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| USAAF 20th AF 468th BG 792nd BS  792nd BS c1944 |
Pilot Lt. Col William F. Savoie, O-24115 (survived) San Antonio, TX Co-Pilot 1st Lt. Raymond K. Lutz (survived) Honolulu, HI Navigator Captain Donald G. O'Brien (survived) Audubon, NJ Bombardier Captain Louis K. Wedel (survived) Hereford, TX Engineer 1st Lt. Casimer F. Stelmach (survived) Chicago, IL Senior Gunner SSgt Ernest J. Brudage (survived) Pittsfield, MA Radio TSgt Walter W. Alspaugh, 35402887 (MIA / KIA) Rockford, OH Radar TSgt William A. Beckham, 20403054 (MIA / KIA) Greenbelt, MD Left Gunner SSgt James P. Meehan, 35309815 (POW, survived) Cleveland Heights, OH Right Gunner SSgt Granville L. Adams, Jr. (MIA / KIA) Messick, VA Tail Gunner TSgt Rollin B. Heffernan, 6999780 (MIA / KIA) Appolo, PA Radio Counter Measures 1st Robert C. Geyer, O-855161 (MIA / KIA) New York, NY Crashed August 20, 1944 MACR 11297 Aircraft History Built by Boeing. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-29 B-29-5-BW Superfortress serial number 42-6264. Ferried overseas to China. Wartime History Assigned to the 20th Air Force (20th AF), 468th Bombardment Group (468th BG), 792nd Bombardment Squadron (792nd BS). Nicknamed "O'Reilly's Daughter". When lost, engines R-3350-23A serial numbers 42-84318, 42-120949, 42-84149 and 42-120929. Armed with .50 caliber machine guns makers and serial numbers unknown. Mission History On August 20, 1944 took off from Pengshan Airfield in China piloted by Lt. Col William F. Savoie on a bombing mission against Yawata Steel Works on Kyūshū Island in Japan at Yawata on Kyushu Island. Over the target, damaged by anti-aircraft fire. After leaving the target, the no. 2 engine began leaking oil and roughly 50 miles off the coast of China the no. 2 engine began to run away and could not be feathered and a fire was observed extending to the tail but was extinguished. Meanwhile, the B-29 fell to 12,000' and the no. 2 engine propeller went out of control again and might have also been experiencing difficulty with the no. 3. Aboard, the crew were ordered to bail out. At 7:30pm the crew bailed from roughly 7,500' over the South China Sea off the coast of China near Ho-Tu-Chen, Kiangau Province near Shanghai. Due to the darkness, the parachutes were not observed. When this aircraft failed to return it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Fates of the Crew The entire crew were ordered to bail out and presumed that all exited the bomber, but no one saw tail gunner Heffernan. Meehan parachuted out and landed on mainland China and was captured and turned over to the Japanese the same day. He became a Prisoner Of War (POW) and survived captivity until the end of the Pacific War. On August 28, 1945 he was liberated from the Shanghai War Prisoners Camp - Kiawgwan Shanghai 31-121 at Shanghai. Memorials Heffernan was officially declared dead the day of the mission. He is memorialized at MAC on the tablets of the missing. Adams was officially declared dead on April 8, 1946. He earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. Geyer was officially declared dead on April 8, 1946. He earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. Meehan passed away on July 30, 1968 at age 55. He is buried at Kirkwood Cemetery in London, OH. Lutz remained in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and served in the Vietnam War then retired with the rank of Colonel. He passed away on November 9, 2009 at age 89. He is buried at Hawaii State Veterans Cemetery at section 1C, site 101. References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - James P. Meehan USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-29-5-BW Superfortress 42-6264 6264 (468th BG, 792nd BS) suffered AAA damage and crew bailed out off Chinese coast Aug 21, 1944. MACR 11297 Missing Air Crew Report 11297 (MACR 11297) created January 21, 1945 NARA World War II Prisoners of War Data File - James P. Meehan American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Walter W. Alspaugh American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - William A. Beckham American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Granville L. Adams, Jr. American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Rollin B. Heffernan American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Robert C. Geyer FindAGrave - William F. Savoie FindAGrave - Raymond K. Lutz (grave) FindAGrave - Donald G. O'Brien FindAGrave - Louis K. Wedel FindAGrave - Casimer F. Stelmach FindAGrave - Ernest J. Brudage FindAGrave - Walter W. Alspaugh FindAGrave - William A. Beckham FindAGrave - Sgt James P Meehan (grave) FindAGrave - Granville L. Adams, Jr. FindAGrave - TSgt Rollin B Heffernan (tablets of the missing photo) FindAGrave - 1Lt Robert C Geyer (tablets of the missing photo) 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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 B-29  MIA 1 Prisoner 5 Missing |
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