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| USAAF 5th AF 348th FG 342nd FS |
Pilot 2nd Lt. Cyril O. Andrews C.O. 342nd FS (survived) Joy, TX Crashed August 18, 1943 MACR none Aircraft History Built by Republic at Farmingdale, NY. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-47D-2-RE Thunderbolt serial number 42-8144. Disassembled and shipped overseas to Australia and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 348th Fighter Group (348th FG), 342nd Fighter Squadron (342nd FS) "Scourgers". No known nose art or nickname. Mission History On August 18, 1943 took off from 5 Mile Drome (Wards) near Port Moresby piloted by 2nd Lt. Cyril O. Andrews on a mission to escort C-47 Skytrains bound for Wau Airfield. During the flight, this plane and P-47D 42-8059 pilot F/O Wilfrid J. Desilets, Jr. entered cumulus clouds over the Owen Stanley Range and both became lost and failed to return. These two aircraft became the first weather related P-47 Thunderbolt losses in New Guinea. In fact, Andrews bailed out and later returned to duty. Desilets crashed and was listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Search Afterwards, Captain Ed Roddy of the 342nd Fighter Squadron searched for these two P-47 unsuccessfully. Fate of the Pilot Disoriented, Andrews bailed out at roughly 1,000' and landed near Mount Bachelor. He became stuck in trees and left dangling from above the ground before he was able to cut himself free. Falling to the ground, Andrews fractured his leg but managed to reach a stream. Used parachute to cover himself and ate D-ration. He crawled for three days before found by locals, who splinted his leg and took him to Garaina Airfield where he was flown back to Port Moresby. Wreckage This P-47 Crashed roughly 20 miles southwest of Garaina near Mount Blackmar. Memorials Andrews passed away on July 22, 1960. He is buried at Hope Cemetery in Henrietta, TX. References USAF Serial Number Search Results - P-47D-2-RE Thunderbolt 42-8144 "8144 (342nd FS, 348th FG, 5th AF) crashed 20 mi SW of Garaina, near Mount blacmar, Morobe, Papua New Guinea due to bad weather Aug 18, 1943. Pilot bailed out and was rescued by locals." History of 342nd Fighter Squadron PNG Museum Aircraft Status Card - P-47 Thunderbolt 42-844 FindAGrave - Cyril Olan Andrews (photos, grave photo) Kearby's Thunderbolts (1997) pages 32-33 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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