
Captain Peterson farmed for a year on his return from service and then started to work for the Otto Machine Co. He has two sons, Garry, who is remaining here with the Wm. Walker family until school is out, and Barry, 4, and a little daughter, Marilyn, 2, who are with their mother in Texas. Captain Peterson, a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Albert Peterson, has a brother, Jerome, and three sisters, Mrs. Alvin Miller, Mrs. August Otto, and Mrs. Randall Miller, living in this community, and a sister, Mrs. T. W. Wigton in Aurora.
The giant Globemaster, a C-124 transport, disappeared in fog and rain at 7 p.m. Thursday. It was last heard from in a routine radio report of its position 800 miles southwest of the Irish coast.
The entire community is anxiously awaiting further word concerning these fine young men."
Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri
A Splendid Ceremony: Team Whiteman honors original Striker at Arlington
by Tech. Sgt. Heather Salazar, 509th Bomb Wing
Published October 18, 2021
Seventy years after the disappearance of a C-124 Globlemaster II over the Atlantic Ocean, members of the 509th Bomb Wing honored, U.S. Lt. Col. James I. Hopkins, during a memorial ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
On March 21, 1951, a C-124 Globemaster II commanded by Major Robert J. Bell, 2nd Strategic Support Squadron, departed Walker Air Force Base, New Mexico. Loaded with aircrews and equipment of the 509th Bomber Group, their final destination was RAF Lakenheath, England. The aircraft never made it to England, and the 53 passengers on board were never seen again.
The 509th BW, opened the memorial ceremony with a flyover by a T-38 Talon, from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. "It was an honor to be a part of the memorial service for Lt. Col. Hopkins," said Col. Keith Butler, 509th Operations Group commander. "As our Airman's Creed states, ‘I am faithful to a proud heritage,' being a part of Whiteman Air Force Base is no different. We often say we stand on the shoulders of the great men and women who have paved the way for us. Without the contributions of Lt. Col. Hopkins, we would not be who we are, America's premier bomb wing capable of executing our mission anytime, anywhere."
Hopkins was a Maj. at the time of the atomic missions. During which he piloted the Big Stink, a B-29 Superfortress, the aircraft assigned to photograph the atomic bomb mission against Nagasaki.
Following World War II, Hopkins stayed with the 509th BG at Walker AFB. Which is where some of his family's favorite memories stemmed from. "While we were stationed [there] after the war, my father deployed to England for three months," said James K. Hopkins, Lt. Col. Hopkins' son. "When he returned, my mother, sister and I went to greet him at the base. When dad landed his plane, the bomb bay doors opened and out dropped a brand new English bicycle. I'm pretty sure that wasn't allowed, but I loved it anyway."
Hopkins was later promoted to Chief of Personnel for U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. Eventually, ending up temporarily assigned to the SAC staff at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was during this assignment that Hopkins boarded a plane that would become part of the largest air and sea search up to that time.
After picking up members of the 509th Bomber Group at Walker AFB, the C-124 stopped at Barksdale AFB and picked up Cullen and his staff, including Hopkins. According to the Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives, approximately 800 miles southwest of Ireland the C-124 gave out a Mayday call, reporting a fire in the cargo crates. The 509th BG element stationed in England launched a B-29 to search for survivors. While the survivors were reportedly located, the B-29 was unequipped to aid in the rescue. By the time the first rescue craft reached the area 19 hours later, no one could be found.
A headstone was placed for Hopkins in his hometown of Palestine, Texas, in 1951. Last year, Hopkins started the 18-month process to have his father honored at Arlington. "A few years ago I learned about the mystery surrounding the C-124 crash that claimed my father and 52 other men," said Hopkins. "He is now the fifth person from the crash to have a headstone at Arlington. Having my father honored at Arlington means that he won't be forgotten."
On Sept. 30, four members assigned to the 509th BW had the honor to witness the ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, recognizing Hopkins sacrifice and commemorating his contributions to the 509th BW.
"It was a splendid ceremony, my family and I really appreciated all of the effort that everyone put into it. My father loved flying, serving his country, and he had loved being in the 509th Bomber Group," said Hopkins. "The 509th Bomb Wing's participation cements my connection with the past and I am grateful my father's story is being told."
C-119B Flying Boxcar transport (#48-345) served with the 62nd Troop Carrier Squadron, 314th Troop Carrier Group based at Ashiya Air Base, Japan. On March 29, 1951, while on a mission, the right engine fell off the plane and the aircraft crash-landed about six miles south of Hongchon, Korea. There were five crew members onboard. Maj. Maurice Johnson, the pilot, stayed at the controls until all crewmen had safely bailed out. He was the only person killed in the crash. A USMC Bell HTL-4 helicopter participated in the successful Search and Rescue effort. The KWE would like to know the names of the four crew members who survived this crash. To add information to this page contact us.
Fatality
Johnson, Maj. Maurice - Born November 14, 1920, son of Beacher Jones Johnson (1890-1975) and Minnie B. Efird Johnson (1892-1921). His siblings were Hassel B. Johnson (1913-1974) and Mrs. Lynn Howard (Jackie Hortense Johnson) Lindahl (1917-1974). Major Johnson is buried at Restland Memorial Park, Dallas, Texas.
Forty-three passengers and crew members were killed when a Cuban airliner collided with a Navy plane on April 25, 1951. The Navy plane was participating in an instrument training flight. Both planes crashed into the ocean and there were no survivors.
Further information about this tragedy can be found in a UP article entitled, "Airliner and Navy Plane Collide; 43 Persons Die", St. Petersburg, FL, April 26, 1951, p. 1 - KEY WEST — (UP) — "A Cuban airliner and a Navy plane practicing "blind" flying rammed together in a cloudless sky over Key West yesterday and 43 persons perished when the two shattered aircraft plummeted into the ocean. There were no survivors. Thirty-four passengers, including 28 North Americans, and a Cuban crew of five went down with the Cubana Airlines DC-6 in 80 feet of water within sight of hundreds of horrified bathers in Key West's public beach. Four Navy flyers perished in their twin-engined Beechcraft which fluttered into the ocean "like a falling leaf," an observer said...."
Bardsley, Eugene Samuel (co-pilot) - Eugene was born October 15, 1930 in Spokane, Washington, a son of Samuel Paul Bardsley (1902-1952) and Leah Eugenia Stiefel Bardsley (1906-1990). His siblings were Paul William Bardsley (1929-2008), Leon Joel Bardsley (1932-2020), Stephen Jerome Bardsley (1941-2020) and Sandra Bardsley.
Gasser, Alfred LeRoy (aviation radioman 1c) - Alfred was born February 27, 1926 in Sauk County, Wisconsin, a son of Martin Charles Gasser (1908-1968) and Margaret E. LeSage Gasser (1906-1988). His siblings were LeRoy Leonard "Smokey" Gasser (1928-1997), Thomas M. Gasser (1930-2004), Phillip A. Gasser (1932-2018), Jeanette Gasser Klang, and Charles J. Gasser (1934-2010).
Ready, Francis Lavelle (midshipman) - Francis was from Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island.
Stuart, Lt.jg. Robert Lawlor (co-pilot) - Robert was born May 03, 1922 in Newton, Massachusetts, the son of Vincent Cyril Stuart (1895-1946). He married Rebecca Arlney Berlin Bell (1924-1992) in 1948. Their children were Kathryn A. "Kathy" Stuart and Barbara "Bobbi" Stuart Martz.
Click HERE to read the Accident Investigation Report put out by the Civil Aeronautics Board, October 22, 1951.
Lt. Col. William N. Hensley died as the result of a Thunderbolt jet crash near Cleveland, Texas, on May 10, 1951. Lieutenant Colonel Hensley was a veteran of World War II. He led his B-29 Superfortress from the Marianas to northern Japan on the longest bombing mission during World War II, 4,400 miles. During the Korean War he was stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. On May 10, 1951 he was in a Thunderbolt jet aircraft on a practice mission, when his engine flamed out and the aircraft crashed near Cleveland, Texas.
Fatality
Hensley, LT COL William N. - William N. Hensley was born on 14 August 1918 in Pasadena, California, son of William Nicholas Hensley (1881-1929) and Matie Maynard Hensley (1890-1971). He graduated as the valedictorian of his law class at Cumberland University at age twenty. He taught at Cumberland until he was old enough to take the Texas bar exams in 1939, which he passed with the highest grades ever achieved.
He enlisted in the Army's Enlisted Reserve Corps in 1937. He was commissioned in 1941 and received his pilot rating. He was called to active duty immediately after Pearl Harbor, and by 1944 was promoted to Major. He was shipped to Guam where he commanded the 16th Bombardment Squadron and led bombing missions against Japan, flying 105 combat hours and receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, numerous other awards and decorations and was credited with participating in four major campaigns. He was released from active duty in 1946.
On 1 January 1947 he became the District Attorney for Bexar County and that same year he helped to organize the 182d Fighter Squadron as its commander. His unit was called to active duty during the Korean Conflict and he underwent F-84E training at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. While en-route back to Langley from San Antonio, his plane crashed and burned just north of Houston, Texas on 10 May 1951. His dedication to duty and faith was symbolized by the small Bible and Texas flag found in his pocket at the scene of the crash. He was honored by having Hensley Field and the Hensley Hangar of the 149th Tactical Fighter Group dedicated to his memory. Lieutenant Colonel Hensley married Patricia A. "Pat" Lundgren. Born 1927 and died 2017, Pat later married Robert A. Hollingsworth (1925-2016). William and Pat are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
On 23 May 1951, a C-124 Globemaster crashed in a field near New Castle, Indiana, during an experimental flight originating from Wright-Patterson AFB. One hour after leaving the base, two of the four propellers on the huge aircraft reversed pitch, causing it to lose altitude. As the pilot attempted an emergency landing, the C-124 clipped several trees, which "caused the plane to hit the earth with such violence that parts of the plane were strewn over a charred and churned path several hundred feet long before it finally came to rest right side up." The plane burst into flames, and firefighters were stationed at the scene throughout the night attempting to keep an intact fuel tank from exploding. The twelve personnel on board were assigned to the Air Development Force at Wright-Patterson. There were five survivors and seven fatalities.
The tragedy of this experimental flight was underscored by the main headline over a photograph of the crash on the front page of the New Castle Courier: "Allies Smash Across 38th." The crash of an experimental aircraft was a reminder that the dangers of war were not just in combat. Many men and women gave their lives for the cause at home as well.
Manifest
Fatalities:
Baughn, Vivien Paul - Buried in Washington Cemetery, Fayette County, Ohio. See newspaper article, "Two Local Men Killed in Fiery Plane Crash". Motion picture sound technician Air Development Command; born June 16, 1906, Fayette County, Ohio, son of Werter Stanley and Audry L. Brock Baughn; husband of Donna S. Straley; father of David Lee Baughn and Beverly Baughn.)
Blair, Capt. Francis M. - Buried in Highland Lawn Cemetery, Terre Haute, Indiana. Observer; born July 2, 1914; veteran of World War II)
Hellmuth, Robert L. - Buried in St. Bernard Cemetery. See newspaper article, "Two Local Men Killed in Fiery Plane Crash". Technician & mechanical engineer in the vibrations testing division at Wright-Patterson AFB; born February 4, 1922, in Springfield, Ohio, son of Mrs. Andrew A. Hellmuth; brother of Andrew L., Paul, and Mary Rita Hellmuth; World War II veteran who participated in the liberation of the Philippines, discharged late in 1946.)
Holm, Harold R, Jr. - Equipment engineer
Say, John R. - Buried in St. Johns Catholic Cemetery, Delphos, Allen County, Ohio. Civilian sound technician; born January 26, 1918; husband of Jane Deffenbaugh.
Shady, M/Sgt. Donald L. - Flight engineer; son of Oscar L. and Josephine O. Baker Shady, Ft. Wayne, IN
Varnum, Capt. Richard B. - Buried in Ronan Cemetery, Ronan, Montana. Wife Fern L. and daughters Nancy Lynn and Judy; World War II veteran with 50 missions as a medium bomber pilot in the Italian campaign; born August 12, 1921.
[KWE Note: Due to copyright issues, we leave it up to our readers to locate the following news articles. Our thanks to the Clark County and Henry County Historical Societies for telling us about them.]
Rome News-Tribune, May 24, 1951 - "7 Die in Crash of Globemaster, New Castle, IN" - May 24 "The Air Force today studied a pilot's harrowing account of how his giant Globemaster cargo plane crashed and burned near New Castle, killing seven and injuring five others aboard. The huge 110-ton craft--an experimental plane capable of carrying 200 equipped infantrymen--exploded in flight yesterday and terrified onlookers who watched it plummet to the ground in flames. Capt. John M. Christianson, the pilot who climbed out of the wreckage unaided with four other survivors, said the 4-engine plane developed mechanical difficulties when he tried to crash-land. He explained: "I went to the nearest open field but was unable to clear a growth of trees."....
New Castle Courier Times, Newcastle, Indiana, May 1951 - "Two Local Men Killed in Fiery Plane Crash"....
New Castle Courier Times (May 1951), Newcastle, Indiana - "Falls Here, Burns. Seven, Maybe Eight, Lose Lives in Fiery Crash SE of City. Big Ship Barely Misses Farmhouse, Then Rips Littered Path Into Field." "Seven, and possibly eight men met flaming death at 10:30 o'clock this morning as a big C-124 army cargo plane crashed southeast of Newcastle. The huge, four-motored ship clipped off a television antenna on a farm house, tore the top out of a tree in the front yard, then plowed on for more than a quarter of a mile, uprooting and snapping off trees and scattering flaming wreckage along its path. The plane was one hour out of Wright field, Dayton, on an experimental mission...."
New Castle Courier Times, May 24, 1951, "Plane Crash Death Toll is Seven; Five Others Alive". "The toll of dead is established today at seven in the crash of the air force C-124 yesterday on the George Ball farm, five miles southeast of New Castle. One of the five survivors remained in a critical condition today in the Henry County hospital. One of the pilots, who survived, yesterday said 13 had been aboard the plane, leading to the belief there might be eight dead....."
New Castle Courier Times, May 24, 1951, "Fire Flares From Wreck Again In Night. Firefighters, Others Get Long Workout." "Fire broke out again last night at about 8:30 in what was left of the big C-1224 transport plane which crashed west of New Lisbon yesterday morning. New Castle's fire department put out the blaze in the remaining motor with 100 gallons of water and what remaining foam they had left. The department also shoveled dirt on the fire when its water ran out. Keeping the remaining 3,000 gallons of gasoline from exploding resulted in a long day for New Castle's, New Lisbon's and Lewisville's fire departments. The local department arrived at the scene of the tragedy about 10:45 a.m. and stayed until 9:15 p.m....."
On June 03, 1951, a C-119B (#48-350) was hit in the tail by friendly artillery fire, causing the plane to crash into C-119B (#49-123) about three miles from Inje. Both aircrafts were involved in a supply mission consisting of ammunition to be dropped in the Inje District. While approaching the drop zone side by side, #48-350 was accidently fired upon by U.S. artillery, causing the plane to go out of control, hit the other, and send both planes crashing to the ground. Six crew onboard 49-123 were killed and four persons onboard 48-350 were killed in the collision. Both planes were sent to the combat zone in Korea from Stewart Air Base, Smyrna, Tennessee. To add information to this page, contact us.
Fatalities - #49-123
Beck, Cpl. Jack Alden ("kicker") - Born on July 27, 1929, Jack was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph L. Beck of Dayton, Ohio. He is buried in a common grave with S/Sgt. Winfred Morgan in Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky.
Bonner, 1Lt. James William (co-pilot) - James was born on May 14, 1927 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He was a son of Robert Addison Bonner (1900-1993) and Edna M. Larkin Bonner (1901-1975). His siblings were Robert Addison Bonner Jr. (1925-1983) and Addie Marie Parran (Mrs. Thomas Parran Jr. 1924-1997).
Cook, 1Lt. David Leon - David was born December 14, `927 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, a son of Andrew James Cook (1890-1975) and Lena Capps Cook (1894-1961). His siblings were George Stacy Cook (1914-1989), Mrs. Willie Scott McRae (Ruby Cook - 1916-2003), Dewey James Cook (1918-1970), Robert Herman Cook (1921-1967), Andrew Garland Cook (1923-1992), Annie Ruth Cook (1928-1997), and Jeanne Cook Carlette (1933-1983). David is buried in Galatia Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Fayetteville.
Dorsey, SSgt. Carl James "Mick" (engineer) - Mick was born on January 2, 1925, and was 26 years old when he was killed in the crash. He was the husband of Mary Emrick Dorsey and the son of Hugh E. Dorsey (1886-1954) and Mae Lawler Dorsey (1888-1966) of Pennsylvania. His siblings were Georgina Dorsey Warner (1920=2003), John B. Dorsey (1922-2015), and Tom Dorsey. Two letters that Mick wrote home to his family survived and can be found on the KWE's Letters From the War Zone: The Carl J. Dorsey Letters.
Morgan, SSgt. Winfred O. (pilot) - Winfred was born September 24, 1922, a son of Alfred Leo Morgan (1889-1979) and Ida A. Simpson Morgan (1898-1990). There were 11 children in his family, including siblings Arthur Mitchell Morgan (1936-2019), Kenneth Lee Morgan (1939-2019), Coleman Emanuel Morgan (1911-1987), Myrna Barry, Mary Tuck, Frances Burney, Dorothy Rhymer, Lane Morgan and Arthur Morgan. Winfred is buried in a common grave with Cpl. Jack Alden Beck in Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky.
Sherman, 2Lt. Harry H. Jr. "kicker" - Born October 8, 1925, Harry was the son of Harry H. Sherman Sr. and the husband of Marie Bleuher Sherman (1929-2018). Marie later married Harlan L. Kimball. Harry and Marie had a daughter, Jayne Sherman (Mrs. Rex Howard Just). Harry is memorialized in Forest View Cemetery, Winsted, Connecticut. Harry had a sister.
Fatalities - #48-350
Alexander, Sgt. Floyd N. - Member of 8247th Port Agency - passenger - Born May 5, 1929 in Gilsum, Belknap County, New Hampshire, Floyd was a son of Carl B. Alexander Sr. (1897-1973) and Emma Viola Brown Alexander (1906-1946). He enlisted in the military in August of 1947, spent three and a half years in Japan, and then was sent to Korea. He was in that country for eight weeks before he was killed in the plane crash. He attended schools in Gilsum and Roosevelt and Franklin Jr. High Schools in Keene. His siblings were Carl B. Alexander Jr. and Frances Pauline Alexander (Mrs. Lorne Glenn Sherwood 1932-1956). Floyd is memorialized in Woodland Cemetery, Keene, New Hampshire.
Anderson, 1Lt. Eric W. (pilot) - Eric was born August 29, 1l922, son of World War I veteran Eric W. Anderson Sr. (1892-1938) and Cora F. Hume Anderson (18910-1989). He was survived by his wife, Mrs. Frances Anderson of Nashville. Eric and his parents are buried in Nashville National Cemetery, Madison, Tennessee.
Gilbert, 1Lt. John Mason - John Gilbert was born November 2, 1927, and was from Rochester, New York when he enlisted. He was the husband of Kathryn Gilbert of Iraan, Texas. He is buried in San Antonio National Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas.
Rich, SSgt. Houston Ned Rich (flight engineer) - Houston was born March 29, 1927, in Wilmington, North Carolina. He is buried in Wilmington National Cemetery, Wilmington. He was the husband of Marie Rich. He was a World War II and Korean War veteran.
On June 14, 1951, a twin-engine Navy PBY twin-engine Catalina patrol plane was on a training mission when it crashed and burned in a marsh about a mile and a half from an auxiliary field along the St. Johns River between Jacksonville and Green Cove Springs, Florida. A witness aid the plane's wheels were down as if it was coming in for a landing. It had reported no trouble. The nine persons aboard were part of a squadron called to active duty from a Jacksonville reserve unit about three months prior to the accident. Two were injured and seven were killed.
[Source: Panama City News Herald (Florida), June 15, 1951]
Fatalities
Jones, Aviation Ordnance Airman Turner Eugene - Gene was born November 24, 1928. The husband of Mrs. Shirley Turner Jones, Brooksville, Florida, he is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Inverness, Florida.
Kee, Lt. Comdr. Lester Clinton - Lester was born December 13, 1913 in Huntingdon, Tennesse, a son of Grover Cleveland Lee (1886-1954) and Vergia G. Gregson Kee (1890-1950). He was the husband of Mrs. Pauline Bowen Kee, formerly of Perth, Australia. They had a daughter, Karen Kee. Commander Kee had sisters Mary Katherine Kee West, Mattie Lee Kee O'Brien (1916-1993) and a brother, John S. Kee (1919-1989). Commander Kee is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Huntingdon, Tennessee.
