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| USAAF 13th AF XIII Bomber Command HQ Former Assignments 307th BG 372nd BS  307th BG c1943  307th BG c1943-1944  SSS 2016 |
Pilot 2nd Lt. George A. Singletary, O-682909 XIII Bomber Command, HQ (MIA / KIA) Pontotoc County, OK Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Thomas P. Frank, O-692959 XIII Bomber Command, HQ (KIA, BR) Culpeper County, VA Navigator 2nd Lt. Charles F. Bishop, O-814227 XIII Bomber Command, HQ (MIA / KIA) San Joaquin County, CA Engineer SSgt Floyd R. Frazier, 37381558 (KIA, BR) MO Gunner Pvt Gene Seaton, 37651407 XIII Bomber Command, HQ (MIA / KIA) Scott County, IA Radio SSgt Edwin O. Rudolf, 17161555 XIII Bomber Command, HQ (MIA / KIA) St. Louis, MO Gunner Sgt John R. Murray, 13125163 XIII Bomber Command, HQ (MIA / KIA) Allegheny County, PA Gunner Sgt Lester K. Ellingson, 37660982 (MIA / KIA) Winneshiek County, IA Gunner Sgt Benjamin E. Pulliam, 37226423 KS (WIA, died March 27, 1944) Bourbon County, KS Crashed March 1, 1944 at 10:30am MACR 15675 Aircraft History Built by Consolidated in San Diego. At the factory completed with olive drab upper surfaces and gray lower surfaces. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-24D-110-CO Liberator serial number 42-40877. Flown to Hickam Field and modified at the Hawaiian Air Depot (HAD) with four ASV radar antennas installed on the left side of the nose and a turret modification. Ferried across the Pacific to Guadalcanal. Wartime History Assigned to the 13th Air Force (13th AF), 307th Bombardment Group (307th BG) "Long Rangers", 372nd Bombardment Squadron (372nd BS) at Carney Field (Bomber 2) on Guadalcanal. Nicknamed "Pregnant Polecat" in yellow block letters on the left side of the nose. Later "877" (last three digits of the serial number) was painted in yellow above. Transfered to XIII Bomber Command, Headquarters Squadron. Mission History On March 1, 1944 took off from Carney Field (Bomber 2) on Guadalcanal piloted by 2nd Lt. George A. Singletary on a training mission. During the flight, this bomber spun into the sea 1.5 km north of Longava on Buena Vista Island in the Florida Island Group at roughly Lat 8° 55' S Long 160° 5' E. The entire crew with the exception of Pulliam was killed in the crash. When this aircraft failed to return the entire crew was declared Missing In Action (MIA). Fates of the Crew Gunner Pulliam was injured in the crash and was later rescued. He was transported to U.S. Navy Advance Navy Base No. 152 and died on March 27, 1944 and attended by Chaplain Philip Nicholas. Recovery of Remains After the crash, the remains of two of the crew were recovered Frank and Frazier. Postwar, their remains were transported to the United States for permanent burial. Wreckage The wing section of the Liberator remains in situ underwater to the north of Longava on Buena Vista Island in the Florida Island Group. The wreckage includes the wings, landing gear and center section of the fuselage. During the 1980s the wreckage of this aircraft was rediscovered. Inside the fuselage was a parachute, partially opened. No other remains were observed inside or around the aircraft. During 2016, a sonar image of the wing and SCUBA dives was conducted by the U.S. Humanitarian Demining Mission with the Solomon Islands Police. Memorials Singletary, Bishop, Seaton, Murray and Ellingson were officially declared dead the day of the mission. Since this mission was a non-combat mission, none earned the Purple Heart, posthumously. All five are memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. Singletary also has a memorial marker at Oak Grove Cemetery in Graham, TX. Ellingson also has a memorial marker at Big Canoe Lutheran Cemetery in Winneshiek County, IA. After the wartime recovery of remains, three of the crew Frank, Frazier and Rudolph were recovered and transported to the United States for permanent burial. Frank is buried at Arlington National Cemetery at section 12, site 4569. Bishop also has a memorial marker at Paradise Cemetery in Paradise, Nova Scotia, Canada. Frazier is buried at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) at plot D, grave 49. Pulliam is buried at Fort Scott National Cemetery at plot 2, grave 1814. He also has a memorial marker on his parents grave at Oak Grove Cemetery at Fort Scott, KS. Rudolph has an unknown burial presumably in a private cemetery in his hometown in the United States. References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Floyd R. Frazier NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Gene Seaton NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Edwin O. Rudolf NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - John R. Murray USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-24D-110-CO Liberator 42-40877 Missing Air Crew Report 15675 (MACR 15675) created October 7, 1947 crew member Rudolf is misspelled "Rudolph" American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - George A. Singletary American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Charles F. Bishop American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Gene Seaton American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Edwin O Rudolf American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - John R. Murray American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Lester K. Ellingson FindAGrave - 2Lt George Allen Singletary (tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - 2LT George Allen Singletary (memorial marker photo) FindAGrave - 2LT Thomas Phillip Frank (grave photo) FindAGrave - 2Lt Charles F Bishop (tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - 2LT Charles F. Bishop (memorial marker photos) FindAGrave - Sgt Floyd Ralph Frazier (grave photo) FindAGrave - Pvt Gene Seaton (tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - SSgt Edwin O Rudolf (photos, tablets of the missing photo) FindAGrave - Sgt John R Murray (tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - Sgt Lester K Ellingson (tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - Lester K Ellingson (memorial marker photo) FindAGrave - Sgt Benjamin Earl Pulliam (photo, memorial marker photo) FindAGrave - Benjamin Earl Pulliam (photo, grave photo) Thanks to Robert Livingstone, Pete Johnston and Ewan Stevenson 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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