This B-25 Mitchell, 43-36192, “Jaunty Jo,” and crew were assigned to the 498^th Squadron of the 345^th Bomb Group. They were shot down over Formosa by flak on May 26, 1945 with no survivors. Two crewmembers were buried on August 16, 1949 in Section E Plot 96 at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

1/Lt Lloyd E. Bodell   Unknown burial location

2/Lt Robert J. Knauf      Honolulu Memorial Cemetery

2/Lt Martin H. Mulner     Honolulu Memorial Cemetery

Sgt Tennyson C. Harrell    Zachary Taylor Nat’l Cemetery

Cpl Harold O. Montville  Zachary Taylor Nat’l Cemetery

North American B-25 Mitchell "Jaunty Jo," serial number 43-36192, 498th Bomb Squadron, 345th Bomb Group, 5th Air Force (Far East Air Force) was struck by hidden antiaircraft artillery just after deploying 250-pound parachute-retarded demolition bombs on the Byoritsu Alcohol Refinery in Formosa. The cockpit has been torn open. Seconds later the plane crashed, killing the entire crew: Second Lieutenant Robert J. Knauf, Second Lieutenant Martin H. Mulner, First Lieutenant Lloyd E. Bodell, Corporal Harold O. Montville, and Gunnery Sergeant Tennyson C. Harrell. The plane was one of 16 B-25s that were attempting to deny the Japanese the ability to process synthetic fuel from sugar cane. Byoritsu refinery was hit in March, May and July 1945.  

This B-24 Liberator, 42-78608, and crew were assigned to the 376^th Bomb Group. On a mission to Szomebathely, Hungary on December 6, 1944, the aircraft fell out of formation 15 miles SE of Maribor, Yugoslavia. The plane crashed and there were no survivors. On August 9, 1949 five members of the crew were buried in Section E Site 98-99 at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

1/Lt Beck, Donald E       

S/Sgt Burbick, William          

S/Sgt Rhyne, Marvin L       

T/Sgt Ross, Edwin S          

S/Sgt Banfield, Tunis G          

This B-17 Superfortress, 42-29747, "Rikki-Tikki Tavi II,"  and crew were assigned to the 527^th Squadron of the 379^th Bomb Group. On January 5, 1944 the plane had an accident taking off in the darkness from a base in England and the ten crewmembers perished. The target was the port facilities at Kiel, Germany.  On April 28, 1949 seven of the ten crewmembers were buried in Section E Site 35 at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

2/Lt Dale C. Killion, Pilot

2/Lt Paul R. Chamberlain, Copilot

2/Lt Robert L. DeGroff Jr, Navigator

2/Lt Remy Bourque, Bombardier

T/Sgt Earl Crumpton, Gunner

S/Sgt Kenneth R. Matlack, Gunner

Sgt Victor R. Morphonios, Gunner

S/Sgt Morris Weiss, Tailgunner       Buried at the Cambridge American Cemetery

T/Sgt Hubert C. McIntyre, Gunner   Buried at the Cambridge American Cemetery

S/Sgt Harry E. Hancock, Gunner      Buried at the Cambridge American Cemetery

All Missions Flown By: Dale  C  Killion

Of The 379th Bomb Group  527 Squadron

Missions Flown: 4

Mission Date	Mission No	Aircraft No	City	Country	Target
12/13/1943	48	42-37805	Bremen	Germany	Port Area
12/16/1943	49	42-37732	Bremen	Germany	Port Area
1/4/1944	55	42-31093	Kiel	Germany	Port Facilities
1/5/1944	56	42-29747	Kiel	Germany	Port Facilities

 

This information was provided by:

 

Richard Lewis
Elizabethtown, Kentucky 42701
 Websites: http://sites.google.com/site/swampfiresite/home
                 https://sites.google.com/site/379thbgnoseart/
E-mail: swampfire1944@gmail.com

This B-24, 42-110115, “Drunkard’s Dream”, and crew were assigned to 531^st Squadron of the 380^th Bomb Group at Murtha Field, Mindoro in the Phillipines. On June 18, 1945, their aircraft failed to get airborne and exploded at the end of the runway. No one survived. Three crewmembers were buried on January 20, 1950 in Section E Plot 242 at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

