Part 2: THE WAR YEARS
CHAPTER 9 – Randy Joins the Army Air Corps
World War II seemed to be coming whether people wanted it or not. President Roosevelt proclaimed a limited emergency in September, 1939 as a response to Germany invading Poland. This authorized increasing the size of the Regular Army and National Guard. Congress also permitted sales of munitions to France and England. In September of 1939 Britain and France declared war on Germany. It is unclear if Randy thought he might as well join up right away and get a head start on training since it seemed he’d eventually be called anyway, or if there was some other motivation. No one has suggested the existence of any difficulty at home or a personal issue that might have motivated him to join when he did. There was a 1936 Indiana University information booklet about university life found among the records, indicating that Randy might have considered attending IU. But by joining the Army early he had some choices he might not have had just a few months later. Randy enlisted about three weeks before the draft was enacted.
It’s also unclear why Randy selected the Army Air Corp as his branch of service, except for the opportunity to fly. It was known that the Flying Sergeant Pilot had been an option in earlier times and might again be an opportunity if things worked out and Congress allowed that option. For those who could pass the mental and physical tests, without having college training the Flying Sergeant program was the only possibility when he joined. Most pilot programs required at least some college experience. Randy had gone with a friend to Chanute Air Force Base to look at some planes and talk to the Army about joining. Both of them had taken a few flying lessons in Vincennes, Indiana, but did not have much experience flying prior to Randy entering the service.
O’Neal Field was located in Vincennes from 1923 until 1926, when it moved just across the Wabash River to Illinois. It was a place the curious and adventurous could get some very basic flight training. The school eventually joined Vincennes University and continued to serve as a student flight training center until the university moved the flight training program to the International Airport in Indianapolis. Vincennes University is one of the oldest universities in the nation, having been founded in 1801. Randy’s two brothers, Jim and Bob, both had significant flight experience during and after the war in civilian settings around Princeton and Evansville in Indiana.
It was generally thought that enlisted men were not capable of flying—simply not smart enough. Obviously, the standard that was set was not intelligence but whether a person had been to, or graduated from, college. At best, the college experience supported some evidence of basic intelligence, but to say that those who had been to college were more capable of learning to fly than those who hadn’t was a stretch.
The enlisted – Sergeant Pilots – endured much hazing, discrimination and similar obstacles to becoming a pilot, in addition to the strenuous and vigorous mental and physical demands of learning to fly. The Sergeant Pilot program was done, not out of the sense of giving others an opportunity, but an urgent sense of need. There were just not enough “college trained” personnel ready, willing and able to learn to fly. Not everyone who was qualified to fly wanted to be a pilot. But some who were “not qualified” as determined by college credits did want to fly and the “Flying Sergeant” program provided them that opportunity. After the “college credits” requirement was eliminated and replaced by a specific score on a qualifying exam, the number of pilots being trained increased.
Specific numbers vary from source to source, but here are some general numbers pertaining to the human cost of World War II:
Total personnel served in U.S. Armed Forces: 16 million
Army Air Corps
1932—14,650
men, 1,646 aircraft
1936—16,863 men, 855 aircraft
1941—152,125 men, 6,777 aircraft
Total U.S. military deaths: 425,000
Total U.S. wounded: 700,000
Total U.S. missing: 78,000 (2005)
Total World War II deaths (men, women and children): 75 million
Total World War II military deaths (all warring nations): 17 million
Total U.S. military personnel killed in Australia (1942-1945): 19,000
Total Hoosiers serving during World War II: 400,000
Total Hoosiers killed in World War II: 11,680
Total Hoosiers wounded: 17,000
Total Gibson County: 66
Total Center Township: 6
Many families had more than one son (or daughter) in service during World War II at the same time. And then there was Esther McCabe from Pennsylvania. She had 11 sons in WWII, and they all made it home. Many families lost more than one member to the war.
