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| USAAF 5th AF 3rd BG 8th BS |
Pilot 1st Lt. Richard C. Henrich, O-438671 (MIA / KIA) Hackensack, NJ Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Robert W. Shepherd, O-798171 (MIA / KIA) DC Crew SSgt Donald W. Huempfner, 36216762 (MIA / KIA) WI Crew Cpl Richard J. McCarthy, 20318201 (MIA / KIA) PA Crashed August 18, 1943 MACR none Aircraft History Built by North American Aviation (NAA) at a cost of $181,074.00. Constructors Number 87-8691. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-25D-15 Mitchell serial number 41-30526. Ferried overseas via Hickam Field then across the Pacific to Australia. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force, 3rd Bombardment Group, 8th Bombardment Squadron. No known nose art or nickname. Ferried overseas to Australia arriving June 18, 1943. Mission History On August 18, 1943 took off from Port Moresby on a mission against Wewak. This B-25 was last seen gliding down with two engine shot out, but in poor visibility, so it was unknown whether they made a successful landing. For this mission, Henrich received a Silver Star for Gallantry in Action and Purple Heart, posthumously. Memorials The entire crew was officially declared dead on January 7, 1946. All are memorialized on the tablets of the missing at Manila American Cemetery. Shepherd also has a memorial marker at Fairbury Cemetery in Fairbury, NB. Huempfner also has a memorial marker at Mount Calvary Cemetery in De Pere, WI at section B, lot 78-F. Relative Martha Bush (great niece) "Henrich was not flying with his regular crew or bomber that day. His regular crew members might still be alive, because the day he was shot down. Henrich wouldn't be hard to forget. His last trip from Georgia to New Jersey, his home in Hackensack, he flew under the George Washington Bridge and then buzzed his sister's house (my grandmother's). He was a daredevil, brilliant, and a wonderful guy. Weren't they all." References USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-25D-15 Mitchell 41-30526 American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Richard C. Henrich American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Robert W. Shepherd American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Donald W. Huempfner American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Richard J. McCarthy FindAGrave - 1Lt Richard C Henrich (tablets of the missing photo) FindAGrave - 2Lt Robert W Shepherd (tablets of the missing photo) FindAGrave - Lieut Robert W Shepherd (memorial marker photos) FindAGrave - SSgt Donald W Huempfner (tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - Donald W Huempfner (memorial marker photos) FindAGrave - Corp Richard J McCarthy (tablets of the missing photo) PNG Museum Aircraft Status Card - B-25D-1 Mitchell 41-30526 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  MIA 4 Missing |
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