78-685             MACR 14970

 

On 19 August 1945 a B-24J, assigned to 10th Air Force, 7th Bomb Group, 492nd Bomb Squadron, Tezpur, India, departed the airfield on a gas haul flight to Kunming, China, through the Himalayan mountain range (the Hump). The crew was:

                                         Pilot                             1stLt John M. W. Stulz                        0-829332

                                         Co-Pilot                       2ndLt Charles G. Kleffen                    0-713302

                                         Navigator                    1stLt. Robert M. Lange                        0-724322

                                         Crew Chief                  SSgt Oden H. Nelson                          37322953

                                         Radio Operator            Sgt Carl F. Davis                                 16162053

The next-of-kin were listed:

                                         Stulz                 Harry J. Stulz, F, 158 Fairview Ave., Jersey City, NJ

                                         Lange               Edith M. Lange, S, 74 Allen St., Albany, NY

                                         Kleffen             Lydis E. Kleffen, M, 2730 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee, Wisc.
                                         Nelson             Hilda Nelson, M, Box 401, Baudette, Minn.

                                         Davis               Frances L. Davis, M, 8891 Botanical Ave., West Saint Louis, IL

 

STULZ, JOHN M. W., First Lieutenant, # 0-829332, USAAF

 

John M. Whiting Stulz was born on 25 August 1924 in New York, New York, to Harry Joseph Stulz (1893-1968) (Brooklyn, NY, NY) and Edna Mabel (Williams) Stulz (1895-1956) (NY, NY). Siblings were Harry Joseph Stulz Jr. (1922-1998) and Jocelyn (Stulz) Linnekin (1926-2008).

 

After enlisting, he completed flight instruction through advanced schools and was assigned to fly the B-24 Liberator. He was multi-engine rated and earned his commission and pilot wings. He was sent overseas to India. On 19 August 1945 a B-24J, assigned to 10th Air Force, 7th Bomb Group, 492nd Bomb Squadron, Tezpur, India, departed the airfield on a gas haul flight (B-24 used for cargo) to Kunming, China, through the Himalayan mountain range (the Hump). Transporting fuel aboard a B-24 was very dangerous. The highly flammable AVGAS sometimes detonated and destroyed the aircraft. This would explain why nothing of the B-24 was found. He is remembered on the tablets of the missing in the Manila American Cemetery & Memorial, Philippines. A memorial marker was placed in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia (M Sec. H, Site 108). He was awarded the Air Medal.

 

His father, born 23 July 1893, served in the U.S. Army, Private, # 1703303, during WWI from 22 September 1917 to 9 May 1919. He served overseas from 16 April 1918 to 25 April 1919. He was assigned to 306th Infantry Regiment, Co. L. He died 18 November 1968 and is buried in the Hackensack Cemetery, Hackensack, Bergen Co., New Jersey.

 

His brother, Harry J. Stulz Jr., born 8 June 1922, served in the U.S. Army from 14 March 1945 to 31 January 1946. He died 21 March 1998 and is buried with his wife, Georgia A. (Bruns) Stulz (1926-2009) in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia (Sec. 65, Graves 2394).