USAAF
13th AF
5th BG
72nd BS
Jeff
Johnson 1997
John Laird 2003
Pilot Lt. Raymond W. Prince (307th BG, 424th BS)
Crew 2/Lt Thomas L McConnell, O-736281 (307th BG, 424th BS)
Crew 2/Lt Arnold H Recknagel, O-667430 (307th BG, 424th BS)
Crew James L. Taylor
Crew Louis Orihuela
Crew Dayle C. Potter
Crew Sgt Emery E Jacaway, 16054655 (307th BG, 424th BS)
Crew Warren S. Ryan
Crew Delvan E. Hazelrig
Crew William Rothman
Crew Peter J. Tenorella
Crashed July 10, 1943
Aircraft History
Assigned to the 72nd BS, 5th BG. It may have been nicknamed "Alley Cat". Although the aircraft was written
off on July 11, 1943, it was not officially written off in US records on December 1, 1943 as "condemned," but
this doesn't mean the date of crash.
Mission History
Pilot Lt. Raymond W. Price (of the 307th BG, 424th BS) and his crew took off from Carney Field to bomb Kahili. On the return flight to Guadalcanal, the bomber crashed on a ridge near Cape
Esperance, killing the entire crew. The cause of the crash is unknown.
A radar operator at Cape Esperance reported that a large plane was tracked to the ground four miles inland from Cape Esperence. The next morning, Fred and Ed McConnell of the 424th BS searched the and found the wreckage of a B-24 in a ravine inland from Yenton Point. The area has an altitude of about 1,000 feet and the wreckage indicated that the plane was approaching from the sea.
Recovery of Remains
The following crew members are buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl): Recknagel, Jacaway and McConnell. It is unclear if any members of this crew are still MIA, or if all their bodies were recovered from the crash site.
Wreckage
Rediscovered around 1997, this plane
crashed into a ridge 1,500 feet above Cape Esperence. Since then,
the wreckage
has been scattered
due to landslides. The US star was visible, and
serial "240646" on
the tail. This wreck was initially
described as a B-17, but further research correctly identified it as a B-24.
"While I was at the Vila War Museum, the curator, told of us a B-17 that had recently been found. He offered to take us there for $50. As it was a long hike, we set out early the next morning. We started on a grassy plain and started up a jungle trail alongside a small stream at the base of the ridge.
The first thing we saw was a crumpled supercharger from one of the engines about 2500 feet away from the main crash site. It appeared that the rains had flushed a number of parts down the ridge and some pieces had been thrown clear on the initial impact. As we hiked up a 50 to 70 degree incline for the next hour, we saw various pieces of fuselage. We then ran across one of the landing gear.
We finally reached the site and saw a large piece of fuselage, the waist section, pointed straight down into the ground. There was numerous live .50 cal rounds scattered about. You could still make out the American star on the port side. A little further away was a number of bent propeller blades and the tail section. On this tail section in yellow letters about 5 inches high was the number "240640".
After rummaging
around, we found a single .50 cal machine gun in a very rusted
state without the barrel. Sections
of wing and the elevators were also about. It was a great experience
and the highlight of my sail across the South Pacific."
During the 2003 RAMSI operation in Solomon Islands, Australian
soldiers visited the site. They recovered one 50 caliber
machine gun, that was later donated to the Solomon
Islands Museum.
References
Thanks to Jeff
Johnson, who visited the site in 1997
The Long Rangers: A Diary of the 307th Bombardment Group (H) by Sam S. Britt Jr.
Thanks to Michael Claringbould & Daniel Leah for additional information.
B-24
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