5TH BOMB GROUP (H) ASSOCIATION
NEWS FROM THE 5TH BOMB GROUP ASSOCIATION
NEXT 5TH GROUP REUNION (Submitted by Joanne Emerick)
San Diego will be the site of the next Fifth Group Reunion--(our 21st) From Thursday, September 20 until Sunday noon September 23, 2012. We shall meet at the Kona Kai Resort on Shelter Island in San Diego Bay. You will land at San Diego Airport and call the Hotel for the free shuttle. The rooms, at $109, including shuttle and free breakfast, surround a large green lawn, swimming pool and lovely view of the boat-filled marina. From the front side of the Resort you will view the main harbor, North Island Navy Base, and the skyline of San Diego--not to mention the lovely sunsets over the Pacific Ocean.
Visit the web site at www.resortknoakai.com and call for reservations at 1-800-566-2524, mentioning the 5th Bomb Group. Reservation forms for the activities will be forthcoming from Dag Larsen, 949-725-6460.
Dag and Lynn Larsen, Hosts
TWENTIETH REUNION OF THE 5TH BOMB GROUP ASSOCIATION
The 20th reunion of the Fifth Bomb Group Association was held on September 8-12, 2010
at the Sheraton Reston Hotel in Reston, VA . Joanne Emerick has provided information
about some of the decisions taken at the Group's Business Meeting.
At the 5th Bomb Group Association meeting in Reston, Virginia, several important decisions were made.
1) As most of you know, tax considerations initially led us to organize the 5th Bomb Group Association as a corporation. Deciding at the 2010 reunion that such considerations no longer justified the record keeping such a designation requires, a unanimous vote was taken to dissolve the corporation and continue operation simply as The Fifth Bomb Group Association.
2) A vote was held to offer full voting membership to the descendants of 5th Bomb Group veterans. The vote was unanimous.
3) Because of the inability to find people who were willing to take over the leadership roles in the 5th Bomb Group Association, a discussion was held on reorganization of the 5th Group leadership positions. Laura Scharer, 31st Bomb Squadron Assoc., offered to head a committee that would interview the current officers and record the tasks each officer is responsible for. She and her committee would put those tasks into small, manageable job descriptions and help find 5th Group members who would fill those jobs, probably from among the second generation of members. Laura and her committee would make recommendations to the 5th Group officers/Association within several months. The vote accepting this proposal was unanimous.
4) Laura and Ron Scharer volunteered to host Reunion 2011 in or near Dayton, Ohio. The exact time and place will be announced at a later date. The vote accepting this proposal was unanimous.
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Joanne Emerick has provided the following picture.
5th Bomb Group Vets At 2010 Reunion
Front row, left to right: John Shenk, Jim Doty, Hugh Earhart, Bill Fallin, Lou Roffman, Owen Carr, Bill Blair, Fr. Joe Beckman Back Row, Left to Right: Dag Larsen, Lou Brosseau, Sheldon Skillestad, James Owenby, Floyd Streeper, Willie Martens, Courtney Clark, George Orien, Richard Gaumer, Max Baker, Jack Reidel
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
President—Courtney Clark (31st Sq.) 27 Shipwatch Road, Savannah, Georgia 31410, Home: 912-898-1684. Cell: 912-344-8201
Vice President---S. Sidney Ulmer (31st Squadron) 1701 Williamsburg Road, Lexington, KY 40504-2013. Tel or Fax 859-277-3487; E-Mail shakeulm@aol.com
Treasurer---Patricia (Pat) Smith, 534 N. 15th St E, Riverton, WY 82501-3816. Tel: 307-856-2749; E-Mail patsmith@bresnan.net
Secretary---Dag Larsen (394th Sq.) 19191 Harvard Ave., Apt. 426A, Irvine, CA 92612. Tel: 949-725-6460, Fax: 949-725-6450, Cell: 949-533-6460, E-mail: DAGLYNN@aol.com.
Immediate Past President--Lockwood Scoggin (72nd Sq) 2116 Greenview Drive, Montgomery, AL 36111-2726. Tel: 334-281-4665, E-mail: lockbarr@knology.net.
ASSOCIATION DIRECTORS
Jim Fulton (23rd Sq.) 1711 Bayshore Drive, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931-2313. Tel: 321-784-1711, E-mail: jimfulton@cfl.rr.com.
Bill Blair (72nd. Sq.) 1680 Knollwood Drive, Pasadena, CA 91103-1906. Tel: 626-795-9020, E-mail: ebillblair@hotmail.com.
Bill Fallin-(31st Sq.) 666 Elkins
Lane, Huntsville, TX-77340 Tel: 936-291-2984,
bfallins@att.net, Cell:
936-661-3955
Richard Gaumer (394th Sq.) 2119 SW 22nd. St., Boynton Beach, FL 33426-7155
5th BOMB GROUP HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
On December 7, 1941 the 5th Bombardment Group (H) and its four squadrons were stationed at Hickam Field on Oahu, HI. On that infamous day squadron members suffered 37 casualties. While not a promising beginning to its wartime service, the Group went on to more than justify its reputation as a superbly trained and accomplished bomb group. Flying B-10s, B-18s, B-17s, and eventually B-24s, its approximately 1,000 missions reached the far corners of the Pacific. Missions were flown mainly against Japanese air bases and shipping. Its members earned more than 13, 300 decorations. And the Group was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) on two different occasions, as discussed below.
