Hi Jessee,

Thanks for your offer to send the report!  I would greatly appreciate having it.  I'll e-mail my address directly to you outside this thread.  

Don't apologize for the lapse in memory - that was a long time ago!  I read a few of your posts and you seem to have a great knowledge of the events of the 11th BG.  What was your service in the war?  Do you have anything to add on this particular mission?  Was the Morse plane part of the same formation as MacArthur and Davis?

Regards,
Patrick

My grandfather might very well have flown that mission too - I will check his diary in the next day or two and see if he talks about it at all.

-Jake

Hi Jake,

What is your grandfather's name?  I would be interested to read any additional info.  They switched from noon-time to night bombing missions after the  losses on this particular day.

The book '11th Bomb Group (H), the Grey Geese' has several mentions of the mission.  I hope it is OK to post excerpts here.  If not I'll remove them.

Page 24> 
Operations for 1944 opened tragically as two planes of the 431st  Squadron were lost over Taroa, Maloelap in the face of the strongest enemy opposition encountered to this time.  About forty Zekes, Hamps, and Tonys intercepted the  431st's Liberators carrying out a well-coordinated attack.  Lt. Davis' bomber, the entire right wing aflame, was seen to crash into the sea and explode.  Although severely damaged in the left waist, Lt. MacArthur's bomber managed to get away from the target and seemed to be in good condition until it was hit in the controls and fell 3000 feet into the sea.  The crew of another B-24 reported seeing a fire in the rear of MacArthur's ship and crewmen frantically fighting flames and tossing burning clothing from the plane.

page 54-55>
Adventures on "Lil' Hiawatha" by Al Miller.  Our orders for the next mission read, "The 431st Squadron, 11th Bomb Group, shall launch a maximum effort strike against Maloelap in the Marshall Islands."  To us maximum effort meant getting nine B-24s into the air and flying up the slot for about 4-1/2 hours, getting our bombs on target, and fighting our way out.  Of course there would be no fighter escort on this mission, or on any other.  We again staged through Tarawa, to refuel and top off our bomb load.
...
It had been rumored that the Japs had moved a new fighter group from Raboul to Maloelap, and we were to discover that this was not just a rumor.  We met the Black Dragon fighter group!
...
As we flew between Jaluit and Milli we saw in the distance what were undoubtedly Jap reconnaissance planes monitoring our flight north and most definitely alerting all the bases in the Marshall Islands.  So much fo the element of surprise!  We climbed to 20,000 feet, though we normally bombed from 10,000 feet.  As we neared our target, the bombardier, Red Weinstein remarked, "It's cold up here!"  I was looking to the west over the target and saw what appeared to be a swarm of gnats.  I told Red, "It may be cold now, but I'm sure it's going to heat up soon!"

We were engaged over the target by an estimated 40 to 50 Jap fighters, (Zekes, Hamps, and Tony's).  They followed us out of the target.  While some moved ahead dropping phosphorous bombs (air bursts), others lined up off to our left and right, moving over us and split S-ing  out of the sun right through our formation.

The squadron had tightened up in three Vs and "Lil' Hiawatha" was flying left slot on MacArthur, one of the "old timers."

Most of the planes had sustained damage from flak, but particularly by machine gun and cannon fire.  MacArthur had taken a bad hit, probably flak, as he was losing gas from a ruptured fuel tank causing a white mist off the trailing edge of his left wing.

I could see the other two Vs were catching it pretty heavy as I saw two planes with feathered props and one plane with its right wing on fire, fall out of formation and begin its three mile fatal plunge into the sea!  I learned later it was Lt. Davis' plane.

About then I saw my first combat casualty. ...  I flew formation by gauging the angle on the waist window on the lead plane, and while I watched, a hole opened up about a foot ahead of the waist window [of MacArthur's plane].  A 20mm explosive cannon shell hit the waist gunner in the throat.  It had apparently knocked out everyone in the rear of the plane and as we moved up and looked through both waist windows we saw no movement!

