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| USAAF 5th AF 22nd BG 33rd BS  22nd BG January 6, 1943  Ruff January 6, 1943 |
Pilot Captain George F. Kahle (survived) Co-Pilot Lt. King (survived) Navigator 1st Lt Marvin L. McCrory (survived) Engineer Sgt. David C. Lowe, Jr. (survived) Radio S/Sgt Harold D. Leonard (survived) Top Turret Sgt. Smiraldo (survived) Force Landed January 6, 1943 Aircraft History Built by Martin in Baltimore, Maryland. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-26 Marauder serial number 40-1404. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 22nd Bombardment Group (22nd BG), 33rd Bombardment Squadron (33rd BS). Nicknamed "Shittenengitten". Ferried piloted by 2nd Lt George F. Kahle, Jr. from Hickam Field then across the Pacific before arriving at Brisbane on March 25, 1942. Afterwards, flown north to Garbutt Field near Townsville and finally to its base at Antil Plains Airfield. This B-26 was one of the most active in the squadron, flying at least 24 combat missions prior to its loss from 7 Mile Drome near Port Moresby. The regular crew of this B-26 included: Pilot 2nd Lt. George F. Kahle Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. Lawrence I Werner Navigator 1st Lt Marvin L. McCrory Bombardier: Pfc David C. Lowe, Jr. Engineer: Pvt. Harold J. Bemrick Radio: Pvt. Harold D. Leonard Armor-Gunner: Pvt Louis G. Skeadas Crew Chief: SSgt Leon S. Crowe On April 15, 1942 this B-26 flew its first combat mission, an armed reconnaissance over Rabaul, but aborted due to fuel transfer pump malfunction and instead returned to Garbutt Field. On April 18, 1942 took off on as one of six B-26 on a bombing mission over Rabaul. After take off, three aborted due to bad weather before reaching the target. Over Simpson Harbor, this B-26 dropped its four 500 lbs bombs at Komaki Maru, two missed hitting the shore (one did not explode), one 500lbs bomb scored a direct hit, the forth landed in the water. The ship's stern exploded violently and the ship settled with only the deck remaining above water. On August 27, 1942 this B-26 was flying on a search mission for over Milne Bay for Japanese vessels and was attacked by A6M Zeros from the Tainan Kokuta and returned to base safely. Mission History On January 6, 1943 at 1:30pm took off from 7 Mile Drome near Port Moresby piloted by Captain George F. Kahle as one of seven B-26s from 33rd Bombardment Squadron (33rd BS) on a bombing mission against a Japanese convoy spotted 50 miles south of Gasmata. Two aborted the mission before crossing the Owen Stanley Range. The five remaining B-26s located the convoy off Lae. Flying in two elements, this B-26 was leading the second element of three planes and bombed from 8,000'. The formation encountered anti-aircraft fire from the ships and were intercepted by escorting A6M Zeros from 852nd Kōkūtai (582 Air Group). This B-26 was hit by 20mm cannon shells that caused a loss of hydraulic pressure and could not close the bomb bay doors. Aboard, the crew manually closed one side then used the remaining pressure to close the other side but it reopened and the landing gear dropped down. Captain Kahle decided to fly to Milne Bay and made a sucessful belly landing at Turnbull Field (No. 3 Strip). During the landing, the landing gear folded up and the propeller blades were bent. Aboard, there were no crew injuries. Wreckage Afterwards, the B-26 was lifted by a tow truck and moved off the runway. Afterwards, the bomber was stripped for usable parts and the rest abandoned. A section of the nose with the nickname and nose art was cut off by a member of the 22nd Bomb Group (22nd BG) and taken to Antil Plains Airfield. The fate of the rest of the plane is unknown, likely scrapped or otherwise disappeared. Later, the nose art panel cut off from the bomber was found at Antil Plains and donated to the Australian War Memorial (AWM). References USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-26 Marauder 40-1404 "1404 (22nd BG) made belly landing at Turnbull Strip after being damaged by AAA while attacking a convoy near Finchhafen, New Guinea Jan 6, 1943." Revenge of the Red Raiders (2006) pages 165, 286, 295, 302, 434, 435, 499, 503, 517, 530, 547-548 Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated January 22, 2025 |
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