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| USAAF 5th AF 317th TCG 40th TCS  USAAF 1942 |
Pilot F/O Harold Gene Wilson, T-185505 317th TCG, 40th TCS (KIA, BR) KS Co-Pilot F/O Robert Wilson Forrest, Jr,, T-0000173, 317th TCG, 40th TCS (KIA, BR) Brigham City, UT Engineer SSgt Robert J. Cielinski, 317th TCG, 40th TCS (KIA, BR) Radio Cpl David W. Markel, 17057259 317th TCG, 40th TCS (KIA, BR) Kansas City, KS Passenger MSgt Donald H. Arbogast, 19017105 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Waterville, WA Passenger TSgt Delbert Braund, 16009775 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) LaVelle, WI Passenger TSgt Leo W. Butcher, 16054893 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Madison, IL Passenger TSgt Grant W. Caldwell, 7001209 347th FG, 67th FS (KIA, BR) Limona, FL Passenger TSgt Andrew J. Crowley, Jr., 12080905 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Athens, PA Passenger Sgt Herman R. Cummins, 13050228 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Baltimore, MD Passenger TSgt Rodney L. Dinneen, 31078190 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Fitchburg, MA Passenger MSgt Arah L. Doolittle, 3916281 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Los Angeles, CA Passenger TSgt Stephen D. Dzury, 13056189 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Wilkes Barre, PA Passenger 1st Lt. Owen A. Hawver, O-664588 345th BG, 499th BS (KIA, BR) Stafford, KS Passenger TSgt Carl J. Huebner, 36222562 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Portage, WI Passenger TSgt Charles S. Hunter, 7023939 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Glasgow, VA Passenger MSgt Francis M. Lee, 6935927 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Burlington, Iowa Passenger TSgt Laurence P. McKenna, 36245602 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Clinton, IA Passenger TSgt Ezra E. Rapp, 20926193 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Idaho Falls, ID Passenger TSgt George A. Roberts, 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Caraban, TX Passenger SSgt Wilmer R. Fowler, 13073375 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Baltimore, MD Passenger SSgt William F. Repass, 34283012 345th BG 500th BS (KIA, BR) New Market, TN Passenger Sgt Floyd M. Simpson, 39847563 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Caddo, OK Passenger Cpl Venard H. Trebon, 17027532 347th FG, 67th FS (KIA, BR) Dubuque, IA Passenger S/Sgt Charles W. Tuttle, 1105524 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Lynn, MA Passenger S/Sgt Willard G. Van Patten, 36178495 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Sumner, MI Passenger SSgt Charles J. Zahora, 13054137 345th BG, 500th BS (KIA, BR) Coaldale, PA Crashed August 7, 1943 at 5:20am MACR none Aircraft History Built by Douglas Aircraft Company. Constructors Number 4212. On February 13, 1942 delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as C-47-DL Skytrain serial number 41-7733. Ferried overseas via Hickam Field then across the Pacific to Australia. Wartime History On April 14, 1942 assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 317th Troop Carrier Group (317th TGC), 40th Troop Carrier Squadron (40th TCS). Nicknamed "Eager Beaver". No known nose art. Call sign VH-CDM. Mission History On August 7, 1943 at 5:00am took off from Garbutt Field at Townsville piloted by F/O Harold G. Wilson on a flight bound for Archerfield Airfield near Brisbane. Aboard were four crew and twenty three passengers. Twenty minutes after take off, crashed into Cleveland Bay southeast of Townsville. Everyone aboard died in the crash. Recovery of Remains After the crash, the remains of the crew and passengers were recovered. Memorial The entire crew was officially declared dead the day of the mission. Postwar, the remains of the crew and passengers were transported to the United States for permanent burial. Six are buried at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl). Dinneen at plot B grave 155. Crowley at plot C grave 594. Braund at plot B grave 381. Cummins at section F, site 572. Huebner at plot A grave 292. Zahora at plot A grave 969. Wilson is buried at Highland Cemetery in Ashland, Kansas. Forrest is buried at Brigham City Cemetery in Brigham