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USAAF USAAF February 1943 |
Pilot Lt. John T. Ray (KIA, BR) Klamath Falls, OR Co-Pilot Lt. Richard H. Reed (KIA, BR) Crew Lt. David T. Dunning (KIA, BR) Madisonville, WI Crew Lt. Hans N. Lehne (KIA, BR) Glen Ellyn, IL Crew TSgt Alexander Dec (KIA, BR) Buffalo, NY Crew SSgt Lloyd L. Ball (KIA, BR) Huntington Park, CA Crew SSgt Milton D. Johnson (KIA, BR) Midland, TX Crew SSgt C. W. Seifer, Jr. (KIA, BR) San Jose, CA Waist Gunner SSgt Joseph F. Perkins (KIA, BR) Fort Worth, TX Crew SSgt Wilmer C. Fankhavel (KIA, BR) Barnesville, MN Crashed February 11, 1943 at 11:15 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Boeing at Seattle. Constructors Number 3906. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-17F-50-BO Flying Fortress serial number 42-5367. Aircraft History On February 11, 1943 took off from Walla Walla Field piloted by Lt. John T. Ray on a routine flight. While flying on instruments, crashed on Table Rock Mountain to the southeast of Walla Walla. Search The crash site was first spotted from the air by a Civil Air Patrol (CAP) aircraft. A search team led by Umatilla National Forest forest ranger Henry Harrison with Cpl Howard W. Raabe, a ski instructor traveled to the crash site to recover the remains of the crew, traveling over heavy snow. Wreckage This is an accessible crash site in Umatilla National Forest located to the south of Dayton, Washington located to the southeast of Walla Walla in Washington State. Memorials The entire crew was officially declared dead the day of the mission. After the recovery of remains, each crew member was buried in their hometown cemeteries. Ray is buried at Riverview Abbey Mausoleum and Crematory in Portland, OR. Dunning is buried at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Madisonville in KY. Johnson is buried at Fairview Cemetery in Midland, TX. Perkins is buried at Springtown Cemetery in Springtown, TX. The burials of Fankhavel and Seifer are unknown. Relatives David Perkins (brother Joseph Perkins) "It took several days and I remember when the word came that they had been found my mother was (understandably) heartbroken. It was a sad time." References USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-17F-50-BO Fortress 42-5367 "5367 crashed Feb 11, 1943 in mountains SE of Walla Walla, WA." Fatal Army Air Force Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 Volume I by Tony Mireles page 270 Wartime location listed as: "17 airline miles east of Walla Walla, struck a ridge at approximately 6,000 feet msl near Table Top Mountain at 1115." Bomber, 10 Men Missing (details unknown) Bodies Found in Mountains Near Bomber (details unknown) FindAGrave - Lieut John Thomas Ray (grave photo) FindAGrave - Lieut Richard H. Reed (photos, grave photo) FindAGrave - Lieut David I. Dunning (grave photo) FindAGrave - Lieut Hans Lawrence Lehne (grave photo) FindAGrave - Sgt Alexander Dec FindAGrave - Sgt Lloyd L. Ball (grave photo, obituary) FindAGrave - Sgt Milton David Johnson, Jr (grave photo) FindAGrave - Sgt Milton David Johnson, Jr (grave photo) FindAGrave - Sgt Joseph F "Joe" Perkins (grave photo) Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated April 19, 2021
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