Logwood, Aviation Radioman Third Class James Alexander Jr. - James was born April 27, 1924, in Savannah, Georgia, the son of James Alexander Sr. and Lurene Welch Logwood, Jacksonville, Florida. James is buried in Riverside Memorial Park, Jacksonville, Florida.
Stewart, Airman William Fred - "Freddy" was born May 16, 1931 in Jefferson County, Kentucky, the son of William Everett Stewart (1901-1965) and Eva Harris. He was survived by his stepmother, Jewell Harston Stewart (1917-2002), his half sister, Marilyn Kay Stewart Helton (1954-2024) and step-sister, Miss Barbara Jean Priddy. William is buried in Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky.
Trower, Aviation Mechanic Third Class Milton - Milton was born June 07, 1924 in Ancon, Panama, the son of James D. Tower of Coral Gables, Florida. The husband of Mrs. Louise Elizabeth Moore Trower, Jacksonville, Florida, they were married in 1947. Mrs. Trower (1928-2017) later was Mrs. Joe Carlucci and then Mrs. Israel McCreight. Milton is buried in Oaklawn Cemetery, Jacksonville, Florida.
Walizer, Aviation Mechanic First Class Clair Meek - Clair was born August 24, 1916 in Julian, Pennsylvania, a son of Rheuben D. Walizer (1870-1921) and Emma Straw Waslizer (later Mrs. Isaac Holt) (1874-1954). He married Sara Emily Huggins (1922-2016) on April 01, 1945, and they were parents of Clair Meek Walizer Jr. (1945-2022) and Pamela Ann Walizer, 18 months old at the time of the crash. His siblings were Raymond Rueben Walizer (1910-1970), Mrs. Ray Shawyer and Mrs. Adelbert Fithian. Clair graduated from Bellafonte High School, attended diesel school in Pittsburgh, and worked in the steel mills at Youngtown, Ohio, before joining the military. He served on the USS California prior to World War II, was at Alameda Naval Air Station for six months, and then at Pearl Harbor for half a year. He was in Hawaii for 32 months service. Clair is buried in Old Johnsonville Cemetery, Johnsonville, South Carolina.
Worley, Lt. Commander Lee Brown Jr. - Lee was born June 06, 1916 in Bryson, Tennessee, the son of Lee Brown Worley Sr. (1884-1937) and Lela Young Worley (1881-1963. In 1943 he married Eva Marie Dickinson. His sister was Mrs. Melvin M. (Ruby Maye Worley) Thweatt (1908-1978). Commander Worley is buried in Riverside Memorial Park, Jacksonville, Florida.
Injured
Barnett, Apprentice Airman John Dabbs - Clifton Forge, Virginia
Jones, Lt. (jg.) Ralph Howell - Atlantic Beach, Florida
This aircraft hit a ditch on landing, resulting in an aircraft fire. There was one fatality, Lt. B.W. Sevier. Dewey Mawson (VP2 1950-52), a member of the crew, remembers the following:
"Unckefure (I can't remember how to spell his name) and I were assigned to lower the depth charges from a plane returning from Adak. A wide ditch had been excavated across the end of the runway with the dirt piled on the side closest to the road. We thought it was odd that it wa left like that with no warning signs or flagging. We could see where planes had crossed over the road and to the clearing beyond, maybe about 50 yards. We were waiting in a small shack with the two men who were to take the charges to storage. The plane came down through the clouds, landed and immediately used reverse pitch. We commented that they did not have much runway left. The plane went behind the low hills and we lost sight of it. The we saw the smoke. We arrived at the same time as a Marine. The plane was parallel and right over the ditch, pointing to the left. Some of the crew was just outside the plane and the first words I heard was Chester Mclain yelling, "Dewey, where the hell's the meat wagon.
There was about a two foot space between the ditch and the plane. Chief ?? was lying on his back at the edge of the ditch. He yelled at us to get him away before the plane blew up. We pulled him along the ground by his parachute harness to where I had parked the truck. We were watching the crash crew at the front of the plane trying to get to the cockpit. Someone said "I hope the 20's don't start going off.
Then I was asked to why didn't I take the Chief to the hospital. I said that I wouldn't take anyone unless they could walk. Then Robert Houck got in and said "Take me." I made a mistake and drove around the plane where all the smoke was and I couldn't see a thing - thought I was going to hit something. Bob didn't look too bad, but he was complaining about his leg. At the hospital, I was watching the nurse as she was cutting Bob's pants leg when she said that I had better leave. The fire had gone up Bob's leg and it had to be amputated. If I remember right, there wasn't much left of the plane, only the wing tips and tail section. I wonder if the pilot go any commendation for probably saving the lives of his crew. He came out of the clouds to a short runway, then the base of the mountain was ahead of him, then that ditch the should not have been. I guess at the last instant he went to this left and skidded into the ditch. I went to the hospital that evening - Bob and the Chief were asleep. I don't remember if anyone else was there. I only remember two members of the crew - Chester Mclain, Ordnanceman, and Robert Houck. Recently, I found out that Phillip Warren was also a crewman on that ship." [Source: Patrol Squadron Two website - http://www.patron2.com/index.html]
Fatality
Sevier, LT Ben Wyly (Black) - Lieutenant Sevier was born November 18, 1925, a son of Gilbert J. Sevier Sr. (1894-1965) and Romie Helen Stiles Black Sevier (1899-1987). He was married to the former Mary Frances Carter and they had three children. He was the brother of Gilbert Joe Sevier (1930-2022) and Miss Marian Sevier. He attended Arlington Heights High School for three years, graduating from Midland High School. He attended Texas A&M College before entering military service. He is buried in Resthaven Memorial Park, Midland, Texas.
F-94 #50-873A was in flight over Cape Cod when its engine flamed out at 3:30 p.m. and crashed near Peters Pond in Sandwich, Massachusetts. The pilot ejected, but was killed when his chute failed to open. The radar observer ejected safely and landed in a wooded area. Accident report: "On the afternoon of July 12, 1951, Lieutenant’s Clapp and Aaron took off from Otis Air Force Base for a training flight to practice “ground controlled approach” (GCA) landing procedures. Their F-94 (#50-873A) carried a full load of fuel, but was not equipped with external wing tanks. After making two successful landings, the pilot attempted a third. As the F-94 approached Otis AFB intending to land on runway 23, it “flamed out” and crashed in a wooded area about 150 yards to the east of Mill Road, and south of Route 6. This location is gleaned from the official air force crash investigation report, and contradicts the vague locations given to the press, which was likely done for security reasons and to prevent souvenir hunters from converging on the site. " [Source: Air Force Crash Investigation Report #51-7-12-1]
Fatality
Clapp, 1Lt. Victor - Born December 29, 1923 in Boston, Massachusetts, he was the son of Harold Evans Clapp (1890-1948) and Helen Atwood Clapp (1883-1967. His brother was Robert Evans Clapp (1921-1992). He was married to Dorothy Elaine Bond Britt Clapp (later Silva) (1923-2005). He was also survived by two children. He was a veteran of World War II, receiving his pilot's wings March 2, 1944. He had recently been re-activated for active duty due to the Korean War. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Acton, Massachusetts.
Survivor
Jones, 2Lt. Aaron M. Jr. - He was from Newtonville, Massachusetts.
The Canadian Pacific Airlines flew more than 700 airlifts for the United States Army during the Korean War. On one of those airlifts, a four-engine DC-4 Canadian Pacific Air Lines aircraft vanished en route from Vancouver to Tokyo on July 21, 1951. Among the lost were two stewardesses from Vancouver, two Canadian sailors from the Royal Canadian Navy, four other Canadian crew members, and 29 US Army/Air Force personnel. Since the outbreak of the Korean War, the Korean airlift had flown 87 million miles. This Canadian Pacific Airliner was the first to meet disaster during the airlift operation, but in the nine previous years some 112 persons and 16 planes had vanished in the Alaskan wilderness and Brabazon mountain range.
When the plane was 90 minutes out from its stopover in Anchorage, Alaska, it was on schedule, but it soon hit bad weather. There was heavy rain, icing conditions and visibility was only 500 feet. The plane reported its position off Cape Spencer, about 80 miles west of Juneau, at 12:17 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. The aircraft had a five-hour fuel supply. That report was the last anyone heard from the pilot or crew. For several hours after the plane disappeared, there was a weak radio signal that might or might not have come from the plane. By early Saturday evening the signal had stopped. By the next day, when the plane failed to arrived at its next destination or report in, officials knew the plane was down. There would not have been enough fuel to keep it in the air longer than six hours.
An extensive search involving both U.S. and Canadian aircraft began. Twenty-one planes from the US and Canada, as well as U.S. Coast Guard surface vessels in Alaska searched for the missing plane. Five U.S. B-17s, equipped with lifeboats that could be dropped by parachute, searched a 300-mile area from Cape Spencer west to Middleton Island. According to The Daily Province newspaper in Canada, another group of aircraft searched a 150 mile area south of Yakutat and 40 miles inland, while a third group searched the coast between Cape Spencer and Yakutat. Two Coast Guard cutters patrolled the beaches. The United States Air Force and Royal Canadian Air Force continued to carry out an extensive search for three months, but failed to find any trace of the aircraft or its occupants. The search was finally called off on October 31, 1951.
To this day, no trace of the DC-4 has yet to be found. According to the brother of plane passenger Everett Swarms, there were two theories about what might have happened to the plane. Charles Swarms told the KWE, "One theory was that if the plane was on course, as it was the last time that it was heard from, the plane would have been over the water when it disappeared and sank if it went down. Nobody could survive in that frigid water for even an hour. The other possibility is that the plane might have been flying over mountains on the other side of the bay when it disappeared. At the plane's last reading, it was flying at 9,000 feet. But there were mountains on the other side of the bay that were 14,000 feet high. The plane could have crashed into them and been buried in snow. A lot of planes have disappeared in that area."
In late June of 2015, the Korean War Educator received a request for information about this ill-fated flight from Robin Sloan, cousin of passenger Sgt. John W. Russ of Middletown, Pennsylvania. The result is this page of the KWE, opened June 29, 2015. The KWE is seeking information about all of the men and women who were lost on this flight--both American and Canadian. Photographs of these men and women are also welcome. Contact us.
Update #1: Researcher Alan Hyatt found indications of a likely aircraft wreckage on GoogleEarth. He believes the wreckage could be that of this missing aircraft and reported his findings to the KWE in June 2017. He would like any family members of the plane's passengers or crew to get in touch with him.
Update #2: Robin Sloan wrote to the KWE in February 2020: "It has been a while since we have been in contact when I asked you about locating a B.H. Hyatt. Well I wanted to fill you in what has transpired so far. I did find Alan Hiatt (he used his wife's initials) thru James Fox who has a FB page called B-24 Wreck near Grado Italy. Mr. Hyatt than put me in touch with Tonja Anderson-Dell who has written a book called "Gifts from a Glacier- the Quest for an American Flag and 52 Souls" that she wrote regarding the hunt for her Grandfather's military airplane that crashed in Alaska November 22, 1952 heading for Anchorage, Alaska. She has been a great help finding information to fill in the details. We have a FB page called Missing Canadian Pacific Airlines Douglas DC-4 that contains pictures of the site that Alan Hiatt has found of the possible crash site and unclassified info on the crash. We have also found relatives of two of the passengers- Roseann Karmilowicz- 2nd cousin of PFC Ralph Walter Taylor of Ellwood City, Pa (her father was his 1st cousin) and Cheryl Hersey Starr, whose uncle was Vernon E. Hersey (Civilian) from Mitchell SD. One of our followers is a Michael Rocereta who is an aviation archeologist and has an interest in doing a fly over in the future. He has been working with Ms. Anderson-Dell looking for other sites in the same area. And all this started with a simple question to you many years ago. Thank you for your wonderful article and the updates you continue to add to the story. I will keep you updated on any more revelations that may occur."
Update #3: The KWE received a phone call from Lou Sapinenza on May 17, 2021. Affiliated with the Fallen American Veterans Foundation (website: favf.us), Lou updated us on the newest effort to locate the DC-4. He told us that over the years various airplanes have disappeared in Alaska. One was the DC-4 that is the subject of this page. Another missing plane was a twin-engine Cessna 310 that was carrying Democrat members of the US House of Representatives Thomas Hale Boggs Sr. from Louisiana and Nicholas Joseph Begich of Alaska, both en route to a fundraiser for Begich. Also onboard were Begich's aid, Russell Brown, and the pilot, Don Jonz. (Boggs was the father of political journalist Cokie Roberts.) Their plane went missing on October 16, 1972. Neither the plane nor wreckage was located, and neither were the four men in the plane.
Lou told us that in the 1970s an anomalie was accidentally detected in the waters of the Gulf of Alaska. A scan showed an object in the shape of a cross, indicating that it could be the body and wings of an airplane. The shape seemed to be too large for a twin-engine airplane. The Fallen American Veterans Foundation is currently negotiating for a scientific survey ship to study the anomaly. Lou said that the Foundation is hoping for this activity to take place in the summer or fall of 2021. He also told us that if the anomaly is, indeed, an airplane, it is at a depth in which recovery might be possible. Visit the Fallen American Veterans Foundation for more updates.
"Canadian Pacific Railway Company purchased ten bush airlines in a short time span, finishing with the purchase of Canadian Airways in 1942, to form Canadian Pacific Air Lines. Early management were largely bush flying pioneers, including president Grant McConachie, superintendent Punch Dickins, and Wop May, who would become a repair depot manager in Calgary. Canadian Pacific Air Lines operated from 1942 to 1987. It operated under the name CP Air from 1968 to 1986. Based at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, it served Canadian and international routes until it was purchased and absorbed into Canadian Airlines." - [Source: Project Gutenberg Self-Publishing Press website]
"N88933, Douglas DC-4 (Douglas C-54 Skymaster), Clipper Winged Racer, notes: C/n 10327, originally delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force as a Douglas C-54A-10-DC Skymaster, Serial Number 42-72222, on 15 June 1944. On the same day it was transferred to the U. S. Navy as an R5D-1, Bureau Number 39174. It was then returned to the Douglas Aircraft Company on 28 June 1946, converted to civil DC-4 specifications, and purchased by Pan Am in 29 May 1947. Pan Am sold this DC-5 back to the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1950, who in turn sold it to Canadian Pacific Air Lines, registered CF-CPC. On 21 July 1951, this Skymaster crashed while flying the Sitka to Yakutat section, and was presumably written off." - [Source: Logbook Magazine]
The missing on this DC-4 aircraft included nine Canadian crew members and 29 U.S. passengers, all but three of whom were in the U.S. military. The 29 Americans on board were either returning for duty in Japan or being sent there as replacements. Research indicates that many of the passengers were from the Pennsylvania area and other points east of Pennsylvania. The names of the lost souls on the plane are listed below.
May They Never Be Forgotten
Borge, Pfc. Daniel (Air Force), 20, Providence, RI - He was a radar technician on his way to a new post in Japan with the 1705th Air Transport Wing. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Isadore Borge of East Providence, Rhode Island, he was born in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and came to Providence with his parents when he was six years old. Isadore Borge died in 1982. Daniel attended high school in Litchfield, which is where he joined the Air Force in 1949. His brother Edward Patrick Borge (1933-2011) was a PFC in the Marine Corps at the time of Daniel's plane's disappearance. Edward was a patient in the Philadelphia Naval Hospital recovering from injuries he suffered in an accident at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Daniel Borge left behind not only his parents and brother, but also a fiancee who resided in Litchfield, Connecticut. [KWE Note: This information was provided in newspaper accounts sent to the KWE by the Providence Public Library.]
Clark, S/Sgt. Leroy S. (Air Force) - San Diego, CA - Leroy was born in Kansas in 1914 and was the son of Mrs. Ruby Carter. He was the husband of Jennett Clark. He had two daughters, Joyce and Kay. He had been in the Army for 16 years, having enlisted on September 22, 1945. During World War II he was stationed at Hammer Field. He was a radar instructor. Leroy attended schools in Kansas before joining the military.
Clauson, Glen R. (Civilian) - Seattle, WA - Twenty-eight year old Clauson was born July 25, 1922 in King, Washington, the son of Clarence Clauson (1888-1963) and Selma Ida Lee Clauson (1889-1972). A graduate of Queen Anne and the University of Washington, he served as a naval intelligence officer during the Second World War and was on government business in Japan during the Korean War. A Navy Lieutenant, he was a Japanese interpreter during the war. While studying at the U of Washington he was chosen as a Fulbright scholar. He was a civilian employee of the Air Force. He was married to Mary Carolyn Luther (later Pruefer) in 1943. Carolyn was born in 1923 and died in 2005. They were parents of a daughter Christine. Glen's brother was Richard L. Clauson.
Cobbs, Cpl. James Lynwood (Air Force) - Maidens, VA - James was born on August 24, 1931 in Nelson County, Virginia, a son of Hamilton T. and Dell Turpin Cobbs. He graduated from Goochland County High School in 1948. His sibling (still living in 2022) was Thomas Richard Cobbs.
Dann, S/Sgt. Thomas J. (Air Force) - Beowawe, NV - Thomas Dann was the oldest child of eight children born to Dewey Dann (1898-1969) and Sophia Dick Dann (1898-1971) of Crescent Valley, Nevada. He was born in Beowawe, Nevada on September 19, 1919, and raised on the family farm. As a member of the Shoshone Indian tribe, he attended the Stewart Indian School near Carson City, Nevada. During World War II he enlisted in the military. Following the war he returned to the family ranch. He didn't like ranching, so he re-enlisted in the Air Force. He was stationed in Alaska during the Korean War, and was one of the passengers on the Canadian Pacific Airliner that disappeared over Alaska in July of 1951. He was the second person in his family whose life was sacrificed for his country. His cousin, Frank Murphy, was missing in action in an airplane loss in the Pacific during World War II. Thomas had siblings: Mary Dann (1923-2005), Richard D. Dann (1925-2006), infant Dewey Dann (1930-1930), Mrs. Russell (Iris Dann) Steve, Clifford Dann (still living in 2015), Mrs. Harvey (Carrie Dann) Knight (still living in 2015), and Jimmy Dann (deceased). Thomas has numerous Dann kin in Nevada, including his first cousin, Barbara Ridley of Elko, who helped supply information for Thomas' bio on the Korean War Educator. Thomas' sisters, Carrie and Mary Dann, are well-known Shoshone activists in the Western Shoshone Defense Project.
Davis, S/Sgt. Robert B. (Air Force) - Seattle, WA - Born in Washington, he was the husband of Barbara S. Davis.
Dressel, Cpl. Edward Weston (Air Force) - Belpre, OH - Edward was born April 15, 1931, son of Frederick Dressel and Alice Lovell Dressel (1902-1933). There is a memorial marker for Corporal Dressel in Rockland Cemetery, Belpre, Ohio.
Gayle, Capt. John Stuart (Army) - Rehoboth Beach, DE - At the time of the plane's disappearance, Captain Gayle's address was listed as Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. John Stuart Gayle was always known to his family and friends as Jack. Born 7 November 1924 in Denver, Colorado, Jack's father, Lester T. Gayle Jr., was a Virginia Military Institute graduate and had served on active duty in World War I. Jack's parents divorced when he was young, and his mother was remarried to Navy Captain Charles Tozer. Thus, Jack was raised as a Navy “junior." At Coronado High School Jack was a mainstay of the school's athletic programs. He played end on both offense and defense on the 1940 football team, which was unbeaten and allowed only six points all season. He also played basketball, ran track and was sports editor of the school paper. Arriving at Coronado about that time was Mary Lynn Pratt, whose Navy father had wired his family from the Philippines to leave Honolulu immediately and get to CONUS. Thus Mary Lynn met Jack Gayle, a relationship that was to lead to marriage.
A friend and fellow Navy “junior," Jack Shultz, remembered that Jack Gayle had an air of sophistication and class that fit well with Cole Porter lyrics. He had a way with words and listened for well-turned phrases that he could put to good use. He began to write in high school, and Downbeat magazine published his letter declaring Artie Shaw a better clarinetist than Benny Goodman. With the war underway, Jack decided to leave high school after his junior year and prep for the Naval Academy. Upon learning that he could not pass the eye examination for the Navy, Jack joined his friend Jack Shultz at the Sullivan School and prepared for the USMA exams. Jack entered West Point on 1 July 1943 with the Class of 1946.
