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| USAAF FEAF 19th BG  USAAF 1941 |
Pilot Lt Col. Austin A. Straubel, O-17869 C.O. 7th BG (WIA, DOW February 4, 1942, BR) Green Bay, WI Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Russell M. Smith (WIA, DOW, BR) El Paso County, TX Engineer SSgt George W. Pickett, 6550216 (WIA, DOW February 3, 1942, BR) CA Passenger Major Joseph A. Burch (KIA, BR) Valley Mills, TX Passenger 1st Lt. Glenn H. Boes, O-392741 (KIA, BR) Pretty Prairie, KS Passenger 2nd Lt. Erwin R. Kriel, O-398626 (KIA, BR) Wellston, OK Passenger Lt. Col. William H. Murphy (WIA, DOW February 3, 1942) Crashed February 3, 1942 Aircraft History Built by Douglas. Constructors Number 1726. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps (USAAC) as B-18 Bolo serial number 36-338. On June 20, 1941 became part of the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF). Wartime History Assigned to the Far East Air Force (FEAF), 19th Bombardment Group (19th BG). No known nickname or nose art. On February 2, 1942 took off from Singosari Airfield (Malang) piloted by Lt Col. Austin A. Straubel on a flight to Bandoeng West Airfield (Bandung) to meet with General Lewis H. Brereton at Far East Air Force (FEAF) Headquarters. Mission History On February 3, 1942 took off from Bandoeng West Airfield (Bandung) in western Java piloted by Lt Col. Austin A. Straubel on a flight bound for Soerabaja (Surabaja) on the north coast of Java to drop off the passengers then planned to fly back to Singosari Airfield (Malang). Aboard were four passengers including Major Joseph A. Burch and Col. William H. Murphy to inspect radio equipment at Soerabaja. Around noon, intercepted by a pair of A6M2 Zeros from Tainan Kōkūtai (Tainan Air Group) piloted by Yoshisuke Arita and Yoshio Motoyoshi. Damaged, pilots managed to crash land west of Soerabaja. Damaged, the pilots managed to crash land and escape, but both were severely burned and injured. Fates of the Crew After the crash, Straubel and Smith attempted to extricate the others from the plane wreckage. Straubel went back three times in an effort to save the others but all had died in the crash. Afterwards, Straubel and Smith were taken to a Centrale Burgerlijke Ziekeninrichting (CBZ) Central Civil Hospital in Soerabaja. On February 4, 1942 at 3:00am Straubel who was severely burned and was administered morphine and told the nurse to let his wife know he was allright then died of his wounds. That same day, the U.S. consulate asked Reverend W. W. Patterson to officiate over the burial of the crew and passengers from the Bolo crash. Recovery of Remains On February 5, 1942 at 8:15am the crew and passengers were buried in a Dutch cemetery Befraafplaats Kembang (Kembang Cemetery) in Soerabaja with funeral rites performed by Reverend W. W. Patterson. Postwar, they were exhumed by American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) and transported to India. On April 29, 1946 Straubel was buried at American Military Cemetery in Barrackpore at plot 4, row R grave 43. Later, exhumed and flown to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii then shipped to the United States aboard Victory Ship USAT Dalton Victory for permanent burial in the United States. The other crew and passenger remains likely followed a similar route. Memorials The crew and passengers were officially declared dead on February 3, 1942. In fact, Straubel died February 4, 1942 at 3:00am. All earned the Purple Heart, posthumously. Straubel is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Allouez, WI. His epitaph reads "Austin A. Straubel 1904–1942 Killed In Action Java Area". On August 28, 1949 Austin Straubel Field a new airport near Green Bay was named in his honor. Later, became known as Austin A. Straubel Airport and today renamed Green Bay Austin Straubel Airport. Outside the airport is a stone monument with an eagle atop, command pilot wings and aircraft in flight at the entrance to the airport off Airport Drive. Inside the terminal is a memorial plaque. In late 2016, a three panel display about Austin A. Straubel was installed in the airport terminal that was conceived and designed by John Dodds with graphic design assistance from Susan Linders. In 2016, he was inducted in the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame (WAHF) after being researched and nominated by John Dodds. Smith is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, CA at Olive section, lot 122. Pickett is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at section I site 591. Burch is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Waco, TX at block 17, lot 14. Boes is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at section I site 591. Kriel is buried at Riverview Cemetery in Saint Joseph, MI. Murphy died of wounds on February 3, 1942. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery at section 11, site 218-NH. Afterwards, Camp Murphy in Australia was named in his honor. Also, Camp Murphy in Florida. References USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-18 Bolo 36-338 Bremerton Daily News Searchlight "Minister Tells Tragic Burials In Jap Bombings" September 5, 1942 page 3 Missing Air Crew Report 16154 (MACR 16154) created retroactively circa 1946 related to the loss of B-17E Flying Fortress 41-2456 includes references to the loss of this plane on pages 9 and 10. Fortress Against The Sun pages 119 (Straubel C.O. 7th BG), 121 (February 3, 1942), 462 (index Straubel) Austin A Straubel Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Air Corps by John A. Dodds November 4, 2013 Green Bay Press Gazette "Austin Straubel: 'Fighter through and through" by Doug Schneider November 23, 2015 Forward In Flight "Lieutenant Colonel Austin A. Straubel" Volume 14, Issue 1 Spring 2016 pages 8-15 Forward In Flight "Lieutenant Colonel Austin A. Straubel" Volume 14, Issue 4 Winter 2016 pages 2 (cover caption), 8-10 (The Green Bay File) Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame (WAHF) - Austin A. Straubel inducted 2016. Wisconsin Historical Markers - Austin A. Straubel Field / Lt. Col. Austin A. Straubel Memorial via Wayback Machine April 11, 2021 FindAGrave - LTC Austin A Straubel (photo, grave photo, memorial marker) date of death Feb 3, 1942 [sic Feb 4] Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport official website FindAGrave - Maj Joseph Adair Burch (grave photo) FindAGrave - Lieut Russell Marshall Smith (grave photo) FindAGrave - Lieut Glenn Harold Boes (photos, grave photo) FindAGrave - 2LT Erwin Roy Kriel (photo, obituary, grave photo) FindAGrave - COL William Herbert Murphy (photos, grave photos) FindAGrave - Sgt George W Pickett (grave photos) Thanks to John Dodds 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 April 10, 2024 |
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