Copyright www.aerothentic.com
The below article was
prepared especially for this website,
and is aimed to give an
idea of the resources we deploy
to discover the history and
truth behind MIA sites. Aerothentic unreservedly
acknowledges Jeff English and Aerothentic’s Chief Field Officer
in Papua New Guinea, John Douglas, for sharing the below with
us :
12th April 1944, 822nd Bomb Squadron/ 38th
Bomb Group
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GROUND PHOTOS OF THIS CRASH SITE
CLICK HERE TO SEE
AN AERIAL PHOTO
CLICK HERE TO SEE AN AERIAL
PHOTO
This is the account of one of, what was until
recently, one of the most mystifying losses of the Pacific war. In the year
2001, due both to the efforts of the nephew of the pilot, Jeff English, and
warcrimes documents located in Australia, it is now closer to being resolved. In
addition, field research by Aerothentic's senior field officer in New Guinea,
John Douglas, has also turned up fresh evidence. Read about how five U.S airmen
were executed by the Japanese after being captured, a familiar but true account
of many Fifth Air Force crews captured by the Japanese.
Aerothentic
particularly thanks Jeff English, nephew of crew member 1/Lt Math L. English,
for his loyal dedication to this project. Jeff’s motivation and research to try
and bring his uncle home brings prestige and honor to the memory of his uncle.
B-25D-15-NA
serial # 41-30606 ‘The Beast’ Pilot 1/Lt C. L. Fisk
B-25D-15NA
serial # 41-30768 ‘Blonde Bomber’
Pilot 1/Lt John H. Thompson
B-25G-5-NA
serial # 42-64809 (no name) Pilot 1/Lt
R. H. Klus
B-25G-5-NA
serial # 42-64835 (no name) Pilot 1/Lt
Math L. English
B-25G-5-NA
serial # 42-64837 (no name) Pilot 1/Lt
G. W. Henry
B-25G-5-NA
serial # 42-64861 (no name) Pilot 1/Lt
R. E. Gates
The above Mitchells participated in a large medium-level
raid against Hollandia. The raid was successful and was conducted at an altitude
of 7,000 feet. Several crews noted new anti-aircraft gun positions around
the Hollandia stip including one large caliber gun firing on level with the
formation. On the return journey, for an unknown reason but undoubtedly engine
failure of some type, English's Mitchell pulled away from formation and forced-landed
in a remote grass swamp behind the Japanese stronghold of Wewak. Following
the forced-landing, several other Mitchell's from the formation circled the
crash site and dropped supplies before returning to Nadzab where they all
landed in staggered formation around 1500 hours. The downed ship was left
behind in excellent condition however, and its five crew were seen standing
around the plane for several days afterwards. All appeared to be in good condition
and uninjured, as evidenced by the fact that they all actively participated
in the recovery of supplies and weapons dropped to them by Mitchells which
shuttled back and forth from Nadzab. Then on about the fourth day they were
gone. A final Mitchell was dispatched to the site to strafe and bomb the plane
to prevent it from falling into Japanese hands. English and his crew were
never seen again. They were accordingly listed as Missing In Action, and declared
deceased for legal purposes in 1946.
Their story was never followed up, except by the
Australians who mistakenly thought the aircraft, which they did not visit,
might be an Australian Beaufort.
In
the year 2001 the story told by the local villagers about this plane crash
is that the crew survived, got as far as Paiambit village, where they were
captured by the Japanese. They were then taken down the Sepik River to another
village called Moim, when they were made to dig their own graves, then shot.
However only three graves, not five, are said to remain at Moim from
this incident. New Guinea natives have rich cultural beliefs for their ancestors.
They are rarely, if ever, wrong about the location of a grave. This to them,
a visceral and spiritual issue, is too important to be taken lightly.
In Australian Archives exists an extensive
wartime file series of post-war interrogations of Japanese officers pertaining
to Allied POWs. There is a complete file which specifically refers to "Five
survivors from an unidentified aircraft, possibly RAAF", which crashed
West of Moim in March/ April 44. Aerothentic can confirm that there are no
RAAF aircraft wrecks anywhere near this area. This file, beyond any doubt
whatsoever, refers to English's crew.
The file reveals that one of the Japanese
interrogated in Wewak by the Australians in late 1945 at Wewak was Lt-General
Nakano Hidemitsu, Commanding Officer of the Imperial 51st Division.
He claimed, among other things, that a Colonel Hori Keijiro, Commander
of the 102nd Infantry Regiment, then based at Marienberg, had knowledge of
the capture of five Allied airmen circa March/ April 44. The Australian legal
team then interrogated Keijiro, also captured at Wewak, who signed
a statement that five airmen indeed had been brought to him at Marienberg
from an unidentified airplane loss in March/April 1944.
Keijiro said he then forwarded the prisoners
to Wewak to fall under the jurisdiction of Lt-Colonel Suzuki Notoaki,
a staff officer of the Headquarters of the Imperial 51st Division. Notoaki,
also interviewed, said however that he could recall only two airmen arriving
even though he never saw them. The arriving airmen, whatever number, were
then sidetracked to a Major Veda (full name not quoted) of the 4th
Kokutai (Air Corps) who interrogated them separately and reported results
of the interrogation to Imperial 18th Army Headquarters.