Cadet life was just one of those things that Jack had to conquer before he could get on to being an Army officer. His Howitzer write-up says, in part, “This easy-going Californian fell naturally in step with the flanker tradition, but he always remained a step ahead of the Academic and Tactical Departments. His love for athletics is matched only by his fondness for sleep and sunshine." As one of his flanker classmates recalled, that statement in the Howitzer sums up Jack's cadet life—except for his devotion to Mary Lynn. Graduation saw Jack become a second lieutenant of Infantry.
Four days after graduation, Jack and Mary Lynn were married in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on 8 June 1946. The newlyweds went to Fort Benning, Georgia where Jack attended the Infantry Officers Basic Course. Joe Finley recalled that Jack played on the officers' basketball team sponsored by the Goo Goo Restaurant. The two Jacks shared many rides to training areas, bumming cigarettes from each other and talking about Coronado. The packs of cigarettes would be so mashed that a cigarette would have to be pulled from the ends before it could be lit. Jack Gayle called those rumpled cigarettes “INFANTRY cigarettes," a term that Jack Schultz used many times in the ensuing 43 years. At Fort Benning Jack Gayle began turning serious about a career. His range of interests was broad, and he discussed current events with a global geo-political perspective. In the spring of 1947, the two Jacks split up, with Jack Shultz going to Germany and Jack Gayle to Korea. Neither knew at the time that they would not meet again.
Jack Gayle was assigned as a company commander, K Company, 17th Infantry when he arrived in Korea. Later he commanded C Company and then became assistant G-2 of the 7th Infantry Division. While in Korea, Jack played on the All-Korea All-Star football team in the Rice Bowl in Japan on 1 January 1948. In December 1948, when the 7th Division moved to Japan, Jack became a platoon leader, first in A Company and then in C Company, 32nd Infantry at Camp Haugen, Japan. In March 1949 Jack received a letter of commendation for his efforts in preparing a pictorial history of the Seventh Infantry Division. Mary Lynn was able to join Jack in Japan, but after just a few months she became ill and the Gayles had to leave for CONUS. The Gayles were en route to CONUS when Jack received a cable ordering him to Fort Leavenworth to become aide-de-camp to then-Major General M. S. Eddy, the Commandant.
The Gayles' first child, Ann Lynn, was born 7 January 1950 at Fort Leavenworth. When General Eddy was promoted to lieutenant general and left for Europe, he wrote Jack a letter of commendation. “During your service with me I have been impressed with your intelligence, loyalty, earnestness, integrity and capacity to learn. In your brief career as an officer you have already demonstrated a firm grasp of your profession and an ability to assume responsibilities well beyond your present rank.. . . ” The summer of 1950, Jack and Mary Lynn moved back to Fort Benning, Georgia where Jack became aide-de-camp to Brigadier General Harlan N. Hartness, Commanding General, Fourth Infantry Division. It was while he was at Fort Benning that an article Jack had written, “Korea—Honor Without War,” was published in the January 1951 issue of Military Review.
In the spring of 1951, Jack was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Psychological Warfare, Department of the Army in Washington. He received orders for a classified mission and Mary Lynn, pregnant with their second child, moved in with her parents. Jack departed Washington in July 1951 en route to Seattle to visit his sister Ann before continuing on his mission. After the visit, Ann put Jack on a train to an unknown destination in Canada where Jack was to board a Canadian Pacific Airlines plane. Speculation was that Jack was en route to Korea, but this has never been determined. On 22 July 1951, Mary Lynn received a telegram from the Department of the Army informing her that Jack was missing. The plane, a DC-4, was last heard from on distress radio somewhere west of Juneau, Alaska on 21 July 1951. On 28 December 1951, Mary Lynn received a report of death from the Army stating only that Jack was a passenger on an aircraft that crashed somewhere between Cape Spencer and Yakutat, Alaska. Jack was survived by his wife Mary Lynn, two daughters, Ann Lynn and Catherine (born 27 November 1951), his parents, sister Ann and brother Richard.
On that fateful day in July 1951, a bright, rising star fell from the sky. It is still hard to believe that he is gone. He loved his wife and sweetheart Mary Lynn and adored his baby daughter Ann. He couldn't wait to do his duty and get back to meet his daughter-on-the-way Catherine. Unfortunately, fate stepped in, and none of this was to be. Instead, those left behind can only remember what a privilege it was to have been associated with Jack Gayle. He is remembered fondly as a terrific guy, well-liked by all who knew him. He was a West Pointer through and through. He never talked about “DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY''—he just lived the motto every day of his life. It is with pride that the Class of 1946 salutes him with, “Well Done, Jack. Be Thou At Peace!”
[KWE Note: Source - West Point Association of Graduates. Captain Gayle's daughter Ann Lynn (Mrs. Michael Rose) of Locust Grove, Virginia, died February 03, 2014 of lung cancer. His daughter Catherine married a Simard and was living in North Carolina at the time of her sister's death.]
Gilinger, M/Sgt. James C. (Air Force) - McChord AFB, WA - The son of Benjamin Gilinger (1897-1924) and Ruby Haven Gilinger (later Mrs. Joseph R. Murphy), he was born August 12, 1916 in Spring Mill, Pennsylvania. He was serving in the Army and was based in Oahu at the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor. In October of 1947 he married Hawaiian-born Marie Brittain. She was an air raid warden in Conshohocken before joining the WACs. James and Marie were parents of three children, with the youngest being just one year old at the time of the plane's disappearance. The youngsters were Jamia, 7 years old, Olivia, 4 years old, and James Jr.
Glasser, Capt. Martin M. (Air Force) - San Francisco, CA - Born August 19, 1919 in Altoona, Pennsylvania, a son of Mrs. Emma Glasser. During World War II he was a bomber navigator in England, where he received a Distinguished Flying Cross. His brother was Samuel Glasser.
Hersey, Vernon E. (Civilian) - Mitchell, SD - Born April 11, 1921 in Mitchell, South Dakota, Bud was a son of Harry Bartell Hersey (1886-1959) and Maude Helen Doane Hersey (1897-1970). He graduated from Mitchell High School in 1939 and then went to Washington, D.C., where he was employed by the U.S. Navy and Agricultural departments. He accepted employment with the U.S. Air Force in Nagoya, Japan in 1946. In 1947 he transferred to the U.S. Eighth Army and stayed in Japan until being transferred to Korea in July of 1950 after the outbreak of war. He was then with the Japanese tactical command. He was the husband of Ernestine Clark Hersey (1917-2006) and the father of three daughters, including Ramona and Helen. His siblings included Eileen Mona Hersey Beard (1919-1995), Mary Kathleen Hersey Lewis (1929-1978), Helen Hersey Gisselbeck, Elizabeth Hersey Wieczorek, Harry Bartell Hersey (1918-2009), and Clifford Freeman Hersey (1927-2013). His brother and sister-in-law were Maurice and Miriam Medley from the Logansport, Indiana area.
Hite, Lt. Col. Eugene Goliday (Army) - Rising Sun, MD - According to a marker in the West Nottingham Cemetery, West Nottingham, Maryland, Eugene Hite was born May 28, 1907 in Virginia, and was serving in the Army at the time his plane went missing. His address at the time was Rising Sun, Maryland. Further information about Eugene Hite was found in an article written by Eric Mease in the Cecil Whig online. Mease's research indicates that Hite was born in Staunton, Virginia. He attended Tome School in Port Deposit before entering Virginia Polytechnic Institute, graduating in 1932. He then was associated with the Federal government's soil conservation program. He served with the 2nd Armored Division in Europe during World War II, returning home as a major. He entered civilian life for a time, but re-entered the military and was a reserve officer. For a time he was an instructor at Fort Knox, but he was associated with the VA Hospital at Perry Point before being ordered to Tokyo as a reserve officer. His wife, the former Lucille Pointer of South Hill, Virginia, received the news of the plane's disappearance while still on the West Coast after seeing her husband off on the ill-fated DC-4. Eugene Hite was the son of Tolerous N. Hite (1876-1930) and Myrtle V. Arehart Hite (1880-1964) of Rising Sun, and the brother of Norborne Hite, Mrs. Lelia Hite Frazer, and Miss Iva Hite.
Hubbard, Pfc. Gordon M. (Air Force) - Ninevah, NY - Born in 1933, a son of Oscar L. Hubbard (1905-1966) and Jessie Mae Butler Hubbard (1908-1963), he was from the Broome County, New York (Center Village) area. He was raised by his grandmother, Ruby Hubbard. His brothers were David B. Hubbard (1931-1992) and Harry Hubbard. After joining the Air Force Gordon was trained at San Antonio, Texas; Kester Field in Biloxi, Mississippi; and then McCord Air Force Base in Washington. He volunteered for duty at the 1705th Air Wing Transport Wing in Japan and was en route there when the plane disappeared. There is a marker for him in Perch Pond Cemetery.
Jackson, 1Lt. James A. (Air Force) - Kenmore, NY - Born September 11, 1924 in Corry, Pennsylvania, he enlisted in the military on April 6, 1943 and was a World War II veteran.
Kellar, M/Sgt. Daryl Homer (Air Force) - Tacoma, WA - Born on August 18, 1913 in Kasson, Minnesota, Sergeant Kellar was a son of Homer Willis Kellar (1882-1955) and Blanche Ann Barber Kellar (1886-1959). He was survived by his wife Clare J. Kellar (1918-2005), a sergeant in the US Army during World War II. Also surviving were his three children ages four years to newborn: Karen, Dana and Mark. His siblings were Raymond Elmo Kellar (1909-1994), Kenneth M. Kellar (1912-2012), Ruth Ona Kellar Nelson (1917-2009), Mary LaRayne Kellar Andrist (1922-2015), Arland Dee Kellar (1927-2010), Armond Lee Kellar (1927-1997), and Helen Kellar Michalski. In February 1952 at a ceremony attended by his family at McChord Air Base, Washington, the Bronze Star Medal was awarded posthumously to his five year old daughter, in recognition of MSGT Kellar's outstanding effort as Line Chief of the Fourth Troop Carrier Squadron while the unit was supplying front line troops in Korea in the winter and spring of 1951. Sergeant Kellar was a participant in the Berlin Airlift.
Kendall, Capt. Wayne E. (Air Force) - Parkland, WA - Wayne was born on December 7, 1920 in Nebraska, the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Kendall. After studying at Centralia College, he enlisted in the Air Force. He flew 52 combat missions in the European Theater during World War II, receiving 22 citations for bravery, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was divorced from the former Shirley A. Larson. They had a daughter Marcia Ann, a fifth grader at the time of her father's disappearance. His sister was Mrs. Dave Copley of Centralia, Nebraska.
Livingston, Lt. Edward Blair (Air Force) - Dallas, TX - Canadian - Vancouver, BC - Ernest Krausher was born on November 12, 1924 in Dallas, Texas, the son of Jacob Krausher (1897-1968) and Theresa Rose Bender Krausher (1902-1980) of Saskatchewan. A former fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force, he had been with the Canadian Pacific Airlines since February of 1951. He was married in England and he and his wife Bettye had children Eldon (two years old) and Sherron (four years old). During World War II he served in Holland, the Middle East, and the Battle of Britain. He was employed by the government phone service in Regina before accepting the job at CPA. There is a marker in his honor in the Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park, Dallas.
Ollis, Pfc, Roy J. (Air Force) - Holladay, UT - Keith Ollis was born in August of 1929 in Salt Lake City, a son of Roy George and Belle May Reed Ollis of Holladay, Utah. His brother was Ronald Ollis of Holliday and his half-brother was Eugene Hoagland of Albany, California. His father was an outside plant engineer with Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company and his mother worked at the J.G. McDonald Chocolate Company. Keith received his elementary and secondary education in the Granite District schools in Holladay. He attended East High School and college at the University of Utah. He was a member of the university band. He joined the Air Force while attending the university on April 1, 1950. Keith married Peggy Sue Gantner, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew J. Gantner, while on furlough on July 09, 1951 in Salt Lake City, just days before his plane disappeared. His widow later remarried twice and had children. When his family received a government notice that Keith had been officially declared dead, a memorial service was held in the Holladay Fourth Ward Chapel, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [KWE Note: This information was supplied by Salt Lake City Public Library researchers.]
Oscar, M/Sgt. Elliott T. (Air Force) - McChord AFB, WA - Elliott was the husband of Jessie Allene Fore Oscar Criswell (1918-2004). He was born May 26, 1914 in Shipman, Macoupin County, Illinois, the son of Charles R. Oscar (1893-1970) and Edna Elliott Oscar (1894-1978). Edna later married Ray Sudder and lived in Covington, Kentucky. Elliott married Jessie Allene Fore in 1941 and they were parents of one son and three daughters. Allene was born in 1918 and died in 2004 with the last name Criswell. He had served four years in the Navy and 14 years in the Air Force. He served in the Pacific and European Theaters in World War II.
Russ, Sgt. John W. (Air Force) - Middletown, PA - Sergeant Russ was from Middletown, Pennsylvania. He was born in December of 1929, the son of John W. Russ Sr. (1907-1995) and Katherine McGill Russ (1908-1983), who are buried in the Middletown Cemetery. John was the brother of Doris Russ Whitlow (now deceased) and Kathy M. Russ Corradi.
Sacks, Lt. Col. Jerome G. (Army) - Washington, D.C. - Lt. Colonel Sacks was born July 14, 1915 in Baltimore, Maryland, a son of Chaim Isidor and Elizabeth "Lizzie" Sacks. He was the brother of Dr. Sy Sacks (1918-1999). His wife was Sylvia Sacks. In 1937 Sacks was a parole intern, District of Columbia Penal Institutions, Lorton, Virginia, and a candidate for a PhD in Social Science at Catholic University of America. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army and a resident of Washington, D.C. at the time of the plane's disappearance. He was serving in the Army Medical Corps.
Somerville, S/Sgt. John T. (Air Force) - Santa Monica, CA - John was born in Peoria, Illinois, the son of Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Somerville. While a student at Harvard Military School, he joined the Air Force at age 16. He had been in the Air Force for six years when the plane disappeared. He was preceded in death by his father and his only sister, Mrs. Muriel Des Roches.
Stephan, Audley Hobson F. (Civilian) - Trenton, NJ - Audley Stephan was born October 14, 1899 in Trenton, New Jersey, a son of Thomas W. Stephan (1860-1922) and Anita Sarah Steventon Stephan (1862-1941) Audley was the father of John Thomas Stephan (1925-1986) and a daughter Mary Ann, and the brother of siblings Alice G., Thomas Richard, Henry Lloyd, Peter Steventon, Ellis Wreson, and Edwin Harvey Stephan. A graduate of Trenton High School, he graduated from Princeton in 1922 and received a PhD at Pennsylvania. He began his business career working for General Electric, and was later a municipal auditor in Jew Jersey and state budget director. He was called into the Army in 1942 as a military finance advisor, serving in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. He returned to civilian life in 1946 as finance professor at Rutgers University. He was later chairman of the Finance Department of University College. He was recalled to duty in the Army 1949 to help reorganize the Japanese fiscal system. Audley Stephan helped balance Japan's postwar budget and was an ace U.S. economic troubleshooter. He was survived by his wife, Margaret Moore Stephan.
Stephens, Sgt. William E. (Air Force) - Novato, CA - Born April 29, 1914 in Kelso, Washington, he was a son of William Riley Stephens (1885-1976) and Grace L. Stephens (1890-1916). His siblings were Dorothy Alice Stephens Swan Frisbie Hopper (1908-2002), Ruth Stephens (1911-1916), Jane Elizabeth Stephens (1928-1969), James Robert Stephens (1912-1988), and Wilton Stephens (1914-?).
Swarms, S.Sgt. Everett Wayne (Air Force) - St. James, IL - According to a marker in the Stein Cemetery, Loogootee, Illinois, Everett Swarms was born June 6, 1930, son of Maroy and Lula Brown Swarms. His siblings were Mrs. Anthony (Rosemary Swarms) White (1935-2011), US Air Force veteran Troy Orville Swarms (1928-1992), and Navy veteran Charles Swarms. Everett grew up in the St. James, Illinois area and graduated from St. Elmo Community High School. He joined the Air Force immediately after graduation. According to Everett's brother Charles, "I believe to our mother's dying day that she thought he was alive someplace, even though we went through the military ceremony and there is a marker for him in the cemetery. She never believed that he died on that plane. Last year my wife Linda and I went on a seven-day cruise to Alaska. I guess this might sound silly, but I spent the whole time there looking for my brother."
Swicarz, T/Sgt. Joseph J. (Air Force) - South Tacoma, WA - A World War II veteran of the army, he reenlisted in 1946. Joseph was born on April 7, 1918 in Franklin, New Jersey, the son of Paul Swicarz. He married Mary Ann Matala (Army Nurse Corps in World War II and Korea), and they were parents of two children. Lt. Col. Mary Ann Swicarz was born in 1919 and died in 1987. His sister was Mrs. Thomas Doland.
Taylor, Pfc. Ralph Walter (Air Force) - Ellwood City, PA - Born on February 26, 1932 in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Pfc. Taylor was a son of Pearl Walter Taylor (1899-1974) and Anna Ruth Zurinski Taylor (1908-1997). His parents are buried in Locust Grove Cemetery, Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. He attended Lincoln High School in Ellwood City prior to enlisting in the Air Corps on his 18th birthday February 26, 1950. Pfc. Taylor had a brother, David Paul Taylor (1938-1944) and sister, Doris Ann Taylor Schall (1934-1977). Pfc. Taylor was a member of the 14th Troop Carrier Squadron at the time of his plane's disappearance.
Thomas, Capt. Carson O. "Cot" (Air Force) - Olympia, WA - Captain Thomas was born on April 30, 1922 in Tacoma, Washington, a son of Oscar N. Thomas (1895-1986) and Burie S. Thomas (1900-1980). His siblings were Preston O. Thomas (older brother), Norman O. Thomas and Thad O. Thomas. Carson graduated from Olympia High School and attended Washington State College. In World War II, he served as a bomber pilot in the China-India Theater. During that service, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal, both with additional clusters. Following the war, he was employed by the state highway department as a radio technician. He was married to Ardath Henrietta Christensen (1924-2005) on June 29, 1947 in Thurston County, Washington.
At the time of loss, Thomas was serving in the Air Force having been called up from the Reserves on July 20, 1950. Assignments following his return to service included piloting aircraft participating in the Korean airlift flying between McChord Air Force Base and Japan, and flying wounded from Korea to Japan. He was flying as a passenger on July 21, 1951 when the plane disappeared over the Alaskan panhandle. He was survived by his wife and two young daughters. [KWE Note: This information was supplied by the Timberland Regional Public Library in Olympia, Washington.]
Wenrich, S/Sgt. Homer E. Jr. (Air Force) - Sunbury, Pennsylvania - Sergeant Wenrich was born November 23, 1925 in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, a son of Homer E. Wenrich Sr. and Emily Sotzin Wenrich of Sunbury, Pennsylvania. His siblings were Kenneth R., David, Robert, Philip C. (1938-2022), Randolph Sotzin (Randy) Wenrich, and Barbara Wenrich. Sergeant Wenrich was serving in the Air Force at the time his plane went missing. He enlisted in the Air Force on January 17, 1944.
Boon, Arthur Stanley - flight engineer and resident of Vancouver, BC, Canada. He was born in Edmonton, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Eric Earl Boon, on June 26, 1909. He was educated at King Edward Strathcona High School and Technical Schools in Edmonton and then joined the airline. He had been with MacKenzie Air Services and Canadian Pacific Airlines for 14 years. His sisters were Mrs. Alvin Hendel, Mrs. J. Bowen, and Mrs. D.S. Carthur.
Fox, Capt. Victor - pilot and resident of West Vancouver, BC, Canada - The Canadian pilot of this ill-fated plane was a veteran pilot with 10,000 flying hours and almost 2,000,000 miles on Canadian Pacific Airlines operations to his credit. He had been with the company since it was organized in 1942. Formerly from Ottawa, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on May 19, 1924 but was discharged later that year to accept a position with a commercial airline. An experienced mountain and Yukon pilot, he was married and had a son. Victor Fox was born in Kent, England, in 1907. His mother was Agnes Fox (1885-1971).
Krausher, Ernest Louis -20-year old Canadian seaman (HMCS Sioux) and second officer from Winnipeg Vancouver, BC. Ernest Krausher was born in 1921, the son of Jacob Krausher (1897-1968) and Theresa Rose Bender Krausher (1902-1980) of Saskatchewan. A former fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force, he had been with the Canadian Pacific Airlines since February of 1951. He was married in England and had children Eldon (two years old) and Sherron (four years old). During World War II he served in Holland, the Middle East, and the Battle of Britain. He was employed by the government phone service in Regina before accepting the job at CPA.
