Lt. Harley T. Hammerman was a bombardier/navigator on a B29 bomber. On May 7, 1945, the crew of the B-29 Empire Express (42-63549) was involved in a mission to bomb a kamikaze air base at US Airfield on the southern island of Kyushu. Apparently, they had just completed their bombing run successfully when they were rammed by a twin engine Ki-45 Nick fighter piloted by MSgt. Tsutomu Murata. It appears from reading the missing crew report that it was not necessarily a kamikaze attack; but rather a frontal attack that either misjudged or was too aggressive for the high closing speeds. The ensuing crash took about 10 feet off the left wing of the B29 and both aircraft spun off to crash into Hachiman Mountain near the Village of Yamaguchi.
Sadly, this would not be the only wartime loss for the family. Harley's nephew Richard D. Chorlins, born two months after Harley's death, was shot down over Laos during the Viet Nam Conflict.
~
the crew of the Empire Express consisted of:
Lt. James McKillip - Montgomery, Alabama - (Pilot)
Lt. John Lambert Jr - Pasadena, California - (Co-pilot)
Lt. Norman Siegel - Chicago, Illinois - (Navigator)
Lt. Harley Hammerman - Clayton, Missouri - (Bombardier)
T/Sgt. Edgar McElfresh - Martin's Ferry, Ohio - (Flt. Engineer)
S/Sgt. Albert Yokubonis - Port Carbon, Penn. - (Radio Operator)
S/Sgt. Lewis Balser - Attleboro, Mass. - (Radar Gunner)
T/Sgt. Vernon Galyardt - Russell, Kansas - (CFC Gunner)
Sgt. Ralph Romines - Sevierville, Tenn - (Left Blister Gunner)
Sgt. Otto Baumgarten - Baraboo, Wisc. - (Right Blister Gunner)
Sgt. William Beckman - Haxtun, Colorado - (Tail Gunner)
Sadly, this would not be the only wartime loss for the family. Harley's nephew Richard D. Chorlins, born two months after Harley's death, was shot down over Laos during the Viet Nam Conflict.
~
the crew of the Empire Express consisted of:
Lt. James McKillip - Montgomery, Alabama - (Pilot)
Lt. John Lambert Jr - Pasadena, California - (Co-pilot)
Lt. Norman Siegel - Chicago, Illinois - (Navigator)
Lt. Harley Hammerman - Clayton, Missouri - (Bombardier)
T/Sgt. Edgar McElfresh - Martin's Ferry, Ohio - (Flt. Engineer)
S/Sgt. Albert Yokubonis - Port Carbon, Penn. - (Radio Operator)
S/Sgt. Lewis Balser - Attleboro, Mass. - (Radar Gunner)
T/Sgt. Vernon Galyardt - Russell, Kansas - (CFC Gunner)
Sgt. Ralph Romines - Sevierville, Tenn - (Left Blister Gunner)
Sgt. Otto Baumgarten - Baraboo, Wisc. - (Right Blister Gunner)
Sgt. William Beckman - Haxtun, Colorado - (Tail Gunner)
Lt. Harley T. Hammerman was a bombardier/navigator on a B29 bomber. On May 7, 1945, the crew of the B-29 Empire Express (42-63549) was involved in a mission to bomb a kamikaze air base at US Airfield on the southern island of Kyushu. Apparently, they had just completed their bombing run successfully when they were rammed by a twin engine Ki-45 Nick fighter piloted by MSgt. Tsutomu Murata. It appears from reading the missing crew report that it was not necessarily a kamikaze attack; but rather a frontal attack that either misjudged or was too aggressive for the high closing speeds. The ensuing crash took about 10 feet off the left wing of the B29 and both aircraft spun off to crash into Hachiman Mountain near the Village of Yamaguchi.
Sadly, this would not be the only wartime loss for the family. Harley's nephew Richard D. Chorlins, born two months after Harley's death, was shot down over Laos during the Viet Nam Conflict.
~
the crew of the Empire Express consisted of:
Lt. James McKillip - Montgomery, Alabama - (Pilot)
Lt. John Lambert Jr - Pasadena, California - (Co-pilot)
Lt. Norman Siegel - Chicago, Illinois - (Navigator)
Lt. Harley Hammerman - Clayton, Missouri - (Bombardier)
T/Sgt. Edgar McElfresh - Martin's Ferry, Ohio - (Flt. Engineer)
S/Sgt. Albert Yokubonis - Port Carbon, Penn. - (Radio Operator)
S/Sgt. Lewis Balser - Attleboro, Mass. - (Radar Gunner)
T/Sgt. Vernon Galyardt - Russell, Kansas - (CFC Gunner)
Sgt. Ralph Romines - Sevierville, Tenn - (Left Blister Gunner)
Sgt. Otto Baumgarten - Baraboo, Wisc. - (Right Blister Gunner)
Sgt. William Beckman - Haxtun, Colorado - (Tail Gunner)
Sadly, this would not be the only wartime loss for the family. Harley's nephew Richard D. Chorlins, born two months after Harley's death, was shot down over Laos during the Viet Nam Conflict.
~
the crew of the Empire Express consisted of:
Lt. James McKillip - Montgomery, Alabama - (Pilot)
Lt. John Lambert Jr - Pasadena, California - (Co-pilot)
Lt. Norman Siegel - Chicago, Illinois - (Navigator)
Lt. Harley Hammerman - Clayton, Missouri - (Bombardier)
T/Sgt. Edgar McElfresh - Martin's Ferry, Ohio - (Flt. Engineer)
S/Sgt. Albert Yokubonis - Port Carbon, Penn. - (Radio Operator)
S/Sgt. Lewis Balser - Attleboro, Mass. - (Radar Gunner)
T/Sgt. Vernon Galyardt - Russell, Kansas - (CFC Gunner)
Sgt. Ralph Romines - Sevierville, Tenn - (Left Blister Gunner)
Sgt. Otto Baumgarten - Baraboo, Wisc. - (Right Blister Gunner)
Sgt. William Beckman - Haxtun, Colorado - (Tail Gunner)
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