Aircraft History
Built by North American in Inglewood, California. Delivered to the U. S. Army. Ferried overseas via Hawaii to Australia.

Wartime History
Assigned to the 5th Air Force, 3rd Bombardment Group, 13th Bombardment Squadron. No known nickname or nose art.

Mission History
On December 31, 1942 took off from Port Moresby on a flight bound for Charters Towers Airfield in Australia. It is believed to have gone down in the Coral Sea during bad weather. When this B-25 failed to arrive it was listed as Missing In Action (MIA).

Memorials
The entire crew was officially declared dead the day of the mission. All are memorialized on the tablets of the missing at Manila American Cemetery.

Heinbuch has a memorial marker in Rose Hill Memorial Park Cemetery in Massillon, OH at section D, row 20.
Esposito has a memorial marker in Calvary Cemetery in Rutland, VT.

References
Note, some sources list this B-25D as nickname "Hell's Belles" and incorrectly list the serial as 41-39733.
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Neville D. Blakemore
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Harold J. Heinbuch
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Glenn F. Crawford, Jr.
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - A. Leonard Hymes
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - George S. Thomas
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Francis I. Wallace
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Wallace O. Cloy
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Carl E. Collins
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Eugene J. Esposito
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Alexander J. Gow, Jr.
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - John M. Lucas
FindAGrave - Capt Neville D Blakemore
FindAGrave - 2Lt Harold J Heinbuch (tablets of the missing photo)
FindAGrave - Harold J Heinbuch (memorial marker)
FindAGrave - Sgt Glenn F Crawford, Jr (tablets of the missing photo)
FindAGrave - Capt A Leonard Hymes (tablets of the missing photo, photo)
FindAGrave - 2Lt Francis I Wallace (tablets of the missing photo)
FindAGrave - Sgt Wallace O Cloy
FindAGrave - SSgt Carl E Collins
FindAGrave - Sgt Eugene J. Esposito (tablets of the missing photo)
FindAGrave - Sgt Eugene J. Esposito (memorial marker)
FindAGrave - Pvt Alexander J Gow, Jr
FindAGrave - Tec5 John M Lucas
Oz@War - Crash of a B-25D Mitchell into the Coral Sea between Port Moresby and Charters Towers on 31 December 1942
Thanks to Edward Rogers for research and analysis.

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Last Updated
February 14, 2020