Laker, AB Frank R. - Canadian - Vancouver, BC. Laker was born May 31, 1931 in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. He was an Able Seaman in the Royal Canadian Navy, having enlisted on November 4, 1948 at Winnipeg. His parents were Richard Shipway and Lena Perkin of Winnipeg. His wife was Eleanor Joan Billedeau Laker of Nanaimo, British Columbia. His full-siblings were Arthur Laker and Mrs. Russel Lawson. His half-siblings were Herbert Wilfred Perkin and Doris Perkin.
Lee, Eva Marie - Canadian stewardess and resident of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Canadian stewardess - Vancouver, BC. Eva was born in Victoria. She was educated in Shanghai and as a result she spoke fluent English and Chinese. She started working at Canadian Pacific Airlines on May 8, 1950. Her sister was Miss Francis Lee. also a stewardess, and Lucy Lee, a nurse.
Moore, AB Robert John - 22-year old Canadian seaman (HMCS Sioux) whose resident was Westphal, Nova Scotia. Canadian - Robert John Moore was born December 27, 1929 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, a son of Herbert John and Mary Elizabeth Moore of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. He was the brother of William Henry Moore, Victor Alexander Moore, and Mildred Constance Moore. He enlisted in the Canadian Navy on March 8, 1949 in Penfield Ridge, New Brunswick, Canada. His first ship was the Magnificent and then he went to Stadacona for a course in the Communications School.
Moran, Kathleen Mary "Kitty" - Canadian stewardess and resident of Burnaby, BC, Canada. Kathleen was the daughter of John and Kate Carney Moran, who were originally from Ireland but were living in Burnaby, B.C., Canada at the time of their daughter's disappearance. Kathleen's father was on the staff of Paramount Driven-in Theatre in Burnaby in 1951. Kathleen attended Seaforth Public School at Lozella, Canada, Sperling Avenue School in Burnaby, and Burnaby South High School. She attended two years of college at British Columbia University, and then took a nursing course at St. Paul's before beginning her flying career as a stewardess for Canadian Pacific Airlines. She was preceded in death by one sibling, and was survived by two brothers, John M. "Jack" Moran and Frank P. Moran. The chief stewardess on the fated flight, she was to have married Montreal doctor Gill Marion in September.
Thomson, Bruce St. John Campbell - first officer and resident of North Vancouver, BC, Canada - Canadian - Vancouver, BC. A war veteran of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, his parents lived in Auckland. Bruce came to Canada two years before the plane disappearance. The son of James Edward Thomson (1874-1976) and Eileen Maitland Branigan Thomson (1891-1982), Bruce was unmarried.
Tupper, Freeman Rudolph (Canadian) - Vancouver, BC - He was the radio operator on the lost aircraft. He was married with children Freeman Charles (age 12), Carolyn, Patrick and Cathy Tupper.
[KWE Note: Many newspaper articles are copyrighted. Below, the KWE has listed sources available so readers can search out the actual texts of the articles by their own outreach efforts.]
Billings Gazette Montana 1951-07-22 - "Korean Airlift Plane with 38 Aboard Is Lost. Bad Weather Said Possible Cause of Disappearance." Vancouver, B. C., July 21. -- (AP) -- "A four-engined DC-4 winging 38 persons to Tokyo on the Korean airlift was swallowed Saturday during "foul" weather along the wild Alaska panhandle coast on an outbound flight from Vancouver, B. C. Most of the 31 passengers were American military men. The crew of seven included two stewardesses. The big Canadian Pacific airlines' plane was the first to meet disaster in the airlift's 87 million miles of flying since the outbreak of the Korean War....."
Billings Gazelle Montana 1951-07-24 - "Search for Lost Plane Continues" - Yakutat, Alaska, July 23 -- (U.P.) -- "Search planes scanned the mountainous, glacier-covered southeastern Alaska coast Monday for traces of a Korean airlift DC-4, missing since Saturday with 38 persons aboard. No sign of the Tokyo-bound Canadian Pacific Airlines plane was reported as 21 planes from a coast guard airstrip at Yakutat dipped into glaciated ravines and topped jagged peaks of the Fairweather range in "the land of lost airplanes."......"
Canadian Shirlee Smith Matheson, author of several aviation books, has written a book entitled, Amazing Flights and Flyers. In it, a story in one chapter is devoted to the disappearance of Canadian Pacific Airlines Douglas CF-CPC 10367. The chapter is called, "The Unfair Weather of Mount Fairweather".
Matheson's book is available through Amazon.com. The book cover features artist Dan Ryan's painting of the Douglas C-4 lost near Sitka, Alaska. The original hangs in the south terminal of the Vancouver International Airport and is the artist's rendition of how the airlines, with its crew and passengers, might have looked when it was about to disappear forever in the vicinity of Mount Fairweather on July 21, 1951. The KWE has not yet reviewed the book and is therefore not endorsing it, but Amazon's promotional blurb on the book states:
Audacity and the Occasional Bad Luck and Hijinks - Some accomplishments seem to be beyond human endurance, such as the two mid-winter medical evacuation flights pioneered by the intrepid crew of Kenn Borek Air; the continuing efforts by volunteers from CASARA to search for lost people and planes; the determination of aviation pioneers who fight to fly the volatile conditions experienced in our Maritime provinces; the amazing lifestyles of those who choose to live in the Far North and never want to leave. On the other side of the flying field are those who used flight as an opportunity for personal escapes or hijacking capers, or whose fates were suddenly decided by bad luck engine failure, sudden weather changes, or chances taken with unfamiliar machines and terrain. A high-risk wartime story chronicles the attempt of enemy forces to dock their U-boat on Canadian soil to install a weather reporting station. All are remarkable stories, and most are little known. Flight can be a combination of thrills beyond compare and sudden full stops. The stories in Amazing Flights and Flyers encapsulate nearly every human emotion and scenario, and range from the early days of the 20th century to the present.
Paperback: 286 pages
Publisher: Frontenac House Ltd.; first edition (February 28, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1897181299
ISBN-13: 978-1897181294
Within three minutes after takeoff from Iwakuni Air Base, Japan, this US Navy Privateer patrol bomber PB4Y-2 crashed on the small mountain island of Atada-shima in the Inland Sea on July 27, 1951. The entire crew (Flight Crew 7, Patrol Bomber Squadron 772, based at Atsugi, Japan). was killed when the bomber exploded due to the full load of fuel and armed mines in the aircraft.
Fatalities
Cook, ADF1 Edward Buford - Born March 25, 1917 in San Bernardino County, California, he was a son of Robert "Roy" Cook (1882-1918) and Caddie Barker Cook (1883-1966). His wife was Winona Cook. He was the brother of Roy Barker Cook (19012-1984). Edward is buried in Hillside Memorial Park, Redlands, California.
Gariel, ADE1 Robert - Born on May 27, 1923 in San Antonio, Texas, Robert was a son of Edward F. Gariel (1891-1980) and Antonia Guzman Gariel (1898-1991). His brother was Edward Antonio Gariel (1920-1949). Robert is buried in Iwakuni-Shi, Yamaguchi, Japan.
Marovish, Lt. James Herbert - Born April 15, 1916, James was the husband of Jane Vickers Marovish (1920-1997) and the son of Herbert and Narcis Marovish. James and Jane are buried in San Gabriel Cemetery, San Gabriel, California.
McCord, Lt. Walder L. - Born August 14, 1920, Lieutenant McCord was the son of Walder L. McCord (1895-1986) and Ruth E. McCord (1898-1966). Walder Jr. is buried in Olivewood Cemetery, Riverside, California.
Overton, Aviation Electronics Man Airman Robert Edward (2nd Radar) - Born January 08, 1927 in California, Robert was the son of Fred Stryker Overton (1892-1966) and Mildred Shenneman Overton (1893-1977). He is buried in San Gabriel Cemetery, San Gabriel, California.
Pridgen, Aviation Ordnanceman First Class Utility Coley Grey - Born April 5, 1925 in Wilmington, North Carolina, son of Cole Gray Pridgen (1902-1934) and Florence Mae Allender Loftin Gray (1908-1986). He is buried in Wilmington National Cemetery, Wilmington, North Carolina.
Ricotta, Aviation Electronics Technician Second Class Thomas - Born January 27, 1927 in Buffalo, New York, Thomas was the son of John Ricotta (1888-1962) and Antonia Ricotta (1893-1984). He is buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Cheektowaga, New York.
Spund, Lt. Allen (co-pilot) - Allen was born in 1917 and is buried in Mount Hebron Cemetery, Flushing, New York. He was the son of Rev. Gershon Spund, New York, New York.
Still, Petty Officer 1st Class William Raymond - Born September 23, 1922 in Beaumont, Texas, he was the son of William Ray Still (1888-1936) and Daisy May Swilley Still (1898-1989). William's widow was Doris Mae Still (1925-1995). He is buried in Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, California.
Aircraft was scheduled for a Tactical Reconnaissance flight on morning of the 27th out of RAAF Base at Iwakuni. Pilot filed an IFR tactical flight clearance in accordance with local AACS regulations. Two days prior to this date, subject aircraft had flown a tactical mission of nine hours duration on which no trouble of mechanical nature was encountered. Plane Captain's report to maintenance Chief after landing, was that aircraft was in a "up" status. In later afternoon of the 26th aircraft was turned up, checked out and reported to be operationally ready. Weather cover was VFR. Pilot taxied to take-off area at 0324 local time.
Board assumes he checked aircraft in accordance with PB4Y-2 pre-take-off procedures. ATC cleared pilot to climb out VFR to 6000-ft, to maintain 6000-ft, proceed via airway Green to Fukuoka Control when airborne. Aircraft was airborne at 0344k. Pilot contacted tower for permission to leave tower frequency approx 3 minutes following take-off. This is as reported by tower operator. At a time later established to be approximately 0347K; a fire and explosion was seen on Atada Shima.
This island bears 035 degrees 5miles from tower. Air Sea Rescue, Hospital, and Base Operations were notified at once. Air-Sea Rescue personnel were at scene of disaster at 0455K. They reported no survivors. Aircraft struck NW corner of Island at an altitude of approx 175 feet. Its course was determines to be 230seg. From reconstruction of estimated flight path, pilot must have been in a right hard turn in an attempt to miss higher peaks of island to his left, his right wing struck the ground first. Plane cart-wheeled and exploded.
Wreckage and personnel were strewn forward for a distance of approx 200 yards. This area included point of impact up to ridge over and down the other side. Fire and explosion was so great that it was impossible to reconstruct or determine mechanical failure or cause of accident. Main aircraft parts identifiable were wing, panel and engines. No part of fuselage could be found. Explosion of two depth charges are thought to have cause complete disintegration.
In as much as there are no survivors and no positive reports of material failure. Factor causing accident con only be left to conjecture. It is known that PPC was a cautious, sober, experienced and competent pilot. Why he was at extremely low altitude three minutes following take-off is unknown. His request to be cleared from tower frequency indicated he believed operations were normal. Under existing similar weather conditions and always under IFC conditions most pilots make a take-off to the south. This is the outstanding criticism Board has of pilot procedure. Board feels certain that mechanical difficulties were encountered, but has no proof of same.
Board is of opinion that primary cause of accident is unknown. This conclusion is based upon lack of evidence to prove positive material failure, mechanical failure or pilot failure. Board recommends that obstacle lights be placed upon Atada Shima. There are no lights of any kind to be seen at night.
"A P4Y-2 type aircraft assigned to VP-9 departed NAS Kodiak at 0735 local time on August 12, 1951 for routine operational patrol to Adak, Aleutian Islands. Weather conditions at the time of take-off from NAS Kodiak, Alaska were indefinite 300-foot ceiling, one mile visibility, with light drizzle and fog. The flight proceeded without incident for the first two hours during which time routine position reports were received. At the end of the third hour no position report was received by NAS Kodiak, Alaska or NAS Adak, Alaska. Search and Rescue was alerted and intensive search of the Aleutian area was conducted. Wreckage was found August 15, 1951 at 900-foot level on Amak Island, which is located approximately twenty miles northwest, of Cold Bay, Alaska peninsula.
Analysis: Due to the fact there were no survivors, it is impossible to determine the exact cause of accident. However, since there was no evidence of material failure or malfunction, most probable assumption is the pilot was investigating radar contact by letting down through the overcast in order to make visual contact with radar target. In so doing, the pilot either received erroneous information or misunderstood instructions given by radar operator, which resulted in aircraft striking island. It is the opinion of the AAs that had there been a material failure or malfunction, the pilot would have contacted either Thornbourgh Airways at Cold Bay via voice radio or base radio via CW radio." The pilot who found the wreckage was Lt. A.M. Zakarian. The USS Tillimook was sent to investigate.
Fatalities
Busby, AT3 Edwin Francis Jr. - Edwin was born December 08, 1928, a son of Edwin Francis Busby Sr. (1903-1959) and Cecelia A. Mann Busby (1903-1985). His siblings were Thomas Busby, Frances Busby Wallace, Joseph Busby, James Busby, and Robert J. Busby (1935-2003). Edwin and his family members are buried in Saint Patrick Cemetery, Lowell, Massachusetts.
Conklin, LT (jg) Robert Wilfred USN (co-pilot) - Robert was born December 16, 1926 in the State of Washington, a son of Russel Perkins Conklin (1901-1978) and Dorothy Bennington Conklin (1902-1972). In 1949 he married Louise Elizabeth "Bette" Shelby (1930-1991). In 1952 she married Robert's brother, Richard Bennington Conklin and they had children Gail Conklin (Watson), Frances Conklin (Frazier), Laura Conklin (Denton), David Conklin and James Conklin. Robert's siblings were Richard Bennington Conklin (1928-1969), Russel G. Conklin (1941-2013), and William Conklin. Robert is buried in Highland Cemetery, Great Falls, Montana.
Elkins, AOU3 Charles Wyllis - Charles was born September 17, 1922 in Linton, Indiana, a son of James Wesley Elkins (1896-1969) and Effie May Nolan Elkins (1896-1980). The World War II veteran was married to Donetta L. Powell Elkins (1928-2005) (later Mrs. Donald Keith Shields), and they had one son, Harold Duane Elkins, who died in his infancy (1945-1946). His siblings were Betty June Elkins (1924-1926), Paul Wayne Elkins (1932-2001), George R. Elkins (1935-2002), and Mrs. Ralph (Mary Elkins) Padgett. Charles is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Linton, Indiana.
Enloe, ALAN Bobby (Frank E.) - Bobby was born December 19, 1929 in Houston, Texas, a son of Russell Enloe Sr. (1912-1985) and Martha Armenta Henderson Enloe (1912-1990). His siblings were Russell Enloe Jr. (1935-2010), Betty Joyce Enloe Williams, Marianne Enloe Daniels, and Joan Enloe Bullard. Bobby is buried in Brookside Memorial Park, Houston, Texas.
Flinkfelt, ADAN Elnord Ellis (aviation machinist's mate) - Elnord was a son of Ellis Andres Flinkfelt (1900-1966) and Nellie M. Hall Flinkfelt (1903-1986) of Rhode Island. His siblings were Mrs. Edward Painter, Hazel May Flinkfelt, Warren A. Flinkfelt (1934-1986) and Vernon Flinkfelt (1935-1999). Elnord graduated from West High School in 1949 and enlisted in the Navy in March of 1950. He was stationed in Seattle, Washington before being transferred toKodiak, Alaska, in July of 1951. Elnord is buried in North Bural Ground, Providence, Rhode Island.
Hunt, AM3 Ronald Lee - Ronald was born November 05, 1930, the son of Carolyn Decker Mills Hunt (Makinson) (1909-1992) and Ralph Leland Makinson (1909-1993). Ronald is buried in Haven Memorial Park, Eugene, Oregon.
Park, Lt. Roy Erwin USNR (pilot) - Roy was born October 10, 1920, a son of Samuel Park (1879-1969) and Anna Jane Miller Park (1881-1971). He was married to Lillie M. Smith. His siblings were Floyd Sumner Park (1904-1978), Murlin S. Park (1910-1919) and Carol Gertrude Park Brooks (1918- 2017). Roy is buried in Ferguson Cemetery, Almont, Michigan.
Sexton, AD1 Leonard Walter - Leonard was born June 07, 1921 in Wilson, Oklahoma, a son of James Monroe Sexton (1881-1956) and Ida Belle Womble Sexton (1885-950). He was married to Harriet Ruth Vatcher (1922-1980) on January 08, 1949 in Texas and they had two sons, Leonard Walter and David Richard (later McKay) (1952-1996). Harriet later married Richard William McKay. Leonard's siblings were Jackie Joe Sexton, J.C. Sexton, Mrs. Frank Dillingham, Mrs. Haskell Taylor, Mrs. Lester W. Smith, Mrs. Thomas Eugene Hodges, Mrs. Ira Chitwood, and Mrs. T.M. Culwell Jr. Leonard is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Saugus, Massachusetts.
Wagener, AOAN William Stuart (aviation ordnanceman) - William was born December 20, 1929 in San Francisco, California, the son of William Otto Wagener (1897-1966) and Belle Center Hendry Wagener (1898-1979). William is buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California.
Williams, AL1 Brooks Alton - Brooks was born in 1920. He is buried in Acacia Park Cemetery and Mausoleum, Cook County, Illinois.
Witherspoon, ATAN Joseph Dale - Dale was born October 15, 1228. He is buried with family members Sidney 1905-1970), Thomas W. (1935-1958), Christa (1936-1958) and Nell Witherspoon Tyler (1916-1994) in Gray Community Cemetery, Gray, Tennessee.
Wood, ENS Henry Howard USNR (navigator) - Henry was born April 02, 1930 in Coloradfo, the son of George R. Wood and Minett H. McCulloch Wood. Henry is buried in Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colorado.
United Airlines Flight 615 was a US transcontinental east-west airline service from Boston to Hartford, Cleveland, Chicago, Oakland and San Francisco. On August 24, 1951, the Douglas DC-6B with registration N37550 operating the service, crashed on approach to Oakland, causing the death of all 44 passengers and six crew members on board.
The flight departed Chicago at 10:59 p.m. CST en route to Oakland. At around 4:16 a.m., the plane was approaching Oakland. At this time, the pilot, Marion W. Hedden of Los Altos, had talked with the control tower of the Civil Aeronautics Administration at the airport preparing for his landing, and had mentioned no trouble. At 4:25 a.m. Flight 615 was cleared for the straight-in approach into Oakland. This approach clearance was the last radio transmission with the flight. The plane crashed into mountainous terrain 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Oakland, careening into Tolman Peak and over its knoll, scattering on the down slope and into Dry Gulch Canyon below in a fiery explosion. All 50 persons on board perished.
After an investigation, it was determined that the pilot ignored the prescribed instrument landing procedures. The pilot instead relied on visual reference, using the copilot's automatic direction finder (ADF). The ADF threw the plane three miles (4.8 km) off course and below the prescribed altitude of 3,500 feet (1,100 m).
Crew Fatalities
Durante, Flight Engineer Angelo Mario Codorna, 36, of Sausalito, California - Born in Cheyenne, Wyoming on January 15, 1915, he was a son of Luigi "Louis" Durante (1873-1950) and Maria "Mary" Iannone Durante (1880-1959). His siblings included Mary L. Durante (1914-2012), Domenick Antonio Durante (1901-1975), Guido Pompelio Cosmo Durante (1903-1993), plus two more. Mario had worked with United for 13 years, and been a flight engineer for almost two years.
Hedden, Captain Marion W., 42, of Los Altos, California - Born on April 25, 1909 in Alabama, he was a son of William Samuel Hedden (1871-1946) and Mary Alice Owens Hadden (1876-1969). He was the husband of Pauline Forsythe Hadden (1908-1985). His siblings were Owen S. (1901-1927), Lyman George (1903-1999), Gladys E. Hedden Hays (1911-2000) Walter A. Hedden (1914-2001), Olivet Hedden (1904-1996), Stanton Hedden (1907-1964), Harriet Hedden (1917-1995) and Marion Hedden (1909-1952). Hedden began his career with United Air Lines on November 1, 1939. A former Navy flying instructor, he had accumulated 12,032 flight hours, including 417 in the DC-6 and 14 in the new DC-6B. He was granted a DC-6 rating on January 15, 1951, and qualified on the DC-6B on April 26, 1951, only four months earlier. Captain Hedden is buried in Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto, California.
