Aircraft History
Built by Boeing. Assigned to the 20th Air Force, 462nd Bombardment Group, 770th Bombardment Squadron. No known nickname or nose art. When lost, engine and weapon serial numbers not noted in Missing Air Crew Report (MACR).

Mission History
Mission 174: One of 472 B-29s that took off from West Field on Tinian Island on a bombing mission against the urban area north of Nagoya. Near the initial point, the formation was intercepted by Japanese fighter believed to be a J2M3 Jack. This B-29 was hit in the no. 3 engine, causing it to start smoking. The bomber pulled out of formation and jettisoned its bombs. The right wing caught fire and at least seven of the crew parachuted out before it crashed and exploded into Iseno Bay.

Fates of the Crew
Seven survived the crash and were imprisoned at the Ofuna Camp near Yokohama. Five were executed on July 12, 1945. Two survived the war. Orr was liberated from Tokyo POW Camp (Shinjuku)

Michael Moskow adds:
"Information I found in the National Archives shows that five of the above crewmen, and six airmen from other crews, were executed on July 12, 1945. These men included the following (plus possibly three others) Other B-29 Crew Members: Cpl. Joseph R. Shelton, Cpl. George R. Graziadei, Lt. Elton V. Kime.

Memorials
Reynolds and Labadie are memorialized at the courts of the missing at Honolulu Cemetery (Punchbowl).

After the recovery of remains, the rest of the crew were buried in a group burial at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery at section 82 site 1E including: Sherman, Prichard, Genrty, Manson, Howell, Johnson and Solomon.

References
NARA Prisoners of War Data File - Robert Orr
NARA Prisoners of War Data File - Lloyd Miller
FindAGrave - Dean H Sherman (grave photo)
FindAGrave - Benjamin W Prichard (grave photo)
FindAGrave - Edward R Gentry (grave photo)
FindAGrave - Carl H Manson, Jr (grave photo)
FindAGrave - Evan L Howell (grave photo)
FindAGrave - Jerry W Johnson (grave photo)
FindAGrave - Norman Solomon (grave photo)

Last Updated
February 18, 2020