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USAAF 13th AF 42nd BG 390th BS Brian Bennett 1982 Justin Taylan 2003 |
Pilot 1st
Lt. Earl Swartzfager, O-736576 (MIA / KIA) Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Robert K. Williams, O-736587 (MIA / KIA) Navigator 2nd Lt. Kenneth R. Hough, O-674771 (MIA / KIA) Ottawa, KS Engineer S/Sgt Harold F. Tague, 37111602 (MIA / KIA) Malvern, Iowa Radio T/Sgt Victor L. Koppang, 16004538 (MIA / KIA) Gunner Arthur A. Merzlock, 16000064 (MIA / KIA) Crashed January 20, 1944 at 1:35pm MACR 1788 Aircraft History Built by North American Aviation (NAA) in Inglewood. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-25C-20 Mitchell serial number 42-64570. Ferried overseas via Hickam Field then overseas to the South Pacific (SoPAC). Wartime History Assigned to the 13th Air Force (13th AF), 42nd Bombardment Group (42nd BG) "The Crusaders", 390th Bombardment Squadron (390th BS). Nicknamed "Skilla". When lost engines R-2600-13 serial numbers: 42-271125 and 42-271235. Mission History On January 20, 1944 took off from Stirling Airfield piloted by 1st Lt. Earl Swartzfager on a bombing mission against Vunakanau Airfield near Rabaul. This aircraft was one of nine B-25s that staged through Torokina Airfie;d / Piva Airfield on Bougainville before proceeding to the target. Over the target, this B-25 was hit by anti-aircraft fire, causing severe damage to the tail control surfaces. Other aircraft in the formation observed it to suddenly nose over and turn into a vertical bank, before the nose dropped into a inverted spin and crashed into the ground. Wreckage This B-25 crashed crashed between Warangoi Rivers and Sigut Rivers, near the bank of the lbrangoi River. Postwar, a team from American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) visited this crash site and recovered some remains that were transported to the United States for burial. In 1982, the crash site was rediscovered during logging activity and confirmed by Brian Bennett from one of the engine serial numbers. The next year, the remains of the crew were recovered by US Army CILHI. After a long period of analysis Central Identification Laboratory has been able to probably establish individual identifications for the entire crew, and the case was resolved in 2004. Brian Bennett adds: "An elderly lady, Fern Lord contacted me in 2004 to thank me for helping find her brother. The lab had just asked her for DNA sample. I could not place the crewman's name, but hunted it out and found that he was on B-25 42-64570. I reported the finding of this site and it was recovered for remains in 1983." Memorials The entire crew was officially declared dead the day of the mission. In 1949, the entire crew was buried in a group burial at Fort McPherson National Cemetery at section R site 46. After the recovery of remains in 1982, Hough was buried at Highland Cemetery in Ottawa, Kansas. Tague is buried at Arlington National Cemetery section 66 site 1752. Merzlock is buried at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery at section 9 site 398. Display A section of this beautifully preserved nose art is displayed at the Kokopo Museum near Rabaul. References The Crusaders: A History of the 42nd Bombardment Group page 65 PNG Museum Aircraft Status Card - B-25C Mitchell 42-64570 Bruce Hoy Diary 13 September, 1983 Kansas City Star "Vet to be put to rest, along with ID doubts" September 4, 2004 Thanks to Bruce Hoy and Brian Bennett 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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