I called up MacArthur and told him about the casualties in the rear of his plane.  Soon we saw someone throwing out burning pieces of flight suit and a parachute.  During this time we were still under constant attack by enemy planes coming from overhead through the formation, and some so close I could see the expressions on the Jap pilots' faces from as close as 50 feet!
...
About that time MacArthur called up and told us (Lt. Rudin was flying right slot) that with his gas tank ruptured, we had better back off, because if they went, we'd all go!  We backed off about 100 yards when there was a tremendous explosion.  The blast almost flipped us over and MacArthur's plane (30+ tons and 11 men) ceased to exist!  Our men looked for chutes, but they reported seeing nothing.  No chutes, no debris.  They had simply vanished, just a smudge in the blue sky.
...
"Lil' Hiawatha"... was cannibalized... over 400 bullet entry holes...
...
It was a bad day for the 431st!  Three planes lost, twenty-one men dead [Davis, MacArthur crews], three men wounded and every plane except one needed extensive repair to patch them up again.
...
... Japs lost five planes... two with credit to Sgt. Jake Lewis and William Neill, both on our crew... seven Jap planes listed as probables and eight damaged.

Page 64> 
Harvey Lundy Diary.  9 planes took off From Funafuti in the Ellice Islands and flew to Tarawa on 1 Jan 1944.  On 2 Jan flew bombing mission to Taroa.  "Davis spins in as plane was on fire.  MacArthur blew up in midair".  Capt. MacArthur was leading the formation.  Capt. Hamrin was in the left V, with Harvey Lundy on his left wing, and Lt. Rowe on his right.  Lt. Davis was on the right wing of the right V.  As we came over the target a large number of Japanese fighters came down out of the sun and they riddled the lead plane (MacArthur's), the right wing plane (Davis') and our (Lundy) plane on the left wing.  MacArthur was making a very slow turn to the left and we began to over run Hamrin.

My Grandfather's name was Harold R Hennes. He was the regular co-pilot on the Osborne crew (my Grandfather was ill and grounded by the Flight Surgeon on the day the Osborne crew was shot down - Cloyer flew in his place that day). I re-read his diary over the weekend and will post his journal entry about the mission on the 2nd when I get home this evening.

Thanks,
-Jake

There are two relevant entries:

Jan 1st 1944

The boys left for Tawara (spelling?) to stage another raid on Wotge. With a bright moon like they have tonight the Japs will probably lose no time in raiding Betio island again.

Jan 2nd

Reports of the raid are disheartening. Davis and MacArthur reported missing - That means that Lauer, Meek, Clarke, Kamen, Busick & Dremen won't be with us any longer.

Lundy was badly shot up and had to land at Makin Island. We are losing all of our top men and all due to no fighter escort. We won't be around much longer if they don't help us.

Hope that provides some insight.

-Jake

Hi Jake -

Thanks for taking the time to post from your grandfather's diary.  That adds interesting context as he names all the officers on both downed crews, so must have been familiar with them and their assignments. 

When I began looking into my uncle's death I was surprised to find fighter escorts did not accompany the bombers.  I then read it was not possible because of the distances flown on the raids.  However, your grandfather may have known an aircraft carrier could be assigned for support?

Patrick

ORIGINAL: neworion

Hi Jake -

Thanks for taking the time to post from your grandfather's diary. That adds interesting context as he names all the officers on both downed crews, so must have been familiar with them and their assignments.

When I began looking into my uncle's death I was surprised to find fighter escorts did not accompany the bombers. I then read it was not possible because of the distances flown on the raids. However, your grandfather may have known an aircraft carrier could be assigned for support?

Patrick

Patrick - I read subsequent entries in his diary and found no mention of a possible aircraft carrier in the area. I'm sure distances prohibited air cover however I am equally sure that the crews didn't know the situation at the time well enough so his diary is probably just reflective of the frustrations felt at the time.

-Jake

MACR 1786 arrived today and it has a statement by Al Miller that partially agrees with his report in the 11th bomb group book.  Since his statement for the MACR report was filed on 5 Jan 1944, only two days after the incident, it is likely more accurate than his recollections in the book?  There is one main discrepancy.  In the book he said he witnessed the MacArthur plane explode.  In the MACR he and the other quoted witness both say they lost sight of MacArthur's plane.

