USAAF
20th AF
468th BG
793rd BS
Commander Lt. Col. Robinson Billings
Pilot Maj.
Donald Humphrey (Postville, Iowa)
Navigator Captain C.
A. Hansman (survived, later KIA)
Bombardier 1st Lt. William
F.Duffy
Engineer 1st Lt. Ernest
C. Saltzman
Radio T/Sgt. M. A.
Kundrat
Radar Observer 1st Lt. M.
J. Govednick (POW)
CFC Gunner S/Sgt J. A.
MacDonald (POW)
Left Gunner T/Sgt H. D.
Gillett (POW)
Right Gunner T/Sgt Ralph
Lindley (POW)
Tail Gunner S/Sgt R. E.
Spratt
Lost January 11,
1945
MACR 10879
Crew History
Humphrey's crew, was part of the original complement of the
468th BG and their original aircraft was named "Postville Express" after
Humphrey's hometown of Postville, Iowa. Humphrey was the lead aircraft
commander for the first B-29 raid on Japan, against
Yawata in June 1944. "Postville Express," the original plane,
had been returned to the US as war weary in late 1944.
Aircraft History
42-24704 was unnamed, though Humphrey
in a postwar newspaper interview referred to it as the "Postville
Express." This may have been a case where, had the aircraft
remained in service longer, it would have carried nose art and
been named.
Mission History
(Mission 27) Twenty five of forty seven B-29's from the
58th BW take off from Kharagpur Airfiled to attack drydock facilities
at Singapore. Fifteen B-29's attack alternate targets on Penang Island
and Mergui, Burma and various targets of opportunity. They claim
6-1-17 Japanese aircraft.
Two B-29's are lost, B-29 42-65226 and this aircraft. Last Seen near Mersing, Malay, the bomber crashed killing several of the crew in the crash and several died of injuries shortly after the crash.
Pilot Donald Humphrey wrote on January 13, 1946:
"We
were over the sea, so I turned inland over the Malay state of Negri Sembilan,
and at the same time yelled for the crew to get ready to jump. Got them all lined
up at the hatches ready to go as soon as we got away from the cultivated area
and into the hill country where we might have a chance of evading the Japs. Just as I was ready to go [to bail out] the plane plunged sharply and threw
me forward against the controls. I don't really remember how I managed to get
out. I was so groggy that, although I jumped at about 15,000 feet, I couldn't
get my chute open until about 4,000 [feet]. Most of the other chutes were far
above me. But I couldn't take my eyes off the plane. When that wing [the right
wing, on which the Number 3 engine was located] gave way the stress and strain
was just too much for it. The other wing broke off, then the tail, and finally
the fuselage broke in two."
Fates of the crew
Several of the crew were captured by the Japanese
and held
in a prison in Singapore for the remainder of the war. Those killed
were Lt. Col. Robinson Billings, the mission commander (and who was
flying as co-pilot); radio operator T/Sgt. M.
A. Kundrat and tail gunner S/Sgt R. E. Spratt. Four of the crew were
captured by the Japanese, including: Radar
Observer 1st Lt. M. J. Govednick, CFC Gunner S/Sgt
J. A. MacDonald (POW), Left Gunner T/Sgt H. D. Gillett and Right
Gunner T/Sgt Ralph Lindley. Four managed to evade capture and spent time
with a communist guerrilla
band in Malaya (one of these four died before the war ended,
the others were not able to return to US military control until after
Japan's
surrender). Those who evaded capture were Humphrey,
navigator Capt. C. A.
Hansman (who died before the war ended), bombardier 1st Lt.
William F. Duffy, and flight
engineer 1st Lt. Ernest C. Saltzman.
Terry
Lindell Reports about his research
"From the Missing Air Crew Report, I have
the serial numbers of the engines and the machine guns. If any of
those can be located (and if the serial numbers are still recoverable),
the aircraft could be positively identified. Donald Humphrey, the
pilot, was interviewed by military authorities after he returned from
his time with the guerrilla forces. When asked where his plane crashed,
he replied "Approx. 100 miles North of Singapore."
Son Visits Crash Site
The son of bombardier 1st Lt. William F. Duffy, visited the crash
site nea Negeri Sembilan and published a book "Destiny
Ours" about the "Postville Express". Mr. Humprey,
is still alive, and now stays only in bed because of illness but still
can vividly recall what was happened on that fateful day. He remember
they have eggs as breakfast before the mission, he also felt angry on
the wings of B-29 bomber, which collapsed so easily, and he even mentioned
he decided to turn towards Negeri Sembilan because he couldn’t
swim well!
Aircraft that participated in Mission 27:
AIRCRAFT NICKNAME GROUP TARGET STATUS
42-24503 "Nippon Nipper II" 40BG Mergui Harbor, Burma
42-24579 "Eddie Allen" Singapore Floating Drydock
42-24582 "Little Clambert " Singapore Floating Drydock
42-24587 "San Antonio Rose " Singapore Kings Drydock
42-24757 unnamed Penang, Malaya
42-63374 "Tabooma II " Singapore Kings Drydock
42-63394 unnamed Singapore Kings Drydock
42-63407 "Shoot, You're Faded " Singapore Kings Drydock
42-63455 "Genie" Singapore Kings Drydock
42-65233 "Superstitious Aloyisious" Mergui Harbor, Burma
42-24462 "Princess Eileen II" 444BG Singapore Floating Drydock
42-24580 "Undecided" Singapore Kings Drydock
42-24720 "Fu-Kemal-Tu" Singapore Floating Drydock
42-24732 "Hore-Zontal Dream" Singapore Floating Drydock
42-63375 "Her Majesty" Singapore Kings Drydock
42-63378 "Fubar" Aerodrome
42-63446 Trojan Spirit" Mergui Harbor, Burma
42-63451 "Black Jack II" Singapore Air Abort
42-63496 "Naughty Nancy" Singapore Floating Drydock
42-65202 "Satan's Angel" Jettisoned Air Abort
42-65226 unnamed Singapore MIA Last Seen Mersing
42-24463 unnamed 462BG Penang, Malaya
42-24475 Hoodlum House II " Singapore Floating Drydock
42-24581 unnamed " Singapore Floating Drydock
42-24800 unnamed " Singapore Floating Drydock
42-24801 Phoney Express " Singapore Floating Drydock
42-24838 unnamed " Penang, Malaya
42-63454 Thunderbird " Malaya
42-63472 unnamed " Singapore Floating Drydock
42-63502 Long John Silver " Singapore Floating Drydock
42-63540 unnamed " Singapore Floating Drydock
42-65230 unnamed " Mergui Harbor, Burma
42-24469 unnamed 468BG RR Tracks
42-24471 Chat'nooga Choo Choo " Singapore
42-24486 Windy City II " Penang, Malaya
42-24487 Bengal Lancer " Singapore Air Abort
42-24546 unnamed " Singapore Floating Drydock
42-24678 Kickapoo Lou " Singapore Floating Drydock
42-24691 Fast Company " Oil Storage Area
42-24704 "Gear Box " Singapore Kings Drydock
42-24714 Robert J Wilson " Penang, Malaya
42-24734 Miss Lead " Floating Drydock
42-63417 Rushin Rotashun " Singapore Air Abort
42-63445 Craig Comet " Penang, Malaya
42-63464 Belle Ringer " Penang, Malaya
B-29
POW / MIA
Story of Postville Express
