My Dad was Listed as Missing in action 12/18/44; Member of the crew of "Dixie Darlin" A45  42-63413. B29 Group 497. Any info. so I could know more about him. "Any" insight would help. Nose art ? gvl

I guess you just forgot, but it would help us to initiate a search for information on your father if we knew his name?

His name is Garland V. Land.

GVL....a suggestion...please go to http://b-29.org and check with those folks...they have the B-29 interests to heart and can assist you. It is a website for WW II and Korea B-29s.
 
Jim :-)

James S. Peters Sr. T/Sgt
B-17 Flt Engr, 27 missions
99 BG, 348BS, 5th Wing, 15th AAF
Tortorella, (Foggia#2), Italy
My Tour was from 12/03/44-06/19/45
M/Sgt USAF (Retired)

B29-#42-63413

Crash December 18, 1944 in date

Positional crash Saipan island?Between Nagoya
The 871st the 73rd the 20th belonging air force bombing Air Wing 497
th bombing group bombing corps attack target Mitsubishi Heavy
Industires Nagoya airframe factory crash cause uncertain airframe
nickname Dixie Darlin


It is secession, and missing in the west of 50 of ..minute.. IWO-JIMA of 139° east sea area from the formation thereafter during 24°33" in return from the Mitsubishi Heavy Industires Nagoya airframe factory north. Entire strength killed.
TETSUYA from JAPAN

ORIGINAL: gvl

My Dad was Listed as Missing in action 12/18/44; Member of the crew of "Dixie Darlin" A45  42-63413. B29 Group 497. Any info. so I could know more about him. "Any" insight would help. Nose art ? gvl

 
John M. Campbell's book "Boeing B-29 Superfortress" has a picture of  " DIXIE DARLING "  42-63413,  497th BG, 878th BS in the water after a collission with A Square 44 of the same squadron. However the book lists 12/ 13 /44 as the date.  I have found several errors in this book.
 
Herb Harper, Former Historian 98th Bomb Group Vets. Assoc.  WEB www.pyramidiers.com

Thanks for the help on the book I just ordered it.
gvl

I bought the book "Boeing B-29 Superfortress" by John Cambell. On page 103 is the photo of what is suppost to be "Dixie Darlin", "A Square 45 42-63413" ditched and on fire. The date for the ditching is given as 12-13-44 and the reason given is midair collision with "A Square 44". The info given to us by the goverment is that "Dixie Darlin" turned back and was never seen again (missing) on 12-18-44. I find no info on the "A Square 44" having a midair collision (with my Dad's plane)? In my research I have only now run across the word "ditched" in relation to his plane?
Does anyone know any more than this?
gvl

42-63413 was LOST 12-18-44 MACR 10657--this is according to the ArmyAir Force serial number identification of planes that did not return to base

Tracey L. Jackson
Daughter of Harold E. Jackson
305 BG 365 BS, POW Stalag XVII B

According to Bob Mann's Book The B-29 Superfortress....
 
ASQ44 ditched on 2/25/1945 after mid air with 42-24808.
 
The entry for 42-63413 shows ditching on mission on 12/18/1944,but does not mention a mid-air.
 
Jim :-)

James S. Peters Sr. T/Sgt
B-17 Flt Engr, 27 missions
99 BG, 348BS, 5th Wing, 15th AAF
Tortorella, (Foggia#2), Italy
My Tour was from 12/03/44-06/19/45
M/Sgt USAF (Retired)

1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-57213 to 42-70685)
63413 (497th BG) lost Dec 18, 1944.  MACR 10657
 
This is the only information on the web site. Not much; seems that you have found a couple different reports.

Tracey L. Jackson
Daughter of Harold E. Jackson
305 BG 365 BS, POW Stalag XVII B

http://atheyfamily.org/B29/Photos/73rd497thAsq45-Asq25_SM.JPG

here is a picture through the nose of A square 45

My grandfather was in your dads squadron I will see if I can get any more info you you.

I did speak with him and he remembers the accident let me know if you would like me to go further. Via email PM or even talk to him yourself if you would like.

I am the webmaster for http://memorials.larchmonthistory.org and I am trying to locate additional information about James Alan Callaghan who was a member of the 497th Bomber group and whose bomber went down on December 18 1944.
 
I think that he might a been a member of the "Dixie Darlin" squadron. I would like to confirm this and request advice about how to go about it.
 
Our web page on James Alan Callaghan is at
 
http://memorials.larchmonthistory.org/individual/Callaghan.html
 
and as we get more information we will add it there.
 
Thanks
 
Ned Benton 

Webmaster
memorials.larchmonthistory.org

Ned,
Do you know if he was a bombardier?  I have a J A Callaghan graduating from Roswell, NM class 44-03.

Link to: Bombardiers of WWII Website

New email address as of Feb 2006: hfhmsite@comcast.net

James A. Callaghan was my uncle.  It is, in fact, understanding that he was a Bombardier.  Is the J A Callaghan you are referring to originally from NY?   Any information would be appreciated.
 
Monica

Monica,
The James A. Callaghan I have is from NY.  Serial # O-699980  Rank: 2LT
 
I am the webmaster of a site dedicated to bombardiers.  (link below)   I will add his information to my database and if you have any other data or photos I would appreciate anything that you can send me.
 
Dave

Link to: Bombardiers of WWII Website

New email address as of Feb 2006: hfhmsite@comcast.net

This is a Picture of the Walling crew. It does not identify the men.
Bill

[image]local://upfiles/4569/9389383AFDA34F3C931E6C695C170799.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

Bill
CAF main hangar
Midland, Tx

Bill:
 
I am Ned Benton the webmaster for the Larchmont Historical Society. I posted above about the information about James Callaghan that we have on our site.
 
We have a photo of the Walling Field memorial that includes the names of the crew when the Dixie Darlin' went down.
 
http://memorials.larchmonthistory.org/individual/CallaghanPhotos.html
 
It is the third photo on this page. The list establishes the probable people in the photo but does not establish who is who.
 
We are going to share your photo with some people who knew Callaghan - we've located a high school classmate - to see if he is in the picture. I believe that he may not be, because my understanding is that Callaghan was not originally assigned  to the Dixie Darlin. He was a member of another crew, and he flew on the DD for the mission when it went down because the bombadier who was the official crew member was ill.
 
But I'll post what we find.
 
Ned Benton

I am one of James A. Callaghan's other neices, youngest sister of Monica who has also posted here regarding our Uncle Bud, along with postings from Ned Benton from the Larchmont Historical Society.  Just to note in case it may have caused any confusion during research: Bud's middle name is spelled 'ALLEN' - that is his mother's maiden/family name, it is not 'ALAN'.
 
In trying to disseminate the different info here, does anyone REALLY know what happened to/on the Dixie Darlin', and does anyone know if any wreckage was ever found or located underwater but unrecoverable?
 
Also, is there anyone out there who actually knew my Uncle Bud?  I would very much like to be in touch with them if there is.

Deirdre Curran
1 of James Allen (aka "Bud") Callaghan's 4 neices