B-24D Liberator #42-72801 "Big Ass Bird II"
with the 5th Air Force, 531st Bomb Squadron,
380th Bomb Group departed Darwin, Australia
with a crew of ten Americans and six
Australian Army Z Special Unit members on a
secretive mission over West Papua, Indonesia
(Dutch New Guinea at the time).
Sometime after midnight on March 19, 1944,
the bomber disappeared.
The aircraft was located in January 1948 by an
Australian search unit, near Fak Fak, and
remains were later recovered from the wreck
site and interred in the Galala War Cemetery
in Ambon, Indonesia. Only the pilot was
individually indentified, and he was originally
interred in a temporary American cemetery in
Manila, Philippines. Sometime after 1948, all
the crew members and passengers were
transported for permanent burial in the
United States.
The men Killed In Action were:
1st Lt. Otto H Martens, Pilot, Ogallala, NE
2nd Lt. Ernest R Hedges, Co-Pilot, New Albany, IN
2nd Lt. Clifford M Odegaard, Navigator, Missoula, MT
2nd Lt. Brian J Kennedy, Bombardier, Flushing, NY
SSgt. Charles F Burtis, Gunner, Lynbrook, NY
SSgt. Walter H. Dellinger, Gunner, Lowell, NC
SSgt. Henry P Flanagan, Gunner, Framingham, MA
SSgt. Howard W Musson, Gunner, Bensenville, IL
TSgt. William T Rabbitt, Jr, Gunner, Mount Vernon, NY
TSgt. Arthur J Schechtel, Gunner, New York City, NY
Sgt. Henry William Clapinson, Passenger, RAAF, Newton, Wellington, NZ
Cpl. Arthur Wesley Filewood, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit, Kensington (Melbourne), Victoria, AU
LSgt. Kenneth Dreis Ireland, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit (hometown unknown)
Cpl. Ernest Charles Marshall, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, AU
Cpl. James Norman McPherson, Passenger, AIF, Sunshine West, Victoria, AU
Cpl. Godfrey Charles Mitchell-Burden, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit, St. Kilda, Victoria, AU
with the 5th Air Force, 531st Bomb Squadron,
380th Bomb Group departed Darwin, Australia
with a crew of ten Americans and six
Australian Army Z Special Unit members on a
secretive mission over West Papua, Indonesia
(Dutch New Guinea at the time).
Sometime after midnight on March 19, 1944,
the bomber disappeared.
The aircraft was located in January 1948 by an
Australian search unit, near Fak Fak, and
remains were later recovered from the wreck
site and interred in the Galala War Cemetery
in Ambon, Indonesia. Only the pilot was
individually indentified, and he was originally
interred in a temporary American cemetery in
Manila, Philippines. Sometime after 1948, all
the crew members and passengers were
transported for permanent burial in the
United States.
The men Killed In Action were:
1st Lt. Otto H Martens, Pilot, Ogallala, NE
2nd Lt. Ernest R Hedges, Co-Pilot, New Albany, IN
2nd Lt. Clifford M Odegaard, Navigator, Missoula, MT
2nd Lt. Brian J Kennedy, Bombardier, Flushing, NY
SSgt. Charles F Burtis, Gunner, Lynbrook, NY
SSgt. Walter H. Dellinger, Gunner, Lowell, NC
SSgt. Henry P Flanagan, Gunner, Framingham, MA
SSgt. Howard W Musson, Gunner, Bensenville, IL
TSgt. William T Rabbitt, Jr, Gunner, Mount Vernon, NY
TSgt. Arthur J Schechtel, Gunner, New York City, NY
Sgt. Henry William Clapinson, Passenger, RAAF, Newton, Wellington, NZ
Cpl. Arthur Wesley Filewood, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit, Kensington (Melbourne), Victoria, AU
LSgt. Kenneth Dreis Ireland, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit (hometown unknown)
Cpl. Ernest Charles Marshall, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, AU
Cpl. James Norman McPherson, Passenger, AIF, Sunshine West, Victoria, AU
Cpl. Godfrey Charles Mitchell-Burden, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit, St. Kilda, Victoria, AU
B-24D Liberator #42-72801 "Big Ass Bird II"
with the 5th Air Force, 531st Bomb Squadron,
380th Bomb Group departed Darwin, Australia
with a crew of ten Americans and six
Australian Army Z Special Unit members on a
secretive mission over West Papua, Indonesia
(Dutch New Guinea at the time).
