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| USN VB-106  Duke Univeristy 1936 |
Pilot Lt. Commander Allen L. Seaman, O-081741 USNR (MIA / KIA) New Haven, CT Co-Pilot Lt(jg) Albert H. Savikko, O-240722 (MIA / KIA) Douglas, AK Navigator Ensign Clarence Redmon (WIA, survived) Marshall, NC Crew AMM1c Roland L. Egger, 6481011 (MIA / KIA) Redfield, SD Crew AMM2c Bruno C. Mankus, 6188244 (MIA / KIA) Manchester, CT Crew AMM2c Joseph E. Brown, Jr., 2729143 (MIA / KIA) FL Crew AOM1c Irving Lawrence Nilson, 6633666 (WIA, died May 7, 1944) Penngrove, CA Crew AMM1c R. A. Antell, 2019052 (WIA, survived) Crew ARM2c C. S. Taylor, 2837837 (WIA, survived) Crew AOM3c S. W. Spicer, 5649879 (WIA, survived) MIA May 1, 1944 Aircraft History Built by Consolidated Aircraft Corporation at San Diego as model 32. Constructors Number 2666. Assigned to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-24J-10-CO Liberator serial number 42-73096. Delivered to the U.S. Navy (USN) as PB4Y-1 Liberator bureau number 32175. Wartime History During June 1943, assigned to Bombing Squadron 106 (VB-106) one of the fifteen brand new aircraft assigned to Bombing Squadron 106 (VB-106) at NAS San Diego. No known nickname or nose art. This bomber was modified to have an Erco nose turret that had a greater field of fire, replacing the standard Consolidated model nose turret. Next, flown to NAS Kaneohe and operated in Hawaii until the end of September 1943. Afterwards flown across the Pacific to the South West Pacific Area (SWPA). Mission History On May 1, 1944 at 9:45pm took off from Momote Airfield on Los Negros by Lt. Commander Allen L. Seaman on a patrol mission armed with four 500 pound bombs. Pilot Seaman flew the mission in place of Lt. Douglas C. Davis. The weather was 4/10 to 7/10 low clouds with a ceiling at 500' to 2,000' with mist, haze and occasional rain showers. This bomber flew at an altitude of 1,000' just under the overcast. Spotted a 100' sampan loaded with crates and boxes headed towards Manokwari and made two strafing runs from 200' to 300' claiming numerous hits and did not receive any return fire and left the vessel smoking and listing heavily trailing oil. Afterwards, this bomber climbed into the overcast and spotted a transport anchored off Manokwari on western New Guinea and began an attack but was driven off by heavy and accurate anti-aircraft fire from nearby Manokwari Airfield but sustained no damage. Meanwhile, the crew spotted a Japanese fighter taking off and made a single single pass from the front then turned away before coming into range. Next, flew to Biak Island and photographed the airfields on the southern coast and used the cloud cover to hide until breaking clear of the clouds to take reconnaissance photographs and observed two Ki-44 Tojos taking off from Mokmer Drome and to evade them flew northward into the clouds. Off the northern coast of Biak Island, they spotted a transport (AK) with a single stack and two masts estimated to be 2,500 tons and 350' in length that was anchored roughly 200 yards off the beach and dove to make a mast height run from 200' releasing bombs while the nose and tail turrets strafed the vessel. The ship was taken by surprise and no anti-aircraft fire was observed. Three bombs were released 100' apart with the first bomb scoring a direct hit on the port side amidships, the second 25' off the starboard side as a near miss. The ship was damaged, listing and sinking as the bomber pulled up into the clouds. The crew photographed all their attacks and reconnaissance shot, but their camera and film was lost when the bomber later crashed. Meanwhile, the two Ki-44 Tojos that took off earlier found the bomber and intercepted from long range opening fire from above and forward and each released a single aerial phosphorous bomb but they did not explode nearby to cause damage and climbed to 2,500' and turned for home. Breaking out of the clouds roughly 30 miles off Biak, the bomber was intercepted by four Ki-44 Tojos equipped with eight phosphorous bombs, each with four bombs under each wing and made power glide dive bombing runs from the front. A total of 19 bombs were released at the bomber and evaded by evasive turns and dips to evade them while the bomber's gunners fired at the attackers. One of the fighters approached very closely and released what was the 20th bomb that exploded below the nose and damaged the plane with shrapnel hitting the wings, fuselage and disabled the no. 4 engine and wounded both waist gunners. The fighter that released this fatal bomb was hit by defensive machine gun fire in the wings and engine and observed to smoke, fall off and spin