To warrant a PUC, the Unit must complete a mission under difficult and hazardous conditions in such a way that it differentiates itself from other Units participating in the same campaign. And the degree of heroism required is the same as that which would warrant the award of a Distinguished Service Cross to an individual. That is to say: “the act or acts of heroism must have been so notable and have involved risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from his or her comrades.” To give perspective to the award of a PUC, it may be noted that in order of precedence, the DSC is six ranks above the Distinguished Flying Cross and is outranked only by the Medal of Honor.
MEMORABLE MISSIONS
Midway
The Battle of Midway was the tipping point in the war with Japan. The 5th Group was a vital contributor to the victory gained in that battle. Lt. W. A. Smith of the 394th Squadron was the first to spot a fleet of Japanese transports steaming toward Hawaii on May 26, 1942. The Group’s B-17s soon found the Japanese task force. Captain Cecil Faulkner of the 31st Squadron made the first bomb run on a Japanese warship. Group bombs sank a transport while damaging five warships including two carriers—one of which was left in flames. 5th Group gunners shot down several Zeros.
Woleai
Throughout its tenure in the Pacific theater, the 5th Group received commendations from Admiral Halsey and Generals MacArthur, Sutherland, Twining, Street, Krueger, Kenny--and the Commander of the Royal Australian Air Force. The Group also received a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation from the Republic of the Philippines. The 5th Group was awarded a PUC for bombing Woleai for 30 days in 1944 and, as the Citation put it: “…reducing to a shambles a base upon which the Japanese had depended for the uninterrupted flow of supplies and aircraft for the strategic defense of Truk, Palau, and the Caroline and Marianas Islands.”
Balikpapan
The Group received its second PUC for a strike on Balikpapan, Borneo on September 30, 1944. At the time, Balikpapan refineries were providing 35 % of the fuel needs of Japanese forces in the Pacific and 65 % of the aviation fuel used by the Japanese Air Force in the Philippines. As a consequence, it was the most heavily guarded target in the Pacific. Neutralizing these refineries would severely diminish the enemy’s ability to project air and naval forces against MacArthur in the upcoming invasion of the Philippines and the battle for Leyte. The mission required the Group to fly over enemy controlled territory for the entire distance. And the estimated distance of 2600 miles was greater than that ever flown by a mass formation of bombers. It was not known whether it could be done. The Group made the flight without fighter cover—knowing that it would have to fly over several Japanese fighter bases going and returning. Planners also knew that a large number of fighter planes was based at Balikpapan.
Five miles from the target 30-35 Japanese fighters jumped the bombers. In the lead, Colonel Thomas C. Musgrave found 10/10 cloud cover over the target. Fighter attack was constant and the Group was taking heavier and more intense “flak” than it had ever encountered. Yet, deciding not to bomb an alternate target, Musgrave circled the area for 45 minutes until a break in the clouds permitted pinpoint bombing. During the circling, 15 of the 23 5th Group bombers were damaged, three of which were later shot down. Subsequently, photographic assessments identified 36 hits on the refineries and nine on other installations. The Japanese now knew that their refining facilities at Balikpapan were open to attack by land-based B-24s. And the effect of disrupting the flow of oil and gasoline on their tactical operations was immediate. Several Japanese fighters were also destroyed on the mission. But because of differences in crew size and loss of life in returning bombers, our loss of men was far greater than theirs. After a remarkable history and many successes, the 5th Bombardment Group was inactivated on June 16, 1952.
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By Glenn Bittner
My uncle’s name was Carroll Bittner and he was 19 years old at the time of his death. He was from a small farm in Pennsylvania and enlisted in the Army Air Corps in Philadelphia on February 22, 1944. He eventually was assigned to the 13th Air Force, 5th Bomber Group, 394th Squadron. With this group in the Pacific Theater, he served as a tail gunner in a B-24 Liberator.
I had occasionally heard stories of my uncle’s WW II service and knew he had been a flier in the Army Air Force and had been killed during a mission. The stories varied as far as the type of plane he flew in (B-17, B-25, B-24?) and details of his death. That was about all I knew until a copy of a story from an Anderson, South Carolina newspaper turned up several years ago and some additional information became available.
On March 9, 1945, Carroll’s B-24 with a crew of 10, on a bombing mission over Zamboanga Town, Mindanao had released their bomb load and were returning to their base at an altitude of 8000 feet. At some point not long after their bomb release, 3 planes flying at a higher altitude released their bombs and one struck my uncle’s plane in the vicinity of the bomb bay. The plane exploded and the pieces fell into the water. No chutes were seen to open and the crew was listed as missing in action. Two other planes in the formation were heavily damaged but were able to make it back to base.
