USAAF
5th AF
Air Service Command
Former Assignments:
43rd BG
403rd BS
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Pilot Lt. Col Walter Piehl, O-230257 (5th ASC HQ)
Engineer SSgt Cortez Beal, 34190024 (5th ASC HQ)
Co-Pilot Maj Alan Attebery, O-664493 (5ASC HQ)
Radio SSgt Henry Willis (5ASC HQ)
Crew Chief TSgt Edgar Elseman (17004297 5ASC)
Passenger Maj Robert Barnes, 900048 (5th ASC HQ)
Passenger Maj V. Henriques, O-280216 (5th ASC HQ)
Passenger Capt Russell Helmar, O-393337 (5th ASC HQ)
Passenger Capt Fred Lewis, O-925168 (5th ASC HQ)
Passenger Capt Paul McKnight, O-1576369 (5th ASC HQ)
Passenger Capt Wendell Root, O-413266 (HQ 58AirSerGrp)
Passenger Lt Winton Witmer, O-567120 (HQ 58SerGrp)
Passenger Lt John Campbell, O-857274 (HQ 58SerGrp)
Passenger Lt Roland Hickey, O-2036113 (5th ASC HQ)
Passenger WOJG Dawson Hutchison, 2114954 (5th ASC HQ
Passenger SSgt August Bachor, 32225289 (5th ASC HQ
Passenger Sgt William Ray, 13107567 (5th ASC HQ
Passenger Cpl Noel Lowe, 34608243 (5th ASC HQ
Passenger PFC Clyde Hopkins, 34732682 (5th ASC HQ)
MIA July 8, 1944
MACR 6580
Aircraft History
Engines: R-1820-65 AAF Serial Numbers: 41-23395, 41-41642, 42-78659, 42-77108. This bomber was evacuated from Java to Australia and assigned to 5th Air Force Service Command.
Mission History
Took off at 6:41am from Nadzab, and probably proceeded up the Sepik Valley and then over the Alexander Mountains or Torricelli Mountains to Tadji and onto Biak. The aircraft was never heard from again. No record of the aircraft reaching Tadji could be established, and it is presumed to have crashed before reaching that airdrome
Relatives
Leondus Hutchison (relative of Hutchison) adds:
"JB Hutchison, his farther (my granddad's brother) talked with a man in 1950s who was stationed with Daswon and he said that the B-17 used to ferry had a really bad history with its engines. And if they bailed out over the mountains or swamp then they was good as already dead. Doing research over the last two years, I have found archived documents pertaining to Japanese warcrimes in New Guinea 1942-45. Just three months before 41-2464 went missing the japanese captured a B-25 in the same area as noted MARC search area. All five U.S airmen were executed by the Japanese after being captured, a familiar but true account of many Army Air Force crews captured by the Japanese.
What really happened to the crew and passangers of 41-2464?
1) Engine failure
2) Japanese AAA
3) Hit a mountain due to bad weather"
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Last Updated
November 8, 2009
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B-17
MIA
Leondus Hutchison
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