On September 1st, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. On September 3rd, Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. At that time less than 10 percent of Americans were “interventionists.” The remainder wanted nothing to do with a foreign war. Roosevelt knew that sentiment very well and on September 5th stated that the U.S.A. would remain neutral. But it seems probable that many knew it was likely the U.S. would eventually become involved. On another front in late 1940, the U.S. refused to renew their trade agreement with Japan, which had been in effect for 30 years. Things were not looking good for the future of peace in the world.
World War II was the largest and most violent armed conflict in the history of mankind. However, the more than half century that now separates us from that conflict has exacted its toll on our collective knowledge. While World War II continues to absorb the interest of military scholars and historians, as well as its veterans, a generation of Americans has grown to maturity largely unaware of how the political, social and military fabric came apart and the implications of a war that, more than any other event in our history, united us as a people with a common purpose. World War II was waged on land, on sea, and in the air over several diverse theaters of operations for approximately six years. It was waged in this country by virtually every American family, whether in one of the armed services; working in a factory making planes, ships or guns; working on a farm; or just doing their part by rationing – from December 7, 1941 until late summer, 1945.
A telling example of the citizen commitment to the war could be found in North Platte , Nebraska. It’s a great story of how eventually most of the town became involved in a program to greet and feed every serviceman on every troop train that came through town, and they did that for the duration of World War II.
William Randall Crecelius - #0-888625 (2nd Lt) #15059246 (S/Sgt Pilot)
(What follows is a basic timeline detailing the documentation available about Randy’s service from the time he enlisted until his death just over three years later. I have also interspersed his1943 timeline with a few activities going on simultaneously back in Indiana. I am aware of the 16-hour time/date difference but have not made any attempt to adjust any dates to reflect that difference in the world positions of Randy’s location and Indiana.)
9/26/40 Randy enlisted in Army - Evansville, Indiana at age of 21 years, 10 months. Blue eyes, brown hair, ruddy complexion, 5’11” tall
10/16/40 Draft started
CHAPTER 10 – 1941
March, 41 Curtis Field Air Corps Training started.
6/3/41 Legislation was passed giving enlisted flying students the title of “Aviation Students” (the normal classification was “Cadets,” which is a term identifying a military student). The legislation also provided for a $10,000 government life insurance policy for each student undergoing training.
Notifications about the enlisted pilot options were sent to all base locations. It is reasonable to assume that this was the notice that Randy saw that first started him on the path to becoming a pilot in the United States Army Air Corps. There were a couple of other stipulations that the “Aviation Students” had to agree... 1) each graduate from the program would be a Sergeant Pilot, not a commissioned officer, and 2) they could not marry for three years after graduation. Whether a “Cadet” or “Aviation Student,” the training was identical and completed at the same time.
The enlisted pilot’s legacy dates back to 1912 when U.S. Army Corporal Vernon Burge, an airplane mechanic, was accepted into flight training. The enlisted aviator program really took off in 1941 when Congress authorized the enlisted pilot training program to meet World War II pilot production requirements. By late 1942, when the program ended 2,576 enlisted men are known to have earned their wings, flying virtually all types of Army Air Forces aircraft, according to a National Museum of the U.S. Air Force fact sheet.
Other contacts have said they saw notices on bulletin boards about signing up for the Flying Sergeant program if interested. If you were a high school graduate, 18 years of age and could pass the physical, then you could apply for pilot training in the program. A few enlisted pilots had been used in combat situations in World War II, but only in the Navy and Marines.
At the start of WWII there were not enough college graduates or recruits with two years of college to meet pilot requirements. Although it was not intended that sergeant pilots would ever be placed in command over an officer, it happened frequently. Sergeant Pilot candidates had to have a high school diploma and rate in the top 50 percent of the class, with at least 1.5 credits in math, and be between the ages of 18 and 22. I am not sure how the 22-year age limit did not keep Randy from participating in the program, but they must have made some exceptions along the way.