As it turned out, there was one survivor from the explosion. He was the subject of the above-mentioned news story, as his survival seemed a miracle. Lieut. Pete Konduras, bombardier, heard the explosion and found himself falling in the broken off nose section of the plane with pieces of the plane falling past him. He was not wearing a parachute but felt one under him at his feet. He managed to remove his flight suit and get the parachute on while falling from the sky. At this point he attempted to jump from the nose section but found his foot was tangled in an ammunition belt and he was hanging upside down. He finally managed to kick free and get out of the nose section and pull his ripcord. By this time, he was only a few hundred feet above the water and his parachute only fully deployed at 200 feet before setting him down in the water.
Because the Japanese were on the shore, he didn’t want to chance being shot at so he didn’t inflate his life jacket until he swam out of range of their fire. There were naval support vessels that had observed the destruction of the plane but because the parachute opened so low, did not see it. Fortunately for Lieut. Konduras, a Lieut. Smythe was flying an observation mission in a Kingfisher (a seaplane) when he saw the B-24 break up but again did not see the parachute open. He decided to fly over the area where the debris had fallen and finally sighted Lieut. Konduras in the heavy surf. He managed to land in the heavy seas, pick up the Lieutenant and get off the water again. He was flown out to one of the cruisers and taken onboard. Lieut. Konduras survived the war and only passed away recently.
The following crewmembers were all killed in the explosion: 2nd Lt. Kenneth R. Smith, pilot; 2nd Lt. Conover B. Sarvis, Jr., co-pilot; 2nd Lt. Arthur Rubenstein, navigator; Cpl. Louis D. Bedgood, engineer; Cpl. Tom E. Gallagher, assistant engineer; Cpl. James W. Stack, radio operator; Cpl. Robert E. Lumm, assistant radio operator; Cpl. William E. Johnson, gunner; and my uncle, Cpl. Carroll V. Bittner, gunner. They were posthumously awarded Purple Hearts.
I wanted to write this story as I feel it’s important to keep the memory alive of those who gave so much so that we can enjoy the lives we have. I think it’s important for each generation to remember the sacrifices of those who served before them and think where they would be if those men and women had not endured and overcome the adversities of their time. I hope that people will remember and that as we move further away in time from those events, continue to pass along to the new generations the memories and stories of the servicemen and women who fought and still fight today to protect our Country. Many thanks to all those who have served and continue to serve today.
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(The following war story is reprinted from S. Sidney Ulmer, Waist Gunner, Xlibris, 2000, pp. 219-242 )
A TOUGH MONTH FOR THE 5TH GROUP
NOVEMBER 1944
After completing 23 missions and surviving the strike on Balikpapan on September 30, 1944 I was ready for a break. I got one immediately following that strike with rest leave in Sydney. Upon my return to Morotai, I was pretty upbeat. I had conquered Sydney and all its many attractions/temptations and was somewhat rested from the rigors of aerial combat. In my head I caressed the notion that compared to Balikpapan my remaining missions may not be milk runs, but perhaps they would not be as stressful (gut-wrenching) as Balikpapan. How wrong I was! And my naiveté was never more evident than in the month of November 1944.
The 31st was based on Morotai with the 5th Group at that time and flew most of its missions with the Group. In November the Group flew 21 missions -- 17 of which were flown against Japanese air bases in the Philippines. Most of these were strikes against airdromes on Negros Island. One was against Japanese headquarters on Leyte and one was flown to Borneo. The two remaining missions were against Japanese shipping. One was a strike against a Japanese reinforcing convoy off Ormoc Bay, Leyte on November 2nd. The other was the well-known strike against Japanese warships sitting in Brunei Bay, Borneo on November 16th, 1944. Losses to the Group during the month were significant. A total of 21 B-24's were lost to enemy action in November -- 12 in aerial combat.
NEGROS (AIRDROMES)
EMIG CREW SHOT DOWN
My first November mission took place on November 7th. It had been preceded a week earlier by a Group mission to hit Alicante Airdrome on Negros, PI. This was the first land-based bomber strike on Negros. And it cost us the loss of John Emig and his crew, who were shot down by attacking Japanese fighters. Two of the crew were killed in the attack. The other crewmembers bailed out. Several were seriously wounded--one with a shell embedded five inches in his thigh-- and were later strafed after hitting the water. John Duarte and Bob Mahanes, sought to make land in a rubber raft. Later that same day, two other crewmembers, Lt. Harris and T/Sgt. Frank Brown tried to make it to Negros in another raft. They were never heard from again. The remaining four men were on the water for 33 days until their rafts beached and they were rescued by a Navy Catalina. The two who made land, Duarte and Mahanes, were not rescued until December 20th, 51 days after taking off from Morotai and after many exciting adventures living with natives and evading the Japanese.
In addition, the Group mission to Ormoc Bay, PI on November 2nd further enlightened us. The goal of the mission on the 2nd was to see if we could interfere with a convoy that was reinforcing Japanese forces still fighting on the island. Overall it was a spectacular success since the 5th Group on that day deftly sank a 10,000-ton transport and damaged a second one. A smoke screen laid by the Japanese did not deter the 5th Group.
Bomb coverage on the transport was complete from stem to stern. The 31st Squadron reported two bomb hits in the center of the ship followed by a terrific explosion, flame and smoke. Before the 5th Group left the area only the stern of the ship could be seen, sitting straight up in the air. All this occurred while the Group was being attacked by 12 Zekes and 4 Oscars. Yet while 51 passes were made against the Group, only three of the 24's were damaged by fighter fire. The 15,250 rounds of 50-caliber ammo we expended may have had something to do with that outcome.