City, Utah at plot B-51-53-4. Cielinski is buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Longmont, CO. Markel is buried at the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery section B site 2196-E. Arbogast is buried at Waterville Cemetery, Waterville WA. Butcher is buried at Butcher Cemetery, Turnertown, WV. Caldwell is buried at Hackney Cemetery, Riverview, FL. Doolittle is buried at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood CA at Ins Gr division B, lot 399, evergreen. Dzury is buried at Gettysburg National Cemetery at section 2, site 345. Hawver is buried at Stafford Cemetery in Stafford, KS at plot H-90. Hunter is buried at High Bridge Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Natural Bridge, VA. Lee is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, Canton, SD. McKenna at Saint Marys Cemetery in Clinton, IA. Rapp is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery, Idaho Falls, ID. Roberts is buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery at section N site 79. Fowler is buried at Baltimore National Cemetery in Baltimore MD at section D, site 1129. Repass at New Market Cemetery, New Market, TN. Simpson is buried at South Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Tucson, AZ at section 1. Trebon is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery Key West Dubuque County Iowa. Tuttle is buried at Long Island National Cemetery at plot H grave 9030. Van Patten at Arlington National Cemetery at section 12 site 5351. On August 14, 2005 a memorial to this aircraft and crew was dedicated at Kissing Point in Townsville, adjacent to the existing US WWII Memorial. The head of the US 5th Air Force, Lt Gen Bruce Wright was in attendance. Relatives Mary Jane Hawver McEntire (cousin of Owen Hawver) "Our fathers were brothers. Owen was killed before I was born but I grew up hearing about 1st Lt. Owen A. Hawver. His mother never got over his loss. Part of the Hawver history that his mother Ina Hawver wrote may be of interest. It is heartbreaking to read from a mother's point of view. Here is a photograph of his grave." References USAF Serial Number Search Results - C-47-DL Skytrain 41-7733 "7733 (MSN 4212) to USAAF Feb 13, 1942 - 5th AF, Australia Apr 14, 1942 (operated for ADAT by Aussie crews with callsign VH-CDM, later as VH-CDI. Crashed Aug 7 1943, Cleveland Bay, Brisbane, QLD, Ausralia." Oz@War - Crash of a C-47 Dakota into Cleveland Bay, Townsville, QLD on 7 August 1943 Oz@War - Ten Worst Aircraft Crashes in Australia Geoff Goodall Aviation History Site - WWII Australian Transport Aircraft Radio Callsigns Part 1 VHCAA to VHCZZ "CDI 2 / ex VHCDM, crashed in sea Cleveland Bay, Townsville Qld 7.8.43" The Forgotten Fifth (2007) aircraft nickname index lists nickname as "Eager Beaver". FindAGrave - FO Harold Gene Wilson (grave photo) FindAGrave - FO Robert Wilson Forrest, Jr (grave photo) FindAGrave - Robert J. Cielinski (grave photo) FindAGrave - David W. Markel (grave photo) FindAGrave - Donald H. Arbogast (grave photo) FindAGrave - SSGT Delbert Moses Braund (photo, grave photo) FindAGrave - TSGT Leo W Butcher (grave photo) FindAGrave - Grant W. Caldwell (grave photo) FindAGrave - TSGT Andrew J Crowley, Jr (grave photo) FindAGrave - SGT Herman R Cummins (grave photo) FindAGrave - Rodney L. Dinneen (grave photo) FindAGrave - MSGT Arah Leroy Doolittle (grave photo) FindAGrave - TSGT Stephen D. Dzury (grave photo) FindAGrave - Owen Andrew Hawver (photos, grave photo) FindAGrave - TSGT Carl J Huebner (grave photo) FIndAGrave - Charles H. Hunter (grave photo) FindAGrave - Francis M. Lee (grave photo) FindAGrave - TSGT Laurence P McKenna (grave photo) FindAGrave - Ezra Errol Rapp (grave photo) FindAGrave - George A. Roberts (grave photo) FindAGrave - SSGT Wilmer Roland Fowler (grave photo) FindAGrave - William Fred Repass (grave photo) FindAGrave - Floyd M. Simpson (grave photo) FindAGrave - CPL Venard H Trebon (grave photo) FindAGrave - SSGT Charles W Tuttle (grave photo) FindAGrave - Willard G. Van Patten (grave photo) FindAGrave - SSgt Charles J Zahora (grave photo) Thanks to Michael Claringbould, Rob Manning and Robert McClelland for additional information 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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