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| USAAF 5th AF 5th Fighter Command Headquarters  USAAF c1943   Winged Ghosts of the Pacific 1995 |
Pilot F/O Richard W. Smith, T-185613 HQ, V FC (MIA / KIA, BR) IL Co-Pilot F/O Cecil R. McElhiney, T-185679 HQ, V FC (MIA / KIA, BR) TN Radio 2nd Lt. Robert M. Mona, O-734582 (MIA / KIA, BR) Engineer Sgt Glen A. Walter, 18069911 (MIA / KIA, BR) El Paso County, CO Radio Engineer T/Sgt Harold S. Macha, 6265067 (MIA / KIA, BR) McKees Rocks, PA Gunner S/Sgt Jack W. Holt, 14056454 49th FG, HQ (MIA / KIA, BR) Gunner Sgt Charles E. Dawson, Jr., 38013205 49th FG, FCS (MIA / KIA, BR) Crashed October 16, 1943 MACR 3262 Aircraft History Built as a PBY-5A Catalina by Consolidated at San Diego. Constructor Number 850. Delivered to the U. S. Navy (USN) as PBY-5A Catalina bureau number 08031. One of thirty-one PBY-5A Catalinas assigned to the U. S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as OA-10-CO Catalina serial number 43-3262. Flown overseas via Hawaii to the South West Pacific Area (SWPA). Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 5th Fighter Command (5th FC), Headquarters Squadron (HQ Squadron). Attached to the 49th Fighter Group (49th FG), 7th Fighter Squadron (7th FS). No known nickname or nose art. When lost, engines R-1830-92 serial numbers 43-145080 and 43-99395. Aboard was a single .50 caliber machine gun serial number 127982 in the tail position. Mission History On October 16, 1943 took off from Goodenough Island a search and rescue mission bound for the Louisiade Archipelago. Afterwards, the Catalina planned to land at Dobodura. Instead, it crashed east of Pongani, killing the entire crew on impact and burned. When this Catalina failed to arrive, it was declared Missing In Action (MIA). Search Afterwards, a search mission was conducted by J. J. O'Conner, 1st Lt. O. R. Swartz and 2nd Lt. L. C. Martin. The planes took off at 3pm and searched north of Buna then 25 miles out to sea from shore then down the north coast to Cape Nelson then returned to land at 5:15pm. No sightings were made. Wreckage On March 16, 1944 this aircraft was located by WO2 D. C. Frame, a police officer based at Tufi. At the crash site, the dog tag of McElhiney was found and the remains of the crew were recovered. John Douglas adds: "I first visited this site in 1991, took a boat from Oro Bay to the crash near Waiwa village. Villagers were reluctant to show us the site, and required a fee to see it. We then landed at beach at Waiwa Bay, came to wing tip, up a hillside, found the main body of wreckage on the ridge, with tail on top. Must have come in low clipped the wing and crashed. Found burnt remains of a suitcase, latches and handle. Found some US Navy cutlery. Bones sticking out of the wreckage, found machine guns and a big stainless steel anchor. Later, got video people from Australia to film it [for Winged Ghosts of the Pacific], and the also found bones. Brian Bennett went there a few years ago, but was not able to find bones." Recovery of Remains After the crash, the remains of the crew were recovered. Memorials The entire crew was declared dead the day of the crash. As the mission was deemed non-combat, none of the crew earned the Purple Heart, posthumously. Smith is buried at Manila American Cemetery at plot N row 6 grave 183. McElhiney is buried at Manila American Cemetery at plot D row 7 grave 99. Dawson, Mona and Walter are buried in a group burial at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery at section 79 site 412. Macha is buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery at section M site 91. Holt is buried at Riverside Cemetery in Macon, GA. References Navy Serial Number Search Results - PBY-5A Catalina 08031 "to USAAF as OA-10" USAF Serial Number Search Results - OA-10-CO Catalina 43-3262 "3262 (49th BS [sic 49th FG]) MIA near Goodenough Island, New Guinea Oct 16, 1943" Missing Air Crew Report 3262 (MACR 3262) created retroactively May 28, 1944 American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Richard W. Smith FindAGrave - FltOff Richard W Smith (grave photo) American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Cecil R. McElhiney FindAGrave - FltOff Cecil R McElhiney (grave photo) FindAGrave - Harold J Macha (grave photo) FindAGrave - Sgt Glenn A. Walter (grave photo) FindAGrave - Robert N Mona (grave photo) FindAGrave - Jack Willis Holt (photo, grave photo) FindAGrave - Charles E Dawson, Jr (grave photo) PNG Museum Aircraft Status Card - OA-10 Catalina 43-3262 Winged Ghosts of the Pacific (1995) documents this wreckage and remains at the crash site in 1995 Thanks to John Douglas 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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