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| USAAF 7th AF 30th BG 392nd BS  Miller 1945 |
Aircraft Commander Captain William D. Frostic, O-422844 (KIA , BR) Wyandette, MI Pilot 1st Lt Russell E. Reeves, Jr. (KIA, BR) Memphis, TN Crew 1st Lt Kenneth G. Kinne (KIA, BR) Sioux Falls, SD Crew 1st Lt David A. Moyer, O-855667 (KIA, BR) Los Angeles, CA Crew 1st Lt John Franco, O-929052 (KIA, BR) San Francisco, CA Crew SSgt Stephen Medovich, 15131935 (KIA, BR) Yongstown, OH Crew SSgt Hubert P. Miller (KIA, BR) Kannapolis, NC Crew SSgt William G. Gilliland, 19044252 (KIA, BR) San Francisco, CA Crew Sgt Elmo L. Engman, 37579526 (KIA, BR) MN Crew Sgt Abraham A. Albert (KIA, BR) Baltimore, MD Crew Sgt Robert E. Krueger (KIA, BR) Chicago, IL Radio Sgt James Paul Hinchsliff, 37539505 (KIA, BR) Bonner Springs, KS Crashed July 30, 1945 MACR 14812 Aircraft History Built by Consolidated at Fort Worth, Texas. Constructors Number 14. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-24D-1-CF Liberator serial number 42-63765. Wartime History Assigned to the 7th Air Force (7th AF), 30th Bombardment Group (30th BG), 392nd Bombardment Squadron (392nd BS). Nicknamed "Evelyn". When lost, engine serial numbers noted in Missing Air Crew Report 14812 (MACR 14812). No weapons were aboard when lost. Mission History On July 30, 1945 at 8:36am took off from Wheeler Field on Oahu piloted by Captain William D. Frostic on an instrument calibration mission. This was the first aircraft to take off that day, and had extra time warming up. Weather was 10/10 cumulus clouds with a 2,000' ceiling, 5 mile visibility and light rains. Around 9:10am, crashed into a forest near Schofield Barracks, killing the entire crew on impact. The crash was observed by Major Durr, Captain Massey and Sgt Bleiberg. On impact, the bomber broke into pieces and burned at roughly Lat 21° 30' 41" N Long 158° 08' 15" W. Memorials After the crash, three search parties were sent to the crash site. The first was a group of seven men led by Lt. Robert M. Wood. The second with walkie-talkies was led by Major Bastron, base flight surgeon reached the site on July 31, 1945 at 11:30am. The third party had a pack mule train to recover the bodies of the crew. Afterwards, the entire crew was buried with military honors. Later, six of the crew were permanently buried in Hawaii and five in private cemeteries in their hometowns. Six of the crew were buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl). Frostic at section P, site 508. Franco at section E, site 322. Gilliland at section M site 846. Moyer at section C, site 1022. Medovich at section Q, site 230. Engman is buried at section C, grave 214. Reeves is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery Midtown in Memphis, TN. Kinne is buried at Adrian Cemetery in Adrian, MN. Miller is buried at Salisbury National Cemetery in Salisbury, NC at plot B grave 655. Albert is buried at Ohr Knesseth Israel Anshe Sphard Congregation Cemetery in Rosedale, MD at plot New-D-21. Krueger was buried on October 31, 1947 at Bethania Cemetery in Justice, IL. Craig Fuller / Aviation Archaeological Investigation & Research (AAIR) adds: "I recently purchased a collection of photos of S/Sgt. Hubert P. Miller. It includes is a picture of him and the burial of the entire crew. I also wanted to ask if you still had contact information for the family members of the other crew members who contacted you. I wanted to see if they had photos of their relatives. I am trying to put together all of the information I can on this crash and have been working with Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society to locate this site." Relatives Jody Jeanneret (granddaughter of James Paul Hinchsliff) "My grandfather entered the service from Greene County, Missouri on September 10, 1943. He died on July 30, 1945 in a plane crash (I believe into a mountain), and he was a gunner/radio operator. I'm a little desperate on where else to look for information about my grandfather and his crew members. There seems to be no information about these men. I'm trying to find any information about him and a photograph of the plane, but everywhere I look seems to be a dead end. If you could possibly help me I would appreciate it so much, my father and I would love to know about my grandfather/his father. If anyone can help me locate information on my granddaughter and a photograph of his plane I would be so grateful." Mark Medovich (nephew of Stephen P. Medovich) "My Uncle was a member of the crew. He may have been a radio operator, or gunner. The crash in Oahu occurred 3 days before his scheduled release from the service. He flew somewhere between 20 and 40 combat missions and some were in the battle of Guadalcanal. He may have been reassigned to this crew from a different squadron. I have limited knowledge about him. My brother has his letters written by him . They are currently in storage but I will be able to retrieve sometime in the summer of 08." Cherie Andersen (great niece of Stephen P. Medovich) "He was my beloved grandmother's little brother. More than 30 years after his death she had tears in her eyes when she spoke of him. She loved her both of her brothers so much. I know there are pictures of him among some of the old family photos. I will look for them. His name lives on to this day. My brother was named after him, and my nephew after my brother." References USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-24D-1-CF Liberator 42-63765 "63765 (CB-24D, 30th BG, 392nd BS, *Evelyn*) crashed Jul 30, 1945, Oahu, Hawaii. All crew killed." FindAGrave - Capt William D Frostic (grave photo) FindAGrave - Russell Eugene Reeves, Jr (grave photo) FindAGrave - John Franco (grave photo) FindAGrave - Kenneth C Kinne (grave photo) FindAGrave - David A Moyer (grave photo) FindAGrave - Sgt William G. Gilliland (grave photo) FindAGrave - Stephen P Medovich (grave photo) FindAGrave - Sgt Hubert P Miller (grave photo) FindAGrave - Abraham H "Abe" Albert (grave photo) FindAGrave - Sgt Elmo L Engman (grave photo) FindAGrave - Sgt Robert E. Krueger Thanks to Craig Fuller / AAIR and Daniel Leahy 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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