Despite discrimination from some officers, 2,576 enlisted men are known to have graduated as sergeant pilots. Although most were elevated to the new rank of flight officer with officer privileges (Randy became a Flight Officer 12/20/42) or to second lieutenant (Randy was promoted to 2nd Lt. on 9/28/43) before assignment to a combat unit. Over 300 pilots departed the U.S. while still sergeants. Over 200 of them flew combat missions overseas as sergeants. Randy was not one of those 200.
In late ’42 the Flight Officer grade was installed, effectively eliminating the Sergeant Pilot grade. It was considered a lower grade than 2nd lieutenant and sometimes indicated the bottom 1/3 of the flight class. In the case of Randy, the F/O status was a promotion since he started out as a sergeant pilot.
6/6/41 Randy completed Radio Operators-Mechanics Course at Barksdale, Shreveport, Louisiana.
Aug. 1941 First class of “Aviation Students” started training.
Nov.-Dec. 41 Randy in Pre-Flight training at Kelly Field, San Antonio, Texas
Initial tests were given to determine if a cadet would be a pilot, navigator or bombardier. Pilots who made virtually any mistake during training “washed out” and became one of the other two classifications. Pilot training was fiercely competitive and even more grueling for those in the Sergeant Pilot program who had to deal with the discrimination from the regular cadets who had the requisite college credits and background. Preflight did not include planes, just classwork and physical training.
Before the war, flight training lasted about nine months. It was eventually reduced to 9 weeks for each segment – Primary, Basic and Advanced. Primary training used PT-17, PT-19, PT-22 and PT-23 aircraft. Basic used mainly BT-9, BT-13, BT-14 and BT-15 aircraft. Advanced training aircraft was the AT-6 for fighter pilots and the AT-9 and AT-10, AT-11and AT-17 for multi-engine training. Stearman, Ryan and Fairchild trainers were also used.
Primary flight training required 65 flying hours.
Basic flight training required 75 flying hours and added night flying, instruments, formations, cross country and radios. Advanced flight training required 75 flying hours and continued skills learned in Basic with more specialization toward single engine or multi-engine aircraft.
11/21/41 Randy received telegram at home canceling furlough to join flying school.
11/24/41 Randy Army ticket by train from Shreveport, Louisiana, to San Antonio, Texas.
12/7/41 Pearl Harbor attacked. Within the next few days, Germany declared war on the U.S.
12/15/41 Randy orders for “Elementary Flying School” Cuero, Texas.
12/19/41 Randy Primary flight training – Brayton Flying School
Randy started flight training exactly two years to the day before his fatal crash. Stearman, PT-13s, PT-17s, PT-19s.
CHAPTER 11 – 1942
For every one person selected for “Primary” flight training, three were rejected. The odds were not in Randy’s favor. About half of those who entered the Primary training program were dropped before the end of the program. Most of the aviation students were younger than the cadets. Randy likely had a slight advantage since he was probably older than most of his contemporaries. He had just turned 23 when entering Primary. Most of his classmates were in their late teens or very early twenties.
Those who continued knew what type of odds they had overcome. And they had to continue to deal with the discrimination they faced as “aviation students.” However, most ground crews, being enlisted men themselves, were vigorous supporters of the aviation students. The best seat and back cushions were always found by the ground crew for aviation students, as was the obvious support of the ground crew on takeoffs and landings. Teamwork between the ground crews and these students continued in many ways, each helping the other to survive on the fringes of what might otherwise be expected.
Pistol (.45) training was done during this time. The sidearm and two Thompson submachine guns were the only weapons on C-47 Transport planes.
2/23/42 Basic Flight Training, Curtis Field, 10 weeks.
3/31/42 Randy received check for $173.70 – expenses $97.40 – balance due Randy $76.30.
4/26/42 Randy completed Basic Flight Training at Curtis Field – Advanced Training next. 42-F book says Randy assigned to “Barksdale Field, California.” (Barksdale was in Shreveport, Louisiana, not California.)
4/3/42 22nd Transport Squadron activated.
4/27/42 Advanced Flight training at Ellington Field, Houston, Texas.
