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| USMC MAW-1 MAG-32 VMB-611 "Black Seahorse"  USMC c1945 |
Pilot Lt Col George A. Sarles, O-4684 USMC (MIA / KIA, BR) Mount Kisco, NY Co-Pilot 1st Lt Charles Alvin Jones, Jr., O-31990 USMCR (MIA / KIA, BR) Sewickley, PA Crew 1st Lt Alfred Edward Fitch, O-27530 USMCR (WIA, survived) Tipton, IA Crew TSgt Floyd M. Sigler, Jr., 838923 USMC(SS) (MIA / KIA, BR) Carthage, MO Crew Cpl George T. Cawley, 305181 USMCR (MIA / KIA) East Hartford, CT Crew Sgt Robert Eugene Brown, 375967 (WIA, survived) Des Moines, IA Crashed May 30, 1945 Aircraft History Built by North American Aviation (NAA). Constructors Number 100-23912. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-25D-30 Mitchell serial number 43-3586. Assigned to the U.S. Navy (USN) as PBJ-1D Mitchell bureau number 35164. Wartime History Assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) to Marine Bombing Squadron 611 (VMB-611) "Black Seahorse". No known nickname or nose art. Mission History On May 30, 1945 took off piloted by Lt. Col. George A. Sarles on a strike mission against enemy installations at the Kibawe Trail area near Davao on Mindanao. When this aircraft failed to return it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). Also lost was PBJ-1J Mitchell 35243 (MIA). Fates of the Crew Two of the crew, Lt. Fitch and Sgt Brown survived the crash with injuries. Both were later found and returned to friendly lines and treated at a U.S. Army medical station on Mindanao. Later, Fitch was evacuated aboard USS William P. Biddle (APA-8) across the Pacific. On August 2, 1945 admitted to U.S. Navy Hospital at Long Beach, CA. Brown was evacuated to the United States and on August 9, 1945 admitted to U.S. Navy Hospital at Corona, CA then moved to U.S. Naval Convalescent Hospital in Asbury Park, NJ. Recovery of Remains During 1950, the remains of the crew were recovered by a search team from American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) but the remains were not individually identified. Afterwards, transported to the United States for permenant burial. Memorials The entire crew was offically declared dead after the mission. On July 12, 1949 at Arlington National Cemetery the entire crew was buried in a group burial at section 34 site 5018 and 5019 (spanning two plots). References USMC Casualty Card - George A. Sarles, O-4684 USMC Casualty Card - Charles Alvin Jones, Jr., O-31990 USMC Casualty Card - Alfred Edward Fitch, O-27530 USMC Casualty Card - Floyd M. Sigler, Jr., 838923 USMC Casualty Card - George T. Cawley, 305181 (Reverse) "MIA while on a regularly scheduled combat strike against enemy installations at Kibawe trail area near Davao, Mindanao, P.O. (jap)" USMC Casualty Card - Robert Eugene Brown, 375967 USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-25D 43-3586 "3586 to USN as PBJ-1D Mitchell" Navy Serial Number Search Results - PBJ-1D Mitchell 35164 "35164 (VMB-611) lost in action May 30, 1945, Midanao, Philippines. 4 KIA" Arlington National Cemetery (ANC Explorer) - George A. Sarles (group burial photos) no death date FindAGrave - LTC George Arthur Sarles (photos, group burial photo) Arlington National Cemetery (ANC Explorer) - Charles A. Jones (group burial photos) no death date FindAGrave - 1LT Charles Alvin Jones, Jr (obituary, group burial photo) Arlington National Cemetery (ANC Explorer) - Floyd M. Sigler (group burial photos) no death date FindAGrave - TSGT Floyd Marion Sigler, Jr (group burial photo) Arlington National Cemetery (ANC Explorer) - George T. Cawley (group burial photos) no death date FindAGrave - CPL George Thomas Cawley (photo, group burial photo) Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated July 31, 2023 |
 PBJ  MIA 4 Missing Resolved |
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