The other information provided in the report is the last known location:   Last seen: 6 deg 55 Min North and 171 deg 23 Min East.  The time was 0135 Z, 3 Jan 1944.  A handwritten comment on the MACR adjacent to the date of loss notes,  “international date line, Jan 2 O.K.”
---
Missing Air Crew Report #1786, 5 Jan 1944 Statement of 2nd Lt. Alexander J. Miller, 0804021  (co-pilot)
 
Left the target flying on Lt MacArthur's left wing.  His airplane seamed OK.  We had several passes made on us by about 12 Zeros then they dropped about ten phosphorus bombs which exploded right in amongst the formation. Ship #155 being on the right wing. No apparent damage suffered by any of the ships. About 15 minutes away from the target saw a. 20 mm shell enter Lt MacArthur's ship about a foot forward of the left waist window from above and forward or a 10 or 11 o'clock pass.  Saw shall explode in waist, which evidently knocked out both waist gunners and the tail gunner as no one fired any of the guns from then on.  Shortly after this saw a fire start in the waist with flames visible through waist window.  Called Lt MacArthur's ship on interplane frequency and after a few minutes someone came from forward part of airplane with fire extinguisher and put fire out.  Throwing out of left waist window a burning parachute and what appeared to be pieces of burning flying suit.  Stayed in close formation to offer Lt MacArthur's ship full coverage but had difficulty as Lt MacArthur had put down about 20° flaps to stay behind flight of 5 ships directly ahead of us.  Our hydraulic system having been shot out we could get no flaps down.  Some time after this our ship went into a sharp dive to the right out of control and by the time we regained control Lt MacArthur's ship was out of sight.  When last seen his airplane appeared in good shape, except number 2 engine seemed to be losing rpm.  We having lost flight proceeded to staging base.
---

Missing Air Crew Report #1786, 5 Jan 1944 Statement of 2nd Lt. Loren F. Crowell, 0742138  (pilot)

Upon leaving the target I was flying Lt MacArthur's left wing.  A few minutes after his ship was hit between number 2 engine and the fuselage and was hit in the left waist with an explosive shell.  A fire started in the waist of his ship and the co-pilot called him on interplane frequency and the fire was put out.  Also, several items were thrown out the waist window.  After the last pass by enemy planes my controls were jammed and I was forced to leave the formation.  At the time Lt MacArthur's ship was on all four engines with no smoke or fire visible.  From this point on our ship came home alone.

The other info from MACR 1786 was the full crew list.  In a previous post I'd left out a crew member.  The corrected list is below:

Name                                        Rank        Ser No       State   
BLACK HOWARD L                      CAPT      O-789293      LA   Observer
BOLAND GORDON W                   SSGT     36334126      IL   Gunner
BUSICK CHARLES I                     1LT       O-733602      MI   Co-Pilot
DRENAN JOHN M                        1LT        O-725418      CO   Bombardier
FITZPATRICK PATRICK B            TSGT      38157175      TX   Radio Operator
FOREMAN CUSTUS L                  SSGT      38175837      AR   Asst Engineer
HOUSE JACK O                          TSGT      18062308      TX   Engineer
HOVEY EDWIN J                        PVT        32394942      NY   Gunner
KAMEN THEODORE J                   1LT        O-792476       NY   Navigator
MACARTHUR DONALD L               CAPT      O-725756      CA   Pilot
JORGENSON, DONALD S              SSGT      20709047      MN   Asst Radio Op

Here is more information on this mission and the loss of Lt Davis' plane from MACR 1785.  Air Force historical records sent a partial copy of MACR 1785 to support MACR 1786.  Also I drew a picture of the formation based on the various reports to help me better comprehend the situation.