7/3/42 About 30% of Advanced Pilot Training students were washed out. AT-6 was first trainer with retractable gear. Landing with gear up was an automatic “wash out.”
4/29/42 Randy received check for $145.25 – Expenses $64.50 – balance due Randy $80.75.
5/8/42 Battle of the Coral Sea—The first naval battle in history where the opposing ships never saw one another. It was basically a draw, but a few weeks later in June the Americans won the Battle of Midway.
May- Advanced Twin-Engine training (42-F) Ellington Field,
June/42 Houston, Texas. AT-9 & AT-17 airplanes. Ellington Field was an old World War I field that was rebuilt in 1940 to be one of the most modern flying schools in the world. It contained runways capable of handling the largest planes, including all bombers.
6/23/42 Randy received War Department order assigning Staff Sergeant Pilot status.
6/24/42 Promoted from Aviation Student to Staff Sgt Pilot, Randolph Field, Texas
6/26/42 Assigned to 10th TCG, General Mitchell Field, Cudahy (Fond du Lac) Wisconsin.
7/3/42 Received Pilot Wings & promoted to grade of S/Sgt. Pilot
Randy graduated (total of 56 pilots) from Advanced training, Ellington Field, Texas—42-F.
By the end of 1942, about 2,500 Sergeant Pilots had been produced. Classes were designated for a particular branch of the Air Corps. Almost all of the class of 42-F were used, along with some other classes, to bring the transport groups up to full strength.
It is unclear if Randy sought twin engine planes and actually worked to get in Troop Carriers with the C-47. This was a typical assignment of the “Flying Sergeant,” which is how Randy got into the program. The Troop Carriers, along with the C-47, were probably his only option and he was surely not in any position to be selective.
Randy had a 10-day furlough at home after getting Wings and receiving transfer to Mitchell Field, Wisconsin. He was also sent to Kellogg Field, Battle Creek , Michigan for transition and checkout of C-47.
7/5/42 22nd Transport re-designated 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron and based at Essendon Airdrome, Melbourne, Australia.
7/9/42 Received “congratulations” telegram from Crecelius family.
7/13/42 Sent to 10th Transport Group, 52nd TCS, at Billy Mitchell Field, Cundahy (Milwaukee), Wisconsin for 2-3 weeks. Then sent to Kellogg Field in Battle Creek, Michigan, for transition training on C-47s. There is no evidence that Randy ever pulled gliders.
8/1/42 From Kellogg Field transferred to 63rd TCG at Selfridge Field in Mount Clemmens, Michigan.
9/1/42 Selfridge Field, Michigan—I - S/Sgt Pilot – Randy receipt for $85.00.
9/10/42 Randy and 63TCG transferred to Alamo Field, San Antonio, Texas.
On the way to Alamo Field, Randy landed a C-47 at the Evansville airport. Maude, Henry, Bob and Doris were on hand to greet him at the airport. Jim stayed on the farm and, along with the Dyers and some other neighbors, saw Randy circle the farm a couple of times, he flew over Francisco, then Princeton and then headed to Evansville.
By all accounts it was a very big day in the Crecelius family since they had never actually seen him fly a plane. And to be on hand when he landed in, what must have appeared to Henry and Maude anyway, as an enormous plane, with a crew under his command. One can only imagine the enthusiasm and excitement his father and mother had that day as they greeted him.
Details are unclear, but it would appear that the rest of the crew would have continued the flight to Alamo Field and that Randy would have joined them later after his brief furlough at the Crecelius farm near Princeton. This was to be his last trip to Indiana and the home place.
10/1/42 Received .45 caliber pistol at Dodd Field – 52nd TCS
10/11/42 22nd TCS moved to Garbutt Field, Townsville, Australia. This is the location Randy would be flying from on December 19, 1943.
10/13/42 Alamo Field, Texas – clothing/supplies receipt – 52nd TCS
10/14/42 Received Certificate for instrument flying.
10/18/42 63TCG – Memo provides “Pilot” instructions.
