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MACR
# 14537
Reece Killpack Crew
29 May 1945
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C
O N F I D E
N T I A L
Flight Engineer to turn the aircraft back on to
the original course by reducing power on one side
and increase power on the other side caused the
airplane to dive. Approximately 100 miles off the
Japanese Coast the verbal order to bail out was
carried out. |
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b.
Radio Communications: After leaving the formation
the distressed aircraft was jumped
by 10 Japanese fighters. The call for help on VHF
was radioed to other B-29s in the vicinity. Five
attacks were made at the stricken aircraft by Tojos
in pairs. Two B-29s arrived to drive the fighters
off. Later the Radio Operator contacted a submarine
(Razor Back) which was approximately 30 miles off
the coast. He also contacted a buddy B-29 and gave
them their position. Two complete distress messages
were sent out by the Radio Operator. Prior to leaving
the aircraft the Radio Operator screwed down his
key. Repeated efforts were made by the Airplane
Commander to use channel C on VHF. |
c.
Preparation for Bail Out: After investigating
the circumstances the Airplane Commander
decided to bail out rather than fly off course.
He realized that they were flying away from briefed
Air Sea Rescue facilities and their chances of being
picked up were than much less. Proper bailing out
procedure was given out over the interphone by the
Airplane Commander. His orders were checked each
others equipment and see that every thing was in
proper order. The Tail Gunner had been wounded seriously
in the right arm and leg by flak. First aid was
administered and steps were taken to push him out
with a 20 foot rope tied to the rip-cord and structure
of the plane. In the meantime the bomb-bay doors
were opended in order to salvo rear fuel tank for
bail out. The tank did not release due to the fact
that it had caught in one corner and jammed. When
the vrebal order to bail out was given then men
in the rear were forced to go out through the rear
entrance door. The altitude of bail out was 12,000
feet. |
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d.
Bailing Out: The Tail Gunner was bailed
out first with the CFC Gunner following as
soon as possible in order to aid the Tail Gunner
in the water. The Right and Left Gunners followed.
The Radar Operator reported to the Airplane Commader
that he was the last man in the rear compartment
and ready to leave. In the front the Airplane Commander
ordered the Flight Engineer to go back and bail
out with the Navigator and Radio Operator. When
he reached the forward bomb-bay he discovered that
the Navigator and Radio Operator had already bailed
out. So the Bombardier was ordered to to bail out
with the Flight Engineer for the purpose of being
nearby in the water. The Flight Engineer told Bombardier
to release life rafts from the compartments before
going out. This would give them a chance to find
a raft, since the rafts would land between them
in the water. After the Flight Engineer bailed out
he noticed the life rafts popping out of the fuselage
inflated. (The Airplane Commander, Co-Pilot, Bombardier
and Radar Operator did not bail out as he watched
the airplane fly out of sight in straight and level
flight, (reasons unknown).) |
e.
Survival: The CFC Gunner made a very successful
landing. He did not release himself
from the harness of the parachute until he struck
the water, he immediately inflated his Mae West,
reached the parachute and unbuckled the one man
dinghy from the harness and inflated it with no
trouble. He estimated that within five minutes he
was in the one man dinghy. Likewise the Left Gunner
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C
O N F I D E
N T I A L
-2-
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C
O N F I D E
N T I A L
did not experience any trouble in landing, geting
out of parachute harness and inflating the Mae West
and one man dignhy. The Left Gunner in coming down
spotted three parachutes as they hit the water.
The Flight Engineer cleared his harness approximately
10-12 feet above the water. In doing so the one
man dinghy was lost and his Mae West was ripped
due to the lanyard of the dinghy being snapped to
the Mae West. He was able to inflate one section
of the Mae West only. |
f.
Rescue: Within fifteen minutes after the
Flight Engineer hit the water a Dumbo
was
spotted. Immediately he opened the sea-marker bag
on the Mae West which the airplane sighted immediately.
Within a short time two other Dumbos appeared and
circled the survivor. Numerous rafts were dropped
and finally he was able to get one, although the
swells were 10 to 12 feet high and the sea very
rough. He was picked up a submarine (USS Dragonet)
4 hours after he bailed out. The CFC Gunner remained
in the dinghy all of that day and all of that night
without spotting an airplane. At 0500k the next
morning an airplane was heard, and using an ordinary
flashlight to signal with he was sighted by the
Dumbo. A life raft was dropped to the survivor,
the Super Dumbo circled until 0800k, and then departed.
At 1600K two Dumbos appearted and circuled the survivor
for three hours. At 1900k he was rescued by the
same submarine (USS Dragonnet). The Left Gunner
remained in his dinghy all day and all night without
sighting an airplane. The next morning before daybreak
an airplane was spotted, and he immediately fired
three shots from his automatic psitol at the airplane.
The flashes from the pistol were seen by the Superdumbo.
The aircraft circled the survivor up to 0800K and
dropped a kit of emergency rations, then departed.
The next airplanes that were seen were the two Dumbos
that had spotted the CFC Gunner. Evidently these
two Dumbos circled the CFC and Left Gunner at the
same time. Later the USS Dragonet rescued the Left
Gunner. The CFC and Left Gunners had used sea-markers
to attracked the two Dumbo. At one time, after the
men had bailed out, a buddy B-29 observed a raft
with 3 occupants and one man trailing in the water
holding on to the raft; these men are still missing. |
8.
Suggestions and Criticisms by Survivors:
a: The Skipper of the submarine received by radio
the reciprocal heading of the bail out location
from a superdumbo. (This put the submarine off
50 miles in the wrong dirction).
b.
Aircrafts were not dispatched that same day to
search area for survivors after survivors had
bailed out. c. Recommend that morse code
be stenciled on or placed in the type C-2 one
man lift raft.
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| 8.
Comments and Recommenddations by Investigating
Committee: a: Recommend that Super Dumbo be dispatched
immediately to aid surface crafts in locating and
rescuing survivors. b. Also recommend that bomb-bay
doors be kept closed. There is a possible chance of
the doors jamming open when attempting is made to
jettison empty bomb-bay tanks in an emergency. |
BY COMMAND OF BRIGADIER GENERAL POWER: |
FLOYD COOLEY
Lt
Colonel, AGD
Adjutant
General
Distribution:
As indicated in Ltr, HQ
XXI BC, File 373 AIOPN, Subject:
"Distribution of the Narrative Ditching
Report", dated 8 April 1945. C
O N F I D E
N T I A L
-3-
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The
next page of the report simply lists the names, serial number
MACR number and note "Not a casualty" for:
Tilghman, George C.
Miller, Joseph P.
Dunn Fred N.
The
last two pages of the report list the men missing and their
next of kin. |
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