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| USAAF 5th AF 3rd BG 8th BS Former Assignments 27th BG 16th BS   Larronde March 1942 |
Pilot 2nd Lt. Henry "Hank" G. Swartz, O-430040 (MIA / KIA) Terry, MO Gunner Sgt. John J. Stephenson, 19019475 (MIA / KIA) Forsyth, MO MIA April 7, 1942 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Douglas. Constructors Number 931. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as A-24 Dive Bomber serial number 41-15798. On October 21, 1941 at Savannah, GA. On January 2, 1942 assigned to Project "X". On January 7, 1942 at McCellan Airfield. On January 8, 1942 disassembled disassembled then shipped overseas to "Sumac" Australia and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 27th Bombardment Group (27th BG), 16th Bombardment Squadron (16th BS). Assigned to pilot 2nd Lt. Henry J. Rose. No known nickname or nose art. On January 17, 1942 took off piloted by Lt. William H. Barnes while landing at Amberley Field in a cross wind ground looped and was damaged. Afterwards, repaired. On March 27, 1942 assigned to the 3rd Bombardment Group (3rd BG), 8th Bombardment Squadron (8th BS). This aircraft had an unknown tail number (two digits). No known nickname or nose art. On April 1, 1942 took off from 7 Mile Drome near Port Moresby piloted by 2nd Lt. Henry G. Swartz on a dive bombing mission against Lae escorted by RAAF P-40E Kittyhawks from No. 75 Squadron. This was the A-24 and Swartz's first combat mission but experienced mechanical issues and bad weather and aborted the mission. Mission History On April 7, 1942 at dawn took off from 7 Mile Drome near Port Moresby piloted by 2nd Lt. Henry G. Swartz armed with a single 500 pound bomb and two 25 pound incendiary bombs on a dive bombing mission against Lae. The formation included nine A-24 Dive Bombers led by 1st Lt. Robert G. Ruegg. This was Lt. Swartz's second combat mission. At 6:15am rendevoused over Port Moresby with six P-40E Kittyhawks from No. 75 Squadron. Inbound, two A-24 aborted the mission due to mechanical issues. Inbound, this plane's 500 pound bomb had fallen out of the center yoke, leaving it armed with only the two wing bombs. At 7:30am the formation arrived over Lae at an altitude of 13,000' and did not observe any enemy shipping and instead targeted Lae Airfield. The seven remaining A-24s divided into two groups and were targeted by anti-aircraft fire. The first plane to make a dive bomb run was A-24 pilot 1st Lt. Robert G. Ruegg. This A-24 was the second plane in the first group to make a dive bombing run on an anti-aircraft gun positions at Lae Airfield. After completing the dive, this plane pulled up was about to rejoin formation when last seen and might have been damaged. When this aircraft failed to return it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). This plane was likely intercepted by a pair of A6M2 Zeros from 4th Kōkūtai (4th Air Group) piloted by W/O Un-ichi Miya and W/O Yukihisa Tan flying a Combat Air Patrol (CAP) over Lae and shot down by one or both fighters. It was not observed to crash and may have impacted Huon Gulf and not been observed. No trace of the crew or the plane has ever been found. Search On April 12, 1942 a search was flown by A-24 pilot Claude Dean searched for this plane for two hours to the north of Port Moresby but failed to spot anything. Memorials Both crew died the day of the mission and remain listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Both are memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. Swartz was officially declared dead on December 17, 1945. He earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart, posthumously. He also has a memorial marker at Custer County Cemetery in Miles City, MT. Stephenson was officially declared dead on November 19, 1945. He earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart, posthumously. He also has a memorial marker at Forsyth Cemetery in Forsyth, MT. Relatives Henry Robertson (son of Henry G. Swartz) Are you a relative of Stephenson? Contact Us. References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Henry G. Swartz USAF Serial Number Search Results - A-24-DE Dauntless 41-15798 "USAAF version of SBD-3 / 15798 (3rd BG, 8th BS) shot down 20 mi N of Buna Jul 29, 1942. Pilot KIA" PNG Museum Aircraft Status Card - A-24 Dauntless piloted by Swartz American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Henry G. Swartz American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - John J. Stephenson FindAGrave - Henry George “Heinie” Swartz, Jr (tablets of the missing photo) FindAGrave - Henry George “Heinie” Swartz, Jr (photo, memorial marker photo) FindAGrave - Sgt John J Stephenson (tablets of the missing photo) FindAGrave - John J Stephenson (memorial marker photo) Harvest of the Grim Reapers The Illustrated History of the 3rd and 27th Bomb Groups During World War II Volume I: Prewar to December 1942 (2021) pages 46 (Stockton Field), 69 (A-24 flight training), 70 (Amberley Field, volunteer Stephenson), 112 (A-24 repair), 122 (8th BS assignment), 122-124 (ferry flight to 7 Mile), 123 (map), 125-126 (April 1, 1942), 127 (photos), 129-132 (April 7, 1942), 133 (photo Swartz), 138 (search), 385 (Swartz-Stephenson), 444 (April 7, 1942 41-15798 crew list), 454 (16th BS, 41-15798), 457 (8th BS, 41-15798), 524 (index Swartz, index Stephenson) Thanks to Henry Robertson and Edward Rogers 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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