11/12/42 374th Troop Carrier Group activated in Australia. 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron now part of 374th TCG.
12/20/42 Promoted to Flight Officer, Victorville, California (now George Air Force Base). Randy was one of nine pilots on planes moving personnel from Stuttgart Air Base in Arkansas to Victorville.
Dec ’42 Victorville Army Air Base, California
Received information on purchasing National Service Life Insurance.
CHAPTER 12—1943
By early 1943, the U.S. was turning out 50,000 planes a year. But there was a real shortage of pilots to fly them.
1/2/43 Crecelius family received letter from Randy saying he was now a Flight Officer.
1/24/43 22nd TCS moved to Port Moresby, New Guinea.
1/31/43 Family received telegram from Randy.
2/5/43 Maude, Jim and Bob attended Junior class play “You Are in the Army Now” at Francisco High School.
2/43 374th TCG operated from Port Moresby.
During late ’42 there were some 400 take-offs between dawn and sundown most days. They started about 4 a.m. each day, or first light, and ran until dusk. Very little flying was done at night due to no lights for landing and the dangerous terrain. There was also no weather forecasting. It was impossible to find weather problems at night as the weather changed suddenly. And by the time you saw the change, it was too late. Also, no fighter cover could be used. Pilots, however, flew in all kinds of weather, often without adequate maps.
Sometimes “volunteers” would fly when conditions were bad enough to formally cancel flights. At least during the day you could see some distance. At night was when repairs were made and refueling and loading was done for the next day’s shipments. The 374th started being equipped with C-47s about this time.
2/11/43 Victorville, California – 63rd TCG
2/14/43 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron moved to New Guinea—Ward’s Drome (airfield)
2/19/43 Henry took Doris to train station for trip to Utah to visit her husband, James L. McDevitt, who was also in the Army Air Corps and would in 1945 become a pilot and commissioned a 2nd lieutenant.
2/23/43 Henry went to Francisco to register for ration books.
2/26/43 54th TCW constituted.
Through July ’43, the 374th moved personnel & supplies in three major areas:
1) To Dobodura, where a large base was being constructed and the gains of the Buna-Gona campaign were being consolidated.
2) To Wau and Bulolo, where Allies were advancing on Lae and Salamaua had their rear bases.
3) To the patrols skirting Lae and Salamaua supply drops.
3/1/43 Randy’s Officer’s Quarters statement—$3.45–Victorville, California
3/9/43 Doris returned from Utah trip.
3/10/43 Maude, Jim and Bob went to Senior class play at Francisco High School.
3/13/43 54th TCW activated in Australia and assigned to 5th Air Force. Engaged in transport operations until the end of World War II.
3/26/43 Doris took a short-term job in Evansville.
3/29/43 52nd TCS—Shipping ticket (Victorville) for supplies–many items, including tent, first aid, pistol.
52nd had been meeting quotas for pilots by assigning one or two at a time for duty in the South Pacific. Several pilots decided to go together and Randy was one of seventeen who ended up on a list to go as a group. Harold Eliot, one of Randy’s best friends, was another.
New Guinea was said to be possibly the worst place on earth to fight a war. There were a lot of reasons for this, but on top of it all, no other place had cannibals… who ate their enemies as well as some of their own. “Dom” was the language used by the natives in New Guinea.
The value in the battle for New Guinea was not in New Guinea, but its protection of Australia. Darwin, Australia, was first attacked in early 1942 and Australia was attacked many other times through the end of 1943. New Guinea served as a buffer for protecting Australia.
4/4/43 Randy attended Chapel Services at Hamilton Field, California.
4/6/43 Henry went to Princeton to pick up some of Randy’s things. Randy was shipping back to Princeton items he would not be taking to his overseas assignment.
4/8/43 Family received letter from Randy.
4/10/43 Jim and Bob made trip to Princeton to get another shipment of Randy’s “barrack bags.”
4/14/43 Received orders to leave Victorville Army Flying School, Victorville, California–departed U.S.A.
