Pilot  1st Lt. Marvin Davis, O-670847
Co-Pilot  2nd. Lt. Walter H Williford, O-683708
Radio  Cpl Charles L Ebers, 16060628
Engineer  T.Sgt. Marshall P. Starks, Jr., 38089258
Asst Engineer  Cpl. Gent E. Bogle, 16150702
Passenger  Cpl. V.A.Gamat, 32589432
Passenger  Sgt. E.W.Schoff
MIA  July 9, 1944
MACR  7541

Aircraft History
Engines: R-1830-92 Serial Numbers: 42-107748 and 41-16404.

Mission History
Aircraft departed Saidor Airfield at 0337 EST to transport cargo and personnel to Nadzab.

Wreckage
The wreck was located at 7,400 ASL in Saidor Gap, with seven MIA's on board. First visted by US Army AGRS in 1948.

Richard Leahy adds:
"I visited a C-46 44-78490 not far from this wreck in the 1970s. This Sgt left an inscription on the main door (on the outside) of this aircraft to the effect that he was working for the AGRS and that he had recovered the human remains from this site in 1948. My guess that this same man also did a partial recovery on 42-23705 at around the same time."

MIA Case
Three of the seven MIA's on C-47 2-23705 were recovered prior to 1950. Cpl. Charles L. Ebers was interred at the big American War Cemetry in Manila in 1950. Cpl. Gent E. Bogle, Zachary Taylor and Tech. Sgt. Marshall P. Starks, Jr. were interred in tha National Cemetry in Kentucky in 1950.

Richard Leahy reports:
"I visited the site courtesy of CILHI, specifically U.S.Army Captain Paul Royal and Army anthropologist Alec Christienson. I guess that they took me along to show them where it was. The locals have made no reference to anyone visiting 42-23705 prior to our arrival on Sept. 18th. This means to me that all who were alive at that time have now gone."

Aircraft has painted on laft hand side of foreward nose section; X163. Under that is the word painted diagonally SHAKES then a large depiction of a fully clad woman, then the follow on from SHAKES, the words, ALL OVER. We counted 24 half inch (50 cal) Browning machine guns which I surmise were being taken to Nadzab for repair and return. They would have been removed from either P-47s and or A-20s and or B-25s. They were (are) all fixed guns. This information was sourced for me by a very well known Aviation Historian and author, Robert Piper."

References
Thanks to Richard Leahy for this information.

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