Jewett, First Officer George A., 35, of Redwood City, California - Born on June 19, 1916 in Iowa, he was the son of Albert Jewett (1862-1943) and Sophia Halsey Jewett (1878-1922). He was raised in Ames, Iowa, where he married Loretta Maroney (1915-1975) on February 12, 1939. George and Loretta had a daughter, Mrs. Seymour (Karen Ann Jewett) Gregory, and a son, G. David Jewett. George had been flying for United Air Lines for five years, having been a veteran of 37 bombing mission in the B-17 'Flying Fortress' during World War II, leaving the service as a captain. A qualified captain for United for over two years, he was receiving familiarization training in the DC-6B before captaining his own. He is buried in Ames Municipal Cemetery, Ames, Iowa.
Kessler, Flight Engineer Arthur W., 43, of Redwood City, California - Born on September 05, 1908 in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, he was the husband of Elizabeth Kessler (1912-2003). He was the chief flight engineer for the Pacific Coast division of United, having served with them 21 years. He was an observer on this flight. Arthur is buried in Saint Mary Caholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, Evergreen Park, Illinois.
Murphy, Stewardess Marilyn Mae, 24, of San Mateo, California - Born on October 15, 1926 in Peterson, Iowa, she had worked for United since for over two years.
Sholes, Stewardess Mae LaVerne, 22, of Palo Alto, California - Having joined United Air Lines only a year earlier, Flight #615 was to be her last flight, having just been engaged to a graduate of Stanford University. Mae was born April 4, 1929 in Santa Clara County, California, a daughter of Arlan E. Sholes (1901-1966) and Mary Cinquini Sholes (1908-2004). Her sister was Thelma Sholes Horne (1927-1998). Mae is buried in Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto, California.
Passenger Fatalities
Ball, LTJG Dorothy Sue - Leicester, North Carolina. Boarded at Hartford, Connecticut. Born March 18, 1927 in Buncombe County, North Carolina, she was a daughter of Jesse H. Ball (1882-1964) and Lula Jones Ball (1889-1943. Her siblings were Hermie Lou (1909-1935), Ruth S. (1911-1937), Mrs. Charlie E. (Virgie Ball) King (1912-2005), Carl Jesse (1915-1975), Weaver Jones (1917-2000), Marion Garrett (1922-1978) and Doyle Jay Ball (1925-1987). A
Beveridge, William Dean - 29, of Eastontown, New Jersey - Born in Michigan, boarded at Philadelphia. William was born 1921 in Flint, Michigan. He is buried in Sunset Hills Cemetery, Flint, Michigan.
Britton, Major Beverly Lawrence - Falls Church, Virginia. Boarded at Chicago. Major Britton was born July 26, 1916 in Los Angeles, California, a son of Beverly Lane Britton (1885-1940) and Anna Mae Miller Britton (1890-1958). His wife was Catherine Lescher Chase Britton (1920-1990). Major Britton is buried in Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, California.
Colegrove, Andrew C., 43, of Mystic, Conn. Boarded at Chicago. Andrew was born July 22, 1909 in Illinois, a son of Andrew Colegrove (1863-1911) and Mary Adelia Chapman Colegrove (later Speakman) (1880-1944). His wife was Jane Lathrop Colegrove (later Weir, Kinney) (1913-1984). His siblings were Cora Elizabeth Colegrove Earley (1907-1948) and James Thomas Speakman (1922-1998). Andrew is buried in Elm Grove Cemetery, Mystic, Connecticut.
Danielson, Major Theodore Raymond, 41, of San Francisco - Born in Montana, served in the U.S. Army in Korea, was an engineer training officer at the Presidio, and is buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery.
D'Anna, 2LT Lawrence A., 29, of Camp Stoneman, Calif. - Born in Cleveland, Ohio on May 05, 1922, he was the son of Angelo D'Anna (1889-1957) and Mary Gialmo D'Anna (1895-1990). His siblings were Rosalie D'Anna Arhar, Coletta D'Anna Logan, and Maria D'Anna. Lieutenant D'Anna is buried in Calvary Cemetery, Cleveland, Ohio. He was a World War II veteran.
Davis, Madison Thenton III, 41, of Altadena, Calif. Boarded at Chicago. Madison was born March 17, 1910, a son of Madison Thenton Davis Jr. (1879-1935) and Julia Lee Staunton Davis (1879-1964). He was married to Betty Reynolds Davis (Emerson) (1913-2005). His brother was Sidney Prescott Davis (197-1989). Madison is buried in Spring Hill Cemetery, Charleston, West Virginia.
Fejes, Private John M., 17, of Camp Stoneman - John was born on December 12, 1933 in Ohio, a son of Michael "Mike" Fejes (1888-1968) and Elizabeth Juhasz Fejes (1893-1967). He left Jefferson High School to work at age 16 prior to joining paratroopers. His siblings were Richard M. (1923-1984), Andrew M. (1925-2018), Steven (1927-1969), Betty Pressler, Irma Bognar, and Adelbert George Nagy. His half siblings were Ernest P. (1913-1986), Theresa Irma Fejes Landberg (1915-2004) and Robert W. Fejes Sr. (1919-2005). John is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, Brook Park, Ohio.
Fitzpatrick, PFC Robert A., 19, of Salem, Massachusetts. He was born in 1932 in Salem, Massachusetts.
Gommel, Nancy Jean, 5, of Albany, California. She boarded at Cleveland. Nancy was born September 24, 1 946 in Ohio, the son of Richard Conrad Gommel and Viola Belle Davis Gommel. She is buried in Evergeen Cemetery, Painesville, Ohio.
Gommel, Richard C., 8, of Albany, California. - Born on September og, 1923 in Ohio, the son of Richard Conrad and Viola Belle Davis Gommel. He boarded the plane at Cleveland. He is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Painesville, Ohio.
Gommel, Viola Belle Davis, 30, of Albany, Calif. - Born in Ohio on March 16, 1921, she was a daughter of David R. Davis (1895-1960) and Bessie Irene Winchell Davis (1896-1977). Viola and her two children boarded the fated plane at Cleveland. She was the wife of Richard Conrad Gommel, a service manager at the Marquette Metal Company. Viola was a 1939 graduae of Harvey High School. She married Richard Conrad Gommel (1918-1998) on November 10, 1941. Her siblings were Jean Skidmore, Joyce Erjavic, Jack and Carroll. Viola and her family are buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Painesville, Ohio.
Grota, Joseph M., 22 - Born in North Tiverton, Rhode Island on September 28, 1929, he was a son of Joaquim Medeiros Grota (1902-1964) and Honorina (Irene) Bento Grota (1909-1996). His siblings were William R. (1937-2011), Edward Anthony (1931-2010), John J. (1935-1993), Mrs. Leo (Marie) Paquin (d. 2007), Irene Marie Grota (1939-2018) and Lawrence J. Grota (1947-2023). Joseph is buried in Notre Dame Cemetery, Fall River, Massachusetts.
Gunn, Clayton Edward, 49, of Oakland, Calif. - Born in Iowa, he was the president of Continental Auto leasing System, and a well-known cattle rancher. He and his wife Leah had a son Clayton Edward Gunn Jr., 11 years old, and Lana Gunn, nine months old.
Hitson, James Lee, of Athens, Tenn. - James was born July 30, 1928 in Athens, Tennessee, the son of Robert C. Hitson (1905-1972) and Mary Sue Inman Hitson (1910-1992). He was married to Ruby Davis Hitson (later Mrs. Robert C. Cockrell), and they had a daughter, Linda Hitson Hill Larkin (1949-2010). James is buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Athens, Tennessee.
Holmlund, Hugh Kris, 3, of Menlo Park, Calif. Boarded at Chicago. Born in 1948, he was a son of Hugo Julius and Pauline Alberta Holmlund, he is buried in Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto, California.
Holmlund, John Paul, 8 months, of Menlo Park, Calif. Boarded at Chicago. Born and died in 1951, he was a son of Hugo Julius and Pauline Alberta Holmlund. He is buried in Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto, California.
Holmlund, Pauline Alberta, 24, of Menlo Park, Calif. - Born in Kentucky in 1927, she was married in 1946 in Ohio to a United Airlines mechanic Hugo Julius Holmlund. She is buried in Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto, California, with her two sons. Her surviving husband later remarried.
Johnson, Clarence Dean, 57, of Portland, Oregon. - Dean was born on January 02, 1894 in Lewisville, Arkansas, a son of Clarence Dean Johnson Sr. (1866-1940) and Dorothy A. "Dollie" Farrar Johnson (1874-1965). He was married to Ruth R. Robertson (1893-1961) in 1919 and they had two sons, Clarence Dean "The Captain" Johnson III (1924-2010) and Robertson Lee Johnson (1930-2009). His brothers were Robert Farrar Johnson (1912-1969) and Ernest Edward Johnson (1898-1951). Dean was a graduate of Cornell University with an engineering degree. He moved to Portland, Oregon in 1922. He sered overseas in World War I, receiving the Distinguished Service Medal. He was the president of C.D. Johnson Lumber Corporation and was a member of many civic and social organizations in Portland. He is buried in River View Cemetery, Portland.
Johnson, Ernest Edward, 45, of Portland, Oregon. Ernest was born in 1898, a son of Clarence Dean Johnson Sr. (1866-1940) and Dorothy A. "Dollie" Farrar Johnson ( 1874-1965). He married Edith Hortense Menefee (later Mrs. Martin Crimmins Jr.) in 1929 in Portland. They were parents of daughters Dorothy F. and Margery Johnson. Edith was born in 1909 and died in 1987). His brothers were Clarence Dean Johnson (1894-1951) and Robert Farrar Johnson (1912-1969). Ernest graduated from Cornell University and served overseas during World War I. He was the vice president and sales manager for the C.D. Johnson Lumber Corporation. He is buried in River View Cemetery, Portland.
Keiser, SGT Carl R., 27, of Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Carl was born June 17, 1924. He married Mae H. Werst (1923-1991). Carl is buried in Hope Cemetery, Kutztown.
Liebich, Frederick George, 19, of Belmont, California. - Frederick was born on August 29, 1932 in Illinois, a son of George Frederick Liebich (1904-1994), a United AIrlines mechanic, and Anna Elizabeth Balcuilis Liebich (1907-1983). He and his brother, Wayne, filled a last-minute vacancy on the flight. They are buried in Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma, California.
Liebich, Wayne Thomas, 11, of Belmont, California - Wayne was bor on July 28, 1940 in Wyoming, orn in Illinois, a son of George Frederich Liebich Sr., a United Airlines mechanic, and Anna Elizabeth Balcuilis Liebich (1907-1983). He and his brother Frederick filled a last-minute vacancy on the flight. Wayne is buried in Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, Colma, California.
Lyons, Irving Francis Sr., 58, of Oakland, California - Irving was born April 14, 1892 in San Francisco, California, a son of Daniel H. Lyons (1866-1909) and Teresa Nolan Lyons (1868-1963). He was married to (1) Alice Edna Cole Lyons (1891-1973) and (2) Christine P. Lyons. He was the father of Irving Francis Lyons Jr. and Mary Christine Lyons. His siblings were Leo Joseph Lyons (1898-1939) and Daniel Heny Lyons (1901-1974). Irving Sr. was educated in public schools and Sacred Heart College in San Francisco. He studied law at Golden Gate College and then went to work for the Southern Pacific Company for four years. In 1913 he was employed by the California Fruit Canners Association and in 1917 he was assigned to the Freight Accounting Department. In 1927 he became the Traffic Director. He was a member of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce and the California State Chamber of Commerce. He is buried in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Colma, California.
Leach, John Franklin, 55, of Oakland, California. - Born October 20, 1890 in Girard, Kansas, he was the chief tender on the Oakland-Alameda bridges, and was returning from the national Moose convention in Buffalo, New York. His widow was Mary Etta Leach (1888-1962). They are buried in Golden Gate Mausoleum & Columbaria, Kensington, California.
McDonald, Agnes Louise, 46, or Oaklawn, Illinois. Agnes was born August 07, 1905 in Chicago, a daughter of Albert Herman Kluck (1878-1961) and Augusta E. Arndt Kluck (1882-1968). She was married to George Owen McDonald (1905-1951) and they had a daughter Joyce Ester McDonald (later Mrs. Eugene Lawrence "Gene" McQuaid) (1930-2019). Agnes' siblings included Gertrude W. (Kluck) Dietz (1904-1977), Helen J. Kluck (1908-1997), Lenore Clara (Kluck) Knaack (1910-1968), Emilie Maria Kluck (1912-1918), William Albert August Kluck (1915-1989) and Ester Martha Charlotte Kluck (1917-1929). Agnes is buried in Mount Vernon Memorial Estates, Lemont, Illinois.
McDonald, George Owen, of Oaklawn, Illinois. George was born November 21, 1905 in Buffalo, New York, a son of Mamie Owen McDonald (1883-195*). He married Agnes Louise Kluck (1905-1951) and they were parents of a daughter, Mrs. Eugene Lawrence "Gene" (Joyce Ester McDonald) McQuaid. His brother was Hugh James McDonald (1903-1943). George is buried in Mount Vernon Memorial Estates, Lemont, Illinois.
Napton, 1st Lt. William Berkeley Jr., 30, North Sacramento, Calif. - William was born in Ontario, Oregon on March 03, 1921, the son of William Berkeley Napton Sr. (1878-1947) and Meryl Katherine Volin Napton (later Mrs. George James Over Sr.) (1892-1989). He was married to Anne B. Napton and they had a nine-month old son, Thomas. Mrs. Napton was pregnant with their second child, daughter Dosh Napton (later Dosh McClendon), at the time of the crash. William attended Oakland Technical High School 1936-1939, the University of California 1939-43 and 1946-47, and studied at the University of Chicago 1947-48. He was the former assistant superintendent at Sutter Hospital June 16, 1949-July 27, 1950, and then became business manager of Concord Community Hospital. At the time of the crash he was the registrar of the infirmary at McClellan AFB. He was on the plane returning from a conference at Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton.
Petrie, Robert T., of Portland, Oregon. Robert was born September 17, 1897 in Uyeasound, Shetland Islands, Scotland.
Rex, Private Raymond E., 20, of Carey, Ohio. Raymond was born July 20, 1931. A member of the 101st Airborne Division, he is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery, Carey, Ohio.
Robbins, PFC James, 22, of Conneaut, Ohio - Born in Indiana.
Rose, Mrs. Elizabeth Angeline, 36, of Redwood City, California - Born in Illinois on August 27, 1914, a daughter of James Harvey West (1884-1953) and Ruby Ruth Rogers West (1887 -1992). She was married to I. Dean Rose (1915-1998), a United Airlines Mechanic. They were parents of Kathleen Ann Rose, who died in the airplane crash, too. The siblings of Elizabeth Rose were Lois Anna West Horner (1910-2007), Mary Etta West Clark (1912-2002), Neva Jean "Gyp" West Kibler Danner (1919-2010), Clara Maxine "Billie" West Rector (1922-2010), James Joseph West (1925-1925), and Barbara June "Bobbie" West Brown (1929-2009). Elizabeth is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Sidney, Illinois.
Rose, Kathleen Ann, 3, of Redwood City, California. Kathleen was born in 1947, the daughter of I. Dean Rose (1915-1998) and Elizabeth Angeline West Rose (1914-1951). She is buried with her parents in Mount Hope Cemetery, Sidney, Illinois.
Schwartz, Electrician's Mate Reynold L., 20, of Avon, Ohio -Reynold was born June 26, 1931 in Avon, Ohio, the son of Leo Schwartz (1894-1958) and Hilda A. Rink Schwartz (1899-1965). He had been home on a 14-day leave after completing naval training at Great Lakes, Illinois. He is buried in Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery, Avon.
Stilley, Howard Leo, 42, of Oakland, California. Howard was born July 05, 1909 in Peoria, Illinois. He was a sales manager for Bay Cities Equipment. In 1933 he married Leone "Lee" Gosnell (1909-1993) and they had a son, Howard Lawrence "Larry" Stilley (born 1934). Leone later married Amile Donald Lucot.
Saldana, Joseph A., 22, of San Jose, California- Joe was born in 1929 in Texas. He had just been discharged from the Army after four years of service. He is buried in Santa Clara Mission Cemetery, Santa Clara, California.
Sena, Josephine Florence, 35, Hartford, Connecticut. - Josephine was born in Connecticut on September 03, 1915, a daughter of Saverio Sena (1886-1970) and Chiara Stella Detoro Sena (1892-1953). Her siblings were Constance (1913-1983), Lena (born 1914), Joseph (1918-1987), and Emma Marie (1923-2010). Josephine is buried in Center Cemetery, Rocky Hill, Connecticut.
Toman, Hospital Corpsman 3C Joseph Leonard, of Youngstown, Ohio. Joseph was born on September 12, 1929 in Youngstown, Ohio, a son of John S. Toman Sr. (1884-1967) and Julia Pavlansky Toman (1888-1967). He graduated from Wilson High School and then enlisted in the Navy on October 05, 1948. He was a hospital corpsman at U.S. Naval Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but had received a new assignment in San Francisco, California. He formerly worked for Republic Steel Corporation. His siblings were brothers John S. Toman Jr. and Frank Toman, and sisters Mary, Helen and Anna Toman. Joseph is buried in Calvary Cemetery, Youngstown, Ohio.
Van, Eric Preston, 46, of Portland, Oregon. Eric was born on March 28, 1905 in Seattle, Washington, a sn of Caro Mae McFarland Van (1879-1963). He married Lucy Cornelia Rawlings (1912-1978) in 1931 and they were parents of Eric Preston Van Mr. (1932-2019) and Nicholas William "Nick" Van (1935-2012)/ Lucy Van later married William C.J. Kremmel. Eric was a partner in the famous accounting firm of Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Company, and was CPA for the C.D. Johnson Lumber Corporation. He and Dean and Ernest Johnson were on the plane returning from a business trip in Chicago. Van's ashes were spread at Haystack Rock, Oregon.
Weaver, George Horace, of Bangor, Pennsylvania. George was born December 01, 1928 in Belfast, Pennsylvania, the son of Harry Edward Weaver (1907-1990) and Lula Alice Rader Weaver (1907-2977). He is buried in Plainfield Cemetery, Plainfield Township, Pennsylvania.
Willauer, Anna Lee, 14, of Menlo Park, Calif. - Born in 1937 in Pennsylvania, she was a daughter of Harold Clarence Willauer (1912-1994) and Catharine Dierolf Willauer (1913-1951). She is buried near her parents in Mount Zion Cemetery and Mausoleum, North Coventry Township, Pennsylvania.
Willauer, Mrs. Catharine Dierolf, 38, of Menlo Park, California. Catharine was born on April 03, 1913 in Union Township, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Johy Frey Dierolf (1885-1956) and Anna Lee Dierolf (1891-1958). She was the high school sweetheart of Harold Clarence Willauer (1912-1994). The two graduated from Pottsville High School on August 08, 1936. They were parents of Anne Lee Willauer (1937-1951), Dennis Gray Willauer (1948-1951) and Leslie Jean Willauer (1950-1951). Her sister was Anna Lee Dierolf Gillock (1914-1988). Catherine is buried in Mount Zion Cemetery and Mausoleum, North Coventry Township, Pennsylvania.
Willauer, Dennis Gray, 4, of Menlo Park, Calif.- Born in Wyoming in 1948, he was the son of Harold Clarence Willauer (1912-1994) and Catharine Dierolf Willauer (1913-1951). He is buried near his parents in Mount Zion Cemetery and Mausoleum, North Coventry Township, Pennsylvania.
Willauer, Leslie Jean, 14 months, of Menlo Park, California. Born in California in 1950, the youngest child of Harold Clarence Willauer (1912-1994) and Catharine Dierolf Willauer (1913-1951), Leslie is buried in Mount Zion Cemetery and Mausoleum, North Coventry Township, Pennsylvania.
"Pilot departed NS Adak on routine operational patrol flight, destination Adak at 0616 on 31 August Weather conditions at Adak at time of take-off were ceiling indefinite, 500-ft overcast, visibility two miles with fog, wind NNE at 7kts. Pilot made GCA take-off on runway 5, continuing on northeasterly course to point 18mi ENE of station. Aircraft then started a right turn, and pilot informed GCA that he was in the clear and proceeding on his patrol. At 0914, two hours after first position report was due, Search & Rescue was alerted, and a search of his intended track was started. Wreckage was found at 1215 at about the 800-ft level on the NW side of Little Tanaga Island, which is about 16mi ESE of NS Adak.
