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  B-25G-5 Mitchell Serial Number 42-64807  
USAAF
5th AF
38th BG
822nd BS

Pilot  Captain David C. Bryant Jr., O-725579 (MIA / KIA) Window Rock, AZ
Co-Pilot  1st Lt George E. Summers Jr., O-729918 (MIA / KIA) Endicott, NY
Radio  T/Sgt Elmer W. Beck, 16084479 (MIA / KIA) Kalamazoo, MI
Engineer  Sgt Leslie C. Tucker, 17014259 (MIA / KIA) Warren, AR
Crew Chief  T/Sgt John H. Greenfield 32420935 823rd BS (MIA / KIA) Long Island City, NY
Passenger  1st Lt. Daniel E. Goodwin, O-577718, 822nd BS (MIA / KIA) KS
Passenger  1st Lt. John H. Stewart O-570402, 822nd BS Intel Officer (MIA / KIA) Hollidaysburg, PA
Passenger  1st Lt. Joseph F. Meyers, O-792618 823rd BS (MIA / KIA) Larchmont, NY
Passenger  2nd Lt Alden J. Chatwin O-675036 823rd BS (MIA / KIA) UT
Passenger  S/Sgt Ted P. Shabowski 35370264 823rd BS (MIA / KIA) Gary, IN
Passenger  2nd Lt George E. Alderfer, O-673006, 43rd BG (MIA / KIA) Wadsworth, OH
Passenger  2nd Lt Macleod Jones, O-796380, 475th FG 431st FS (MIA / KIA) Stillwater, MN

MIA  January 21, 1944
MACR  1848

Aircraft History
Built by North American Aviation (NAA). Delivered to the U.S. Army. Ferried overseas via Hawaii to Australia.

Wartime History
Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 38th Bombardment Group (38th BG), 822nd Bombardment Squadron (822nd BS). No known nickname or nose art.

When lost, engines: R-2600-13 serial numbers: 41-29680, 41-30902. Weapon serial numbers noted in Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 1848 including: 75mm cannon M4 serial number 415, nose guns, side guns, turret guns, waist guns .30 caliber M1 serial numbers 28990 and 68704, tail gun .30 caliber M1 serial number 12990. Also aboard were Thompson submachine guns.

Mission History
On January 21, 1944 took off from 17 Mile Drome near Port Moresby at 10:56am on an administrative flight bound for Dobodura Airfield. Last seen after take off. This B-25 was tracked over the Owen Stanley Mountains by Fourth Fighter Sector radar as far as ten miles southeast of Kokoda where the plot disappeared.

An Australian Army patrol at Myola reported the sound of a twin engine aircraft in a dive at the same location as the last radar plot and that natives reported a loud explosion in the same location. An aircraft was heard to crash in the same area.

When this B-25 failed to arrive at Dobodura or any other airfield n the area, this aircraft was reported as Missing In Action (MIA).

Search
That same day at 6:15pm, a single B-25 piloted by Robert Payne, Jr. took off, following the same flight path and flew as far west as 30 Mile Drome (Rogers) before flying back via Fairfax Harbor and searched the hills to the south and southeast of Port Moresby before landing at dusk. No wreckage were spotted aside from a known 405th BS B-25 crash site.

On January 22, 1944, twelve B-25s took off on a search mission for this missing plane, searching the flight path of the plane. Several sightings of crashed aircraft were reported, but all proved to be known wrecks. Meanwhile, an L-5 was borrowed and flown at low level in the same area of the last radar plot. A sighting was made and a plot taken, but this proved to be a different plane.

On January 23, 1944 three B-25s searched the same area, while an L-5 piloted by a 822nd BS pilot with an Australian observer flew at low level. Both searches had negative results.

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. Goodwin has a memorial marker at Saint Marys Cemetery in Valley Falls, KS.

References
Missing Air Crew Report 1848 (MACR 1848)
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - David C. Bryant Jr.
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - George E. Summers Jr.
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Elmer W. Beck
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Leslie C. Tucker
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Daniel E. Goodwin
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - John H. Stewart
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Joseph F. Meyers
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Alden J. Chatwin
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - John H. Greenfield
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Ted P. Shabowski
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - George E. Alderfer
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Macleod Jones
FindAGrave - Capt David C Bryant, Jr (tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - 1Lt George E Summers, Jr (tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - TSgt Elmer W Beck (tablets of the missing photo)
FindAGrave - Sgt Leslie C Tucker (tablets of the missing photo)
FindAGrave - 1Lt Daniel E Goodwin (tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - Daniel E Goodwin (memorial marker)
FindAGrave - 1Lt John H Stewart (tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - 1Lt Joseph F Meyers (tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - 2Lt Alden J Chatwin (tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - TSgt John H Greenfield (tablets of the missing photo)
FindAGrave - SSgt Ted P Shabowski (photo, tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - 2Lt George E Alderfer (tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - 2Lt Macleod Jones (tablets of the missing photo)
Sun Setters of the Southwest Pacific Area pages 271-272 AII-8



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Last Updated
February 6, 2023

 

Tech Information
B-25

MapMap
Jan 21, 1944

MIAMIA
12 Missing

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