|  |
|
| |
|
| Missing In Action (MIA) | Prisoners Of War (POW) | Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) |
| Chronology | Locations | Aircraft | Ships | Submit Info | How You Can Help | Donate |
|
| USAAF 5th AF 475th FG 432th FS  USAAF 1943 |
Pilot 2nd Lt. Harold R. Howard, O-748653 (MIA / KIA) Los Angeles, CA Crashed February 29, 1944 MACR 15782 Aircraft History Built by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation (LAC) in Burbank. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-38 Lightning model and serial number unknown, likely a P-38H Lightning. Disassembled and shipped overseas and reassembled in Australia. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 475th Fighter Group (475th FG) "Satan's Angels", 432nd Fighter Squadron (432nd FS) "Clover". No known nickname or nose art. Mission History On February 29, 1944 in the morning took off from North Borio Airfield (Dobodura No. 15) piloted by 2nd Lt. Harold R. Howard and landed at Nadzab Airfield to refuel. At 11:00am took off from Nadzab Airfield as part of the first group of eight P-38s on a patrol bound for Los Negros in the Admiralty Islands to cover the U.S. Army landings. At 12:15pm a second group of ten P-38s took off as the second group. Inbound, the first group of eight P-38s encountered a solid rainstorm roughly twenty miles from the target and radioed the bad weather and turned back for base, aborting the mission. Returning, the second group encountered another bad weather front on their return flight but all managed to land safely at Nadzab Airfield. Meanwhile, the first group of eight returned in bad weather with a ceiling of zero to 100' above sea level with visibility near zero and the planes separated and each tried to reach safety. Three reached New Guinea and landed safely: two at Nadzab Airfield and one at Finschafen Airfield. The other five attempted to reach Cape Gloucester Airfield on western New Britain. Howard was flying at sea level in low visibility and banked hard to avoid a terrain feature and his right and his wing caught the surface of the sea, cartwheeled and crashed. It is believed he crashed into Rein Bay or west of Cape Raoult on the north coast of New Britain. When this plane failed to return, Howard was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). The crash was witnessed by P-38 pilot 2nd Lt. Perry J. Dahl. Afterwards, P-38 pilot 2nd Lt. Edward G. Dickey and P-38 pilot 2nd Lt. Clifford J. Mann ditched off Yellow Beach at Cape Glouchester and were rescued an hour later by a Higgins Boat. P-38 pilot 2nd Lt. Perry J. Dahl managed to land at Cape Gloucester Airfield but was damaged when he collided with a parked B-24 Liberator. P-38 pilot 2nd Lt. John L. Hannan landed at Cape Gloucester Airfield but suffered nose wheel damage while landing. With a total of two P-38s ditched, two damaged and one missing, the squadron history recoded it as their "most disastrous day..." Search Afterwards, a search was conducted in the area he was seen to crash but no trace of the plane or pilot was found. Memorials Howard was officially declared dead the day of the mission. He earned the Purple Heart, posthumously. Howard is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the mission. References NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Harold R. Howard West Los Angeles Independent "Lt. Howard Is Killed In Action WLA Fighter Pilot Loses Life in New Britain" May 19, 1944 page 1 Missing Air Crew Report 15782 (MACR 15782) created circa July 18, 1944 American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Harold R. Howard FindAGrave - 2Lt Harold R Howard (tablets of the mission) Possum, Clover & Hades 475th Fighter Group in World War II (2004) pages 121-123 Lightning Strikes: The 475th Fighter Group in the Pacific War, 1943-1945 (1988) pages 63-64 Thanks to Perry J. Dahl and Edward Rogers 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 April 19, 2021
|
 P-38  MIA 1 Missing |
| Discussion Forum | Daily Updates | Reviews | Museums | Interviews & Oral Histories |
|
