|
 |
|
|
| Missing In Action (MIA) | Prisoners Of War (POW) | Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) |
| Chronology | Locations | Aircraft | Ships | Submit Info | How You Can Help | Donate |
|
| USAAF 20th AF 29th BG 52nd BS
|
Aircraft History Built by Glenn L. Martin Company in Omaha, Nebraska. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-29-25-MO Superfortress serial number 42-65302 . Ferried overseas to North Field on Tinian. Wartime History Assigned to the 20th Air Force (20th AF), 29th Bombardment Group (29th BG), 52nd Bombardment Squadron (52nd BS). Nicknamed "City of Los Angeles". Mission History On April 12, 1945 took off on from North Field on Guam (Mission #65) piloted by Captain George A. Simeral with Co-Pilot Lieutenant Colonel Eugene O. Strouse (52nd BS C.O.) on a bombing mission against Hodogaya Chemical Plant (Target #2025) in Koriyama on Honshu in Japan. The weather was clear with visibility of 15 miles. The formation included 85 B-29 Superfortress each armed with 500 pound AN-M64 aerial bombs were flying at altitudes of 7,000' to 9,000'. With the round-trip distance of 3,041 miles this was the longest mission flown to date. At the assembly point over Aogashima in the Izu Islands in the Philippine Sea, radio operator Pfc Henry E. Erwin prepared to release white phosphorus flares as a visual reference for the other bombers in the formation. When one of the flares prematurely ignited, the cabin was filled with dense white smoke and no one aboard could see anything. Meanwhile Erwin struggled to jettison the flare and was severely burned and injured. Pilot Simeral aborted the mission and made an emergency landing on Iwo Jima. Postwar, this B-29 returned to the United States. Later, flown to Hill Field and scrapped November 17, 1945. Fate of the Crew On the ground, Erwin was given emergency medical treatment then evacuated to Field Hospital 103 on Guam. For his actions, he was recommended for the Medal of Honor and rapidly bestowed the highest honor while fully bandaged the hospital because he was not expected to live . During the ceremony, Major General LeMay and Major General Willis H. Hale. During the ceremony, LeMay said to him: "“Your effort to save the lives of your fellow airmen is the most extraordinary kind of heroism I know.” and General of the Army Henry H. Arnold wrote to him "I regard your act as one of the bravest in the records of the war.” Erwin was the only B-29 crew member who earned the Medal of Honor during World War II. In total, Erwin was hospitalized for two and a half years with a total of 41 surgeries with phosphorus particles smoldering for months. Afterwards, he was discharged with the rank of Master Sergeant on October 8, 1947. For his actions, Erwin earned the Medal of Honor: "Citation: He was the radio operator of a B-29 airplane leading a group formation to attack Koriyama, Japan. He was charged with the additional duty of dropping phosphorus smoke bombs to aid in assembling the group when the launching point was reached. Upon entering the assembly area, aircraft fire and enemy fighter opposition was encountered. Among the phosphoresce bombs launched by S/Sgt. Erwin, 1 proved faulty, exploding in the launching chute, and shot back into the interior of the aircraft, striking him in the face. The burning phosphorus obliterated his nose and completely blinded him. Smoke filled the plane, obscuring the vision of the pilot. S/Sgt. Erwin realized that the aircraft and crew would be lost if the burning bomb remained in the plane. Without regard for his own safety, he picked it up and feeling his way, instinctively, crawled around the gun turret and headed for the copilot’s window. He found the navigator’s table obstructing his passage. Grasping the burning bomb between his forearm and body, he unleashed the spring lock and raised the table. Struggling through the narrow passage he stumbled forward into the smoke-filled pilot’s compartment. Groping with his burning hands, he located the window and threw the bomb out. Completely aflame, he fell back upon the floor. The smoke cleared, the pilot, at 300 feet, pulled the plane out of its dive. S/Sgt. Erwin’s gallantry and heroism above and beyond the call of duty saved the lives of his comrades." References USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-29-25-MO Superfortress 42-65302 Tinker AFB "Air Force History: Enlisted Medal of Honor Recipient Henry E. ‘Red’ Erwin" by Howard E. Halvorsen, April 3, 2017 (photos) Congressional Medal of Honor Society (CMOHS) - Henry Eugene ‘Red’ Erwin Air Force Magazine "A Brave Man at the Right Time" by John T. Correll June 1, 2007 This Day In Aviation - 12 April 1945 Private First Class Henry Eugene Erwin (photos) Beyond Valor: A World War II Story of Extraordinary Heroism, Sacrificial Love, and a Race against Time (2020) Contribute
Information Last Updated
|
 B-29 |
| Discussion Forum | Daily Updates | Reviews | Museums | Interviews & Oral Histories |
|
