In December 2006, Mr. Clayton Kuhles discovered the wreckage of a B-24J in the East Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh, in northeast India. Human remains are reported to be at the site. With the assistance of military historian Matt Poole, Mr. Kuhles positively identified this aircraft as S/N 42-73308, nicknamed "Hot as Hell", attached to the 425th Bomb Squadron, 308th Bomb Group, 14th Air Force. The crew, which included my uncle, 1st Lt. Irwin Zaetz, was declared MIA when their aircraft vanished en route from Kunming, China to Chabua, Assam on January 25, 1944. The complete crew listing is:
Pilot: 1st Lt. William A. Swanson, 0-728935
Co-Pilot: F/O Sheldon L. Chambers, T-291
Navigator: 1st Lt. Irwin Zaetz, 0-791661
Bombardier: 1st Lt. Robert E. Oxford, 0-663308
Engineer: S/Sgt. Charles D. Ginn, 15084114
Radio Op.: S/Sgt. Harry B. Queen, 11021096
Gunner: Sgt. James A. Hinson, 14188472
Gunner: Sgt. Alfred H. Gerrans, Jr., 34315848
The crew was declared "presumed dead" on January 26, 1946, and the remains were declared "unrecoverable" a year later. Since coming across Mr. Kuhles' website report of this discovery (http://www.miarecoveries.org) living relatives of all the crewmen have been notified as a result of our own efforts. We are hoping and praying that the Government of India, the Government of the state of Arunachal Pradesh, and the US Government will cooperate to send a recovery team to the crashsite as soon as possible, so as to return the bodies to the families for a proper interment If you are interested in more information, I can be contacted at garyngina@earthlink.net.
Crew of B-24J S/N 42-73308 MACR 2140, 9943, and 10071
Moderator: Moderator
Crew of B-24J S/N 42-73308 MACR 2140, 9943, and 10071
This is an update on the efforts by the families of these crew members to persuade JPAC to send a recovery mission to the crash site. Major Brian DeSantis, a JPAC spokesman, stated in December 2007 that political instability in the area of the crash site makes a recovery mission difficult. With all due respect to Major DeSantis, this statement is not supported by the facts. The families have been informed directly by The Hon. Tapir Gao, a member of the Indian Parliament representing Arunachal Pradesh, the state where the crash site was found, that the law and order situation there is quite good. Furthermore, the US State Department's Consular Sheet on India does not include the state of Arunachal Pradesh in the list of northeastern Indian states that are known to have experienced ethnic separatist violence.
Furthermore, there is no evidence to substantiate Major DeSantis' claim that JPAC requested approvals to access the crash site of the "Hot as Hell" almost a year ago. In fact, it was only this past month that the families were informed by the US Embassy in New Delhi that the US Government contacted the Indian Government for the first time about this site just a few weeks ago. The families themselves contacted senior Indian Government officials in November 2007, and these officials confirmed at that time that JPAC had still not notified the Indian Government about the crash site, eleven months after Mr. Clayton Kuhles of Prescott, Arizona reported his discovery to JPAC. That's the real reason why no approvals were forthcoming from the Indian Government. JPAC simply failed to notify the Indian Government about the crash site's existence. Thanks to the US Embassy in New Delhi, the Indian Government was finally notified.
Gary Zaetz,
Nephew of 1st Lt. Irwin G. Zaetz, navigator of the USAAF B-24 "Hot as Hell"
Furthermore, there is no evidence to substantiate Major DeSantis' claim that JPAC requested approvals to access the crash site of the "Hot as Hell" almost a year ago. In fact, it was only this past month that the families were informed by the US Embassy in New Delhi that the US Government contacted the Indian Government for the first time about this site just a few weeks ago. The families themselves contacted senior Indian Government officials in November 2007, and these officials confirmed at that time that JPAC had still not notified the Indian Government about the crash site, eleven months after Mr. Clayton Kuhles of Prescott, Arizona reported his discovery to JPAC. That's the real reason why no approvals were forthcoming from the Indian Government. JPAC simply failed to notify the Indian Government about the crash site's existence. Thanks to the US Embassy in New Delhi, the Indian Government was finally notified.
Gary Zaetz,
Nephew of 1st Lt. Irwin G. Zaetz, navigator of the USAAF B-24 "Hot as Hell"