towards the sea. Soon afterwards, the no. 3 engine caught fire due to phosphorous fragments and flames were observed that appeared to be melting the right wing. Seeing the bomber was damaged, the fighters switched to making firing passes with their machine guns. The other three fighters continued to make runs. Only the top turret position was still in action and returned fire and claimed to hit one in the belly causing it to bank away, burst into flames and explode. The fighter managed to score more hits on the damaged bomber causing more damage to the fuselage and blowing off the top half of the left vertical stabilizer with wing coverings shot off. Finally, after 20 minutes of attacks, the last two fighters lost contact or broke off their attack and withdrew. The damaged bomber began to glide towards the sea that was choppy and due to the loss of two engines and tail damage the landing direction was impossible to adjust and made a full stall approach into the wind. When the plane impacted the sea, the lower turret was extended and could not be withdrawn. As the plane touched the surface of the sea, the tail and lower turret impacted first, throwing the nose down violently and caused the bomber to break apart at at two places: rear of the waist hatch and forward of the navigator station in the nose. This plane crashed into the sea roughly 30 miles off Biak. The bomber crashed into the open sea northeast of Biak. Fates of the Crew On impact, both pilots were not wearing their shoulder harnesses and were knocked unconscious or killed instantly in the crash or by the top turret as it smashed forward. Pilot Seaman and co-pilot Savikko likely went down when the bomber sank. Both are listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Three other crew drowned after the crash and remain listed as Missing In Action (MIA): Egger (drowned), Mankus (wounded by shrapnel and drowned), Brown (wounded by shrapnel and drowned). The other five crew all sustained injuries from the crash. Nilson was seriously injured in the crash. Antell, Taylor and Spicer each sustained minor injuries. The surviving crew managed to deploy two four man life rafts from the center of the plane that remained afloat and found the rations, water and first aid kits were floating but the sea was too rough to recover. They managed to recover a radio and later used the light reflector to attract attention of the rescue plane. The crew tied the two rafts together and floated in the open sea for 14 hours and drifted approximately 3 miles from where they crashed due to the wind and current. Rescue On May 2, 1944 at dawn the surviving crew was rescued by a PBY Catalina piloted by Lt. Commander T. A. Sommers from VBP-33 that took off from from Seeadler Harbor off Manus to perform air-sea rescue duties supported by USS Tangier (AV-8). Afterwards, injured crew member Nilson died of his injuries on May 7, 1944. Memorials Six of the crew remain listed as Missing In Action (MIA) and were officially declared dead on the day of the mission. All six are memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. Seaman was officially declared dead the day of the mission. He earned the Navy Cross with Gold Star, Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for missions flown over Hollandia in April 1944, Air Medal for missions against Wake Island in October 1943 and Purple Heart, posthumously. On May 29, 1946 USS Seaman (DD-791) was named in his honor. Savikko was officially declared dead the day of the mission. He earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. Egger was the first resident from his community in Redfield, Faulk County, South Dakota to die in World War II. During 1946, the Orient Legion Post was renamed the Rolland Egger American Legion Post No. 178. in Orient, SD. Nilson was seriously injured in the crash and died of his injuries on May 7, 1944. He is buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery at section C, site 310. References Note, this sources list the take off location as Nadzab Airfield but in fact took off from Momote Airfield. Pilot Seaman is listed with the rank of Lieutenant, but on April 15, 1944 he was was promoted to Lieutenant Commander before this mission. The target of location of the combat is listed as Biak Island but the loss was over the sea to the northeast returning to base. USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-24D Liberator 42-73096 Navy Serial Number Search Results PB4Y-1 Liberator 32175 USN Overseas Aircraft Loss List May 1944 - PB4Y-1 Liberator 32175 NARA Bombing Squadron One Hundred Six (VB-106) War History (Page 3) "Fifteen new PB4Y-1 airplanes [including this bomber PB4Y-1 32175] were originally assigned and delivered to this squadron in June 1943, all of which were necessarily thereafter modified to meet functional requirements of this squadron, which required an average of three weeks time. The principal item of modification was the substitution of the Erco Nose Turret for the Consolidated model, which has proved extremely valuable because of its comparative commodiousness and extended field of fire. This command cannon too strongly endorse the Erco Nose Turret and urgently recommends its requirement in all Navy Liberators." Date: 1 May '44 / Bu. No.: 32175 / Location: Off Biak Island / Cause: Enemy Action." NARA Bombing Squadron One Hundred Six - War Diary May 1, 1944 to June 1, 1944 (Page 1) "1 May [1944], Bu. No. 32175, piloted by Lieutenant A. L. Seaman, USNR, crash landed at sea off the north coast of Dutch New Guinea, shot down in aerial combat with four (4) Tojo's near Biak Island. The pilot and co-pilot were killed in the crash, three (3) other men drown, and, tho the rest of the crew were rescued by a VP-33 PBY, a sixth man died of injuries a few days later. The plane, of course, sank for a total loss." NARA History of Patrol Bombing Squadron 33 (VPB-33) [War History] pages 2, 9, 24 NARA Aircraft Action Report (AAR) VB-106 Report No. 15 PB4Y-1 May 1, 1944 pages 1-8 The Press Democrat "From the World's Battlefronts War Eyewitness with our boys overseas" United Press (UP) by Frank Tremaine June 17, 1944 news release, June 18, 1944 page 16 "Seaman's wife and the son he never saw live at 161 Hillcrest road, Berkeley, Cal... The men of VB-106 tell how on May 1 [1944] Seaman went out on a patrol flight, taking the place of his best friend, Lt. Douglas C. "Dagwood" Davis 25 (836 Atlantic avenue) Wbster Grove, near St. Louis, MO... Thirty ,iles out form Biak, two Tojos, a new Jap fighter, attacked with aerial bombs but Seaman's gunners chased them away. A few minutes later four more Tojos attacked. Two were shot down. Then one of the Japs threw an aerial bomb which exploded right up against the big Liberator [sic below the nose]." Hanford Morning Journal "Here and There" July 27, 1944 page 8 "San Francisco, July 26–(UP)–Lt. Cmdr. Allen L. Seaman, USNR, Berkeley, Cal., listed as missing in action today was described by his squadron leader as the greatest aviator of the Pacific war." American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Allen L. Seaman FindAGrave - LCDR Allen Lang Seaman (tablets of the missing, Navy Cross citation) "General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 333 (December 1944) Action Date: November 1, 1943 - March 24, 1944 Service: Navy Rank: Lieutenant Company: Bombing Squadron 106 (VB-106): The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant Allen Lang Seaman, United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Commander of a Navy PY-1 Liberator Patrol Plane in Bombing Squadron ONE HUNDRED SIX (VB-106), in action against enemy Japanese forces at Guadalcanal and Munda in the Solomon Islands during the period from 1 November 1943 to 24 March 1944. Lieutenant Seaman flew repeatedly over enemy waters and strongly fortified bases to deliver devastating attacks against Japanese aircraft, ships, barges and land installations, returning safely on each occasion. On 11 November he made a low-altitude bombing and strafing attack on Kepingamarangi Island [sic Kapingamarangi Island] and destroyed three float-plane fighters and a fuel dump, probably destroyed a fourth plane and damaged a fifth. Lieutenant Seaman's outstanding courage, daring airmanship and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service." American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Albert H. Savikko American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Roland L. Egger American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Bruno C. Mankus American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Roland L. Egger American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Joseph E. Brown FindAGrave - LTJG Albert Herman Savikko (photo, tablets of the missing photo) FindAGrave - ARM1 Roland Leroy Egger (photo, tablets of the missing photo) FindAGrave - Bruno C. Mankus (tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - Roland L. Egger (photo, tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - AMM2 Joseph E Brown Jr. (tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - Irving Lawrence Nilson (grave photo) date of death listed as May 7, 1944 Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated June 25, 2021 |
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