1st Lt. Jack K. Wisener
Bombardier B-17F "Georgia Peach" 41-24454

Background
Jack K. Wisener was born October 3, 1931 to parents William Cates Wisener and Winnie (née King) Wisener in Ponta, Cherokee County, Texas. In the fourth grade, he met Beatrice Williamson who he married in 1940. He attended three years of college.

On November 10, 1941 enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as an aviation cadet with serial number 18065524. After training, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant with serial number O-662327 and trained to become a bombardier in Oklahoma and Florida. In December 1942 ordered to California and was shipped overseas to Australia. In January 1943 assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 43rd Bomb Group (43rd BG), 65th Bombardment Squadron (65th BS) and flew bombing missions over the next several months.

Shot Down by Night fighter over Rabaul
On June 13, 1943 bombardier aboard B-17F "Georgia Peach" 41-24454, one of seven B-17's flying on an night time mission to bomb Vunakanau Airfield near Rabaul. After completing the bomb run, this bomber began departing the target area.

Wisener told his wife after the war that he had removed his parachute and was attending to paperwork when their B-17 was unexpectedly and violently hit. They had been attacked from beneath by a J1N1 Irving night fighter piloted by Shigetoshi Kudo who had targeted this B-17 after it had been caught in the beams of search lights at 3:14am and was damaged.

Wisener immediately came up to cockpit and saw that both pilots and the turret gunner were dead. The only other person still alive in the forward section was the navigator, Lt. Philip Bek. Wisener hurriedly put on his parachute. There was no time to grab anything else, not even his pistol. He managed to put on both shoulder straps but only one leg strap before he jumped out of the nose hatch and pulled the ripcord.

Wisener landed safely in a jungle covered area of New Britain where he would spend the next nine days wandering through the forest. He sustained himself on freshwater from streams and any animals he could catch. He motivated himself to continue moving by repeatedly saying “Sarah”, the name of his newborn daughter. He finally reached a plantation operated by a “Dutchman” who welcomed him and gave him food. Unknown to Wisener, the owner had sent a runner with a message to the nearby Japanese personnel who soon arrived and captured him.

Prisoner Of War (POW)
Wisener became a Prisoner Of War (POW) and was taken to Rabaul and detained by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) at the Keibitai Headquarters at Rabaul; (Japanese Navy POW Camp at Rabaul). As a prisoner, he was beaten and interrogated and although he insisted that he didn't know anything, his captors continued to interrogate him. He received no medical care and very little food. Later in 1943, transported by ship to Japan and detained at Omori POW Camp near Tokyo until the end of the Pacific War.

Postwar
Returning home, he was reunited with his daughter Sandra, who he had never met and was discharged with the rank of 1st Lieutenant. His next child, he named James Russell, to honor two deceased friends: 2nd Lt. Russell S. Emerick co-pilot of B-17F "Georgia Peach" 41-24454 killed on June 13, 1943) and 1st Lt. James L. Easter wounded piloting B-17E "Naughty But Nice" 41-2430 on March 3, 1943 during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea and later died.

Steve Birdsall adds:
"Easter was killed in a fighter attack on March 3, 1943. His co-pilot that day was Russell Emerick, who landed the damaged plane at Dobodura. If Jack Wiserner named his children after Easter and Emerick, it's pretty short odds that Wisener was with them that day in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, but I don't have a full crew list."

After a lengthy recovery, he found work as a Postmaster. He ran for political office in 1952 and was elected a state representative. Later, he worked for Allstate Insurance in Dallas, and retired early due to his weakened health from being a prisoner. Wisener died on March 20, 1980 and is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Wells, Texas.

References
NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Jack K. Wisener
NARA Records of World War II Prisoners of War - Jack K. Wisener
FindAGrave - Jack King Wisener (photo, grave photo)
Target Rabaul (2013) 81st Naval Garrison Unit) pages 363 (Appendix A - The Prisoners of Rabaul).
Thanks to Beatrice Wisener (widow) for information on her husband and and Steve Birdsall for additional information