As the Group approached the area, it encountered a veritable wall of anti-aircraft fire being put up by ships in the Bay. This wall was between shipping in the Bay and 5th Group bombers. It was described by experienced personnel as the most accurate and intense anti-aircraft fire they had ever seen. It was coming from a flak ship with 20 anti-aircraft mounts (visible in aerial photographs) and seven naval vessels sitting in the Bay. The warships had been shelling eastern Leyte, but as we approached, they turned all their attention toward the Group.
As is always the case, naval anti-aircraft fire is concentrated and especially dangerous for B-24's, given their slow speed at altitudes of 9,000 to 10,000 feet. So one can't be surprised to learn that the anti-aircraft fire damaged 7 B-24's, including one of those already hit by fighter fire. But all returned safely to base while the Japanese lost three of their fighters to our fighter cover.
Thus, on the 7th of November, we all knew that in the preceding week the Emig crew had been jumped by 20 to 30 Japanese fighters in the vicinity of Negros and that the Group had been hit by 16 Japanese fighters and ferocious flak on November 2nd. We recognized that we were about to participate in a bombing phase designed to support MacArthur's efforts to retake the Philippines. And the talk around the men's tents was that these missions were likely to be challenging. So we were somewhat apprehensive when told that our mission on November 7th would be Fabrica and Alicante airdromes on Negros.
A TROUBLED DEPARTURE
On the day of the strike, we were waked in our tent at 0300 after a Japanese bombing raid earlier that night. Takeoff was set for 0540 at 65-second intervals. Once at the strip, in line, with engines running, we were suddenly alerted and ordered off the planes. The Japanese were bombing and strafing Pitoe strip and we had to wait about 30 minutes until an all clear had sounded and some debris was removed from the strip. When, ostensibly, the raid was over, we resumed takeoff. But as we went down the strip in A/C 613, the same aircraft in which I had flown to Balikpapan, Japanese fighters were actually strafing the adjacent strip. But we got off successfully and looked for the fighters, P-38's and P-47's that were scheduled to accompany us. However, prior to reaching Mindanao on the way up, we lost the fighters -- due to weather -- and we saw no more of them that day. So this was a mission without fighter cover, as -- because of distance -- most of our missions had been to that time.
The 23rd Squadron led the mission with the 31st, 394th and the 72nd taking off in that order. At Negros the entire Group flew over both Fabrica and Alicante airfields in order to maintain maximum gun power against any enemy fighters that might rise to meet us--with the 23rd and the 31st dropping on Fabrica and the other squadrons on Alicante. Although Japanese fighters were spotted at several points during the actual bombing, none attacked at that point. We then headed for home.
A SURPRISE ATTACK
On the return trip, about an hour and a half later, we were approaching Mindanao -- still at our guns and riding along comfortably. It was midday and I was hungry. So over the intercom I asked my pilot, Pat Earhart, if we could eat lunch. He said: "Go ahead but stay alert." So at 1239 I was sitting in the tail eating from a can of C rations when a gaggle of Japanese fighters began an attack. I first spotted four specks at 9:00 o'clock high. The mission report describes what followed this way:
"The enemy attack was made by six Zekes on a lagging 24 in the rear. This plane [from the 72nd squadron] was reported to be on fire with smoke coming from the fuselage, however some crews were definite it was not on fire until it exploded. Some crews reported that only the top turret returned the enemy fire. The B-24 gained speed and caught up with the formation, slightly below it, then made a left turn. At least 5 men were observed to jump and believed to have landed within a maximum distance of four miles from Sila Point."
Other Fighters quickly joined the fray and the mission report estimates 19 fighters in all: 4 Tonys, 2 Tojos, 2 Zeke 32's, and 11 Zekes. Over the next 19 minutes, 104 passes were made at the formation. And two more B-24's were quickly lost, one flown by Lt. McFarlane of the 72nd, the other by Lt. Robinson of the 23rd squadron.
The Japanese pilots were very aggressive and eager. They appeared to be quite experienced. And they were so intent on doing us in that they flew within 25 feet of our planes and on several occasions almost collided with a bomber.1 Other crews reported similar experiences. As for the pilots, I remember that after the mission there was widespread speculation that the pilots must have been German since no one believed that Japanese fighter pilots were so skilled or courageous.
WE LEAVE THE SQUADRON TO COVER DOWNED CREWS
As the two 72nd planes went down close by me on the right, I informed Earhart and counted six parachutes for him as they blossomed. I also informed him that the Japanese were strafing the men in their chutes, as they were wont to do on many occasions. On hearing that, Earhart immediately replied: "Hold on, we are going down to cover those men." And going down we did in a fast spiral that, in my opinion, crossed the red line. The radioman on my crew, Stuart Clemmer, told me later that he only heard "We are going down…" which, as he puts it, "scared the hell out of me."
