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| USAAF 13th AF 403rd TCG 64th TCS |
Pilot 1st Lt. Robert H. Healy, O-667514 (KIA, BR) Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Augustus W. Miller (KIA, BR) Avon, NY Navigator 2nd Lt. Leonard G. Richardson (survived) Crew Chief MSgt Harry Wlodarsky (KIA, BR) Trumbull County, OH Radio Cpl. Joseph E. O'Connell (KIA, BR) Crashed September 5, 1943 MACR 466 Aircraft History Built by Douglas Aircraft Company. Constructors Number 9573. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as C-47A-30-DL Skytrain serial number 42-23711. Ferried overseas via Hickam Field then across the Pacific to the South Pacific (SOPAC). Wartime History Assigned to the 13th Air Force (13th AF), 403rd Troop Carrier Group (403rd TCG), 64th Troop Carrier Squadron (64th TCS). No known nickname or nose art. When lost, engines R-1830-92 serial numbers 42-107659 and 42-108367. Mission History On September 5, 1943 took off from Fighter 2 (Kukum) on Guadalcanal piloted by 1st Lt. Robert H. Healy with a cargo of freight bound for Espiritu Santo (Buttons). The weather was scattered and broken clouds with 7 miles visibility. Last radio call at 1:30pm. When this plane failed to arrive it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Fates of the Crew Sole survivor Richardson was badly injured and remained at the crash site for a week. Realizing that no one would find him, he crawled through the jungle for a week until he encountered some locals. He was found by a U.S. Army search team and carried him out of the jungle over three days. On September 16, 1943 he was hospitalized for a fractured right leg. Recovery of Remains After the crash, the remains of the crew that died aboard the plane were recovered. Healy was individually identified. The other remains recovered were deemed to be Miller, O'Connell and Wlodarsky. Memorials Healy is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River, MA. Miller, O'Connell and Wlodarsky are buried in a group burial at Winchester National Cemetery in Winchester, VA at section 92, site 4105N. References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Robert H. Healy NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Augustus W. Miller NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Harry Wlodarsky USAF Serial Number Search Results - C-47A-30-DL Skytrain 42-23711 "23711 (MSN 9573, 403rd TCG) lost Sep 5, 1943, Solomons [sic]. MACR 466" Missing Air Crew Report 499 (MACR 499 ) created September 7, 1943 Spokane Chronicle "Missing Man Found" September 25, 1943 page 13 Survival in the South Pacific: A Lost Airman’s Desperate Rescue amid the Maelstrom of War (2024) by Robert Richardson FindAGrave - Lieut Robert H Healy (grave photo) FindAGrave - 2LT Augustus William Miller (group burial photo) FindAGrave - MSGT Harry Wlodarsky (group burial photo) FindAGrave - CPL Joseph E. O'Connell (group burial photo) Marine Air Group 25 (MAG 25) Roll of Honor - C-47 42-23711, 64th TCS Thanks to Edward Rogers for additional research and analysis 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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 C-47  MIA 4 Missing Resolved |
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