Pilot History
Byron "Dutch" Heichel was stationed at Panama on December 7, 1941 flying a B-19. There, he met and married his current wife – then moving to California to transition to the B-17, and ferrying one across the Pacific.

Aircraft History
Accepted by the USAAF on July 23, 1942 and outfited at Lowry Modification Center on July 29th. Next flown to Sacramento Air Depot on August 27, 1942, and then Hamilton Field for 'Sumac' on August 31, 1942.

Nicknamed "Reckless Mountain Boys", commonly associated with the feud between the Hatfields and McCoys [hence the flintlock in the nose art] and is mentioned in the folk song, "The Martins and the Coys". Tail was adorn with dark green 'tiger stripes'.

Mission History
Took off from 7-Mile Drome on a solo reconnaissance mission to take photos of Kavieng, and carried no bombs. Arriving over New Hanover the bomber proceeded on its photo run run over Kavieng and never returened.

American searches found no trace of the missing aircraft. It and the entire crew were presumed lost in action. In fact, it was intercepted by six A6M Zeros of 253rd Kokutai from Kavieng Airfield and shot down.

Hit, the #2 engine was set on fire. The ball turret hit and its door knocked off and gunner Vetter wounded. The bomber dove for sea level, to avoid being hit from below, and headed south. While flying at sea level, the #2 engine failed and repeated attacks disabled the #1 engine, forcing it to ditch 50 yards from shore at Komalu. Attacking Zeros strafed the wreck then departed. Killed in the combat were Linsley and Bleiler and Fleiger. Vetter and Ethridge were badly wounded and had to be carried.

Fates of the Crew
Three died in the crash: Linsley, Bleiler and Fleiger. They were initially buried at the beach by natives who rescued them from the sea. Next, Tadashi Imamura instructed the bodies taken to the Catholic Mission at Imamura and buried in the native cemetery. Rudolf Diercke later erected a cross over each grave.

The eight survivors armed with a Springfield rifle, machine gun, 'Gibson Girl' radio and three pistols fled into the nearby Komlu Plantation, a copra plantation occupied by the Japanese. Spotted by native workers. By the time Japanese overseer, Tadashi Imamura investigated, the crew had fled into the hills with a local.

The next morning the Japanese arrived in force; from Namatanai Army soldiers; from Kavieng came a large party of SNLF (marines); and a warship (gun boat?) from Rabaul.

Rudolf Diercke, the German manage of Komlu Plantation, wrote a note in english that was delivered to the survivors that read: "I am a German, and I can vouch for the intentions of the Japanese. It is best that you surrender your arms to the native boy and come to us. We are gentleman and have no desire to maltreat you. Three of your fellow crew members found dead in the airplane have been buried with a simple ceremony in the kanaka [native] cemetery."

The remaining crew surrendered, three were seriously wounded in the crash and required assistance (Vetter, Mangett and ?). They decided to surrender. The Japanese with Rudolf Diercke had a stretcher prepaired for each man. The SNLF seem to have been in charge, mounting guard, searching and interrogating the Americans.

The enlisted men (Fritz, Surrett, Ethridge, Vetter and Kurisco) were placed on the gun boat and taken to Rabaul. The officers: Heichel, Rucks, and Mangett were carried on stretchers across the mountains to Karu and then by truck up for interrogation at Kavieng.

Later, the crew were all reunited at Rabaul and interned at the Navy POW Camp. Vetter gave his ring to a guard and it was mailed to his mother during the war. Reportedly, Mangett, Surrett, Vetter and Fritz were taken with seven other Americans on November 25, 1943, and executed or beheaded by the Kempei Tai.

The six remaining crew were sent to Japan but Fritz and Kurisko died enroute. Heichel, Rucks, Surrett and Etheridge were interned at Ofuna POW Camp near Tokyo and were beaten and interrogated then labored in a mine until the end of the war. All three survived the war.

Recovery of Remains
Post war, a party from the US Army AGRS arrived to exhume the three bodies buried at the Catholic Mission at Imamura. Reportedly, an airman's wrist watch was found in one grave. The dirt was wiped and winder twisted and it began ticking.

Edward Rogers adds:
"The following crew have no listing at ABMC or NW Grave Locator: Linsley, Bleiler and Fleiger"

Relatives
Tom Ackerman (nephew of Oscar Linsley)
"My uncle Oscar Linsley was the bombardier on 'Reckless Mountain Boys'. In researching the crash, I obtained documents pertaining to his recovery and verification of remains. He was buried in Sioux City, Iowa May 1949."

Dale Neikirk adds (nephew of Marcus Mangett)
"My Uncle Marcus Mangett was the navigator on board the Reckless Mountain boys when it crashed. Your website has provided me with new information which astounds me. I am grateful for it, as his disappearance was a life long agony for my mother and her family, as well as a mystery for the members of my generation. I really can't thank you enough for what you are doing."

Ellen Surrett (daughter of Clarence Surrett)
"Thats my dad in the strecher looking at the camera [in still from film]."

Jennifer Downing (great niece of James E. Etheridge)

Lynda Peck adds:
"You brought tears to my eyes. Dad said something to all us last weekend as we read looked at those pictures. It went something like this: You kids standing in this room don’t ever have to apologize for that war or your right to live in this country. Your right to live here has been bought and paid for personally by me. He looks at those pictures and says it seems like a dream, so long ago. He says, “ I can’t believe it happened to me."

Wreckage
Twenty or more soldiers investigated the crash site and took photographs and film at the site.

War correspondent Hajime Yoshida documented the crash site and POWs. Later, this footage was used in a Nippon News film, with the narration: "May 7: B-17 which planned an attack on our South Pacific base was shot down by our sea eagles. Once, natives stared wide-eyed with wonder and envy at US & British material civilization. However they are delighted by Japanese strength to actually look at it now. They cooperate with the Imperial Army heartily."

A tripod was mounted over the nose, to extract the Norden bomb sight and equipment. The Japanese totally dismantled the plane. One engine was shipped to Rabaul, and the body of the plane was cut and stacked on the beach under trees.

After the salvage, all that remained on the reef at Komalu were three of the engines. Today there are just two propellers there, and a couple of lumps of rusted metal, partially encrusted in coral.

Rod Pearce recalls:
"I went to this village to look for this B-17 around 2003. We met two people there who witnessed the incident. One was an old man who recalled it landing in the water. He recalled the Japanese 'jacked it up' out of the water and took it all away. In the village they had a bit of aluminium under a tree that had been in salt water, it was very corroded."

References
Pride of Seattle covers this bomber on pages 9, 10, 13 & 28
Lost Lives: The Second World War and the Islands of New Guinea
Asahi Daily Newspaper June 7, 1943 via Henry Sakaida
Flightpath "Somewhere, A Camera Out There" by Claringbould, page 24
Thanks to Tom Ackerman, Dale Neikirk, Ellen Surrett, Rod Pearce, Edward Rogers, Janice Olsen for additional information.

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Last Updated
November 8, 2009

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