ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 193193
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| Date: | Friday 28 January 1944 |
| Time: | evening |
| Type: |  North American B-25C Mitchell |
| Owner/operator: | 70th BSqn /42nd BGp USAAF |
| Registration: | 42-32291 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Tobera Airfield, Rabaul, East New Britain -
 Papua New Guinea
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
In the evening of 28 January 1944 25 B-25s, covered by 12 P-38s, attacked Tobera Airfield, claiming a gasoline dump on fire and half a dozen Zekes and Tonies on the ground. The B-25C 42-32291 of 70th BS, 42nd BG, was hit by A/A fire and crashed while making a low level attack on the runway. The plane was on a low pass over the runway (a little over 100 feet above the trees line) when it suddenly rolled with its left wing pointed down. The nose went down and the plane turned through one and a quarter turns and went in. There was no fire and it is believed that MG fire either hit the pilot or cut the control cables causing the plane to go out of control.
Crew (all killed, MACR 2086)
F/O Leslie D. Gilliland (pilot)
F/O Marion O. Stevens (co-pilot)
2nd Lt. Andrew V. Bobal (bombardier-navigator)
Sgt. James A. Goldsmith (engineer)
S/Sgt. Benton Freeman (radio-gunner)
Sgt. Charles D. Dintaman (gunner)
The aircraft and the crew remains were found in 1959. The whole crew was buried in a collective grave at Jefferson Memorial Cemetary in St Louis on 12 October 1959.
Sources:
http://www.armyairforces.com/m165799-print.aspx
http://www.armyairforces.com/m102139-print.aspx_
http://www.armyairforces.com/m227313-print.aspx
http://harrydole.com/42nd/Chapter%2010/
https://www.pacificwrecks.com/60th/1944/1-44.html
http://www.usaafdata.com/search
https://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/png/tobera/index.html
http://www.getamap.net/maps/papua_new_guinea/east_new_britain/_toberaplantation/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Jan-2017 16:44 | Laurent Rizzotti | Added |
| 10-Mar-2020 09:40 | Xindel XL | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 26-Jun-2023 05:25 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Operator, Operator]] |
| 30-Jun-2023 02:04 | Ron Averes | Updated [[[Operator, Operator]]] |
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