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| USAAF 7th AF 307th BG HQ Squadron  307th BG Dec 28, 1942 |
Pilot Captain Anthony Benvenuto, O-22980 370th BG, HQ (MIA / KIA) New York, NY Co-Pilot 2nd Lt Willard L. Brown, O-430566 370th BS (MIA / KIA) NJ Navigator 2nd Lt. Wallace R. Johnson, O-728395 372nd BS (MIA / KIA) OR Radio SSgt Thomas E. Tedford, 37100442 424th BS (MIA / KIA) AR Crew SSgt James R. McCoy, 16047601 424th BS (MIA / KIA) WI Crew SSgt Charles B. Bates, Jr., 13034048 424th BS (MIA / KIA) VA Crew Sgt Miles H. Whitledge, 16044641 424th BS (MIA / KIA) MI Crew Sgt Robert J. Dunkle, 15076574 424th BS (MIA / KIA) OH Crew MSgt Sterling A. Cox, Jr., R-2651570 18th Air SrG, 25th Squadron (MIA / KIA) GA Crew MSgt Willard W. Ditto, 6495762 18th Air SrG, 24th Squadron (MIA / KIA) DC Tail Gunner Sgt Edgar G. Higginbotham, Jr., 20448677 370th BS (MIA / KIA) Elberton, GA MIA December 28, 1942 MACR 16250 Aircraft History Built by Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in San Diego using funds F-1 under order number W535-AC-4-DA. at a cost of $289,276.00. Constructors Number 452. On July 7, 1942 delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-24D-1-CO Liberator serial number 41-23657. On July 24, 1942 at St. Paul. On August 29, 1942 at Bud. On September 26, 1942 at Sacramento Air Depot (SAD) at McClellan Airfield. On October 5, 1942 at Hamilton Field. On October 6, 1942 to Bud. On November 11, 1942 arrives Hickam Field. Wartime History Assigned to 7th Air Force (7th AF), 7th Bomber Command (VII Bomber Command). This B-24 was a modified as by the Hawaiian Air Depot (HAD) at Hickam Field as a prototype adding a nose turret under the supervision of Colonel Marion D. Unruh, engineering officer 307th Bombardment Group (307th BG). Assigned to the project were civilians Victor N. Leighton, Charles L. McGinnis and Raymond Smith. By late November 1942, test flown with the turret and minor changes were made then returned to 7th Bomber Command for assignment. During late November 1942, assigned to the 307th Bombardment Group (307th BG) "Long Rangers", Headquarters Squadron (HQ). No known nickname or nose art. Mission History On December 28, 1942 took off from Midway Airfield piloted by Captain Anthony Benvenuto on a reconnaissance and photographic flight over Wake Island to assess the damage from the bombing mission. Aboard were volunteers from the 424th Bombardment Squadron (424th BS). The bomber completed the photographic missions successfully During the return flight, encountered bad weather and radioed they were low on fuel and approximately 200 miles off Midway at bearing 249°. Reportedly, on the return trip, a huge tropical rainstorm blocked their heading. When the radio operator sent a distress message asking for directions, personnel at Midway Airfield believed it was a trick being played by a Japanese radio operator speaker in English. They gave faulty coordinates and by the time the mistake was discovered and they realized the distress message was vaild, the crew had run out of fuel and had crashed into the Pacific Ocean. When this bomber failed to return it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Officially condemned per budget report January 19, 1942. Search That same day a B-24D Liberator pilot Major Edward A. Jurkens searched for the missing bomber without results. Afterwards, an intensive search was made by aircraft and ships but no trace of the B-24 or crew were found. Memorials The entire crew was officially declared dead the day of the mission. Benvenuto earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the courts of the missing, court 7. Brown earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the courts of the missing, court 7. Johnson earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the courts of the missing, court 7. Tedford earned the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the courts of the missing, court 5. He also has a memorial marker at Salem Cemetery in East End, AR. McCoy earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the courts of the missing, court 7. He also has a memorial marker at Highland Memorial Park in Appleton, WI. Bates earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the courts of the missing, court 7. Whitledge earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the courts of the missing, court 5. Dunkle earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the courts of the missing, court 7. He also has a memorial marker at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Steubenville, OH in the All Saints Section. Cox earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the courts of the missing, court 7. Ditto earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the courts of the missing, court 7. Higginbotham earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) on the courts of the missing, court 7. References USAF Serial Number Search Results -B-24D-15-CO Liberator 41-23657 Missing Air Crew Report 16250 (MACR 16250) created retroactively circa 1945–1946 does not list the B-24's serial number American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Anthony Benvenuto FindAGrave - Capt Anthony Benvenuto (photo, courts of the missing photo) American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Willard L. Brown FindAGrave - 1Lt Willard Lester Brown (photo, courts of the missing photo) American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Wallace R. Johnson FindAGrave - 2Lt Wallace R Johnson (courts of the missing photo) American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Thomas E. Tedford FindAGrave - SSgt Thomas E Tedford (courts of the missing photos) FindAGrave - SSGT Thomas E. Tedford (photo, memorial marker photo) American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - James R. McCoy FindAGrave - SSGT James R McCoy (photo, courts of the missing photo) FindAGrave - SSGT James R. McCoy (photo, memorial marker photo) American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Charles B. Bates, Jr. FindAGrave - SSgt Charles B Bates Jr. (courts of the missing photo) American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Miles H. Whitledge FindAGrave - Sgt Miles H Whitledge (courts of the missing photo) American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Robert J. Dunkle FindAGrave - SSGT Robert James “Bob” Dunkle (courts of the missing photo) FindAGrave - Robert James Dunkle (memorial marker photo) American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Sterling A. Cox, Jr. FindAGrave - MSgt Sterling Alford Cox Jr. (memorial marker photo) American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - MSgt Willard W. Ditto FindAGrave - MSgt Willard W Ditto (courts of the missing photo) American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Edgar G. Higginbotham, Jr. FindAGrave - SSgt Edgar Glenn Higginbotham Jr. (photo, courts of the missing photo) At Ease December 2022 "An Interview with Colonel Ed Jurkens" by Michael T. Naya pages 17 (Page 17) "Ed recalled the loss of his friends nearly eighty years later: “Benvenuto was my best friend and I still miss him. I go out to the punchbowl and his name is still there, the two of them went down together. Ben and I were good friends, we were really best friends. We dated together, spent a lot of time talking, even visiting his home, and he was a real friend to me. He didn’t come back from that reconnaissance trip, that’s the way it happens. Just before the war, everything went well. We had a captain and his wife, they had an open basement where we met and double dated, Benny and I were really good friends. We lost Benny, who I think would have been chief of staff of the army or air force had he lived. He had a great future, didn’t do any harm, was a West Point graduate and he was just a very capable person. A great loss, an unnecessary loss, just ran out of fuel and you knew it in advance because he was able to radio us saying he was unable to make it, they didn’t have the fuel. We went out looking for him and we never found him. He ditched and we don’t even know if it was a successful ditch or not.” On Dec. 28, 1942, Jurkens was scheduled to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross from Admiral Nimitz. However, Ed [Jurkens] was sent out on the reconnaissance mission to locate the missing crew members. Ultimately, he was unable to locate his lost friends." Thanks to Pete Johnston 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 August 26, 2026 |
 B-24  Photo Archive  MIA 11 Missing |
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