43-4286

 

On 14 August 1944, a B-25H, # 43-4286, assigned to the 14th Air Force, 1st Bomb Group, 3rd Bomb Squadron, departed Dergaon Field, China, on a combat mission to Lashio-Dergaon, China, and was last seen when it departed. The crew was comprised of:

 

                                              Pilot                             Sub-Lt Ping-Chang Liu                        X830

                                              Navigator                    2ndLt Wu-Wei Hsich                           X278

                                              Engineer                      Sgt Shih-Fu Wang                                X2177

                                              Radio Operator            Sgt Chen-Si Li                                      X1394

                                              Armorer                       Sgt Chen-Fang Yuan                           X2114

                                              (All were Chinese Air Force and the enlisted men were also gunners)

 

Lt. Liu departed Dergaon field, flying wingman of Capt. Seacrest, in B-25H, 43-4114, at 1505 hours on a mission to Lashio. His target was a highway bridge on the Burma Road four miles northwest of Lashio. No position reports were received from either.

 

Air Transport Command, 20th Tactical Recon. Squadron and 10th Combat Cargo Command were notified and are searching the area from Dergaon to Myitkyin and ground troops are searching from Myitkyin to Lashio. Major Hedrick is in charge at APO 629.

43-4287

 

On 11 August 1944, B-25H, # 43-4287, assigned to 10th Air Force, 341st Bomb Group, 490th Bomb Squadron, departed the air field at APO 433, India, on a high -altitude mission to bomb Kadu, Burma. The crew was comprised of:

                                     Pilot                             1stLt Howard M. Erickson                              0-813876

                                     Co-Pilot/Navigator     2ndLt Robert J. Lundin                                   0-753380

                                     Engineer                      SSgt James W. Clayton                                    38306712

                                     Radio Operator            Sgt John W. Pomphrey                                    11116267

                                     Armorer                       SSgt Louis J. Corradino                                    31030249

                                    (Enlisted men were also gunners)

It was last seen by 1stLt Ike C. Hart, 0-742319, 1stLt Joseph Gagliano, 0-744979, and Sgt Edward C. Kunz, 37484311. Sgt. Kunz reported: He was gunner on the lead B-25H when he saw the B-25 crossing over the top of us and then heading down at an angle. It looked as though the right engine was feathered. The B-25 went into the overcast and he lost sight of him.

 

1stLt Joseph Gagliaon reported: He was navigator on the # 2 ship, 3 ship formation. The pilot was flying IFR (instruments). Lt. Erickson was # 3 in formation. At about 1330 hours, in the vicinity of the Chindwin River, Lt. Erickson left the formation and flew over the lead ship then headed south and was losing altitude rapidly.