USAAF
5th AF
3rd BG
90th BS
Pilot Captain Frank Peter Bender, O-392735
Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Glover
Crew S/Sgt T. Coward
Gunner S/Sgt Arnold M. Thompson
Gunner Sgt C. V. Hastie
Gunner Cpl. R. A. McNamara
Ditched April 24, 1942
Aircraft
History
Exact serial number unknown, as many unit records were lost in a plane crash
in 1943. Based at Charters Towers. It was deemed too dangerous
to permantly base planes at Port Moresby due to frequent Japanese air
raids.
Mission History
Took off from Charters Towers via Cairns as one of three B-25s bound for Port Moresby to fly a combat mission planned for the following
day against Lae. The group reached the New Guinea coast, headed west, but unable
to find Port Moresby, and
turned around to fly east. At dusk and short on fuel they jettisoned their
bombs into the sea. Ditched near Baibara in Central Province, east of B-25C "Chattanooga
Choo Choo" and B-25C "Tojo's
Nitemare" that ditched into the Fife Bay area at Mullins Harbor.
The crew made their way ashore and were rescued by plantation owner Mr. Eglestaff. ANGAU officer, Captain 'Mac' Rich located them on April 30th and took them by truck back to Fife Bay where they boarded his ship the Marek, and continued to search for any of the other crew of "Tojo's Nitemare" unsucessfully and attempted to Salvage "Chattanooga Choo Choo".
The survivors of the triple ditching left the area on May 3rd aboard the Marek to Milne Bay, where they held a memorial service for the crew of "Tojo's Nitemare", then sailed on another boat, the Matoma to Port Moresby, arriving ten days late, and were sent back to Australia.
Pilot History
Pilot Frank Peter Bender was later shot down flying B-25C
"Arora" 41-12792 on July 26, 1942, but survived.
Reference
Flightpath Magazine "Underwater Trio" by Michael Claringbould
B-25
