RAAF
75 Squadron
1942
D
Pennefather 1990
Pilot Squadron Leader
Bernard Barton Cresswell (KIA)
Crashed April 17, 1942
Pilot History
Cresswell was a pilot with 76 Squadron, on exchange to 75 Squadron. Nicknamed "Barney".
Mission History
Excerpt from Seek and Strike:
"[75] squadron flew security patrols, without contacting the enemy,
until 17 April. On this day two Kittyhawks, flown by Woods and Squadron
Leader B B Cresswell, the commanding officer of 76 Squadron,
who was attached
to gain combat experience, took off early in the morning to undertake
a reconnaissance of Lae. After flying over La Suiga Island,
the pair turned
to Lae, from where they
flew some thirty miles west.
Turning south, the two Kittyhawks were overflying the area Wau-Bululo-Lake State at 8 o'clock. Here Woods was fired on by an A6M2 Zero, but, unable to return the enemy fire, Woods waggled his wings to warn Cresswell, 150 yards astern, before diving into cloud. Woods lost contact with Cresswell and was pursued by Zeros for the next fifteen minutes. He struck the coast at Kerema and flew back to 7-Mile Drome at 500'.
Army reports state that Cresswell's aircraft crashed and burnt at the confluence of the Watut and Bululo rivers near Bulolo. The pilot was buried at Bulwa Cemetery with military honours. Probably, Cresswell was memorising the terrain features in this area where his squadron could soon be operating, and simply did not realize he was under attack until too late.
Wreckage
Wreckage of P-40 including the engine, propeller and other
smaller pieces of wreckage, including the flattened centerline drop tank remained at the crash site until the early 1990s. In the early 1990's piece of this aircraft were salvaged. The rest was reportedly scrapped.
Charles Darby adds:
"I did not salvage anything from this aircraft. I understand a few parts have gone to Australia, but by far the greatest bulk of the remains was sold for 'peanuts' as scrap."
References
Seek and Strike mentions this loss.
P-40