It is clear from Keijiro's affidavit that he deliberately
provided a minimum of information. If in fact there are three US airmen buried
in a grave at Moim, was it Keijiro who ordered three of English’s crew
taken there to be shot or beheaded, as was common at the time ? If so, were
English and another officer taken to Wewak, perhaps under Veda's orders
? If an interrogation report was sent by 4th
Kokutai, as claimed, then somewhere in US or Australian intercept archives
might be a signals intelligence intercept which should have two surnames,
and the results of this interrogation.
Jeff English is on the case now, even though it might take
years. If successful, he will bring home five forgotten men. Below is a copy of
the relevant Narrative Report for the mission, courtesy of Jeff English:
CLICK HERE TO SEE
GROUND PHOTOS OF THIS CRASH SITE
CLICK HERE TO SEE
AN AERIAL PHOTO
Two
B-25D’s and 4-B25G-1 type airplanes of the 822nd Bombardment
Squadron (M), 38th Bombardment Group (M) took off from Markham Field
(Strip No. 1) Nadzab, New Guinea at 0917/K to make a medium altitude attack on
target 3X (a stores and personnel area) at Hollandia airdrome. Its attack was
to be coordinated with attacks on other supply areas, anti-aircraft positions
and shipping in the Hollandia Area.
The
Group formed and flew up the Markham River to the Leron River where it took a
position in the rear of the 345th Bombardment Group (M) to make up a
Wing formation. The Wing then proceeded up the Markham River down the Ramu
River to Annenberg where it was joined by one Squadron of P-38’s at 7000 feet
at 1036/K. The formations then flew up the Sepik River to the Headwaters of the
Idenburg River where it turned Northwesterly to the Tanahmerah Bay for the
approach to the target.
Alto-cumulus
clouds with bases at 4000 feet and tops at 6000 feet covered about three tenths
of the sky over the target area. Visibility was unlimited and the target was
clearly visible. The bombing run was made at 1216/K at 7200 feet from Northwest
to Southeast. 25 X 500 pound instantaneous demolition bombs were dropped in the
target area with no results observed except one fire emitting black smoke to
1000 feet and direct hits on two buildings Southeast of the bridge. Five bombs
fell in a string across the Northwest flight gap of Hollandia strip. One photo
shows what are believed to be bomb burst along the creek in the target and
North of it. The other two photos show no bombs or damage but do show about 10
buildings in the target apparently in good condition. Bombing is considered
excellent. Jap propaganda leaflets were
dropped over the target area.
Heavy
and medium anti-aircraft fire from positions 1W and 2W put several burst ahead
of and on level with the formation. One crew reported flashes from an
apparently heavy anti-aircraft position on a hill West of the point where the
road to Pim crosses the divide. Another crew member reported two large black
burst from the position on level but off to one side. No planes were seen to be
damaged. There was nil interception encountered.
The following sightings were made: one crew sighted
a P-38 type airplane with solid red wing and stabilizer tips, the rest of the
airplane was light with no other marking about 400 yards away following 2
P-38’s with conventional markings. It was seen a few miles Southeast of
Hollandia strip. Hollandia strip appeared to be unserviceable to some crews.
One orange colored fire near Pim village putting black smoke up to 3500 feet
was seen. A large number of barges were
seen in the North end of Jautefa Bay. Three or four large barges of
undetermined serviceability were seen in Vanimo Harbor.
This
Squadron cleared the target at about 1217/K turned out to sea at Tami, followed
the coast to Tadji where it turned Southeast across the Toricelli mountains
into the Sepik River Valley. At 1316/K airplane 835 piloted by 1st
Lt. M.L. English crash-landed in a kunai flat at Bima village. All of the
crew climbed out on the wing and appeared to be uninjured. No damage to the
airplane could be observed and the plane did not radio what its trouble was.
Another plane circled and dropped such supplies as it had. The crashed plane
was seen to drop 5 bombs in the target during the mission. (Another plane later
flew up with supplies and reported that the actual position of the plane was
about 4 miles north of Charapa). The formation then retraced the route out and
landed from 1450 to 1520/K.
Make up your own mind about this 'unresolved' case. Meanwhile,
Aerothentic unreservedly thanks Jeff English and the English family for sharing
this painful, yet revealing, news of a close family member.
Aerothentic honors the memory of Jeff’s uncle and the unlucky crew of his Mitchell:
REST IN PEACE
Pilot: 1/Lt Math L. English
Co-pilot: 2/Lt Leonard T. Coby
Navigator: 2/Lt Elmer J. Hohman
Engineer/ Gunner: S/Sgt Paul J. Molica
Aerothentic's
Sources of Information Include, but are not limited to :
Recollections of several 38th BG veterans, via Jeff English
MACR
3981
Field
Trips in New Guinea by Aerothentic’s Chief Field Officer, John Douglas
Aerothentic Archival material
'Black
Sunday' by Aerothentic Publications 1999
Family
research and US government documents by Jeff English
Australian
Archives documents
Special
assistance from the US military Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii
(CILHI)
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