Missing Air Crew Report MACR #1785
Statement of Captain John R Risher, 0790879, witness of crash of airplane #42-73026, 2 January 1944

1st Lt James R Davis was flying the number 2 position of our flight in an attack on Maloelap Atoll on 2 January 1944.  After making our bombing run at 17,000 feet to the South over the target we turned off to the East and then to the south again.  Just after leaving the target we were attacked by enemy fighters and Lt Davis’s ship sustained hits.  Lt Davis called our ship on the radio (VHF) and stated that he had two gas tanks on fire and for us to follow him down and throw him life rafts.  We joined Lt Davis on the right wing, and Perry, who was flying the number 3 position, joined his left wing to cover him on the way down.  A fire was observed on Lt Davis's right wing on the leading edge between number 3 and 4 engines, both on top and below the wing.  We ask Lt Davis to make a turn to the left to keep in line with the balance of the squadron formation and he answered that "I’m turning all I can now”, which may or may not have meant that his controls were damaged.  We suggested that Lt Davis lose altitude to go below an overcast that extended several miles ahead of us with tops around 5000 feet and base around 3000 feet with scattered cumulus clouds below.  Lt Davis headed for the cloud coverage and entered the overcast at around 200 mph indicated.  We followed him through the overcast and broke through around 3000 feet.  Upon breaking through the overcast we called to Lt Davis to level off at that altitude.  He attempted to level out but suddenly went into a steep turn to the right which necessitated our making a steep climbing turn to the right as he passed below us to keep from colliding.  We continued our turn but were unable to locate Lt Davis's ship so started a turn to the left at the same time losing altitude rapidly.  Our turn took approximately 20 to 30 seconds and in the course of the turn we heard Lt Davis’s voice on the radio call: “Bail out”.  As soon as we had dropped below the cumulus clouds and completed our circling turn we sighted a fire on the water where we assumed that Lt Davis's ship had gone in.  The fire apparently was burning gas and oil and covered a large circular area approximately 75 to 100 feet in diameter.  We circled the area but were unable to observe anything but the fire in the area.  This area was located approximately 30 miles north of Majuro Atoll at the approximate position of 7° 45 Min North and 171° 10 Min East.  The time was 2340 Z.

With the help of Penny LeGrand I was able to locate Don MacArthur's widow.  She remarried and is now in a managed care home with no detailed memory of her first husband.  She put me in touch with her son who has found a few crew and plane photos (attached here and already submitted to B24bestweb).
MacArthur and crew were not flying SATAN’S KITE when they were lost.  There is a good explanation for the change of plane from SATAN’S KITE.  MacArthur and crew were experienced and SATAN’S KITE was retired either due to age or damage - the crew was assigned a new plane.  The info on B24bestweb indicates plane #42- 72962, the plane they were flying when lost, was the next-to-last B-24D built at San Diego and was delivered 24 August 1943.  So the crew photos with SATAN’S KITE would have been taken before then.   According to OzBob there was another plane, B-24 #42-40079, nick-name SATANS KITE II  that survived the war.  I don’t know the relationship between SATAN’S KITE and SATANS KITE II.

In the photo below, (L-R)
    Capt. Donald J. MacArthur - Pilot
    1st Lt. Charles I. Busick - Co-pilot
    1st Lt. Theodore J. Kamen - Navigator
    1st Lt. John M. (Jack) Drenan - Bombardier
with B-24 SATAN'S KITE. 

I don't have any other info on the plane.


[image]local://upfiles/14444/E477365594A7469DBFB2E2A9D95E0BFB.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

B24 SATAN'S KITE
I have no other info on this plane.  The photo has already been submitted to B24bestweb.

Standing (L-R)
    1st Lt. John M. (Jack) Drenan - Bombardier
    1st Lt. Charles I. Busick  - Co-pilot
    1st Lt. Theodore J. Kamen - Navigator
Kneeling
    Capt. Donald J. MacArthur - Pilot

[image]local://upfiles/14444/BA2117A8C41D48B5B44518BC57F1D288.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

Thanks, Patrick
 
Added your PICs & info for...
 
