C-46 Meiduobai Mountain, Tibet

Details about those listed as missing or killed in the Pacific, including current search operations.

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Leondus
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C-46 Meiduobai Mountain, Tibet

Post by Leondus »

Remains Found In China Identified As Missing WWII Airmen
Tue, 09 May '06

Fallen C-46 Crew Will Receive Proper Burial, 62 Years Later
The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced Monday that two members of a four-man Army Air Force crew... missing in action since the days of World War II... have been identified, and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

The four are pilot Capt. Douglas R. Wight of Westfield, NJ; co-pilot 1st Lt. Herbert W. Evans of Rapid City SD; crew chief Cpl. John W. Hanlon of Arnett, OK; and radio operator Pfc. Gerald L. Rugers, Jr., of Tacoma, WA.

Evans and Rugers were individually identified... while group remains of all four will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, May 9.

On March 27, 1944, a C-46 crewed by the four airmen departed a base in Kunming, China, on route to Sookerating, India, as part of the massive allied resupply missions over the Himalayan Mountains, referred to as the "Hump." While enroute, one of the crewmen called out for a bearing, suggesting the aircraft was lost.

There was no further communication with the crew. The aircraft never reached its destination, and searches during and following World War II failed to locate the crash site.

The story almost ended there... until 57 years later, in 2001, when officials from the People's Republic of China notified the US that the wreckage of an American WWII aircraft had been found on Meiduobai Mountain, in a remote area of Tibet. The following year, a joint US-Chinese team, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), excavated the site where they found human remains, aircraft debris and personal items related to the crew.

JPAC scientists and Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory specialists used mitochondrial DNA as one of the forensic tools to help identify the remains. Laboratory analysis of dental remains also confirmed their identifications.

Thanks to efforts by DPMO, JPAC and the Chinese officials, four fallen crewmen will now receive their proper military burial... an honorable ending to the story.

Daniel Leahy
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Post by Daniel Leahy »

I've done a check on the ABMC website for the full crew details based on this article and they are as follows:

Capt Douglas R Wight, O-793471
1/Lt Herbert W Evans, O-740778
Cpl John W Hanlon, 38269554
PFC Gerard L Rugers 39180415

(All are still listed as MIA. Also note the spelling of PFC Rugers' first name).

I've checked the MACR database at the Army Air Forces website, and it lists two C-46s going down on this date:

C-46A-20-CU 41-24688 (MACR 3282)
C-46A-25-CU 41-24723 (MACR 3495)

According to Joe Baugher's site 41-24688 was lost in Indo-China. He does not give a location for 41-24723 nor details as to whether or not either had been located.

Does anyone have the correct serial of this aircraft?
Daniel J. Leahy
Australia

AIR POWER ARCHAEOLOGY
http://www.airpowerarchaeologyc.com

Leondus
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Post by Leondus »

Let me know if you find anything on C-46A-25-CU 41-24723

I'm getting two lost dates
29 APR 1944 'Damaged beyond repair.'
27 Mar 1944 'MACR 3495'

Leondus
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41-24723

Post by Leondus »

From what I can tell she has not been located and the crew is still MIA

Station #11 ICW-ATC (India-China Wing, Air Transport Command)
Eastern Sector

C-46 41-24723, took off from Mohanbari on a course heading Sookerating, Ledo, Chanyi with the intended destination for Chanyi, China.
Pliot
Pierren, Claire N 2nd Lt, 0-740113
Co-pilot
Sattig, Henry B 2nd Lt 0-796207
Radio Ops
Synton, John Sgt 31149588
Engineer
Sisco, Walter E Cpl 32730393

Mission: Cargo

Time and location of crash is unknown
Loss was due to enemy aircraft

2nd Lt John R Stewart, pilot of C-46 #567
We were proceeding west from Chanyi at 22,000 around 0405GMT, at a point ten minutes west of Fort Hertz and approximately 20 minutes south when he
saw a C-46 proceeding east of his location about a mile ahead to his left below him,
flying about 95 degrees.
An unknown type of enemy fighter climb up out of the overcast and directly behind the the C-46 and from the way the fighter came up underneath the transpot I immediately presumed it was attacking the transport.
Prompttly, I dove my ship from cloud cover, rocking my wings as I went down trying to attaract the other pilot's attention.
On the way down I started to tell the radio operator ro call this other ship and warn him but there was a Red alert at WUTE(?).
I broke out underneath the overcast at east end of Assam valley at about 10,000 feet.
I saw another enemy fighter abve and ahead of me who rolled into a bank as if to peel off and attack me.
I continued my dive and headed for a rainstorm and succeeded in evading an attack.

From my knowlege of the wind and weather at the time and the loaded performance of a C-46, I would say it was possible that the C-46 I saw being attacked could have been #723.
I could not read the number on the tail durning the few moments it was in sight.
From the method of attack used by the enemy fighter it looked like a "cold turkey" for him. The transport took no evasive action at all, evidently igorant of the attack allowing the fighter a perfect close-range target.

I certify the above us true abd correct to the best of my knowlwdge.
2nd Lt John R Stewart

Leondus
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Post by Leondus »

oops!

Claire N. Pieren, not Pierren
First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Forces
Service # 0-740113

John Boynton, not Synton
Sergeant, U.S. Army Air Forces
Service # 31149588

Both Sattig and Pieren, were both promoted to 1st Lieutenant after the going missing.

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