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Guam,
Marianas
October 12, 1945
Dear
Mr. & Mrs. Sadler,
By
way of introduction I was a member of the same crew as
your son. Also I am the lone survivor from the crash in
which your son was killed.
Please
accept my deepest sympathy - your son was a very nice
fellow and liked by all us enlisted men. Since your son
and I were crewed together at Lincoln in October 1944
we had been together for almost a year and had become
to know each other quite well. Why our crew had to crash
after going through Clovis and combat together I guess
no one will ever know.
On
the last fight it was a routine training flight in which
we was to first fly some instrument time and then start
some landings. We had been airborne for approximately
one hour and half when we developed the trouble. Our altitude
was around 2000 ft and our position was eight miles east
of Aguijan, a small island almost due south of Tinian.
The
first trouble we had occurred a minute or two after twelve.
That caused us to feather # 2 engine, almost immediately
afterwards # 1 engine developed a bad oil leak and caught
on fire. That left us with almost a full load of gas,
a very bad fire, and two engines out on the same side.
The ship then lost attitude quite rapidly and we attempted
to ditch it at sea. Instead of having a successful ditching
we flew right into the water, went straight over on our
back, and the fire spread everywhere. Also by the time
I managed to clear it had sunk from sight minimizing anyone's
chance for escape. The accident occurred at nine minutes
after twelve so you can see how fast we developed the
trouble and crashed.
The
area was well searched after the crash and I can assure
you that if he had of been able to get out of the plane
that he would have been picked up.
I
know that nothing anybody can say or do would compensate
for the loss of your son but you can be proud of the way
he met his end. The last words I heard him say over the
interphone system on the plane was benefit and safety
of the crew.
If
there is any further questions you would like to ask me
an if there is any thing, small or large, that I can do
for you please feel free to do so without hesitation.
I am done flying for quite awhile so you could reach me
here at my home address of Route 3, Weiser, Idaho will
be permanent indefinitely.
Again,
please accept my deepest sympathy
Very
Sincerely yours,
Charles E. Jackson
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