Pilot 1st Lt. Richard
C. Henrich, O-438671 (MIA / KIA) Hackensack, NJ
Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Robert W. Shepherd, O-798171 (MIA / KIA) DC
Crew SSgt Donald W. Huempfner, 36216762 (MIA / KIA) WI
Crew Cpl Richard J. McCarthy, 20318201 (MIA / KIA) PA
Crashed August 18, 1943
MACR none
Aircraft History
Built by North American at a cost of $181,074.00. Delivered to the U. S. Army. Ferried overseas via Hawaii to Australia.
Wartime History
Assigned to the 5th Air Force, 3rd Bombardment Group, 8th Bombardment Squadron. No known nose art or nickname. Ferried overseas to Australia arriving June 18, 1943.
Mission History
On August 18, 1943 took off from Port Moresby on a mission against Wewak. This B-25 was last seen gliding down with two engine shot out, but
in poor visibility, so it was unknown whether they made a successful landing.
For this mission, Henrich received
a Silver Star for Gallantry in Action and Purple Heart, posthumously.
Memorials
The entire crew was officially declared dead on January 7, 1946.
All are memorialized on the tablets of the missing at Manila American Cemetery. Shepherd also has a memorial marker at Fairbury Cemetery in Fairbury, NB.
Huempfner also has a memorial marker at Mount Calvary Cemetery in De Pere, WI at section B, lot 78-F.
Relative
Martha Bush (great niece)
"Henrich was not flying with his regular crew or bomber that day. His regular crew members might
still be alive, because the day he was shot down. Henrich wouldn't be hard to forget. His last trip
from Georgia to New Jersey, his home in Hackensack, he flew under the
George Washington Bridge and then buzzed his sister's house (my grandmother's).
He was a daredevil, brilliant, and a wonderful guy. Weren't they all."
References
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Richard
C. Henrich
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Robert W. Shepherd
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Donald W. Huempfner
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Richard J. McCarthy
FindAGrave - 1Lt Richard C Henrich (tablets of the missing photo)
FindAGrave - 2Lt Robert W Shepherd (tablets of the missing photo)
FindAGrave - Lieut Robert W Shepherd (memorial marker photos)
FindAGrave - SSgt Donald W Huempfner (tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - Donald W Huempfner (memorial marker photos)
FindAGrave - Corp Richard J McCarthy (tablets of the missing photo)
PNG Museum Aircraft Status Card - B-25D-1 Mitchell 41-30526
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Last Updated
August 10, 2019
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