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M.A.B.
Agana Guam
Sunday,
7 Oct 1945
My
Dear Hammond, Louise & Suzie,
This
is very hard for me to write because I know there is nothing
I can say or do that will ease the shock. And I'm afraid
that I may only make it worse for you. But I want to help
so much that I must try. I'm writing this on the supposition
that you want to know more details than the War Department
may volunteer about the circumstances surrounding the
accident - at least if you do not, there is no earthy
reason for reading this letter. So I am forcing myself
to recount the few facts I have learned while they're
still fresh in my mind - the great part of my sorrow is
because I can do no more to help. I pray that these facts
do not increase your unbearable bereavement. Please God
- .
Dendy
& Lt Bowman were down last Friday nite (28 Sept) & invited
me to come up for a "party" one Saturday nite and said
he would call me the next morning if it was to be that
nite. He expected to make a flight to Korea Sunday & if
he didn't he would tell me to come on up. He never called.
I called him yesterday morning, only to learn of the accident.
So immediately went up to the camp to learn what I could
from the other men.
I
talked to a crew of another B-29 who happen to in the
air over Tinian at the of the crash - & to Lt Cedarholm,
the Radar man, who by chance, let another man take his
place for the flight. This is all I have learned.
Dendy
& the full original crew - except for Cedarholm & Cox,
(the Bombardier who recently went home for discharge)
- took off from North Field on a routine single flight
last Wednesday morning (3 October). They were up to put
in their required monthly flight time. The crew of the
other B-29 saw then over Tinian & all seemed well - but
between 1100 & 1200 they saw the wreckage in the water
about 8 miles west of Aguijan - or about 15 miles S.W.
of Tinian. They think they saw the wreckage immediately
after the accident & came over very low & circled the
area until the weather closed in & forced them leave -
but by that time shore boats & a "D.E." were over half
way out from Tinian & a PBM or PBY was making a rescue.
They saw 2 men in the water - the airplane was badly broken
up & indicated that it must have struck the water with
great force. There was hardly any wreckage at all on the
surface.
The
engineer and the radio operator were picked up - the engineer
was dead & the radio operator has not been out of the
hospital at Saipan yet - so nothing has been learned from
him yet.
It
is the opinion of the crew of the other B-29 that it was
miraculous that even one man survived the crash - considering
the force with which No.30 struck the water - & they believe
that if anyone else had survived the impact they would
have been picked up by the rescue craft. A miracle is
always possible; yes, but all of the possibilities that
we have tried to speculate upon, none appear to be possible
- considering the rescue craft which was so quickly on
the scene & the observation of the other B-29. The crew
of the other airplane told me they would have seen anyone
else in the water because they cam over so low - .
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