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.