USAAF
USAAF
3rd BG
27th BS
Pilot ? (KIA)
Gunner ? (KIA)
Crashed September 10, 1942
Aircraft History
Assigend to US Army at Savannah December 21, 1941. Next to McCellan January 7, 1942 to "X" January 29 1942 to "X" February 25 1942 departed for SUMAC.
Mission History
Crashed at an unknown location.
Wreckage
A reported 'dive bomber' wreck at Abau Island, believed to be this A-24.
The Private War of the Spotters page 47
"One day while on duty, I heard the sound of planes flying overhead. One suddenly dived and crashed in the sea 100 yards off shore. On investigation we found it had been an American dive bomber containing a crew of 2 men. We carried out salvage operations and recovered the bodies of the men and gave them a military funeral conducted by Lieutenant Bilston who was the Assistant District Officer. The police boys on the island fired a salute. Later the American Graves commission personnel arrived and exhumed the bodies for transport to the USA"
Edward Rogers adds:
" 'The Private War of the Spotters' mentions this dive bomber loss. I can find no hard evidence of this loss. It does not correspond to any missing A-24 losses unless a plane from the July 29 mission made it all the way there before crashing. The context of the story in the book gives the date as mid 1942. I feel that it must be a U.S. Navy or Marine SBD loss from 1943 or 1944. I believe that Lt. Bilston was with ANGAU but I can find no mention of this incident in the ANGAU War Dairy for 1942."
John Douglas adds:
"I spoke with Marsh. He remembers the Dive bomber crash at Abau. He cant remember exactly when but thinks it was after the Table Bay Val incident, and shortly after the Battle of Milne Bay. He will search his memory. The incident would have been recorded in the Abau Station Diary and also in a report to Port Moresby. He says the plane circled the island a couple of times in a storm before crashing into a mudbank offshore and sinking. The crew were crushed into the wreck and it took them two days to release their bodies, still trapped into their seats. they were initially buried on the island [next to a former kiap called Flint, who died from Pneumonia, after spending a night trapped in mangroves when his canoe sank]. American forces later recovered their bodies. He says that the plane was flying from Milne Bay to Port Moresby, and that they recovered lots of paperwork, which they sent onto Moresby. So my guess is that this was an Admin flight by whoever was looking after these A24s after the 3rd BG had finished with them, probably about September 42."
References
Thanks to Edward Rogers, John Douglas and Michael Clarignboud.
A-24
