Aircraft History
Built by Grumman.

Mission History
Took off from Fighter One on Guadalcanal. Last seen on the bomb run on Ballale Island, but was missing thereafter.

Ditched or bailed out in the vicinity. Croker was taken prisoner, the other crew did not make it out of the aircraft. Croker was transported aboard the Kokai Maru and transported to Rabaul (this ship was later sunk on February 21, 1944. Imprisoned at the Navy's 81st Guards Unit. During January 1944, Gregory Boyington and he were cell mates.

Memorials
Casper and Schroeder were declared KIA on January 10, 1946. All the crew members are memorialized on the tablets of the missing at Manila American Cemetery.

Relatives
Kurt Casper (nephew of Casper) adds:
"My uncle, USMC William Lloyd Casper, was the plane's gunner. My uncle and the radio man did not make it out of the plane. The pilot, Lt. E A Croker, was able to bailout but was captured by the Japanese and later died in a prison camp."

References
Thanks to Ewan Stevenson for Bureau Number.
Black Sheep One page 314 [Crocker sic]

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Last Updated
October 1, 2009

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