S/Sgt Albert, Lonnie L., Gunner     Zachary Taylor Nat’l Cemetery

2/Lt Ostapowski, Henry L., Bombardier  Zachary Taylor Nat’l Cemetery

S/Sgt Rollings, Harry D, Photographer    Zachary Taylor Nat’l Cemetery

Swan, Jay W., Copilot

Abbott, Smith M., Flight Engineer

Adams, George P., Gunner

Altig, Gerald H., Radio Oper  Manila American Cemetery

Bain, Henry F., Jr., Gunner    Manila American Cemetery

Barb, Joseph C., Gunner

Connaughton, Joseph B., Jr., Pilot

Plotkin, Edward I., Navigator

This B-24, 42-99981, crew was shot down by flak on April 5, 1944. They were assigned to the 406^th Bomber Squadron of the 801^st Bomb Group. They were buried in Section E Plot 143 on August 30, 1949 at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

2/Lt William W. Nicoll, Pilot     Buried overseas at the Brittany American Cemetery

2/Lt Adolphe W. Kalbfleisch, Copilot        Survived

S/Sgt Richard C. Bindel, Flight Engineer     Zachary Taylor National Cemetery

S/Sgt Warren A. Brewer, Radio Operator     Zachary Taylor National Cemetery

2/Lt Thomas F. Davis, Bombardier              Zachary Taylor National Cemetery

2/Lt William G. Harris, Navigator       Unknown burial location

S/Sgt Ralph L. Kittrell, Tailgunner      Unknown burial location

S/Sgt Joseph E. Porter, Gunner                    Survived

       Monument at: Truttemer-le-Grand (Calvados), France

This was their first flight as a crew on the night of 5/6 April 1944.  Kalbfleisch and Porter survived the downing and successfully evaded until they were returned to the UK in August of 1944. 

This B-24 Liberator, 42-73418, and crew were assigned to the 343^rd Squadron of the 98^th Bomb group. They were shot down on December 19, 1943 over the Trentino Region of the Italian Alps. They were buried on August 5, 1949 in Section E Plot 93-95 at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

Crew list:

2/LT James O. Patton, Pilot

2/LT Andrew N. Pleshko, Copilot
2/LT Earl M. Johnson, Navigator
S/Sgt Albert L. Collins, Jr. Engineer
S/Sgt Leon D. Susaman, Radio Operator
Sgt William R. Hunter, Asst Engineer
Sgt Karl R. Frants, Asst Radio Operator
Sgt James A. Miller, Jr. Gunner
Sgt George L. Simmons, Gunner
T/Sgt Gregory B. Crock, Gunner

This B-24 Liberator, 42-40402, “Sandman,” and crew were assigned to the 345^th Squadron of the 98^th Bomb Group. The “Sandman” was shot down on December 19, 1943 with no survivors. On December 9, 1949 seven of the ten crewmembers were buried in a group grave in Section E Plot 224 at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

S/Sgt Freeze, S A, Ass’t Engineer             

S/Sgt Hundley, Forrest D, Ass’t Radio Operator         

1/Lt Napierala, Stanley W, Navigator      

2/Lt Smyser, William M, Copilot              

1/Lt Viers, John W, Pilot                            

S/Sgt Washburn, Curtis C, Gunner                                

T/Sgt Hagberg, Theodore N, Engineer     

T/Sgt Jacobson, Paul L., Bombardier         Florence American Cemetery

T/Sgt Marshman, William O., Radio Operator   Florence American Cemetery

S/Sgt Van Heyingen, Francis L, Gunner

The Viers' Crew went aboard "The Sandman" the first time Sunday 19 December 1943. Returning from the mission destination of the Messerschmitt Plant at Augsburg,Germany enemy fighters were encountered. “Sandman” went down in flames with none of the ten crewmen surviving. The crash site was located in the Italian Alps near Suedtirol and the Alta Badia Valley.

This B-24 Liberator, 41-24026, “Baby,” and crew were assigned to the 344^th Squadron of the 98^th Bomb Group. They were shot down by flak on August 21, 1943. Four crewmen were buried on January 24, 1950 in Section E Plot 228 of the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.

2nd Lt. Kenneth L. Minnich   Pilot   Zachary Taylor Nat’l Cemetery
2nd Lt. Martin B. Cook   Copilot     Zachary Taylor Nat’l Cemetery
2nd Lt. Charles Hachat  Navigator
2nd Lt. Paul Marks   Bombardier
T/Sgt Lloyd A Peterson   Engineer
S/Sgt Richard P. Wallace  Asst. Eng.
T/Sgt Enrico C. Pugliese   Radio Opr.
S/Sgt Thomas O. Varner   Asst. Radio Sicily-Rome American Cemetery
S/Sgt Edward L Fracasso   Gunner   Sicily-Rome American Cemetery
S/Sgt Donald L. Bennett   Asst. gunner  Zachary Taylor Nat’l Cemetery 
S/Sgt A.C. Holman    Sicily-Rome American Cemetery
S/Sgt C. L. Franck     Zachary Taylor Nat’l Cemetery