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| USAAF 5th AF 312th BG 389th BS  Young January 19, 1944  Young January 28, 1944 |
Pilot 2nd
Lt. Eliot R. Young (rescued) Gunner SSgt Jim Wannich (rescued) Force Landed January 19, 1944 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Douglas Aircraft Company. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as A-20G-20-DO Havoc serial number 42-86620. Disassembled and shipped overseas to Australia and reassembled at Garbutt Field. Wartime History On January 14, 1944 assigned to the 312th Bombardment Group (312th BG), 389th Bombardment Squadron (389th BS). No nose art or nickname or tail letter. Mission History On January 19, 1944 took off from Garbutt Field near Townsville piloted by 2nd Lt. Eliot R. Young one of six A-20s on a ferry flight via Horn Island Airfield bound for Port Moresby. This aircraft was the sixth A-20 in the formation flying as wingman for A-20G 42-86724 piloted by 1st Lt. John M. Huber. During the flight, the pair encountered overcast and rain. Afraid they overshot Horn Island, the pair turned around and searched for the island, flying west instead of northeast. Young expressed doubt about their course, but Huber continued to fly westward until their planes began to run low on fuel. Spotting an beach in Morington Island in the Wellesley Islands this A-20 successfully belly landed on the beach with the landing gear retracted. The crew survived unhurt. Nearby, A-20G 42-86724 landed with the landing gear extended. Fates of the Crew At the time, both crews believed they had landed at Horn Island and waited for five days with their aircraft. On the sixth day, they attempted to use their life rafts to reach another island, paddling at night to take advantage of calmer seas. Rescue On January 28, 1944 a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Catalina piloted by Flight Lt. Bert Delahunty from 43 Squadron based at Karumba spotted the men and landed to rescue the four crew members from the two downed aircraft and transported them to Karumba where they recovered for three weeks. Wreckage Three weeks later, a RAAF amphibian transported a group to the pair of downed aircraft in an attempt to repair them. This A-20's engines started, but was unable to taxi in the sand. Instead, Australian mechanics stripped the plane for spare parts, removing the machine guns and other equipment. The rest of the aircraft was abandoned. Relatives Eliot Young, Jr. (son of Eliot Young) References Other sources incorrectly state the force landing was January 16, 1944 USAF Serial Number Search Results - A-20G-20-DO Havoc 42-86620 Rampage of the Roarin' 20's pages 56-57, 58 (photo), 59-60, 363 incorrectly lists loss as 1/16/44 The Crash Landing by Eliot R. Young, Jr. Thanks to Eliot Young, Jr. for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated
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