In those days, he focused exclusively on WWII MIAs lost in Palau.
50 Years Later: The Search Beginsįifty years later, Pat Scannon made it his mission to find MIAs and help bring them home. When the MIAs’ parents, siblings, and spouses died, their unsubsiding grief was passed unknowingly and unintentionally to future generations. They shouldered the numbing burden of not knowing. In one year and one day, they were officially declared Killed in Action. The wake led back to the spot where the first parachutist landed.Īll 11 crew members were declared Missing in Action. The Squadron Leader circled back around from Babeldaob in time to see a boat nearing Koror Islands leaving a wake behind it. The plane spiraled out of the sky, breaking the fuselage in two and crashing into the sea. Arnett banked right in an apparent attempt to put out the flame, but the left-wing folded and broke off of the airplane. At least two crew were seen parachuting out. The crew immediately salvoed the bombs and slid out of formation. Their number two engine burst into flames. Just as the Arnett B-24 was over their target, they took two direct hits on their left-wing. They approached their enemy target at 17,000 feet with clear visibility. The planes flew in trail, ‘javelin down’ within squadrons. The plane fell into formation with 14 other B-24s, leaving three B-24s on a reconnaissance mission first to form their own flight. There were six B-24s from each: the 371st, 372d, and 424th Bombardment Squadrons all in the 307th Bombardment Group. A loaded B-24 had a max speed just over 250 knots and it would take the B-24s about four hours to reach their targets. They were heading in a northeasterly direction toward Koror, Palau, more than 700 miles away. On Friday, September 1, 1944, at 6:30 am, eighteen B-24 Liberators took off from Wakde Island. This limited edition painting can be yours with a donation to Project Recover. Wakde Island, New Guinea, against Koror, Palau, B-24J “42-73453” was hit in the left-wing and no. Vick, 28 or 29, Photographer, Campbell, CA
Jimmie Doyle, 25, Nose Gunner, Lamesa, TX Stinson, 23, Engineer, San Bernardino, CA The youthfulness of the crew, although perhaps not unusual, is notable. Three regular crew members were substituted for the mission.
#B 24 bomber crew listings movie#
Arhar, and a well-known movie character of the era.įollowing is a list of the crew members who were on the ‘453 that day. They considered “The Big Stoop” after both the big, friendly navigator, 2nd. On September 1, 1944, the Arnett B-24, with the tail number ‘453, took off on a mission to bomb enemy targets in Koror, Palau. Coorsen and Camposa did not fly with this aircrew on 1SEP44. Arhar (N) NOTE: Not shown: Jack Arnett (P for the 1SEP44 mission), William J. Yoh (Ball)Īnd Camposa (photog) Front: Coorsen (P), Arthur J. Jimmie Doyle (AE), John Moore (RO), Leland D.
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