As for those of us in the rear of the plane, the centrifugal forces occasioned by the circling dive immobilized me in the tail and had the waist gunners holding on for dear life. We finally pulled out over Murcielagos Bay off Mindanao at what seemed about 10 (but probably was 30) feet off the water. At any rate, we were so low that the ball turret gunner, Dave Hopson, felt it necessary to remind Earhart that he, Hopson, was still in the ball.
The story of the second 72nd plane, piloted by Lt. McFarlane, is one of great courage and valor. This plane was flying along at the rear of the formation when the first plane was hit. When the crew of the first 72nd plane bailed out, McFarlane dropped back to cover the flyers that were being strafed in their parachutes. But when nobody covered McFarlane and his crew, they were quickly shot down. First they took a 20-mm shell through the front windshield -- hitting the top turret gunner in the back. The navigator, Peter Traber, "took a shower in his blood". One crewmember panicked, left his post and had to be calmed down. Another was screaming.
Explosions and fire erupted in the waist and bomb bay. But when it was obvious there was no longer hope, the crew started bailing out. Six of the crew went first, followed by Traber and one other crewmember. Both the top turret gunner and a waist gunner were killed and went down with the plane. Traber starkly describes his jump as follows:
"As I jumped, I planned a delayed opening of the parachute to preclude being strafed by the zeros. At the point of departure, our altitude was 10,000 feet; I pulled on the release at approximately 4,000 feet. I experienced a sharp pain in my ears and quite a jolt when the parachute opened. Even though I was quite sure that the chute was free of the burning plane, I looked up apprehensively. For the next few moments, I considered options on what to do. Since it appeared imminent that I would land in a lagoon on Northern Mindanao, I prepared for a water landing. To avoid being trapped in the chute, I unlocked the leg straps at about a couple of hundred feet. When I hit the water, I unlocked the chest straps, freeing myself completely. Here, I tried to inflate the Mae West, which didn't work, so I had to swim. (A Mae West was a rubber jacket that when inflated would keep you afloat. ) Fortunately I didn't have to swim long before I got into shallow water.
In the meantime, hundreds of rowboats with outriggers attached were rowing in my direction. Although they were Philippine natives, I wasn't sure because some looked like Japanese. I had difficulty hearing and my hair and uniform were covered with blood. Some were pointing at my head so I wasn't sure whether I had been shot. When we reached the village and I saw women, children, pigs, and chickens, I felt safe. When I washed up and felt no wounds, it was further relief. The Filipinos took my bloody uniform, GI shoes, and all my clothing. These were replaced with a straw hat, white shirt, white trousers, white sox, black belt, and black shoes. My apparel remained the same for the five-day stay and eventual rescue. Under the Geneva Convention rules I could been shot as a spy for not being in uniform behind enemy lines."2
As I, Earhart and the boys leveled off at water level, we saw six men in the water who appeared to be a mile or two from shore. These were the six men from the Traber crew who bailed out prior to Traber and his colleague, the same six members of the crew I had spotted bailing out earlier. We spent quite a while protecting the men in the water, and preventing further strafing by the Japanese at their ease. As we flew back and forth over the bay, the Japanese fighters that had followed us down accompanied us. The fact that we were so close to the water created a problem for the fighters. They could not dive past us as they normally did. Coming in very fast and eager, some chose to fly over a few feet above us but when they did we got good shots at them, both coming and going. Our ball turret gunner, Dave Hopson, thinks he shot down one Zeke as a pair zoomed over us at low altitude and flew in a straight line for too long after passing over our plane. While protecting the flyers in the water, we also dropped needed supplies. The mission report contains the following statement:
" A/C 613, Lt. Earhart, gave aerial protection to survivors of one of our crashed crews for one hour and a half, during which time he dropped three one-man life rafts one larger raft, two packets of marker and an emergency kit. All this equipment was picked up by the crewmembers. Also during this time he observed natives in canoes picking up the crewmembers. They had six members of the crew when Lt. Earhart had to return to base. The natives appeared friendly, waving to the plane. The rescued crew members waved also."3
BAD WEATHER AND COLONEL MUSGRAVE
Flying back to Morotai, and short on gas, we encountered terrible weather -- some of the worst I have ever seen. Suddenly we would bounce up, then shoot down, jumping all over the place. The sky was dark and we had some trouble finding the base. (I remember being quite concerned at this point) The fog and rain made it impossible to see the strip until we were 50 feet from ground level. On landing, we bounced up about six feet. (Though it seemed like sixteen.) I later said to Earhart --"That must have been the copilot landing." He replied: "It was I. There's no way I would let the copilot land under these conditions." After landing, Earhart was summoned by Colonel Musgrave, the Group Commander.
According to Earhart, the Colonel proceeded to give him a royal chewing for leaving the formation. This is not surprising given the fact that we were constantly told never to leave a formation to assist another plane. Not only did Earhart leave the formation; on this day he was the 31st Squadron leader and had to turn the Squadron over to someone else before we could assist a crew from another Squadron. He did turn the 31st over to Clyde Avery who proceeded to take the remaining five ships on back to Morotai. In doing so, Avery apparently encountered the weather we were destined to see since his log shows he was on instruments for two hours on the way home.