Investigation: brought forth the following facts:
(A) An out report on CW, was received from 66280 at 0626.
(B) Pilot had made previous patrols of this same area.
(C) GCA lost radar contact with 66280 at four miles NE of station because of plane's insufficient altitude and requested pilot to climb which he did because radar contact was regained at six miles.
(D) When aircraft was 18mi. NNE, GCA heard pilot ask plane's radar operator if he had the pass on radar. It was at this time GCA control was released by pilot and plane observed, by GCA, to turn to a heading of about south. It was at this time (0625) GCA equipment was completely secured.
(E) With present radar repeater scope installation in cockpit of P4Y it is practically impossible for pilot to fly airplane and view radar scope.
(F) When proceeding through Little Tanaga Strait at low altitude on radar, the radar return from Bilak Island at time obscures the pass making it appear as a dead end.
(G) Marks on sidehill made by the propellers and starboard aileron indicate the plane was in a left turn, and on a easterly heading when it hit.
(H) There is no evidence to indicate either engine or structural failure.
(I) Pilot was overheard by survivor to say that he was going to turn and climb just prior to crash.
(J) Pilot stated the night prior to the accident that he was going to fly through Little Tanaga Strait on his south bound patrol leg.
Analysis: No definite analysis can be arrived at due to insufficient evidence. However, Board thinks it is quite possible that the pilot tried to remain below the overcast and proceed contact through Little Tanaga Strait with the aid of radar pilotage. If this assumption is true, it is also possible that he was unable to maintain contact and the radar operator was confused by the radar return from Bilak Island. It is assumed then that, the pilot decided to turn into a clear area and climb to a safe altitude, but lacked sufficient space to complete the maneuver and collided with the mountain."
Fatalities
Cook, LT Berdel Alfred (pilot) - Lieutenant Cook was born May 25, 1923 in Stamford, Connecticut, the son of Berdel James Cook (1900-1978) and Hazel A. Ohlsen Cook (1902-1993). He attended Duke University and then received his wings in Corpus Christi. He served as a flight instructor for 30 months prior to his death. On April 15, 1950 he married Mary Louise Smith. Lieutenant Cook is buried in Woodland Cemetery, Stamford.
Diana, LTJG William H. (pilot/navigator) - Lieutenant Diana was the husband of Joan Patricia Leehan Diana (1926-2008) and the father of Joanie Diana (died 1963, age 12) and Ellen M. Diana.
Huber, ALCA Marvin Paul (1st radar) - Marvin was born January 15, 1921 in Ft. Berthold, North Dakota, a son of Charles Frederick Huber (1882-1940) and Philomena Badger Huber (1889-1964). He was married to Edwidge "Dougie" Doumit (1916-1988). His siblings were Charles (1910-2003), Frederick John "Fred" (1911-2000), Felix (1913-1944), Inez Huber Reidhead (1918-1960), Ernestine Carlyle Huber Perry (1922-1997) and Gordon Edgar (1927-1974).
Jenkins, AD1 George Yell Sr. (plane captain) - George Jenkins was born April 20, 1921 in Hobbs, New Mexico, a son of Garrett Oden Jenkins (1891-1984) and Ella Mae Bruce Jenkins (1894-1969). A World War II veteran, George was married to Betty Jo Rice Jenkins. They had a daughter and a son, George Yell Jenkins II (1951-1988). AD1 Jenkins is buried in Tucumcari Memorial Park, Tucumcari, New Mexico.
Mallard, ADC James Green (2nd mechanic) - ADC Mallard was born October 23, 1921. The World War II veteran is buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.
McNair, AN Don Randal (ordnance) - Airman McNair was born January 20, 1930, a son of Adolphus Randall McNair and Bertha Elizabeth Ross McNair. His siblings were Mrs. Emmett Joseph (Clariece Maude McNair) Pseencik (1920-2005), Kent McNair, and Belva McNair Bennett. Don McNair is buried in Eden Cemetery, Eden, Texas.
Molina, ALAN Anthony Coenen (2nd radar) - Airman Molina was born September 16, 1929, a son of Frank and Bridget Molina. His siblings were Henry R. (1932-2017), Mary Alice, Mrs. Lye (Mary Helen) Watson, Mrs. Juan (Lydia) DeLaOssa, and Mrs. Bob (Teresa "Terri") Aranda. Anthony is buried in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, California.
Sutley, Ens. Frank Hubert (pilot/navigator) - Ensign Sutley was born August 14, 1929 in Jefferson County, Alabama, a son of Grady Lee Sutley (1899-1987) and Gladys Lucille Martin Sutley (1903-1992). He married Doris Helen Partee (later Mrs. George R. Konen Jr.) (1924-2012). His siblings were James Albert Sutley (1923-2014), George Leon Sutley (1925-1925) and Russell William Sutley (1927-1927). Frank is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, Chilton County, Alabama.
Tacie, ATAN Wilford E. (radar operator) - Wilford was born March 01, 1929, the son of Norman Joseph Tacie (1903-1958) and Rose Helen Borkowski Tacie (1902-1986). He was married to Rosemary Ellen Ricketts (1929-2007). His sibling was Gerald Franklin Tacie (1925-1985). Wilford is buried in Mount Home Cemetery, Port Huron, Michigan.
Survivor
Mullick, AM1 Frank W. (3rd machanic) - seriously injured
Just after take-off on September 04, 1951, a civilian twin-engine Cessna owned by Christianson Air Service crashed in suburban Rogers Park (Anchorage). Witnesses on the ground said that one engine caught fire and the plane came down, narrowly missing two houses and crashing into the backyard of a third residence. Everyone onboard the aircraft died--some while enroute to the hospital. Credit was given to the Cessna's pilot, Norm Maither, for his heroic effort to avoid crashing the plane into suburban homes.
Fatalities
Arndt, Laurence Frank - Arndt was born January 22, 1892 in Marion, Wisconsin, son of Frank F. Arndt (1867-1938) and Emma Wilhelmina Haase Arndt (1872-1963). He is buried in Crandon Lakeside Cemetery, Crandon, Wisconsin.
Beaver, Orlyn Maurice - Beaver was born May 10, 1914 in Kasson, Minneosta, son of Bernard O. Beaver (18880-1960) and Pearle E. Nichols Beaver (1888-1978). Orlyn graduated from Kasson High School, Rochester Junior College, and the University of Minnesota. He married Rosemary Agnes Mar (later Ferrin) on July 3, 1936. Rosemary was born in 1915 and died in 1984. The couple had four children: Bernard "Bernie" Beaver (1941-2021), Coralie Beaver (Fiegel), James Beaver and Catherine Mary Beaver (Brossard). Orlyn was survived by his wife and children, his parents, and a sister Marcella Elaine Beaver Hansen (1917-2003). Beaver was a Lieutenant (jg) in the Navy during World War II. In 1948 he purchased the accounting firm of William Head and then in 1950 he formed the partnership of Beaver and Van Seventer. They opened branch offices in Seward and Palmer and he was en route to the Seward office when the Cessna crashed. Orlyn Maurice Beaver is buried in Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery.
Drake, Clara Sullivan - Drake was born January 9, 1923 in Ballston Spa, New York. She was a World War II veteran and captain in the US Air Force attached to the 39th Air Force Medical Group as a nurse stationed in Anchorage. She was married to Capt. Donald V. Drake, who also died in the plane crash. The couple had married just a few days before the plane crash. Clara is buried in Saint Mary's Cemetery, Ballston Spa, New York.
Drake, Donald Varner - Drake was born August 01, 1920 in Pennsylvania, a son of John Wesley Drake (1895-1991) and Lulu M. Varner Drake (1895-1986). He was a World War II veteran who enlisted in the Air Force on October 21, 1939. He married Clara Sullivan, who also died in the plane crash. The couple had married just a few days before the plane crash. Donald was survived by his parents and his siblings Mrs. Herbert Glenn (Eleanor Drake) Benton (1922-2017), Wilfred "Bud" Drake and Roger Drake. Donald is buried in Scrubgrass Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Emlenton, Pennsylvania.
Maither, Norman Francis - Maither was born April 11, 1908, in Santa Cruz County, California, son of John Benjamin Maither (1877-1912) and Susan "Susie" Murrish Maither. Norman married Helen Louise Bendowski (1911-1960) in 1927. They were parents of Brian Maither and Betty Maither (Benedict). Norman was formerly with the Civil Aeronautics Administration and was formerly the manager of the Anchorage Airport. Besides his wife and children, Maither had known siblings Elizabeth H. Maither and Doris M. Maither. Norman is buried in Anchorage Memorial Park Cemetery.
Three airmen lost their lives on September 07, 1951 when their C-47A transport crashed about five miles southwest of Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, while practicing ground control approach touch and go landings. A fourth airman survived the crash. While en route to the crash scene, a rescue helicopter crashed and its two occupants were killed. Anyone who has further information about these two crashes and their victims are encouraged to contact us.
C-47 Crew Fatalities
Baker, Cpl. Robert E. (safety engineer ) - Corporal Baker was born December 05, 1930. He was survived by his mother of Seattle, Washington. He is b uried in Washelli Memorial Park, Seattle.
Severson, Capt. Donald Grant (pilot) - Captain Severson was born September 22, 1922 in Dunn County, Wisconsin, the son of Eli Severt Severson (1888-1975) and Clara Etta Gaard Severson (1893-1966). He was married to Gilda Gregerson Wheeler on March 23, 1946. Gilda (1927-2011) later married George Dunn. Captain Severson was a graduate of Boyceville High School in 1941 and enlisted in the Air Force in 1942. He was adjutant of the maintenance and supply groups at Eielson, as well as flying duties at the time of the crash. Captain Severson is buried in Our Saviors Lutheran Cemetery, Wheeler, Wisconsin.
Spletzer, T/Sgt. Roy F. (civil engineer) -Sergeant Spletzer was born April 03, 1929 in Newaygo, Michigan, a son of Gustav Spletzer (1884-1968) and Julia Draves Spletzer (1891-1973). He was married on July 26, 1951 to Mildred Marie Moffatt. His siblings were Edward Spletzer (1912-1979), Mrs. Leo (Lydia M. Spletzer) Schwartz (1914-1975), Bernard A. "Duke" Spletzer (1916-1974) and Louis A. Spletzer (1920-2002). Sergeant Spletzer is buried in Walnut Grove Cemetery, Methuen, Massachusetts.
Rescue Helicopter Crew Fatalities
Alden, Capt. Frank Adrian Jr. (pilot) - Captain Alden was born April 28, 1918 in Boston, Massachusetts, a son of Frank Adrian Alden Sr. (1885-1949) and Marie Hilda Sjogren Alden. He was survived by his widow, Rose, and two children. His siblings were Georgia Maria Alden Manganis (1914-1990) and Ralph L. Alden (1921-2004). Captain Alden was due to return to the States on rotation on September 18, 1951.
Allen, Capt. Joe K. - Captain Allen was born August 05, 1916 in Mortonsville, Kentucky, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Allen of Velsaille, Kentucky. He is buried in Versailles Cemetery, Versailles, Kentucky. The KWE believes he was the son of Joseph A. "Joe" Allen (1874-1964) and Carrie Dove Nave Allen (1874-1956). It that is the case, his siblings were Burgess Swope Allen (1914-2004), Rhoda Bell Allen Hartley (1894-1987), Dawson Allen (1896-1961), Alvin Thompson Allen (1898-1973), Blanche Allen Duncan (1901-1975), James Oliver Allen (1905-1975), Frances L. Allen Range (1906-2002) and Paul L. Allen (1908-1968).
Survivor
Parik, Lt. Francis - From South Bend, Indiana, he was thrown clear of the wreckage and survived the crash. He was picked up in a daring night landing by Capt. Louis Erhart of New Haven, Connecticut.
On a flight from K-1 to K-2 with Photo Unit, Headquarters Squadron, MAG-33, 1st Marine Air Wing, TBM-3E, Tail #53830 struck a cable and crashed. One Marine onboard lost his life. Four others survived.
Fatality
Youngman, 1Lt. Wilbur Hughes Jr. - 1Lt. Wilbur Hughes Youngman Jr. was born May 30, 1921, the son of Wilbur H. Youngman Sr. (1896-1986) and Alice Strode Youngman (1891-1961). He joined the Marine Corps in 1944 and received a commission at Quantico. He was a China Marine who was discharged in 1947 and then joined the Reserve Corps. He was a member of the famous Hell's Angels squadron at Anacostia Naval Base. He went to Japan in June 1950 as an engineering officer prior to going to Korea. He and his wife, Evelyn Dolores Lynch Youngman (1920-2004), were parents of CarolAnn Youngman Roy (1942-2021) and Robert H. Youngman. His siblings were Dean Garner Youngman (1923-2009) and Jean Anne Youngman Hedgepath (1935-2000).
Survivors
Baker, Cpl. J.B. (injured)
Koon, MSgt. Clarence C. (injured)
Linn, 2Lt. J.J. (injured)
Novak, Cpl. P.S. (injured)
A B-29 type aircraft (#44-86247) from the 344th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Wing (M), Fifth Air Force, crashed while taking off on an operational mission with a full complement of bombs. The aircraft had a maximum load of 500 pound demolition bombs and gasoline when it lost power. After an unsuccessful attempt was made to stop, the aircraft crashed at the end of the runway and burst into flame.
The aircraft commander was Captain John P. Brennan, USAF. After he left the burning aircraft, he noticed two crew members, apparently in a state of shock, standing at the aircraft amidst burning gasoline and exploding machine gun shells. Although Captain Brennan knew the fuses of the bombs were of a delicate nature and would explode at any moment, he immediately rushed back and guided the crew members to safety. Shortly thereafter, the first of a series of four explosions occurred, and Captain Brennan was struck in the ankles. When he observed another crew member near the aircraft, Captain Brennan, once again disregarding his own well being, made an immediate rescue. He received the Soldier's Medal for heroism.
Airman Third Class Herman Breeding, Jr., USAF, also received the Soldier's Medal for his heroic actions while serving with a crash rescue crew from the 6161st Air Installations Squadron, Yokota Air Base. After rushing to the scene of the above mentioned crash, and in spite of his awareness of the danger of an explosion of high octane fuel and bombs, Airman Breeding attempted to enter the burning aircraft to remove crew members whom he believed were trapped in the wreckage.
Rescued
Almack, 1Lt. Robert B.
Brenna, A3c John C.
Bushby, TSgt. John
Emerson, 1Lt. Robert C.
Foye, Sgt. Raymond D.
Harter, Sgt. Loren F.
Miyose, Sgt. Morito
Moore, Sgt. Garland A.
Plumley, SSgt. William R.
Reiss, 1Lt. Eli B.
Wolfe, Lt. Col. John P.
[KWE Note: Although all the crew members were rescued, ten base firefighters (3 US airmen and 7 Japanese nationals) lost their lives in this fiery crash. A memorial to the firefighters was re-dedicated in February 2011 after it was relocated to the new fire department facility at Yokota.]
U.S. Firemen Fatalities
Breeding, Pfc. Herman Jr. - KWE Note: Biographical information not yet found.
General Orders: Headquarters, Far East Air Forces
General Orders No. 235 (May 17, 1952)
"The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 2, 1926, takes pleasure in presenting the Soldier's Medal to Airman Third Class Herman Breeding, Jr., United States Air Force, for heroism involving voluntary risk of life not involving actual conflict with an enemy while on serving with a crash rescue crew, 6161st Air Installations Squadron, Yokota Air Base, on the night of 18 November 1951. Airman Breeding and his crew rushed to the scene of a B-29 type aircraft which had crashed while taking off on an operational mission with a full complement of bombs. In spite of his awareness of the danger of an explosion of high octane fuel and bombs, Airman Breeding attempted to enter the burning aircraft to remove crew members whom he believed trapped in the wreckage. Through his act of heroism and selfless courage in the performance of service far beyond the normal call of duty, Airman Breeding reflected great credit upon himself, the Far East Air Forces, and the United States Air Force."
Caudle, Sgt. Forrist D. - Forrist was born April 20, 1931 in Bedford, Texas, a son of Forris Temple Caudle (1903-1959) and Virgie Mae King Caudle (1906-1994). His siblings were Arthur Harold Caudle (1929-2022), Harold Caudle, Ray Caudle, and Sheryl Caudle. Forrist is buried in Merriman Cemetery, Ranger, Texas.
McDonald, Sgt. Newton Preston Jr. - Newton was born November 30, 1926 in Florida, a son of Newton Preston "Newt" McDonald (1902-1979) and Viola Laura "Sister" DeBary McDonald Chambers (1902-1965). His sibling was Jack Aubrey McDonald (1929-2009) and his half brother was Douglas Chambers. Sergeant McDonald is buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Jacksonville, Florida.
Japanese Firemen Fatalities
Ikeda, Mr. Isamu
Izawa, Mr. Shinepei
Morita, Mr. Chotaro
Sato, Mr. Yasuo
Tanaka, Mr. Shigeru
Tsunoda, Mr. Masakichi
Yamada, Mr. Noboru
Air Force C-47 #43-48144 crashed in the Bahamas at night after leaving Patrick Air Force Base in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Four were killed.
Fatalities:
Young, Howard Vicilie (pilot) - He was born February 09, 1922. A World War II veteran, he is buried in Golden Gate Cemeteryu, San Bruno, California.
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C-47 #43-48142 was flying from Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, to Travis Air Force Base when it crashed into a northeastern slope of Mount Lassen (east slope of Crescent Crater), Mount Lassen Volcanic National Park, California, during a blizzard. Three crew members and five passengers were killed. Their bodies were not recovered until a tourist came across the crash on May 30, 1952.
Crew fatalities:
Moe, Capt. Vernon E. (co-pilot) - Married to Dorothy Lucille Wallingford Moe, at the time of the crash he had an unborn daughter, Jaclyn Moe (later Morrison). He and Dorothy are buries in Grandview Cemetery, Austin, Minnesota.
Odell, John Franklin (pilot) - He was born September 09, 1915. His wife was Simone Odell. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.
McCartney, Capt. Thomas Edward - Born February 07, 1921, he is buried in Golden Gate Cemetery, San Bruno, California.
Passenger fatalities:
Garcia, Cpl. Angel Jr. - Born October 02, 1930, he was the son of Angel Garcia Sr. He is buried in Fort Bliss National Cemetery, El Paso, Texas.
Keller, Cpl. Jesse - Corporal Keller was born March 17, 1931, the son of Charles Cornelius Keller (1868-1930) and Frances Rebecca "Marnie" Smith Keller Strock (1901-1979). His sister was Minnie Keller Monts (1927-2017). His half siblings were Jennie Annie Keller (1887-1962), Ida Ruth Keller Pearce (1872-1974), Arthur Jefferson Keller (1894-1966), Thomas Kennerly Keller Sr. (1897-1990), Eunice Keller Stroudenmire (1905-1998), Robert Lewis Keller (1907-1967) and Jacob Chester Strock Jr. (1922-1998). Corporal Keller is buried in Santee First Baptist Cemetery, Elloree South Carolina.
Mikami, Sgt. Yoshito - Sergeant Mikami was born September 16, 1929 in San Joaaquin County, California, a son of Teruichi Mikami (1881-1972) and Mitsuyo Shintaku Mikami (1896-1994). His brothers were Matsuto Jim (1920-2005), Josephn N. (1925-2004), Toshi M. (1928-2005) and Frank M. Mikami. His sister was Teruye Mikami Otani. Sergeant Mikami is buried in Cherokee Memorial Park, Lodi, California.
Petersen, Cpl. Lewis N. - Born August 18, 1933, he is buried in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego, California.
Peterson, SSgt. Russell H. - Sergeant Peterson was born September 01, 1933. He is buried in Oakdale Citizens Cemetery, Oakdale, Califoornia.
C-47 #44-76266 was enroute to Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas from Hamilton Air Force Base when it crashed into Armer Mountain in Gila County, Arizona, on December 30, 1951 in a rainstorm. The plane hit a jagged cliff with such force that the engines were buried and fusee telescoped. From the air only the tail assembly and small bits of metal were visible. The top half of the plane had been sheared off and was thrown into a crevice near the top of the cliff. All 28 persons onboard the C-47 were killed. It took two days for search and rescue crews to reach the scene. Nineteen passengers were West Point cadets. Three of them (Glasbrenner, Mastelotto and Wilson) are buried side-by-side at West Point. The source of the biographical information about each cadet listed below is USMA1954.org, and all credit goes to the website and its contributors for the information. Go to that website for further information about each cadet because what appears on this page of the KWE is abbreviated.
