Aircraft History
Assigned to the 417th Bombardment Group. Transferred to the 312th Bombardment Group during March 1944. Assigned to Gibbons with crew chief Herman.

Mission History
Took off from Guasp Airfield on a mission against Hollandia.  On the way back front the target, this aircraft had been lagging behind due to an erratic engine, using up extra fuel. When Gibbons reached a weather front, he circled a clearing and force landed there when his left engine ran out of fuel and the A-20 crashed into a ridge.  In the crash landing, the right engine was torn from its mount and both crew slightly wounded, and camped near the wreck.

Rescue
The next day, they were spotted by P-38s searching for downed planes. Spotted by L-5 piloted by Sgt James the 25th Liaison Squadron "Guinea Short Lines" who spotted a flare fired by Gibbons. Before departing, he dropped medical supplies and rations, but the crew on the ground failed to locate them. At 1600, they were informed to stay at the crash site by a note dropped from another L-5.

Australian soldiers attempted to reach the site from Musak, but encountered retreating Japanese. Instead, they were asked to clear a landing strip by burning a clearing in the nearby kunai grass. An L-4 piloted by Lockwood attempted to visit them, but met bad weather and returned in the afternoon to survey the strip.

Four days after the crash, on the morning of April 20, an L-5 piloted by T/Sgt Allen Lockwood landed at 15:30 on the crude strip, but was unable to take off until the following day due to the wet ground and rough strip., evacuating Gibbons. The next day, Lockwood returned to rescue Rhodes.

Wreckage
The crash was located near Wabusarik, not far from the crash of another Black Sunday victim, the A-20G "Hell'N Pelican II" 42-86786. 

Salvage
In 1984, the RAAF attempted to recover the left engine in October 1984, but lost its left when it was cut loose from the sling. The remainder of the aircraft was salvaged by the RAAF during November 1985.

References
Black Sunday by Michael Claringbould
Rampage of the Roarin' 20's pages 104, 106, 198 (photo), 361

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Last Updated
October 1, 2009