Aircraft History
Built by Martin in Baltimore, Maryland. Delivered to the U. S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-26 Marauder serial number 40-1402.

Flown overseas via Hickam Field then across the Pacific before arriving at Archerfield Airfield near Brisbane arriving on March 25, 1942 and suffered a gear collapse while landing. Afterwards, repaired.

Assigned to the 5th Air Force, 19th Bombardment Squadron. No known nickname or nose art. This bomber flew two combat missions: the first on May 8, 1942, and the mission it was lost two days later.

Mission History
On May 10, 1942 took off from 7 Mile Drome near Port Moresby piloted by Captain Richard R. Royall, Jr. on a solo reconnaissance and strike mission the Japanese seaplane base at Deboyne Lagoon, then was to land at Townsville. Over the target at low level, this B-26 was strafing enemy sea planes and was reportedly shot down by machine gun fire and crashed into the sea.

Later intelligence reports with Japanese diaries as a source state that the aircraft was shot down by machine gun fire while strafing from a low level. Japanese records indicate that the strafing by the B-26s damaged two E13A Jakes, but remained in flyable condition. Machine gun fire from one of the E13A Jake crews (W/O Matsuoka and S1C M Shimizu) firing from the beach hit this bomber causing it to crash.

Possibly, this B-26 crashed off Panapompom Island, after strafing. It is believed the crew died in the crash, but some accounts raise the possibility of captured by the Japanese.

Memorials
The crew was officially declared dead on December 4, 1945. All are memorialized on the tablets of the missing at Manila American Cemetery.

Relatives
Patti Domville-Hall and Tom Hall (great-nephews of Thomas C. Domville)
During the middle 1980s, searched the Deboyne Lagoon area unsuccessfully for the wreckage of this aircraft

References
USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-26 40-1402
PNG Museum Aircraft Status Card - B-26 40-1402
Revenge of the Red Raiders pages 49, 88-90, 472, 490, 599
FindAGrave - Capt Richard Royster Royall, Jr (tablets of the missing photo)
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Last Updated
February 14, 2020