Later, not too long before he died, Pat told me that Musgrave was right. He said: "Sid, if I had it to do over again, I would not have left the squadron. It was a foolish thing to do." Yet, I know of a number of instances, before and after the November 7th mission, when B-24's left formations to come to the assistance of other crews. And even on the November 7th strike to Negros, we see a 72nd plane trying to help another. But it paid a price -- which underscores the wisdom of Musgrave's teaching.4 Later, when the six rescued flyers were returned to Morotai by Catalina, some came around to our tent and thanked us for "saving their lives." For our crew at least, this tended to put Colonel Musgrave's condemnation in proper perspective. And it reminds us that rational men may choose to behave irrationally or in violation of orders when the emotional currents running through an event are sufficiently robust.5
LT. ROBINSON'S PLANE LOST
Lt. Robinson, of the 23rd Squadron, flew the third plane lost on November 7th. The damage to his plane occurred on three initial passes by Zekes, which pressed to within 25 yards of his plane. In these initial attacks, some of the controls were shot out and this caused the plane to glide to the left. The ball turret was also damaged and no longer functioned. Seeing Robinson's predicament, other Zekes now swarmed the plane. The meaning of the word "swarmed" is easily sensed when one specifically describes the passes Robinson and his crew endured. According to the mission report, which breaks the passes down into high, low and level attacks, the following passes occurred: High-- one from 7:00 o'clock, one from 6:00 o'clock, one from 4:00 o'clock, and three from 12:00 o'clock: Level-- one from 2:00 o'clock, four from 3:00 o'clock, one from 7:00 o'clock, one from 8:00 o'clock, three from 9:00 o'clock, two from 1:00 o'clock, and two from 11:00 o'clock: Low-- one from 6:30 and one from 5:00 o'clock
These attacks killed staff Sergeant Walter C. Donnell who had a 20-mm shell explode in his abdomen. Sergeant Robert C. Bowers, Staff Sergeant Albert W. Meyer, and Staff Sergeant John F. Carney were seriously wounded. On top of all that, the crew ran out of ammunition just as the Japanese concluded their attacks. Their plane was severely damaged. It no longer had rudder, trim tabs, and elevator controls. Only the right aileron was operative. None of the direct current electrical systems were functioning. All the radio equipment had been shot out, including the intercom. All hydraulic systems were out of commission. And the plane was flying at a 30-degree angle to the horizontal. But it was still flying.
Robinson decided to head for San Pablo on Leyte. Reaching there safely, he first flew over strip number one. But workers on the ground did not clear the strip, so he could not land. Had he done so a number of people would have been killed. So Robinson proceeded to strip number two. He was afraid to put his wheels down for fear he would lose what little control he had of the plane. So he prepared for a belly landing--the only preparation for which was leaving an uninjured crewmember in the waist to hold down the wounded man who could not be moved to the flight deck.
Since the plane would mush out at a 160 mph, the landing was made at 170 mph. Just before reaching the ground, feathering buttons were pulled but the propellers failed to feather. Upon hitting the ground, the number 1 and 3 propellers flew off; the plane slid 4,000 feet and stopped on the runway. Number 3 engine caught fire but was quickly put out. After the crash, a count was made of the holes in the plane. The count showed that 396 holes were caused by 7.7-mm ammo and 28 by 20-mm shells. The only injury to a crewmember resulting from the crash was to Lt. Robert C. Hoeksema whose eyes were damaged by flying glass.
Given all of the mayhem that the Japanese inflicted on the 5th group on November 7th, 1944 one might wonder what price we extracted in return. Well, it was substantial. Eight Japanese fighters were shot down in aerial combat, Robinson's crew getting two of those. The 394th got one Zeke and damaged two Tojos. The 72nd Squadron shot down one Zeke 32. The 31st Squadron shot down four Zekes and had one additional probable. The particular individuals in the 31st who made the kills were-- Corporal Stegma, Corporal Kukarula, Corporal Finkboner, and Staff Sergeant Neely. In addition to these aerial losses, our bombing of the Alicante and Fabrica airdromes resulted in 6 aircraft being destroyed and 11 severely damaged on the ground. As for the strips, both were filled with so many holes they looked like Swiss cheese. So there is little doubt that, in spite of our losses, the 5th Group discharged its responsibilities with great success on November 7th, 1944. MacArthur needed our help in his Philippine campaign. On that day, we gave it to him.
BRUNEI BAY (SHIPPING)
On November 16th, 1944 I was flying the tail with Pat Earhart and my crew in A/C 935. Former 31st Commander, Beach Thurlow, was also on the trip--flying as copilot with a 394th crew. It was his first mission. As we cleared the end of the runway, our anti-aircraft gunners gave us a rousing "bon voyage" of friendly fire. We were headed for Brunei bay in Northwest Borneo where a sizable group of Japanese warships had been sighted. The convoy included three battleships, six cruisers, five destroyers, five cargo ships and a large number of barges. This fleet was on its way to the Philippines to support and supply Japanese forces still fighting on Luzon and other Philippine Islands. We were 26 planes in number (7 from the 31st) and were accompanied by three squadrons of the 307th bomb group. We also were covered by a flight of P-38's. We were in combat box formation.
