Pilot  1st Lt John S. Hancock, O-417619 (Haileyville, OK)
Co-Pilot  Sgt Robert H. Burns, 6999729 (Belleville, IL)
Navigator  1st Lt. James W. Carver, O-725946 (Eagle Pass, TX)
Engineer  Cpl Hiram D. Wilkinson, 16014049 (Grand Rapids, MI)
Radio  Sgt Edward R. Cipriani, 13012501 (Monessen, PA)
Gunner  Sgt Mac S. Groesbeck, 19011114 (American Fork, UT)
Gunner  Sgt Raymond A. Maxwell, 18037760 (Stephenville, TX)
Gunner  Cpl Curtis F. Longenberger, 6890994 (Berwick, PA)
Crashed  November 1, 1942

Crew History
Lt. John Hancock was 22. He was his hometown's first war loss, and veterans named the local American Legion after him.

Burns barely knew his wife, Mildred. They had met at a Moose Lodge dance in Belleville, IL, and married before he went to war. A fan of big-band music who played the trombone, he had brought his instrument mouthpiece with him overseas to keep his lips in shape for when he returned home, says his sister, LaVerne Artnak, 78, of South Park, PA. That he vanished without a trace stunned his family. "My mother grieved. I think she grieved until she went to her death, and she was 95 when she passed away," Artnak says.

Lt. James Carver was 22. In a letter to his father, James told of missions where they fended off Japanese fighter planes. "Don't breathe a word of this to mama." At war's end, his mother still held out hope that he was alive in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.

Sgt. Edward Cipriani was 21. His local paper eulogized him as an honor student, Class of 1939, and a champion debater. He urged his parents not to worry. "Whatever happens will happen," he wrote.

Sgt. Mac Groesbeck was 26, a Mormon raised on a small farm, volunteered to fly on that last mission because the crew was shorthanded.

Sgt. Raymond Maxwell was 21. Two years after he vanished, his parents lost a second son to combat in Italy. A third brother, Calvin, served on a Navy troop carrier, and during shore leave in Australia in 1942 missed seeing Raymond in a cafe by 15 minutes. He never saw him again.

Cpl. Hiram "Dave" Wilkinson was 33. He passed up a furlough and a "date" with his sister to join a combat flight crew. "I expect to enjoy my date somewhere in the Pacific," he wrote home.

Cpl. Curtis Longenberger was 25. His mother, Agnes, kept a spare bedroom waiting for her lost son. He prepared a letter in case he died: "We have to lose men to win a war. You all can rest assured that I have died fighting." A few months after the crash, the parents of crewman Curtis Longenberger received a letter from the pilot's tentmate. The writer praised the crew's courage and said they flew that night despite engine problems. "Nothing seemed to stop those boys," wrote Lt. J.M. Moore. "Off they flew into the dark skies to bomb those who started all these heartaches and sorrows."

Aicraft History
This B-17 was unnamed and delivered to Lowry for crew assignement in February 1942 and assigned to the 19th BG. This B-17 was rush to Midway and took part in Midway defense, and then returned to Hawaii. Next, it was ferried to Australia via Fiji in May 1942. Arrived in Australia on June 21, 1942 and sent to Waga, New South Wales. In June 1942, it was transfer to Garbutt Field at Townsville.

On the night of October 23-24, 1942 it was one of six B-17s from the 30th Bomb Squadron attacked Japanese shipping off Rabaul in Simpson Harbor.  On this mission it was piloted by Major Allen Lindberg.

Mission History
One of six B-17s departed 7-Mile Drome near Port Moresby in the early hours of November 1, 1942 to bomb Japanese shipping in Tonolei Harbor at night. It is likely that the aircraft descended too low in bad weather en route to the target. For reasons unknown, the bomber hit the northern side of a ridge line in darkness in the vicinity of Milne Bay. The fire from the fuel tanks destroyed most of the fuselage. Two 1,000 lbs unexploded bombs were found at the site. The Fortress could carry four, but was only loaded with two for this long-range mission to effect maximum range.

Discovery
Discovered eight hours walk from the small villages of Nigila and Gopai, near Alotau on February 24, 1999. A native hunter stumbled across pieces of metal, and later a curious Red Cross worker was led back to the site by the same hunter. There, they discovered a watch, comb, and a dog tag of James W. Carver.

JAMES W. CARVER 0-725946 T42 A MRS.P.S. CARVER 543 FORD STREET EAGLE PASS, TEX

They also discovered larger wreckage which had the numbers '12635' stenciled in yellow, and painted on a background of what appeared to be a red vertical stripe and human bones. The US Embassy in Port Moresby was provided with the information. This in turn was relayed to the US Army CILHI.

MIA Recovery
US Army CILHI visited the site on March 2-3, 1999, designated PNG #102. Many more human bones were found scattered amongst the wreckage. Human remains and other personal effects were also received from local villagers who had visited the site in the interim. The aircraft location and serial number were also verified from photographs taken by the local international red cross workers. A full excavating of the site was completed in April 2001.

Found was a handgun with an initial carved into the grip, two women's rings (whether engagement or keepsake, no one knows), a clear glass bottle filled with a red liquid that could be men's hair tonic or cologne, still fragrant. And a gold bracelet with the pilot's name, John Hancock, embossed upon it.

Return of Remains
A memorial service for the burial of James W. Caver in his hometown of Eagle Pass, Texas occurs on January 29, 2005.

References
Thanks to Brian Bennett and Aerothentic for additional information.

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