Sometime after midnight on March 19, 1944,
the bomber disappeared.
The aircraft was located in January 1948 by an
Australian search unit, near Fak Fak, and
remains were later recovered from the wreck
site and interred in the Galala War Cemetery
in Ambon, Indonesia. Only the pilot was
individually indentified, and he was originally
interred in a temporary American cemetery in
Manila, Philippines. Sometime after 1948, all
the crew members and passengers were
transported for permanent burial in the
United States.
The men Killed In Action were:
1st Lt. Otto H Martens, Pilot, Ogallala, NE
2nd Lt. Ernest R Hedges, Co-Pilot, New Albany, IN
2nd Lt. Clifford M Odegaard, Navigator, Missoula, MT
2nd Lt. Brian J Kennedy, Bombardier, Flushing, NY
SSgt. Charles F Burtis, Gunner, Lynbrook, NY
SSgt. Walter H. Dellinger, Gunner, Lowell, NC
SSgt. Henry P Flanagan, Gunner, Framingham, MA
SSgt. Howard W Musson, Gunner, Bensenville, IL
TSgt. William T Rabbitt, Jr, Gunner, Mount Vernon, NY
TSgt. Arthur J Schechtel, Gunner, New York City, NY
Sgt. Henry William Clapinson, Passenger, RAAF, Newton, Wellington, NZ
Cpl. Arthur Wesley Filewood, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit, Kensington (Melbourne), Victoria, AU
LSgt. Kenneth Dreis Ireland, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit (hometown unknown)
Cpl. Ernest Charles Marshall, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, AU
Cpl. James Norman McPherson, Passenger, AIF, Sunshine West, Victoria, AU
Cpl. Godfrey Charles Mitchell-Burden, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit, St. Kilda, Victoria, AU
with the 5th Air Force, 531st Bomb Squadron,
380th Bomb Group departed Darwin, Australia
with a crew of ten Americans and six
Australian Army Z Special Unit members on a
secretive mission over West Papua, Indonesia
(Dutch New Guinea at the time).
Sometime after midnight on March 19, 1944,
the bomber disappeared.
The aircraft was located in January 1948 by an
Australian search unit, near Fak Fak, and
remains were later recovered from the wreck
site and interred in the Galala War Cemetery
in Ambon, Indonesia. Only the pilot was
individually indentified, and he was originally
interred in a temporary American cemetery in
Manila, Philippines. Sometime after 1948, all
the crew members and passengers were
transported for permanent burial in the
United States.
The men Killed In Action were:
1st Lt. Otto H Martens, Pilot, Ogallala, NE
2nd Lt. Ernest R Hedges, Co-Pilot, New Albany, IN
2nd Lt. Clifford M Odegaard, Navigator, Missoula, MT
2nd Lt. Brian J Kennedy, Bombardier, Flushing, NY
SSgt. Charles F Burtis, Gunner, Lynbrook, NY
SSgt. Walter H. Dellinger, Gunner, Lowell, NC
SSgt. Henry P Flanagan, Gunner, Framingham, MA
SSgt. Howard W Musson, Gunner, Bensenville, IL
TSgt. William T Rabbitt, Jr, Gunner, Mount Vernon, NY
TSgt. Arthur J Schechtel, Gunner, New York City, NY
Sgt. Henry William Clapinson, Passenger, RAAF, Newton, Wellington, NZ
Cpl. Arthur Wesley Filewood, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit, Kensington (Melbourne), Victoria, AU
LSgt. Kenneth Dreis Ireland, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit (hometown unknown)
Cpl. Ernest Charles Marshall, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, AU
Cpl. James Norman McPherson, Passenger, AIF, Sunshine West, Victoria, AU
Cpl. Godfrey Charles Mitchell-Burden, Passenger, AIF "Z" Special Unit, St. Kilda, Victoria, AU
Inscription
SSGT, US ARMY AIR FORCES WORLD WAR II
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