SAALFIELD ON FIRE
The 23rd Squadron was in the lead with Squadron Commander Major Saalfield leading the Group in A/C 387. He was hit first about 8 to 10 miles before we reached the target, just as he was beginning his bomb run. On fire, he peeled off immediately and took a NW heading. The pilot of one of the P-38's providing our cover reported that Saalfield's crew bailed out about an hour later. Also hit by the same bursts were Lt. Corberly in A/C 924 and Lt. Norris in the A/C 962. In my mind's eye, this scene remains sharply focused after all these years.
I CALL EARHART
I was flying along rather mesmerized by the colorful display around me. Believe it or not I found the display rather appealing in spite of the fear each flak burst occasioned. Suddenly I looked to my right and, astonished, saw two planes quickly start to descend. In the midst of all this, I immediately called Earhart on the intercom and calmly said-"There goes one, there goes two", for they started to descend only seconds apart. Earhart replied "What?" in such a loud voice he almost burst my eardrums. He was clearly surprised, if not shocked. For it was unusual for two planes flying wing-to-wing to go down in tandem in a matter of seconds, particularly when we had experienced a similar event only 9 days earlier. I then spelled out the details, the exact location of the planes relative to our position, whether anyone was bailing out, etc. We then went on in and dropped our bombs.
CORBERLY'S DISASTER
Lt. Corberly's plane took a big shell in the cockpit that killed the navigator, blinded the nose gunner, and injured both pilots severely. The pilot had a fractured right leg and it was bleeding profusely. He was also in shock. The engineer, Jim Knoch, pulled him out of his seat, gave him two shots of morphine, and put him down on the flight deck. Although the plane was full of holes with the number three engine stopped, and all hydraulic and electrical systems out of commission, the copilot -- Jerry Rosenthal -- continued to try to fly the ship. But Rosenthal was badly wounded with a large hole in his head. He started back toward Morotai but only lasted about 20 minutes. Then, after giving a bailout signal, he died in his seat. So the crewmembers dropped the pilot out the bomb bay door, popping his chute at the same time. The copilot and navigator were dead in the plane and went down with it to a watery grave. The rest of the crew bailed out over Borneo. The wounded pilot died in the jungles three days later. Other crewmembers survived and spent seven months in Borneo living with natives and dodging Japanese daily before being rescued and returned to Morotai.7
NORRIS CREW BAILS OUT
The third plane to go down was that of Lt. Norris. As Norris turned on to the bomb run a shell burst on his left wing and knocked out his number two engine. However he completed his bomb run without further damage. Subsequently he found that, in addition to his number two engine freezing, the number two fuel cell had been hit and had lost all its gas. He noted that his air speed had been cut to 130 mph. Consequently, he decided to go as far as possible on the remaining gas and headed for a friendly spot in the Talaud Island area. He was in continual contact with a Catalina for quite a while. However, at 1630 radio silence occurred -- reasons unknown.
At this time, Norris thought he saw the Catalina and having only 90 gallons of gas left for the remaining three engines, ordered his crew to bail out. Altitude at that point was approximately 5000 feet. Lt. Carlos Page, the navigator, jumped second and counted eight open chutes. Page later saw two men in a life raft that evening but saw no one else before a Catalina picked him up at 1530 the following day. As of December 10, 1944, four members of the Norris crew had been saved. Norris was still listed as missing in action.
In addition to the three planes lost on this mission, 23 of the 26 B-24's over the target were damaged -- some severely. But it was the flak that did the damage rather than fighters. In fact, only two fighters attacked us on the mission. That was relatively light, as indicated by the fact that we expended only 5,260 rounds of 50-caliber ammunition against approximately 15 passes. This compares with 31,200 rounds used on 104 passes on November 7th. However, light the interception, the 31st apparently shot down one Jack. The mission report is informative here:
"As the fighter zoomed through the formation on his second pass, all gun positions were brought to bear on him and several thousand rounds were fired at him. Smoke was seen to emerge in great quantities from the cowling and the aircraft went out of control and dived into clouds below the formation."
As for other results of the mission, the 31st reported that it straddled a battleship with bombs and scored a direct hit. The 394th claimed two direct hits on a cruiser. And the 72nd claimed a hit and the sinking of another cruiser. As soon as the bombs were dropped the 5th Group planes made violent evasive turns in order to evade the intense ack-ack fire coming from the naval ships below. As a consequence, 50 % of the bombs dropped were not photographed. This made it difficult for Intelligence to evaluate our claims. But we did not know that at the time and viewed our claims as a true reflection of the facts. Consequently we had two reasons for elation-a real high--as we landed back on Morotai. First we had survived a rather hectic day filled with surprises and, secondly, we believed we had contributed significantly to the ongoing battle for the Philippines. As for our losses, of course they were hard to take. But we always hoped that any downed flyers would be rescued. And we had no doubt that the sacrifice of our men and planes was worth the rewards to be gained for stopping the Japanese.
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1 This was the era of the Kamikazes, which came even closer. So one can't be surprised at the courage or foolhardiness of these particular pilots.
