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  B-29-15-BW "Lethal Lady" Serial Number 42-6370  
USAAF
20th AF
58th BW
468th BG
793rd BS

PacificWrecks.com
United Press 1944
Pilot  Col. Ted S. Faulkner, O-021593 C. O. of the 468th BG, HQ (MIA / KIA) WA
Co-Pilot  1st Lt. Maurice G. Eigler, O-805796 (MIA / KIA) Begley, IA
Navigator  Major Robert T. Arnoldus, O-412133 (MIA / KIA) OR
Bombardier  Major Harve N. Johnson, O-402914 (MIA / KIA) Chandler, OK
Crew  1st Lt. Harry H. Peterson, O-862249 (MIA / KIA) Vineland, NJ
Crew  F/O Edward J. Kennedy, T-192545 (MIA / KIA) Medford, MA
Radio  Sgt William Glibbon, 36559274 (MIA / KIA) Fruitport, MI
Crew  Sgt Ward Miller, 11079089 (MIA / KIA) Greenwich, CT
Left Waist Gunner  SSgt Buster Westbrook, 38293607 (MIA / KIA) North Little Rock, AR
Right Waist Gunner  SSgt Hubert B. Gruber, 18216279 (MIA / KIA) Wiles, TX
Tail Gunner  SSgt Emerald T. Queen, 34243386 (MIA / KIA) South Petersburg, FL
Passenger  United Press John J. Andrew (MIA / KIA) Springfiled, IL
MIA  November 5, 1944
MACR  9577

Aircraft History
Built by Boeing. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-29-15-BW Superfortress serial number 42-6370. Flown overseas to China-Burma-India (CBI).

Wartime History
Assigned to the 468th Bombardment Group (468th BG), 793rd Bombardment Squadron (793rd BS). Nicknamed "Lethal Lady".

Mission History
On November 4, 1944 at 8:30pm took off from Khargpur Airfield near Calcutta piloted by Col. Ted S. Faulkner as one of 53 B-29s on bombing mission against the King George VI Dock at Singapore. Aboard as a passenger was United Press correspondent John J. Andrew. On November 5, 1944 at 2:30pm while flying southeast over the Bay of Bengal over the Andaman Islands, this bomber sent out a radio message stating that an urgent message would follow then was never heard again. When this bomber failed to return it was officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA).

Seekatz, a radio operator aboard another B-29 received an urgent radio call from this bomber at 20:30, but the message was never transmitted. Returning from the mission, other B-29 crew members saw an airplane explode and land on the sea at roughly Lat 11° 17' N, Long 94° 14' E approximately 75 miles off the Andaman Islands. Another B-29 crew member saw red and green flares at roughly the same position. Still another B-29 crew member reported seeing a life raft at a position slightly to the north of that bearing. Since only one bomber went missing returning from the mission, these observations must relate to this bomber.

Search
Thirty hours after the loss, American and Royal Navy aircraft searched for the crew over several days. One of the searching aircraft found three rafts tied together and partially submerged and empty.

Memorials
The entire crew was officially declared dead on March 27, 1946. Civilian Andrew was officially declared dead on November 5, 1944. The U.S. Army Air Force crew members are memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing.

Faulkner earned the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, posthumously.

Eigler earned the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously. He also has a memorial marker at Willow Cemetery in Green County, Iowa.

Arnoldus earned the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters and Purple Heart, posthumously. He also has a memorial marker at Summerville Cemetery in Summerville, OR.

Johnson earned the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, posthumously.

Peterson earned the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously.

Kennedy earned the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously.

Glibbon earned the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously. He also has a memorial marker at Fruitport Cemetery in Fruitport, MI.

Miller earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously.

Westbrook earned the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously. He also has a memorial marker in the Little Rock National Cemetery in Little Rock, AR at section MA site 27.

Gruber earned the Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously.

Queen earned the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart, posthumously.

When the disappearance of Andrew and the crew went public Maj. Gen. Curtis LeMay stated:
"He was a good newspaperman, always on the spot ready to go when anything was happening. All of our crews that had a chance to meet him liked him. He was another newsman willing to risk his life to get a story for the American public."

References
World War II Army Enlistment Records - Edward J. Kennedy

World War II Army Enlistment Records - Ward Miller
World War II Army Enlistment Records - Buster Westbrook
World War II Army Enlistment Records -Emerald T. Queen

USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-29-15-BW Superfortress 42-6370
"6370 (58th BW, 468th BG, 793rd BS) crashed 75 mi off Andaman Islands in Bay of Bengal during mission to Singapore Nov 5, 1944. MACR 9577. All 11 crew killed."
Amarillo Daily News "Dalhart Bomber Chief Missing" November 16, 1944 page 8
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Ted S. Faulkner
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Maurice G. Eigler
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Robert T. Arnoldus
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Harve N. Johnson
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Harry H. Peterson
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Edward J. Kennedy
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - William Glibbon
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Ward Miller
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Buster Westbrook
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Hubert B. Gruber
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Emerald T. Queen
FindAGrave - Col Ted Sinclair Faulkner (photo, tablets of the missing photo)
FindAGrave - 1Lt Maurice E. Eigler (tablets of the missing photo)
FindAGrave - Maurice Eugene Eigler (memorial marker)
FindAGrave - Maj Robert Thermond Arnoldus (tablets of the missing photo)
FindAGrave - Robert Thermond Arnoldus (photo, memorial marker photo)
FindAGrave - Maj Harve N Johnson (photo, memorial marker photo)
FindAGrave - 1Lt Harry Hollingsworth Peterson (photo)
FindAGrave - FltOff Edward J Kennedy (photos, tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - Sgt William Glibbon (photos, tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - William Glibbon (memorial marker photo)
FindAGrave - Sgt Ward B Miller (photos tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - SSgt Buster Westbrook (photos tablets of the missing photo)
FindAGrave - Buster Westbrook (memorial marker photo)
FindAGrave - SSgt Hubert B Gruber (photos, tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - SSgt Emerald T Queen (photos, tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - John Julian Andrew (photo)
War Department Bureau of Public Relations Liaison Branch - 28 January 1946 via Wayback Machine January 31, 2019 - Andrew, John J. United Press India-Burma Missing on B-29 strike 5 Nov 44

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Last Updated
February 18, 2020

 

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