Fatalities (crew):
Bobak, 1Lt. Walter (co-pilot) - Lieutenant was born August 20, 1922 in Little Falls, New York, the son of Max Bobak (1883-1977) and Eva Pilat Bobak (1891-1973). His sisters were Katherine Bobak (1915-2009), Mrs. Austin (Helen Bobak) Worley and Mrs. James (Mildred Bobak) Swain. Lieutenant Bobak is buried in Saint Marys Cemetery, Herkimer, New York.
Carlson, Maj. Lester Gleason (pilot) - Major Carlson was born January 29, 1923 in Logan, Utah, the son of Swn Lester (aka Lester Wood) Carlson (1901-1975) and Anna Elizabeth Gleason Carlson (1901-1981) (later Mrs. Robert Neil Chesnut). Major Carlson is buried in American Folk Cemetery, American Folk, Utah.
Garafalo, WAF Sgt. Jeanne J. - Sergeant Garafalo was born October 16, 1931 in New Jersey, daughter of James and Lillian Garafalo. She was a member of the 4th Weather Squadron, Continental Air Command, enroute from Hamilton Air Force Base to Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas. She is buried in Saint Gertrude Cemetery and Mausoleum, Colonia, New Jersey.
Fatalities (passengers):
Abrahamson, Allan Charles (cadet) - Cadet Abrahamson was born on 28 July 1931 in Kearney, NE, to Milton and Dora Abrahamson. He grew up in Ravenna and Pierce, NE, and in 1945, he and his family, including his two younger brothers, Gary and Gordon, moved to Alameda, CA. Allan attended Alameda High School, where he achieved a high grade-point average and was a member of the California Scholarship Federation. He also was a member of Alameda High School’s Junior ROTC, where he attained the rank of major and was a member of its rifle team. After graduation, Allan entered the University of California at Berkeley, majoring in engineering. After one year, Allan received an appointment to West Point from Congressman George P. Miller, Sr. At West Point, Allan roomed with Everett Drugge and Fred Lindsey in Company F-2. After his Plebe year, he played ice hockey and lacrosse, both of which he enjoyed very much. In 1951, Allan returned home to visit at Christmas. Later, he and 18 other cadets hopped aboard a military transport plane at Hamilton Air Force Base in Marin County, CA, for the return to West Point. On December 30th, due to bad weather, the plane crashed outside Phoenix, AZ, into the Superstition Mountains. All aboard were lost. According to his roommates, Allan, who was nicknamed “Abe,” was fun-loving and a joy to be around, but he also was serious about his studies, which came easy to him. He was competitive in military and athletic endeavors, but his outlook on life was so positive that he would brighten a room when he entered it. His approving smile uplifted the spirits of his classmates. His company barracks were in the “Lost 50’s,” and the cadet gymnasium was just across the street. If there was slack time, he would fill it with a challenge to a game of tennis before dinner or a workout on the squash/ handball courts, which were across the street from the gymnasium. [KWE Note: Source - USMA1954.org]
Ahlgren, 2Lt. George Lewis Sr. (passenger) - A passenger on the ill-fated flight and on his way back to his duty station in Fort Benning, Lieutenant Ahlgren was born August 16, 1928 in San Diego, California. While attending the University of California he was a member of the university rowing team that won the gold medal in the 1948 Olympics in London. In 1949 he married Mary Lynn Morgan (1928-2011), who later married John T. Sullivan. In 1950 George and Lynn's first child, daughter Diane Christine Algren, was born. Their son, George Lewis Ahlgren Jr., was born in 1952 following Lieutenant Ahlgren's death. Lieutenant Ahlgren is buried in Golden Gate Cemetery, San Bruno, California.
Archer, Herman (cadet) - Herman Archer was born in Chicago, IL, on 6 Feb 1930, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Archer. The family moved to the Los Angeles area after Herman graduated from Lane Technical High School in Chicago. At Lane Tech, he was active in various clubs and won a scholarship award. He was a premed student at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he played freshman basketball before enlisting in the Regular Army. He then received a Regular Army appointment to West Point and joined the Corps of Cadets on 5 Jul 1950. We always knew him as “Bruno.” I don’t recall the origin of his nickname. Perhaps he brought it with him from his youth in Chicago. I was fortunate to have known him since our days together at Stewart Field, Newburgh, NY, where the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School was located at that time. We were both Regular Army privates first class and played together on the Prep School basketball team. He frequently mentioned Lane Tech as a basketball powerhouse in Chicago, runner-up for the 1947 City Championship, and was proud of his time there. He was a scrappy starter, while I was on the bench most of the time. I still remember him at late night poker games on an Army blanket in the Day Room. The games were long and the stakes were low, with our eighty bucks a month pay at risk. Bruno was intent on getting into West Point and playing for the Brave Old Army Team. It really drove him. He did play intramural basketball during his short time in the Corps. He accomplished the first objective, entering the Academy with our Class of 1954. [KWE Note: Source - USMA1954.org]
Berry, Robert Ward Jr. (cadet) - Robert Ward Berry, Jr. was born on February 10, 1932 in Hackensack, NJ. At that time his father, Robert Ward Berry, Class of 1924, was stationed at West Point as an instructor in the department of mathematics. His mother, Janet Thomson Berry, and both his grandparents lived in Hackensack. Typical of most military families, the Berry family, including Bob and his older sister Patricia, experienced many moves during the distinguished career of their father, who retired from the Army as a major general. Prior to graduating from high school, Bob’s family was assigned to the following military installations: Fort Monroe, VA; Fort Shafter, HI; West Point (his father was instructor in the Department of Economics, Government and History); Fort Leavenworth, KS; Fort Bragg, NC; Washington, DC and the Pentagon, where his father had several assignments with the War Department during WWII. These assignments were followed by tours in Panama and Fort Bliss, TX. Bob attended high schools in Panama and at Fort Bliss. He graduated from Sullivan’s Preparatory School in Washington, DC in 1950. Bob’s sister Pat recalls that he played baseball in high school and was a catcher on the team. While in Panama he developed a love for golf and played in several junior tournaments. He was also an accomplished pianist. Although Bob’s sister was in college while he was in high school, she recalls that he was outgoing, very popular and always had lots of friends. Susie (Hart) Forman, wife of Robert ‘Skip’ Forman, met Bob when her father and Bob’s father, both USMA Class of ’24, were stationed at Fort Bliss. Bob dated her twin sister. She remembers Bob as being a very nice person who pole vaulted and played golf in high school. Being an Army brat with broad exposure to military life, Bob decided early on that he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a career officer in the United States Army. Before graduating from high school, he aggressively pursued an appointment to West Point. He received a congressional appointment from Texas and entered the Academy on July 5, 1950, soon joining the ranks of Company D-l. Bob is remembered by his classmates as being a very friendly and outgoing person who was always comfortable in handling the day-to-day rigors of plebe year. [KWE Note: Source - USMA1954.org]
Byers, Nelson Sawyer (cadet) - Nelson Sawyer Byers was born Thomas Sawyer Byers in San Diego, CA. He was the second son of Laud Stanley and Anna Rosalie Nelson Byers. His father was an explosives engineer and a part-time stock broker, and his family settled in Carmel, CA, just before WWII. By this time, Tom Sawyer had become Nelson Sawyer. Called into government service immediately after Pearl Harbor, Laud moved his family to Memphis, TN. There, he directed the conversion of a fireworks factory into an incendiary bombs factory. Some of the bombs were dropped a few months later in the James Doolittle raid on Tokyo. In late 1942, the family moved to Martinsburg, WV, where Laud built another munitions factory. There, the Daughters of the American Revolution gave Nelson their Award for Excellence in American History for a paper he wrote in elementary school on the state’s history. Shortly after his 14th birthday, he became an Eagle Scout with Bronze Palm. At the war’s end, the family moved to Reno, NV, where Nelson began his sophomore year at Reno High School. He and the family moved back to Carmel in December of that year, and Nelson entered Carmel High School. Vice president of his senior class, Nelson graduated in June 1948. Nelson did well in high school despite not seeming to be very interested in academics. He was rarely seen studying except for a few hours before exams. He taught himself to pole vault, and he played quarterback on the school’s lightweight football team in 1947, his junior year, which won the district championship. Senior year, Nelson was a quarterback on the varsity team. A classmate described him thus: We’d just kicked off and were running full out down the field aiming our bodies at the guy with the ball. And we knew he was the biggest and best they had. Because I was also a track guy, I was leading the pack. And, boy, did that guy look big. Suddenly a body spurted out past me and hit the guy with a powerful, noisy smack of pads. Nelson! Where the heck had he come from? He wasn’t that fast. He wasn’t that tough. But he was. Nelson’s high school annual described him as “aggressive, capricious, [and] bug-happy.” By “bug,” they meant a hot rod. Nelson was a hotrod fanatic. He and his brother Roger rebuilt a Model A Ford roadster with a V-8 engine, an “AV8.” It was gold with blue leather seats, very fast — a sensation at high school. Nelson was a talented artist and draftsman, and he applied unsuccessfully to Draftsman School at Ft. Warren. When he received his second call from the draft board, he enlisted in the Air Force in November 1948. During basic training in Texas, he took the classification exam and got the highest possible score on each of the eight sections. His score qualified him for West Point, and an adviser told him he should switch from draftsman to intelligence, and he was subsequently assigned to the Intelligence Section, 1601st Military Air Transport Service, Brookley AFB, Mobile, AL. At the Air Force Intelligence School, Lowry AFB, Denver, CO, there were sixty-eight in the class, all sergeants except for PFC Byers. In August 1949, he graduated first in his class. In the meantime, Nelson was trying for a West Point appointment. He took the college equivalency exam and received credit for two years of college, which he said enhanced his USMA application. His family wrote to Nevada Congressman Walter Baring, who appointed Nelson in August 1949. Nelson attended the Preparatory School at Stewart AFB, Newburgh, NY and then entered the Academy 5 Jul 1950. Nelson’s short career as a cadet was exemplary. Plebe year he was selected to be acting commander of Company K-1 during the Christmas holidays, and his drawings in Military Topography and Graphics class were posted as examples of superior cadet work during the department’s Christmas open house. He was a member of the Debate Council and Howitzer Representative. He earned his numerals in the pole vault on the C Track Team. At each meet, he bettered his personal record, and most of the time he won or tied for first place. He also set a West Point record. At the end of Plebe year, he ranked sixth in his class of 718, was declared a Distinguished Cadet, and was appointed an Academic Coach. [KWE Note: Source - USMA1954.org]
Camilli, Francis Campbell (cadet) - Cadet Camilli was born December 03, 1929 and is buried in San Francisco National Cemetery, San Francisco, California.
DeVilbiss, Leonard G. III (cadet) - Leonard G. DeVilbiss III, better known to family and friends as Len or Lenny, was born on December 17, 1930 in San Francisco, CA to Leonard J. and Ida Wielen DeVilbiss. His twin brothers, Robert and Richard, were born two years later, and the family was completed two years after that with the birth of his brother Andy (ex-’58). The boys and their parents enjoyed an especially close relationship. When Len was seven the family moved north to the much smaller rural community of Sebastopol, CA. They lived in a trailer while Len’s father built their house. The family especially enjoyed the outdoor activities available in their new area, such as picnicking, picking fruit, and swimming. Len and his brothers Robert and Richard were cast to portray three of the five Sullivan brothers in a brief, early riverside scene in the 1944 film The Fighting Sullivans, a film about the famous brothers who perished during World War II when their ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine. Len had a very active youth, especially during his years at Analy High School. He was the school’s representative to California Boys State in 1947, attesting to his status as a top, all-around student and solid citizen. He was on the editorial staff of the high school yearbook (as well as its sales manager), participated in theater productions, and contributed to the success of the tennis team. His high academic success also merited him membership in the California Scholarship Federation. Additionally, Len was an Eagle Scout and assistant scoutmaster. Although his high school did not have a swimming team, Len developed into a fine swimmer by participating in competitive swimming at the local community Ives Pool. Following his high school graduation, Len studied for two years at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA. He was pre-law and was an outstanding member of the college’s championship swimming team, helping to set one or more meet records. In the spring of 1950, Len received an appointment to West Point from Congressman Hubert B. Scudder. Reporting along with his classmates on July 5, 1950, he was assigned to Company C-l, for which he continued his academic and swimming successes, becoming an academic coach and participating on the Plebe Swimming Team and the Water Polo Club. Len was interviewed for a long article in the area newspaper, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, while he was home on leave following plebe year. The article was titled “West Point ‘Great’ Says Sebastopol’s Cadet DeVilbiss,” and it told of his appreciation for being a cadet, an accomplishment that he considered “the fulfillment of a dream, something he had wanted ever since he was a little kid.” He said, “College was never like West Point...it will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year, and by now they’ve got it figured so that they take every minute of your time.” And he told about a cadet’s day, his not getting any leaves as a plebe, the subjects he had taken, and his goal of standing high in his class academically so that he might be commissioned in either the Corps of Engineers or the Airborne Infantry. [KWE Note: Source - USMA1954.org]
Glasbrenner, Karl Frederick Jr. (cadet) - Cadet Glasbrenner was born June 20, 1930 in Orange County, California, the son of Karl Frederick Glasbrenner Sr. (1903-1981) and Clara Glasbrenner (1904-1988). He is buried in the United States Military Academy Post Cemetery, West Point, New York.
Keiler, Ward Billings (cadet) - Cadet Keiler was born March 22, 1929. He is buried in San Francisco National Cemetery, San Francisco, California.
MacArthur, Kenneth John (cadet) - Kenneth John MacArthur was born on 9 Apr 1930, the only child of J.R. and Isabel MacArthur. We assume he spent his earlier years in San Francisco, CA. As a young man, Ken received some training as a draftsman, and he worked in this capacity with a California consulting firm. He received his West Point appointment from California Senator Sheridan Downey, and on 5 Jul 1950, he entered the Academy as a member of the Class of 1954. After Beast Barracks, Ken was assigned to Company L-1, his permanent company. He completed Plebe year without significant difficulties and ranked in the upper half of his class. The included photograph shows Ken in South Area ready for parade. At the beginning of Yearling year in September 1951, Ken had two L-1 roommates, Bill Wallace and Mike Drake. They remember Ken as a congenial roommate and somewhat of a joker with an appreciation for satire. His written work was exceptionally neat and structured. Ken had been an avid reader, especially of military history. He was quite knowledgeable about World War I and World War II. In conversation, he would often come up with little-known incidents that occurred during those wars.
Manning, Hilmar George (cadet) - Born November 21, 1928 in San Francisco County, California, he was the son of Brooks Manning (1906-1950) and Eleanor Louise Eichorn (Jeffries) (1905-1990). Cadet Manning is buried in Chapel of the Chimes Cemetery and Mausoleum in Santa Rosa, California.
Mastelotto, Maurice Joseph (cadet) - Maurice Joseph Mastelotto was born in Chico, CA, to a family of Swiss-Italian heritage. His family and hometown friends called him “Morse.” His grandfather had journeyed to America in the 1890s and prepared a place in Northern California for his sons, Mose and Joe, and daughters, Antoinetta and Nilda. Maurice’s father, Joe, married Margie Hayes, and they had three children — Virgil (who later served as a tailgunner in World War II), Virginia, and Maurice. Sadly, their mother Margie died when Maurice was only three years old. After his mother passed away, Maurice lived with his maternal grandmother, Alice Hayes, until he was seven years old. He then lived with his married sister Virginia and attended Verdi Grammar school for two years. His dad then placed Maurice with Maurice’s Uncle Mose, his wife and their seven sons. These seven cousins quickly became like brothers to Maurice. Maurice was bright, liked to read, and was capable, in a quiet sort of way. The eight “brothers” slept in a dormitory room, and Morse read a story out loud to them before bedtime each evening. When Maurice was eleven, his father remarried, and Mildred Brooke Mastelotto became a devoted stepmother to Morse. She recognized his intelligence and good temperament and made their house a good home in which to grow up. Maurice’s grades were good, and he spent his summers outdoors, working for his dad’s and uncle’s lumber business. Maurice worked as a “choke setter” — one of the workers who chained the logs to horses or tractors to be dragged to waiting railway cars or truck beds. Maurice’s stepmother was the superintendent of the local school district, and her love for Morse and faith in his potential became pivotal in his life. She steered him to Chico State College, where he made the boxing team and prepped for an appointment to West Point. Maurice was appointed to West Point by Congressman Hubert B. Scudder and entered in July 1950. Low key, steady, and bright, Maury made a positive impression on his G-2 classmates. We all liked and respected him. He made the Corps boxing team and played company football and water polo. He was happy to be a cadet and proud to be a West Pointer! He exhibited many qualities indicating that he would become an outstanding officer. [KWE Note: Source - USMA1954.org]
McNeil, Guy Lewis Jr. (cadet) - Guy Lewis McNeil was born in Birmingham, AL, on 9 Jul 1931, the son of COL Guy Lewis McNeil and the late Claire M. McNeil. He entered the Academy with a Presidential appointment. As the son of an Air Force officer, Guy lived at various bases in this country and abroad. He attended primary schools in Japan and graduated from the Tokyo American School in Tokyo, Japan.
Melancon, William Everett Jr. (cadet) - William Everett Melancon, Jr., was a member of the Fall Class of 1946 at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco. He was born on October 2, 1928, to William Everett and Dorthy (Simmons) Melancon in Webster Grove, Missouri, a small town near St. Louise, Missouri. He was an only child. His father was born in Louisiana on January 22, 1902, and died in Sonoma County, California, on June 9, 1988. His mother, Dorothy, was born in Alaska on January 29, 1903, and died on October 26, 1983 in San Mateo County, California. He and his parents moved to San Francisco in 1941 and lived on 42nd Avenue in the Sunset District. He graduated from Lawton Grammar School. Upon graduating from the eighth grade, he entered Abraham Lincoln High School as a freshman in 1943. While in high school, in addition to academic courses, he enrolled in the Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps and subsequently rose to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. One of his out-of-school activities included being a member of Troop 37 of the Boy Scouts. While a scout, he became, after considerable work, a First Class Scout, and, at the same time, helped his friends achieve a similar rank. He was in the Eleventh Commencement Class of Abraham Lincoln High School and graduated on January 27, 1947. The 1946-1947 Roundup states the following about Bill Melancon: ". . . 'Coot' was an R.O. officer . . . ambition: to stay single . . .likes Model A's." Prior to graduating, he applied to and was accepted as a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He was scheduled to graduate from West Point in June 1952. While on a return flight to the Academy, he was killed when the plane crashed into a mountain in Arizona on December 30, 1951. He was interred on January 9, 1952, with his grandparents. Mr. & Mrs. Frederick S Simmons, at the Presidio of San Francisco National Cemetery in Section OS, Plot 96, Grave #6. [KWE Note: Source - Abraham Lincoln High School Website, San Francisco]
Pedrick, William Nelson (cadet) - Cadet Pedrick was born January 11, 1929, in Fresno County, California. He was to marry his fiance, Mary Ellen Butler, a Santa Cruz High School girls physical education instructor, after graduating in June. He is buried in Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California.
