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| USAAF 5th AF 374th TCG 22nd TCS  USAAF 1943 |
Pilot 2nd Lt. Harry D. Dingman, O-669460 (KIA, BR) Hudson, NY Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. James L. Foster, O-669466 375th TCG, 57th TCS (KIA, BR) Holdenville, OK Radio Cpl Charles L. Coury, 16044289 (KIA, BR) Creston/Detroit, MI Crew Cpl Dennis Murray, 20120815 (KIA, BR) Crashed July 11, 1943 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Douglas Aircraft Company. Constructors Number unknown (four digits) possibly 6046. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as C-47-DL Skytrain serial number unknown possibly, C-47-DL Skytrain serial number 41-38663. Ferried overseas via Hamilton Field then across the Pacific to Australia. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 374th Troop Carrier Group (374th TCG), 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron (22nd TCS). Nicknamed "Junior". Mission History On July 11, 1943 took off from 5 Mile Drome (Ward) near Port Moresby piloted by 2nd Lt. Harry D. Dingman transporting cargo bound Dobodura. Co-pilot 2nd Lt. James L. Foster was from the 375th TCG, 57th TCS. While attempting to land, this C-47 crashed a half mile away from Popondetta Airfield killing the entire crew on impact. Dodie Amundson adds: "In 1997 I received the following account from former 22nd TCS pilot, Austin N. Malcomb, about the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash: my memory about the crash are strong because I knew him better than anyone else. We met stateside during our cadet training. Dem was in class 43A and I was in 43B. We were assigned as crew mates in the 375th TCG and were 1 of 5 crews selected to ferry new planes across the Pacific. After landing in Australia, we were assigned to the 22nd TCS and sent to Wards Strip near Port Moresby where we were tent mates. On the afternoon of the crash, I returned to our tent to find several guys waiting for me. I saw Ding’s bedding and locker had been removed. Then they told me he had crashed. He was on his third trip of the day (around noon) from Wards Strip to Dobodura through Kokoda Pass. I was told he had an engine problem at the top of the pass. Normal procedure was to shut down the engine and feather the prop. I was told he lost altitude so fast he elected to land at the nearest strip (Popondetta). On final approach a wing tip struck a tree spinning the plane into the ground. Their information came from radio and visual contact.” Recovery of Remains After the crash, the remains of the crew were recovered. Postwar, their remains were transported to the United States for permanent burial. Memorials The entire crew was officially declared dead the day of the crash. Dingman is buried at Cedar Park Cemetery in Hudson, NY at lot 13 section 24-H. Foster is buried at Holdenville Cemetery in Holdenville, OK. Coury is buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Detroit, MI at section 15, lot 1855, space 2. Murray has an unknown burial, presumably in his hometown in the United States. Relatives Dodie Amundson (niece of Dingman) "I am the niece of Lt. Harry D. Dingman. I was happy and grateful to discover this page on your website. Since this year marks the 80th anniversary of the crash, I would greatly appreciate if you would add the following account and photo of my uncle as well as the burial information." References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Harry D. Dingman NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - James L. Foster NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Charles L. Coury NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Dennis Murray USAF Serial Number Search Results - C-47-DL Skytrain 41-38663 "38663 (MSN 6046) to USAAF Nov 17, 1942 - 5th AF, Australia Jan 12, 1943. Accident Jul 20, 1943." 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron list the crew as Dingman, Coury & Murray (do not list Foster) Diary of Sgt. Theodore Adamczyk - Radio Operator, 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron "11 July 1943 We lost a darn good buddy today. "Junior" crashed on the Dobodura run - "Cobber" Coury, "Wheels-up" Murray, Lt. Dingman and another new pilot all killed. We sure hated to lose Coury. I don't think there was a man in this outfit that didn't like him. 14 July [1943] I was to have been pall-bearer for Coury today, but there was a change in plans and they were buried on the other side of the Range." Hudson Register Lieut. Harry D. Dingman obituary" July 22, 1943 "Lieut. Harry D. Dingman, 22, U. S. Army Air Corps, was killed in action in the Southwest Pacific on July 11, his wife and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Dingman, of 67 Short Street, Hudson, were advised today. The pilot's wife received the following telegram from the War Department: "The Secretary of War desires to extend his deepest sympathy to you in the loss of your husband, Second Lieutenant Harry D. Dingman." A report just received states he was killed in action on July 11 in the Southwest Pacific. Lieut. Dingman married Miss Erlyna Riley, of Sherman, Texas, on February 14th, of this year. They met while the Hudson boy was receiving his basic training at Perrin Field, Texas. Lieut. Dingman was graduated from Hudson High school in 1939. In a recent letter to his mother, the officer wrote: "I feel that freedom from earthly bounds when I am high above all the hate and smallness of those below." The pilot's wife and mother expressed their conviction that they preferred the officer to have died in action than to have fallen a prisoner of the Japanese. Lieut. Dingman's father is head of the linen department at Marsh's Department Store. Mrs. Stephen T. Palmer, of Brooklyn, is a sister of the officer." FindAGrave - Harry Desmarais “Dem” Dingman (grave photos, obituary) FindAGrave - 2LT James Leslie Foster (photos, grave photos) FindAGrave - Charles L Coury (grave photo) Allied Air Transport Operations South West Pacific Area in WWII, Volume Two (2006) page 11 (Foster 375th TCG killed July 11, 1943), 13 (54th TCW losses July 11, 1943), 51 (22nd TCS roll of honor 1943), 71-72 (July 11, 1943 C-47 41-38663), 550 (index Dingman), 550 (index Coury), 552 (index Foster), 558 (index Murray) Thanks to Edward Rogers for 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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