April 16, 1944 'Black Sunday'
USAAF 5th Air Force Aircraft Losses

Three hundred 5th Air Force aircraft were sent to bomb & strafe Hollandia airfields and installations. A weather front of severe thunderstorms blocked their path back to their bases at Nadzab, Gusap, and Finchafen and Lae. By the end of the day, 37 aircraft were destroyed or missing, out of fuel, or crashing due to navigational errors and the weather. Most of the planes lost were A-20's and B-25's, forced down near or at Sadior. The unserviceable wrecks were abandoned at the strip. This was the largest operational losses suffered during World War II.

1. A-20G 43-86563  pilot Dower
2. A-20G 42-86768  belly landed at Saidor Airfield, damaged when it struck P-47D "Dirty Old Man"
3. A-20G "Benny's Baby" 42-86772  pilot Benskin (2 resuced)
4. A-20G "Powerful Katrinka" 42-86713  damaged landing at Saidor Airfield, later repaired
5. A-20G 42-86615  pilot ?
6. A-20G "Hell'N Pelican II" 42-86786  pilot Davidson gunner McKenna (rescued)
7. A-20G "Joy Baby" 43-9039  pilot Sanders gunner ? (rescued)
8. A-20G "The Texan" 43-9098  pilot Smart gunner Music (2 MIA)
9. A-20G "Honeybunch" 43-9186  force landed, repaired
10. A-20G 43-9399  pilot Aamodt impacted B-25D landing at Saidor Airfield, later repaired
11. A-20G 43-9401  pilot ?
12. A-20G 43-9488  pilot Jovanovich (1 rescued 2 MIA)
13. A-20G 43-9491  pilot ? (survived)
14. A-20G "Lady Constance" 43-9628  pilot Gibbons gunner Rhodes (survived)
15. A-20G 43-9629  pilot Davidson gunner ? (survived)
16. A-20G "In The Mood" 43-9669  pilot Gresen gunner ? (survived)
17. B-24D "Here T'is" 42-72946  pilot Cooley (10 MIA) wreckage found 2001, case resolved 2006
18. B-24J 42-109977  22nd BG, 19th BS
19. B-24J 42-100225  pilot Paschal (11 MIA) wreckage found 2002, case resovled 2005
20. B-24J 42-109975  22nd BG, 408th BS
21. B-24J 42-110000  22nd BG, 408th BS
22. F-7A 42-73042  6th PRG, 20th CMS
23. B-25D 41-30337  38th BG, 405th BS
24. B-25D "Sweet Jeanne" 41-30189  38th BG, 71st BS
25. B-25D "Seven Day Leave" 41-30611
26. B-25G "Old War Horse" 42-64867
27. B-25D "Stingeroo" 41-30020
28. B-25D "Tinkie" 41-30315  pilot Waggle (6 MIA)
29. B-25D "Fer de Lance" 41-30527  pilot Maturi (survived)
30. F-5A 42-67350  6th PRG, 26th PRS 1st Lt. Donald Christian
31. P-38H "Corky Jr" 42-66668 pilot Keown (MIA)
32. P-38J 42-104352 Tail Number 182 475th FG 433rd FS 2nd Lt. Joe Price
33. P-38J 42-104310 Tail 175 475th FG 433rd FS Lt. Stanley Northrup
34. P-38H 42-66832 8th FG 80th FS 1st Lt. Lawrence Reeves
35. P-38H (Serial unknown) 8th FG 36th FS Lt. Eugune Zielinski
36. P-38J 42-104015 475th FG 433rd FS Lt. Robert Tomberg
37. P-38J 42-104351 475th FG 433rd FS 1st Lt. Calvin G. Wire
38. P-38J 42-104355  pilot MacDonald, POW executed mid April 1944
39. P-38J 42-104385  pilot Neely (MIA)
40. P-38J 42-104390 475th FG 433rd FS 1st Lt. Louis Longman
41. P-38J 42-104381 475th FG 433rd FS 1st Lt Lewis Yarbrough
42. P-38J 42-67594 475th FG | 432nd FS 2nd Lt. Robert Hubner
43. P-38J 42-67605 475th FG | 432nd FS 2nd Lt. Jack Luddington
44. P-38H 42-66555  pilot Mikucky (MIA)
45. P-39 (serial unknown) 71st TRG | 100th TRS
46. P-47D "Dirty Old Man" (serial unknown) 348th FG | 342nd FS

References
Black Sunday by Michael Claringbould

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Last Updated
March 5, 2013