Pacific Wrecks - B-29-40-BW "Calamity Jane" Serial Number 42-24589

Missing In Action (MIA)

Prisoners Of War (POW)

Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)

Chronology

B-29-40-BW "Calamity Jane" Serial Number 42-24589

USAAF
20th AF
40th BG
25th BS

Aircraft Commander Captain Aubrey J. Richard, O-409830 (MIA / KIA) Hinds County, MS
Co-Pilot 1st Lt William R. Fesler, O-750966 (MIA / KIA) IN
Navigator 1st Raymond C. Schuette, O-746758 (MIA /KIA) TX
Bombardier 1st Lt. Jim E. Miller, O-674792 (MIA / KIA) OH
FA 1st Lt. Walter W. Ingalls, O-482989 (MIA / KIA) IA
V 1st Lt. James L. Brennan, O-862229 (MIA /KIA) PA
Radio Sgt Oliver M. Kidd, 15339204 (MIA / KIA) OH
Chief Fire Control SSgt George W. Hanger, 15055194 (MIA / KIA) OH
Right Waist Gunner SSgt Herbert E. Bridges, 36307086 (MIA / KIA) IL
Left Waist Gunner Sgt Lee E. Chapman, 16055407 (MIA / KIA)
Tail Gunner SSgt Alvin K. Fiedler, 35519985 (MIA / KIA) Cuyahoga County, OH
RCM 2nd Lt. Edward R. Walter, O-866379 (MIA / KIA) Brooklyn, NY
Crashed February 1, 1945 at 2:00am
MACR 12020

Aircraft History
Built by Boeing in Wichita, Kansas. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-29-40-BW Superfortress serial number 42-24589.

Wartime History
Assigned to the 20th Air Force, 40th Bombardment Group, 25th Bombardment Squadron. Nicknamed "Calamity Jane" with the nose art of a cow girl. When lost engines R-33550-23A serial numbers W461897, W461263, W461248 and W461591. Armed with .50 caliber machine guns serial numbers noted in Missing Air Crew Report 12020 (MACR 12020).

Mission History
On January 31, 1945 took off from Chakulia Airfield in India on a bombing mission against Singapore. The weather was ceiling and visibility unlimited (CAVU). Over the target, hit by enemy anti-aircraft fire or intercepting fighters, the no. 3 engine caught fire and crashed this bomber to crashed on February 1, 1945 at 2:00am.

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.

Richard earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously.

Fesler earned the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously.

Schuette earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously.

Miller earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously.

Ingalls earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously.

Brennan earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously.

Kidd earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously.

Hanger earned the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously.

Bridges earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously. He also has a memorial marker at Big Foot Cemetery in Harvard, IL.

Chapman earned the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously. He also has a memorial marker at Concord Cemetery in Perry County, IL.

Fiedler earned the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously. He also has a memorial marker at North Murray Ridge Cemetery in Elyria, OH.

Walter earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He also has a memorial marker in Mount Olivet Cemetery and Mausoleum in Raytown, MO.

Wreckage
After the crash, the Japanese reportedly salvaged parts of the wreckage. Reportedly, the nose wreckage including the nickname "Calamity Jane" and nose art of a cow girl was displayed in Singapore.

Contribute Information
Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned?
Do you have photos or additional information to add?

Last Updated
February 18, 2020

B-29

MIA
12 Missing

Interviews & Oral Histories