Pacific Wrecks Forum

Does anyone have information on US pilots shot down over the island and listed as MIA or KIA?

I have information on Chichi Jima MIA

Author 109,
Do you know if any of the KIA or MIA US pilots flew Mustangs with yellow & black checkered tails?

No luck on black and yellow checker. Iwo Jima-based P-51 squadrons began operations in March 1945. Here are some squadrons (462nd w/ yellow marking on aft), (47th squadron w/ black and yellow triangle on tail), 78th fighter squadron w/ yellow and black stripe on tail).

So far I found, 3 July 1945, Richard H. Schroeppel, 78th Fighter Squadron, 15th Fighter Group. MIA, shotdown and was killed in a raft while waiting for rescue. Body not recovered.

Thank you for your research. The tail was kind of crunched, so maybe it wasn't a checkered pattern, but it was definately a black & yellow design.
I want to return to the site and get serial numbers etc..to do some serious research and hopefully let his family / relatives know what happened to him.

There is also information on a P-51 that crashed on Chichi Jima circa March 1945.

author109,
What kind of information should I get from the wrecked plane to help identify exactly whose plane it was?

That's a very good question. I'd check and see what squadrons had a black and yellow design, see which of those squadrons list as pilot as MIA over Chichi Jima, check for any serial number on the aircraft, see if you can find a MACR.

The book Flyboys by James Bradley is about 9 American airman shot down over Chichi Jima including George H. W. Bush who was rescued. The others were not.