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| USAAF 5th AF 345th BG 501st BS  Goldman August 1943  Eppstein c1943 |
Pilot Captain Walter D. Kilroy, O-730925 (survived) Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Gordon L. Bedell, O-674549 (survived) Engineer SSgt Newton A. Arnold, 16069663 (survived) Radio TSgt George J. Richter, 36320409 (survived) Gunner SSgt Stanley L. Dale, 34196419 (survived) Force Landed December 22, 1943 at 11:05am MACR 13996 Aircraft History Built by North American Aviation (NAA). Constructors Number 87-8245. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-25D-5 Mitchell serial number 41-30080. Ferried overseas via Hickam Field then across the Pacific to Australia. Wartime History On April 5, 1943 assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 345th Bombardment Group (345th BG) "Air Apaches", 501st Bombardment Squadron (501st BS) "Black Panthers". Assigned to pilot 1st Lt. 1st Lt. Walter D. Kilroy with crew chief TSgt Conrad E. Grennquist. Nicknamed "Thumper" (in double quotation marks) with the nose art of the cartoon character Thumper from Bambi (1942) holding an aerial bomb. Behind is a white vertical stripe. Below the navigator window is "Chile" and below the pilot window is "Kilroy" for pilot 1st Lt. Walter D. Kilroy with a scoreboard with twelve bomb markings indicating missions flown. During early August 1943 converted into a B-25D-1 strafer by the 4th Air Depot at Garbutt Field near Townsville. then returned to the 501st Bombardment Squadron at Port Moresby. On November 15, 1943 took off from took off from 7 Mile Drome (Jackson) near Port Moresby piloted by 1st Lt. Walter D. Kilroy on a strike against Boram Airfield and Wewak. Over the target, the 501st BS formation was intercepted by Japanese fighters including three Ki-43 Oscars that attacked this bomber from the lower right and was hit by gunfire causing 89 holes with tail gunner SSgt Stanley L. Dale hit the last fighter with a 200 round burst when it closed to only 100 yards and was observed smoking and spinning then crashed into the ground. When lost, engines R-2600-13 serial number 41-28828 and 41-28762. Armed with eleven .50 caliber machine guns, makes unknown, serial numbers listed in MACR 1463. Also armed with two .30 caliber machine guns makers unknown serial numbers 138990 and 120865. Mission History On December 22, 1943 took off from 14 Mile Drome (Schwimmer) near Port Moresby piloted by Captain Walter D. Kilroy armed with 300 pound bombs on a strike against Boram Airfield near Wewak. The mission involved all four squadrons of the 345th Bombardment Group (345th BG) led by Captain Marston. The formation was escorted by four squadrons of P-38 Lightnings from the 80th Fighter Squadron (80th FS). The weather and visibility were good. Over the target first was the 500th BS and 499th BS that targeting Wewak followed by the 501st and 498th targeting Boram Airfield second. This B-25 was leading the last flight with no. 2 B-25D "Little Stinky" 41-30080 and no. 3 B-25D "Tin Liz" 41-30074 pilot 1st Lt. Sylvester K. Vogt. Over Wewak, the formation was targeted by anti-aircraft fire that was described as the most intense and accurate yet encountered over this target. Already airborne and scrambled were Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF) fighters including Ki-43 Oscars from the 59th Sentai and 248th Sentai plus Ki-61 Tonys from the 68th Sentai and 78th Sentai. As the last flight began their turn to attack, the fighters made a firing pass against the B-25s then were engaged by the escorting P-38s and dog fights developed. As the 501st BS formation turned over Wiruri Mission (Wewak Mission) to begin their strike on Boram Airfield, the Japanese fighters attacked the bomber formation. A Ki-43 Oscar attacked the left side of the formation and came within 50 yards and was fired on by gunners aboard this bomber plus B-25D "Tin Liz" 41-30074 that caused the fighter to wing over and crashed into a hill east the mission. Afterwards, the flight bombed and strafed both Wiruri Mission (Wewak Mission) and Boram Airfield. During the strike, this bomber was hit by anti-aircraft fire that damaged the left engine. At 9:50am,the B-25s departed the target area and twenty minutes later, the damaged left engine quit and would not feather. To compensate, the right engine was throttled to full power to compensate. Loosing altitude and speed, the damaged bomber was escorted by B-25D "Tin Liz" 41-30074. Reaching the Ramu Valley, this bomber was observed to have fuel fuel spraying from the left wing outboard of the nacelle with 15 degrees of flaps as the crew jettisoned ammunition. When the right engine temperature increased to dangerous levels, pilot Kilroy began looking for a place to crash land. At 11:05am Kilroy successfully force landed in a kunai grass clearing between the Ramu River and Solu River roughly 12 miles from Dumpu. None of the crew were injured in the landing. When this aircraft failed to return it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Fates of the Crew After the crash, the crew destroyed the IFF equipment and radio codes. Above, B-25D "Tin Liz" 41-30074 dropped emergency equipment and rations to the downed crew then flew to Gusap Airfield to report their loss to the Third Air Task Force and Australian Intelligence. Soon afterwards, pilot 1st Lt. Sylvester K. Vogt used a liaison aircraft to overfly the crashed bomber to aid in their rescue. On the ground, the crew sheltered in the nearby trees, unclear of the identity of the liaison plane. Afterwards, the crew began walking southward and four hours later reached the Ramu River then followed it southward until dark and camped on an island in the river. Five days later, the entire crew returned to military control on December 27, 1943. Afterwards, B-25D "Little Thumper" 41-30437 assigned to 1st Lt. Daniel A. Monaghan, Jr. named by crew chief TSgt Conrad E. Grennquist who previously was the crew chief for this aircraft. References USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-25D-5 Mitchell 41-30071 "30071 converted to D-1 strafer (345th BG, 501st BS) damaged by AAA, then ran out of fuel and crash landed 12 mi from Dumpu, New Guinea Dec 22, 1943. MACR 13996. All 5 crew returned." Missing Air Crew Report 13996 (MACR 13996) created December 27, 1943 Warpath Across The Pacific (1995) pages 52 (map), 92, 98-100, 101 (photos), 397 (501st BS: 41-30071), 425 (naming Little Thumper), 447 (index Thumper) 248th Hiko Sentai: A Japanese “Hard luck” Fighter Unit Part 3 by Richard Dunn Thanks to Lawrence J. Hickey for additional research and analysis 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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 B-25  Photo Archive  MapDec 22, 1943 |
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