SATAN'S KITE (still need S/N)...
http://www.b24bestweb.com/Pics-S-SATANS_K-SATANS_L.htm
 
VULNERABLE VIRGIN...
http://www.b24bestweb.com/Pics-V-VU-VZ.htm

Daniel L. Stockton "B-24 Best Web"
http://www.b24bestweb.com/

Got PICs? (>7300 on site!)
Submit PICs

Attached in the first of  two photos.  These came from Penny LeGrand, whose father,  Charles (Hoppy ) Hopkins was a pilot in the 98th BS of the 11th BG and was lost on a mission to Wotje just a few weeks later than Don and my uncle.  Penny's mom apparently lived with Shirley MacArthur at one time (in Los Angeles, I think she said).

1. (L-R)   
Shirley & Donald J. MacArthur - Pilot
John M. (Jack) Drenan - Bombardier
Dorothy & Keane McGee

Penny wrote:
These were taken in Topeka, KS in January of '43 where your uncle's group and my dad's group were stationed before they all went to Hawaii.  I'm not sure who Dorothy and Keane McGee are other than friends.

- Patrick

[image]local://upfiles/14444/9A48E11E26B9462181CC73AB44F3ADE6.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

2.  (L-R)
  Theodore J. Kamen - Navigator
  Donald J. MacArthur - Pilot
  John M. (Jack) Drenan - Bombardier
  Dorothy & Keane McGee

About Keane McGee:
From records available on Ancestry.com (World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1946)
Name:     Keane B McGee
Residence State:     Idaho
Report Date:     11 Apr 1943
Army Air Corps, Bombardment, Heavy
Served:     North African Theatre
Detaining Country:     Germany
Camp:     033
Status:     Returned to Military Control, Liberated or Repatriated

- Patrick


[image]local://upfiles/14444/9A5DCAF1934A4A279F28E28E74C7B71B.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

A Freedom of Information Act request for my uncle's Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) submitted some time ago has finally paid off.  A package containing 75 pages (including a number of duplicate pages) arrived today.  It contains only a small amount of new information.

There is a 'Casualty Branch - Status Review and Determination Section' document included and identified as S. R. & D. No. 1324.  That document has a quote from a letter my grandfather sent to Senator Scott Lucas of Illinois in which my grandfather mentions the name of my uncle's plane at the time of his loss as Satan's Kite II.  That is in conflict with the data now available on the internet that documents that  Satan's Kite II survived the war.  So the name of B24 #42-72962 is still unknown.  My guess is that MacArthur and crew flew Satan's Kite II and then received a new plane that was named Satan's Kite.

Also from the S. R. & D. :

The Secret Chronology of World War II compiled and published by the Military Intelligence Division of the War Department, shows that on 3 January 1944:

"From 22 B-24's scheduled to strike Wotje [located approximately 190 miles north and slightly west of place where aircraft 42-72962 was last reported] only 5 reach target and drop 15 tons of bombs: clouds obscure result: 8 of 30 intercepting Zeros destroyed and 5 more probably.  Of the remaining B-24's, 9 hit Taroa, Maloelap Atoll, with 27 tons of bombs with some success; interception made by 30 Zeros, of which 2 are downed and 2 probably as against 3 B-24's lost. * * *"

From the same source, it is known that the Marshall Islands were wholly under Japanese control at the time the subject personnel disappeared and that the first landing by American troups in these islands was not made until 1 February 1944, when a landing was effected on the islands of the Kwajalein Atoll.

The brackets above [ ] seem to indicate information inserted by the authors of the S. R. & D.  The third plane mentioned lost must be 'Lil Hiawatha' as described by Al Miller in the book 11th Bomb Group (H) - The Grey Geese, p.54-55.  Miller writes that the plane was severely damaged by enemy fire and was scrapped after landing.

I found a link to a post on another site that mentions 3 POWs taken to Kwajalein around 2 Jan 1944 that were supposedly not from the St. Quentin Quail.  That post mentions the Kaiun Maru as the Japanese ship carrying the POWs.  That ship was sunk 20 March 1944: "U.S. aircraft sink Japanese guardboats Kaiun Maru and No.2 Taiho Maru off southern tip of Rabaul."

MacArthur's regular a/c was B-24J 42-73029. He had actually even delivered this a/c to the squadron, but had changed to B-24D 42-72962 for the final 1/2/44 mission. I know of no name for either a/c.
 
                                                                Jessee