Perrin, Noel Sanders (cadet) - Noel Sanders Perrin's quest to follow his father in a military career with the Air Force ended tragically in an accident while Noel was a cadet. The USMA Class of 1930 class child, Noel was the first male child born to a graduate in the class. His father, Edwin S. Perrin, graduated with the Class of 1930 and within several days of graduation married Lorraine Boon of Newark, NJ. The elder Perrin’s first assignment was to flight training in Texas, where Noel was born 24 Jul 1931. Several months later, the family moved to March Field, CA, where Noel’s sister, Jane, was born on 2 Dec 1932. Noel and Jane enjoyed a close relationship throughout Noel’s life, and, as a cadet, Noel proudly told his classmates how attractive his sister was. In 1935, the Perrin family moved to Wright Field, OH, where they remained until 1942. While in Ohio, one of Noel’s and Jane’s playmates was Eddie White, who later became famous as an astronaut. Noel’s father was next assigned to Egypt, but the family remained in Ohio. Moves from Egypt to Java and Australia came rapidly, and in 1942, Edwin Perrin’s promotion to brigadier general made him the youngest general officer in the Army. When he returned to the United States, the family moved to Palo Alto, CA. Lorraine Perrin and the children remained in the Palo Alto area while BG Perrin made eleven changes of station in three hectic war years. Noel’s father died at Wright Field on 17 Nov 1946 from complications of dengue fever and malaria contracted in his tropical assignments. Noel attended the Palo Alto Military Academy from 1943 to 1946. The Superintendent, COL Kelly, described Noel as “one of the leading students, as well as a leader in sports.” Noel next attended the Montezuma School, where Mr. E.A. Rogers, school president, characterized Noel as “a consistently good student, attaining A and B grades. He is a boy of fine character and is president of the student body.” While attending the Montezuma School, Noel participated in track, basketball, riding, and played football as first string end. One of Noel’s favorite activities was horseback riding. Noel and Jane were befriended by Joe Greer, who was a grandfather figure for them. Joe taught Noel and Jane how to ride horses and how to feed and care for them. He also helped Noel find summer employment on a ranch. Eventually, Noel became proficient in rodeo events and won numerous ribbons. The income from his summer jobs and working in the Montezuma School dining room helped defray Noel’s school expenses and also helped him develop a good work ethic. In June 1949, after graduating from high school, Noel enrolled at Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, PA, where he excelled in academics. Concurrently, he was attempting to obtain an appointment to USMA. COL Howard McCoy, USAF, a classmate of Noel’s father, took an active role in the quest for an appointment. In a letter to the USMA Academic Board, COL McCoy stressed Noel’s “burning ambition for an officer career” and of his “exceptional fitness to be a cadet.” Another family friend, GEN H.H. Arnold, USAF, wrote in a letter of recommendation, “Not only have I known Noel himself for many years, but I knew his father well, the late BG E. Perrin. . . . The boy has not only proved himself a credit to . . . a fine background, but . . . he gives every indication he will [accomplish much] through his own efforts.” Noel was successful in obtaining an appointment to USMA from the Honorable Chet Holifield of the 19th Congressional District of California, and he entered USMA on 5 Jul 1950. Classmates recall Noel as a very cheerful, upbeat person who made friends easily. With moderate effort, he ranked in the middle of his class academically. Noel enjoyed jazz music, and when he made infrequent trips to New York City, Noel visited Leon and Eddie’s, where his friend, jazz musician Eddie Condon, performed. [KWE Note: Source - USMA1954.org]
Roberts, Harry Kay Jr. (cadet) - Cadet Roberts was born December 29, 1929 in Portland, Oregon, a son of Harry Kay Roberts Sr. and Ellen Brownwell Roberts. His brother was David L. Roberts. Cadet Roberts is buried in Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery, Phoenix, Arizona.
Rounds, Ronald E. - Ronnie was born in Inglewood, California, to Ronald F. and Alice (Frame) Rounds. It was a close-knit family; Ron was especially close to his sister Joanne. Before he entered high school, Rounds was president of the student body and editor of the school yearbook. He also was active in clubs, played centerfield in baseball and showed an interest in speech and dramatics. His father was a manager for Southern California Edison, and the family moved several times. Rounds’ first high school was in Porterville, CA, where he learned to fish, grow potatoes for pin money, and play football. The family then moved to Delano, CA, where he attended and graduated from Delano High School. Ron Rounds was an active member of his high school. He was an excellent student and played football and track. He was business manager of the school yearbook and, during his senior year, was president of the Masque and Gavel Club, a dramatics club. He also starred in the junior play, “Our Town.” During his formative years, he declared his ambition: “To put my footprints in the sands of time.” His friends said he was articulate, and he had impeccable posture that made him imposing and possibly heralded his attendance at the Point. Following graduation from high school, Ron ran in the West Coast Relays, attended Bakersfield College for electrical engineering, and joined the California National Guard. It seems that it may have been more apparent that war clouds were gathering in Southeast Asia and the Korean peninsula to those living on the West Coast. As it turned out, however, Ron missed the call-up for the Korean War by 32 miles. The 40th division was called up, but Ron’s division, the 49th, was not. Through a National Guard competitive appointment, Ron entered West Point. Ron Rounds began his life at West Point on 5 Jul 1950. He made it through Beast Barracks and was assigned by height to Company I-1, in the 3rd Battalion, 1st Regiment. I-1 was the flanker company of the regiment’s runt battalion. There was a good measure of esprit de corps in this company, which was housed in South Area. During his year and a half at West Point, CDT Rounds’ life was routine. He was an excellent student and a budding “hive.” He often provided academic assistance to his less fortunate classmates, even upperclassmen. A classmate reported, “I do not say it lightly—Ronnie was a mathematical genius.” In an engineering course taught by COL “Archie” Higdon, who had also co-authored the course text, Ron revealed his potential. The assignment for the day involved memorizing a formula because its proof was beyond the scope of the text. CDT Rounds was so busy helping upperclassmen the night before, he did not look at the text, let alone memorize the key formula. Upon the command “Take Boards,” the rest of the section quickly wrote the formula on their board—all except CDT Rounds, who did not know it. When the rest of the section sat down, Rounds was trying to derive the formula on the blackboard. COL Higdon gave the class a “sshhh” sign and everybody watched the effort for what seemed like an eternity. Minutes before the bell rang, Ronnie put his eraser down and wrote the formula. COL Higdon put his arm on Ronnie’s shoulder and said, “Mr. Rounds, that is the finest example of academic genius that I have had the pleasure of witnessing. You accomplished in 40 minutes what it took Higdon and Styles days to derive and then two full written pages to present. Now, we shall have to rewrite our book!” Ron also helped in the Class of 1951 100th Nite Show and played intramural track and football. He joined the Radio Club so he could communicate with his sister Joanne, who was attending the University of California at Berkley. He also joined the Mormon (Latter Day Saints) church group at West Point. ( This proved to be a great comfort to his father after CDT Rounds’ unfortunate death.) [KWE Note: Source - USMA1954.org]
Sharp, William Farnsworth - Born August 23, 1929 in Washington, D.C., he is buried in Salt Lake City Cemetery, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Wilson, Hugh Robert Jr. - Wilson was born in Alliance, OH, on 14 Apr 1930 to Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Wilson. The family moved to Tulelake, CA, when Hugh was seven. He was active in the Boy Scouts, earning Eagle Scout and serving as a Junior Scoutmaster. Tulelake citizens remember his beautiful tenor voice and his athletic involvement in high school football, baseball, and basketball. Hugh was also active in several school clubs. His classmates from Tulelake still fondly remember his achievements and attitude. In 1948, he graduated as valedictorian. After graduation, Hugh attended Mount Union College in Alliance, OH, for two years before he received his appointment from California congressman Claire Engle to enter West Point. At Mount Union, he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, and the fraternity later established a Memorial Pledge Award in his honor. A scholarship fund in Tulelake was also established in his name. Hugh was admitted to the Academy on 5 Jul 1950 and, after surviving Beast Barracks, was assigned to Company I-2. Entering with two years of college under his belt, he had an easy time with academics and helped roommates with Plebe math and English. He participated in intramural lacrosse and swimming and was well liked by all. Hugh was looking forward to Christmas leave in 1951. Since entering West Point, he had not spent Christmas in California. He and 23 other cadets were able to get a ride on an Air Force C-47 from Stewart Field to Hamilton AFB in California. After relaxing at home, he made his way back to Hamilton from Tulelake in time to catch the return flight to Stewart. There were 19 cadets on the return flight; the remaining five had found other transportation. On 30 Dec 1951, as a result of bad weather and navigation problems, the C-47 hit the side of Armer Mountain at 6,500 feet. [KWE Note: Source - USMA1954.org]
Fatalities (civilians):
There were five. Names not yet found.
January 20, 1951
March 11, 1951 - Capt. Leon John Bernal Jr. was the pilot of a F4U-4 Corsair fighter with the Marine Fighter Squadron 212, Marine Air Group 33, 1st Marine Air Wing. On March 11, 1951, while on a combat mission of attacking enemy vehicles, his aircraft received a direct hit by anti-aircraft fire, crashed and burst into flames. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. Leon was born January 26, 1921, a son of Leon John Bernal Sr. (1890-1975) and Gebina Elizabeth Post Bernal (1890-1971). He was married to Jane Tillman Bernal, and they had a six-month-old son, James Robert Bernal, whom Captain Bernal had never seen. Leon's siblings were Norman George (1925-2015) and Raymond Stephen (1932-2017).
March 11, 1951 - When an F4U crashed on takeoff off the forward end of the flight deck of the USS Princeton CV-37, the plane plunged off the deck and into the sea. A rescue helicopter brought the injured pilot to safety.
April 4, 1951 - Lieutenant Colonel Donald Paul Frame was the pilot of a F4U-4 Corsair fighter and the Commanding Officer of Marine Fighter Squadron 312, Marine Air Group 12 aboard carrier USS Bataan (CVL-29). On April 4, 1951 while on a combat mission near Hwangju, North Korea, his aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire. He bailed out ten miles north of Sariwon, but apparently struck the plain's tail section. Upon recovery, he died enroute to Seoul. Donald was born February 25, 1917 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He was married to Lois Marie KIrkpatrick (later West) (1915-2011), and they had one son, James Donald Frame (1942-2024), who was nine years old when his father died in the crash.
April 5, 1951 - Ens. Maurice Alfred Tuthill was living in Stuttgart, AR when he enlisted and was the pilot of a F4U-4 Corsair fighter with Fighter Squadron 113, aboard the carrier USS Philippine Sea (CV-47). On April 5, 1951, while on a combat mission over North Korea, his aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire and he died from the wounds received. Ensign Tuthill was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal. He was a son of William Warren Tuthill (1896-1968) and Nellie Averil Shut Tuthill (1894-1984). Ensign Tuthill was the brother of Warren Edward Tuthill (1922-2003). Born October 20, 1928 in Stuttgart, Arkansas, Alfred is buried in Lone Tree Cemetery, Stuttgart.
April 24, 1951 - Lieutenant Commander Glenn Frye Carmichael (Columbia, Missouri) was the pilot of a F4U-4 Corsair fighter and the commander of Fighter Squadron 144 (884) aboard the carrier USS Boxer (CV-21). On April 24, 1951, while leading a close air support mission, his aircraft was hit by an anti-aircraft shell fragment. He bailed out and struck the tail assembly. He died shortly after rescue from the injuries received. Lieutenant Commander Carmichael was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal. Glenn was born June 12, 1919, in Union Star, Missouri, a son of George Carson Carmichael (1891-1965) and Mary Shannon Frye Carmichael (1892-1974). In 1943 he was married to Dona Jean Anderman (1920-1970), and they had sons Patrick Glenn "Pat" Carmichael (1948-2018) and Michael E. Carmichael. Lieutenant Commander Carmichael's brother was John Thomas Carmichael Sr. (1921-1969). Glenn is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, Kansas City, Missouri.
April 29, 1951
April 29, 1951
May 18, 1951 - Lieutenant Charles Garrison (born March 10, 1920, Adrian, Bates County, Missouri) was a veteran of World War II, serving in the European and Pacific Theaters. In Korea he was the pilot of a F4U-4 Corsair fighter with Fighter Squadron 114 (884) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Boxer (CV-21). On May 18, 1951, as he was working with a ground controller, his aircraft was hit by small arms fire. He tried to parachute but struck the tail assembly. He landed and was taken prisoner. He was presumed dead on May 24, 1954. His remains were not recovered. Lieutenant Garrison was married to his high school sweetheart, Enid Nichols, in October 1943. They were parents of two daughters, Karen Garrison Malan and Janis Garrison Curran. Lieutenant Garrison served in the Navy during World War II on the USS Boxer. He remained in the Navy until 1947, when he returned to Adrian to help on the family farm. He was recalled to service during the Korean War.
May 18, 1951 - First Lieutenant Walter Jung (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) was a veteran of World War II. In Korea he was the pilot of a F4U-4B Corsair fighter with Marine Fighter Squadron 214, Marine Air Group 12, 1st Marine Air Wing. On May 18, 1951, while on a combat mission, his aircraft received a direct hit by anti-aircraft fire, crashed and burst into flames. First Lieutenant Jung was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal. Lieutenant Jung was born February 16, 1924.
May 19, 1951 - This F4U crashed after experiencing engine failure on takeoff from the aircraft carrier USS Boxer.
June 17, 1951 - Captain Bigelow Watts Jr. was the pilot of a F4U-4B Corsair fighter with the Marine Fighter Squadron 323, aboard the carrier USS Sicily (CVE-118). On June 17, 1951, upon returning from a combat air patrol, his aircraft was waved off as he tried to land. The aircraft crashed into the Yellow Sea and sank immediately. His remains were not recovered. The son of Bigelow Watts, Sr. and Helen Spader Watts, he has a marker in Arlington National Cemetery. Captain Watts was born August 03, 1923 in Manhattan, New York, the son of Bigelow Watts Sr. and Helen Watts. He attended Saint Paul's School, Harvard (one-half year) and was an aviation cadet at the University of North Carolina. He was married to Cynthia Landon and they had two daughters, Jennifer and Priscilla Watts.
June 20, 1951 - Lieutenant Royce Carruth (Texas) was a pilot of a F4U-4 Corsair fighter with Fighter Squadron 821 aboard the USS Princeton (CV-37). On June 20, 1951, his aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire, crashed and exploded near Sinpyong, Korea. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on May 21, 1954. Lieutenant Carruth was born Maay 1, 1921, the son of William Walter Carruth (1886-1970) and Della Dalton Wood Carruth (1885-1987). His siblings were Iva Doris Carruth Jennings (1911-1998) and Eula Mae Carruth Campbell (1918-2003).
July 3, 1951 - The F4U Corsair piloted by Capt. James V. Wilkins was hit by enemy fire during an armed reconnaissance mission about 35 miles southwest of Wonsan. He parachuted from the burning plane and survived, although he was burned around his legs. The rescue helicopter that responded to his call for help crashed in fog after being hit by enemy ground fire. Wilkins, the helicopter pilot (John Kevin Koelsch) and crewman AM3 George M. Neal, survived the crash but were all taken prisoner.
July 13, 1951 - Captain William Knox Garmany (born April 9, 1923 in Hamilton County, Tennessee) was a veteran of World War II. In Korea, he was the pilot of an F4U-5N Corsair night fighter with the Marine Night Fighter Squadron 513, Marine Air Group 12, 1st Marine Air Wing. On July 13, 1951, while flying a combat mission over the Sibyon-ni Area, South Korea, contact with his aircraft was lost and he was listed as Missing in Action. He was presumed dead on December 15, 1953. Captain Garmany was the son of Ralph Parks Garmany (1891-1954) and Lucy Alma Blancit Garmany (1891-1971).
July 25, 1950
July 27, 1951 - Captain Jeremiah David Shanahan was the pilot of a F4U-4B Corsair fighter with Marine Fighter Squadron 214, Marine Air Group 12, 1st Marine Air Wing. On July 27, 1951, while on bombing mission over North Korea, his aircraft received a direct hit by anti-aircraft fire, crashed and burst into flames. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on December 15, 1953. His remains were not recovered. Captain Shanahan was born January 09, 1923. His wife was Pauline Brush Shanahan (1920-2011) and they had two children, Sara Ann and Michael David.
July 30, 1951 - Capt. Harold Paul Hintz was the pilot of a F4U-4B Corsair fighter with Marine Fighter Squadron 312, Marine Air Group 12, 1st Marine Air Wing. On July 30, 1951, while on a combat mission near Pyongyang, North Korea, his aircraft received a direct hit by anti-aircraft fire, struck a U.S. Naval aircraft and crashed. He was taken Prisoner of War and died in a prison camp on November 16, 1951. His remains were not recovered. Graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Harold was born July 06, 1924 in Elmwood Park, Illinois, a son of Harold Paul Hintz Sr. (1898-1974) and Ruth Sophia Sandahl Hintz (1905-1971). His siblings included Edward R. Hintz (1928-1989), Charles F. Hintz and William Hintz.
July 30, 1951 - Lieutenant Colonel Harry William Reed (USMC) was the pilot of a F4U-4B Corsair fighter with the Marine Fighter Squadron 312, Marine Air Group 12, 1st Marine Air Wing. On July 30, 1951, while on a combat mission near Pyongyang, North Korea, another F4U-4B was hit by anti-aircraft fire, went out of control and struck his aircraft, causing it to crash. Lieutenant Colonel Reed was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Korean War Service Medal. LIeutenant Reed was born March 20, 1913 in Cameron, Ohio. His body was returned in 1955 and he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
August 4, 1951 - Lieutenant Junior Grade Henry Brownell Rathbone (born September 13, 1925/from Providence, Rhode Island) was the pilot of a F4U-4 Corsair fighter with Fighter Squadron 114 (884) aboard the carrier USS Boxer (CV-21). On August 4, 1951, immediately after take-off, his aircraft's engine suffered power failure and the plane crashed. His remains were not recovered. Per Dwayne Friese was attached to VF 194 on paper but was with 884 USS Boxer. He was the son of Clifford Kyler Rathbone (1893-1944) and Dorothea DeWolf Brownwell Rathbone (1893-1982). His sister was Mrs. Carlos (Dorinda Rathbone) Dew Jr. (1924-2009).
August 11, 1951 - Lt. James Joseph Venes was the pilot of a F4U-4 Corsair fighter with Fighter Squadron 874 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme (CV-31). On August 11, 1951, while making a dive on a bridge target in North Korea from 5,000 feet, the aircraft exploded and disintegrated in mid-air. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on August 2, 1954. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. For his leadership and valor, Lieutenant Venes was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal. James was born August 15, 1924 in Fairfield, Connecticut. He was married to Lavina Bernice Bethke Venes (1916-2002).
October 10, 1951 - Capt. Cornelius Taylor "Monty" Montgomery Jr., 33, was killed in action after his F4U-4 Corsair fighter was struck by anti-aircraft fire on October 10, 1951, near Mulgae-Ri, Korea, and crashed into a mountain. His remains were never recovered. Monty was born May 24, 1918 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a son of Cornelius Taylor Montgomery Sr. (1892-1970) and Lydia Mattes Montgomery. He was married to Doryth Findlay Parker Montgomery (1916-1990). Their children were Robert Edward Montgomery (1941-1980) and daughters Sandra and Jane. His siblings were Mary Alma Montgomery (1927-1958), Thomas Rockwell Montgomery (1931-1933), Mrs. George Lewis, Mrs. Dorothea M. Kerstetter, and Dr. Peter S. Montgomery. Monty attended Bethlehem schools and Moravian College for Men before joining the Marine Corps in 1942. He served in Pacific campaigns during World War II.
December 5, 1951 - Sgt. Donald K. Bartoli was a crew member of a F4U-4B Corsair fighter with the Marine Fighter Squadron 312, Marine Air Group 12, 1st Marine Air Wing. On December 5, 1951, while he was in his parked aircraft, a crippled AD-4L Skyraider collided with his plane, killing him. Donald was born December 05, 1951 in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, a son of Mario J. Bartoli (1901-1985) and Mary A. Paganelli Bartoli (1903-2000). In 1951 he was married to Rosemary T. Coward Bartoli (later Mazza) (1931-2024). His siblings were Roger F. Bartoli (1922-2020) and Dolores (1926-2008). Sergeant Bartoli is buried in Mount Airy Cemetery, Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania.
December 9, 1951 - Born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, on December 12, 1921, Lt. James Thomas Porterfield Jr. was a veteran of World War II. In Korea, he was the pilot of a F4U-4B Corsair fighter with Fighter Squadron 653 aboard carrier USS Valley Forge (CV-45). On December 9, 1951, while conducting refresher air operations in TARE Area, his aircraft collided with another F4U-4B and crashed into the water. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. He was the husband of Delores Kuhl Porterfield, who was expecting their second child in March. Their eldest child was six-year-old Bobby Porterfield. Lieutenant Porterfield was a son of James Thomas Porterfield Sr. (1898-1968) and Helen Kirk Porterfield (1899-1990). His siblings were Robert Kirk Porterfield (1919-1941/lost at Pearl Harbor during World War II), William Carlisle Porterfield (1925-2010) and Helena "Helen" Porterfield Bishop (1929-2019).
December 21, 1951 - Captain Herbert David Smith was a pilot of a F4U-4B Corsair fighter with the Marine Fighter Squadron 323, Marine Air Group 12, 1st Marine Air Wing. On December 21, 1951, while on a combat mission, his aircraft received a direct hit by anti-aircraft fire and he bailed out. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on December 15, 1953. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. For his leadership and valor, Captain Smith was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal. Herbert was born November 30, 1921in St. Petersburg, Florida, a son of James Roy Smith (1885-1943) and Gertrude Jane Wiley Smith (18881955). His siblings were Gerritt Wiley Smith (1910-1977), J. Crawford Smith (1913-1976), John Hughes Smith (1914-1978) and Violet Hope "Vi" Smith Jones (1917-2008).