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| USAAF 13th AF 42nd BG 69th BS   USAAF June 1943 |
Pilot 1st Lt. Lloyd D. Spies, O-727793 (MIA / KIA) NY Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. George W. Postel, O-796876 (MIA / KIA) Palisades, NJ Bombadier-Navigator 1st Lt. Frederick W. Dunlap, O-663360 (MIA / KIA) MS Radio SSgt Ephraim Dixon, 17040415 (MIA / KIA) Omaha, NB Engineer SSgt James V. Riffel, 19102848 (MIA / KIA) OR Gunner SSgt Joseph Horvath, 11072667 (MIA / KIA) CT Crashed October 6, 1943 at 6:48pm MACR 786 Aircraft History Built by North American Aviation (NAA). Constructors Number 87-8732. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-25D-20 Mitchell serial number 41-30567. During June 1943, operated from Greenville Airfield in Greenville, South Carolina. Assigned to pilot Lt. Claude B. Simmons, co-pilot 1st Lt. Howard L. Myers, bombardier-navigator SSgt Frank Travis, turret gunner SSgt Philip T. Lewis, radio-gunner SSgt Charles A. Moran and engineer SSgt Homer C. Guise. Nicknamed "Steamin' Jean" on the left side of the nose with "Starlite Room" below the nose escape hatch. Ferried overseas via Hickam Field then across the Pacific to the South Pacific (SoPAC). Wartime History Assigned to the 13th Air Force (13th AF), 42nd Bombardment Group (42nd BG) "The Crusaders", 69th Bombardment Squadron (69th BS). When lost, engines R-2600-13 serial numbers left 42-76983 right 42-76913. Aboard were twelve .50 caliber machine guns, two .30 caliber machine guns. Also one M1928A1 Thompson submachine gun and six .45 caliber M1911 Colt automatic pistols. Mission History On October 6, 1943 at dusk took off from Carney Field on Guadalcanal piloted by 1st Lt. Lloyd D. Spies armed with parafrag bombs on a low level bombing and strafing mission against Kahili Airfield on southern Bougainville. Weather was reported as 2,000' ceiling with visibility of 5-10 miles. Over the target, this B-25 crashed at 6:48pm into the sea off Moila Point and was seen to break up on impact. When this B-25 failed to return it was officially declared Missing In Action (MIA). Mark H. Costello, 2nd Lt. 69th BS adds: "We were about 5 miles out from Moli Point [sic Moila Point] when I looked back and saw Lieutenant Spies airplane hit the water and cartwheel to the left. It's my opinion that no one got out of the wreck." Memorials The entire crew was officially declared dead the day of the mission. All are memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. Spies earned the Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and Purple Heart, posthumously. Postel earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. Dunlap earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters and Purple Heart, posthumously. Dixon earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters and Purple Heart, posthumously. He also has a memorial marker at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery in Omaha, NB. Riffel earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. Horvath earned the Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters and Purple Heart, posthumously. Relatives David Postel (great-nephew of Postel) "The co-pilot was my great uncle, George Postel. Any more info on the wreck site, pictures, etc would be greatly appreciated by my family. I currently have George Postel's flight log, and some of his other personal affects but really little info otherwise. No pictures from his time there or anything like that. It would be nice to be able to put a location on where he actually is now." References USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-25D-20 Mitchell 41-30567 "30567 (69th BS, 42nd BG) shot down by AAA 10/6/1943" Missing Air Crew Report 786 (MACR 786) A History of the 42nd Bombardment Group (October 6, 1943): "Lt. Lloyd D. Spies and crew were lost on this one when their plane was shot down 300 feet off the target, cart wheeling into the water. There were no survivors." New Rochelle Standard-Star "Lieut. Lloyd Spies B-26 Pilot, Killed" c1943 via Harry A. Biddle via Robert Beasecker A History of the 42nd Bombardment Group - October 6, 1943 Mission American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Lloyd D. Spies American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - George W. Postel American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Frederick W. Dunlap American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Ephraim W. Dixon American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - James V. Riffel American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Joseph Horvath FindAGrave - 1Lt Lloyd D. Spies (tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - 2Lt George W. Postel (tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - 1Lt Frederick W. Dunlap (tablets of the missing photo) FindAGrave - SSgt Ephraim Williams Dixon, Jr (obituary, tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - SSGT Ephraim Williams Dixon, Jr (obituary, memorial marker photo) FindAGrave - SSGT Joseph Horvath (tablets of the missing photo) FindAGrave - SSgt James V. Riffel (tablets of the missing photo) 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 6 Missing  Map Oct 6, 1943  Photo Archive |
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