2 This quotation and other material pertaining to Traber's experiences on November 7, 1944 are from his unpublished memoirs, which he was kind enough to share with me. The Filipinos who rescued Traber were under the command of a guerrilla leader, a Major Quieda. Major Q, as he was called, was headquartered only 20 miles from a Japanese stronghold. The Major was the supreme power for his constituents. If he thought you a traitor, he might pull his 45 and kill you on the spot. However, Traber never witnessed any such incident.
The first decision that Traber and his copilot made after capture was to travel only at night. The Filipinos were obviously frightened but said not a word. The reason for their fear later came to light. At night they had to light torches to avoid the crocodiles that came on land after dark. The torches made the travelers a target for the Japanese. So, after the first night, travel was conducted in the late afternoon.
After rescue by Catalina and return to Morotai, Traber and his copilot were taken to 13th Air Force headquarters. There they met with General Street, the Commanding Officer. The General and his aide, a Colonel, interviewed them for several hours. They were able to provide much valuable information since they were the first Americans in that part of the Philippines in three years.
3 Someone to whom I told this story several weeks ago asked:” Did it not occur to you and your fellow crewmembers that you may need some of the equipment you dropped overboard before you got back to base?" Well--to tell the truth, the thought had never occurred to me until that very moment. For we always thought it would be "the other guy."
4 Why my crew did not suffer the same fate as McFarlane's plane is a mystery to me. We left our squadron to help another crew in distress; therefore exposing ourselves to the same danger that was fatal for the 72nd crew --even though the crew we sought to help was not even in our squadron. In any event few days go by that I don't thank God for our good fortune on November 7, 1944.
5 As for Pat Earhart, if he used poor judgment in leaving his Squadron--a matter which I do not judge--it detracts little from his overall record in the 31st. His crew considered him a cracker-jack pilot. And I truly believe his ability to hold compass headings, air speed, and altitudes steady--in short to fly tight formation no matter the weather, flak, or attacking fighters --is the capsule reason why his crew survived Balikpapan, Negros, Brunei Bay and other tough missions flown by the 31st Bomb Squadron. Toward the end of his tour, Earhart contracted hepatitis and spent two months in the hospital. He died in Hawaii in 1999.
6 This comment is taken from Everett (Beach) Thurlow's unpublished Memoirs and is used here with his permission.
7 For a lengthy interview with one of the survivors of the Corberly crew, (the bombardier, Lt. Phillip R. Corrin) see: Bob Hamilton, Pacific War bird, Princeton NJ, and Xlibris (1999) pp.337-353.
Ed. Note: This paper is based on my recollection of events fifty years after the fact, conversations with other veteran 5th Group members, and additional information gleaned from mission reports and histories on file at the Air force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell Field, Alabama.
DEATHS OF 5TH GROUP ASSOCIATION MEMBERS
(Thanks to Joanne Emerick who provided the information for this section)
5th Group Bomber Group Don Bone passed away on November 17, 2011.
Wilfred "Fred" Toczko, a Pearl Harbor survivor and member of the 72nd Bomb Squadron, passed away on December 23, 2011. He was buried at sunrise on January 11th. 2012 in the Veteran's Cemetery
on Oahu, Hawaii. Prior to burial he was honored by 850 airmen at Hickam Field who saluted as Fred was taken around the historic flagpole at Atterbury Circle one last time. Condolencies may be sent to Fred's wife, Mrs.Marcelle Toczko, 3330 Plaza De Viola, Sierra Vista,AZ 85650-8204.
Bob Hannigan, a
valued combat pilot of the 72nd Bomb Squadron in WW II passed away on Friday,
June 17, 2011 in Roseville, CA. Bob was 91 years old. He and wife Betty
attended a number of 5th Group reunions, often with daughter Sue and
son-in-law Phil Foster. Bob flew 44
missions in the Pacific theatre including several of those grueling strikes on
Balikpapan, Borneo. Graveside services for Bob were held at Union Cemetery on
June 24, 2011.
Stan Wiec died in 2009. Stan served as a member of the 394th Squadron in the Southwest Pacific in World War II.
James Robert Prichard, 5th Bomb Group, 394 Bomb Squadron died on February 28, 2010 at his home at 306 Bourbeuse Rd., Union, MO 63084. Jim had not been sick and was enjoying life with has house mate Leona Massek. Jim got his wish and passed away while in his sleep.
The family would like to thank the 5th Bomb Group Association for their efforts to keep the members informed about the group and their functions. Our dad always enjoyed the newsletter and reading about the organization and its members. Keep up the great work!
Terry Spivey, a member of the 72nd Bomb Squadron, has died. The memorial service was held on January 14, 2010. Terry was a resident of Farmington, NM. He leaves a wife, Jessie and a daughter, Caranta. Caranta's email address is: jlcaranta@q.com Condolences may be sent to that address or to Jessie Spivey and family at 20 Road 3785, Farmington, NM 87401-1040.
Yozelle Unruh, wife of Colonel Marion Unruh (deceased), passed away on February 8, 2010. A memorial service will be held at the First Presbyterian Church Chapel in Hutchinson, KS at 10 AM February 20, 2010. Burial will be in the Lone Star Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to her sons:
Dr. Jess Unruh, PO Box 1153. Ruidoso, NM 88345-1153
Jack Unruh, 8138 Santa Clara Drive, Dallas, TX 75218