2nd Lt. Heiss at Charters

Nephew Gus Breymann in 2004

2nd Lieutenant Gustave M. Heiss
My uncle was 2nd Lieutenant Gustave M. Heiss flew B-25C 41-12442 on the Royce Mission. The group of planes was led by General Ralph Royce; hence the name "Royce Mission." 7 B-25Cs and 3 B-17s flew from Australia in mid April of 1942 to Del Monte on Mindanao. For three days, the aircraft flew bombing strikes against the Japanese occupied Manila, Cebu, and Davao. All of the aircraft returned to Australia without the loss of one flyer, and they brought out a number of important military and diplomatic personnel who had gathered at DelMonte to await evacuation. Afterwards, he received the Silver Star and was promoted to Captain immediately afterwards.

Overshadowed By Dolittle Raid
I've talked to others who participated in the three-day raid on the Philippines, and they all said that their mission would have been famous were it not for the fact that it occurred at exactly the same time as Jimmy Doolittle's raid on Tokyo. Doolittle, of course, deserved a great deal of press coverage, but it overshadowed the Royce Mission. Still, the Royce raid did make the front page of the "New York Times" in mid-April.