USAAF
14th AF
308th BG
375th BS
Pilot 2nd Lt. George H. Pierpont
(Salem, VA)
Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Franklin A. Tomenendale (Shabbona,
IL)
Navigator 2nd Lt. Robert Deming (Seattle, WA)
Bombardier 2nd Lt. George A. Ward (Jersey City, NJ)
Engineer Staff Sgt. Anthony DeLucia (Bradford, PA)
Radio Sgt. Ellsworth V. Kelley (Newark, OH)
Radar Pvt. Fred P. Buckley (Garden City, KS)
Gunner S/Sgt William A. Drager (Washington,
NJ)
Gunner Sgt. Robert L. Kearsey (McKees Rocks, PA)
Gunner Pvt. Vincent J. Netherwood (Kingston, NY)
Crashed August 31, 1944
MACR 8018
Mission History
Took off from Liuchow, China to bomb enemy ships in Takao Harbor, Formosa (Taiwan). Intercepted by A6M Zeros, pilot Takeo Tanimizu shot down B-24J 44-40831 and badly damaged this bomber. On its return flight, it was diverted to an alternate field
because Liuchow was under air attack. On its way to the alternate
strip, it crashed into Mount Arisan at 6,000' tumbled
into a deep ravine.
Discovery
On October 2, 1996
two Chinese farmers discovered the crash site 62 miles south
of Gualin, Guangxi Province on Maoer mountain. In November 1996, People's Republic
of China President Jiang Zemin turned over photographs of the
dog tags, as well as a videotape of the crash site. The names on the military dog tags included: Buckley, Kelley, Netherwood, Tomenendale and Ward.
MIA Recovery
A team from the US Army CILHI (Central Identification Laboratory in
Hawaii) launched a search that began in January 1997 and included
three visits over three years, due to the difficult location
of the wreck site, recovering personal effects / material evidence:
Dog tags, four engines, six machine guns, bullets, eight pistols,
five coins, pocket watch, and a flashlight. according to a CILHI
report. The team also documented aircraft wreckage bearing the
stenciled numbers "40783," the serial number that
identified the aircraft of Pierpont and crew. A memorial plaque was placed at the crash site.
References
Thanks to Ron Werneth for Tanimizu link
B-24
MIA
(Resolved)
CILHI Recovery
US Army
Burial at Arlington
ABC News
20/20 Report
Takeo Tanimizu