Baer Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana – processed crews and planes for overseas duty – B-26, C-46, C-47. Long-range tanks were installed. The size depended on the distance – two-100 gallon tanks for England; four-100 gallon tanks for Africa; eight-100 gallon tanks for the Pacific. Extra oil was put in a 50-gallon drum with a hose to each engine through the wing. When the oil got low, more oil would be hand-pumped into the engine’s oil tank. The flight to New Guinea from California was about 7,000 miles and took about 54 hours of flying time for an average of about 130 miles per hour.
Some pilots flew planes from one of several California bases. Some were transported by other means. Randy was transported by an LB-30 (B-24 converted to transport) or at least the major portion of the trip by that plane. Not sure what type of transportation was taken for each leg, but here is the sequence I have: Hawaii, normally about 14 hours and 2,500 miles, Johnson Island, Christmas Island, New Caledonia, Brisbane, Townsville, Port Moresby.
Some routes were: Hawaii, Christmas Island, Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, Brisbane, Townsville and Port Moresby. Others flew Hawaii, Christmas Island, Canton Island, Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, Brisbane, Townsville 700 miles over water to Port Moresby.
The slow speed (C-47 flights) was to conserve fuel until they had done enough calculations to make sure they had enough fuel to complete the distance. When they had confirmed they had a sufficient fuel supply, then they could increase fuel usage and speed appropriately.
Randy flight locations in New Guinea and Australia
(This link to all WWII Australia airfields)
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/australia/index.html
(This link to all WWII New Guinea airfields)
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/png/index.html
Australia Airfields:
Townsville – Garbutt Field
Brisbane – Archerfield
Amberly
Fall River
Cairns
Darwin
Eagle Farm
Hughes
Mackay
Mascot
Rockhampton
New Guinea Airfields:
Kila Kila – 3 Mile
Wards – 5 Mile
(The living area was between the Wards and Jackson strips)
Jackson – 7 Mile
Schwimmer – 14 Mile
Rogers – 30 Mile
Airfields around Port Moresby were referred to by mile markers: three-, five- and seven-mile, etc. All strips ran parallel to the coast and mile markers referred to the distances from the coast.
Pulpit
Nadzab
Bulolo
Wau
Kokoda
Dobodura
Hood Point
Goodenough Island
Bena Bena
Selebob
Guadagasal
Garoka
Bona Bona Island
4/18/43 Maude and Doris attended to baccalaureate services at Francisco High School.
4/20/43 Randy arrived in Port Moresby, New Guinea, as a replacement pilot. He traveled this last leg by a Short Sutherland Flying Boat, a British-made plane.
Randy was assigned to the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron at Wards Strip. By March of 1943 about 300 planes were operating from Wards. New Guinea flights were normally in groups of nine or 12 aircraft, with top and close cover fighters for protection. The normal ceiling fully loaded in New Guinea was less than 10,000 feet. Sometimes fighter protection was just over a particular landing site and the transports traveled to and from as an individual plane. The flight arrangements depended on the situation at that time and that location.
In the early days in New Guinea, it was not uncommon for everyone to carry everything with them during flights. The situation was fluid enough that a field you controlled when you left that morning might not be yours later in the day, and you might end up landing someplace else. Pistols (.45 caliber) were kept loaded. If you had to land, the choices of being captured by the Japanese or the headhunters were not good. The .45 might be the best option.
Some landing strips/fields had Japanese controlling one end of the strip and the Allies holding the other end. Pilots would try to go across the middle of the strip to see who controlled which end. Then let down to roll toward the end your side controlled. Due to the terrain, most considered it an improvement to be able to ditch in the ocean rather than in the jungles of New Guinea.
Port Moresby – 5 Mile (Wards Strip) had Troop Carriers. The 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron was based here starting in February of 1943. 7 Mile (Jackson) was the main Port Moresby airstrip. Each mile marker was the approximate distance from the coast, and each strip ran basically parallel to the coastline.
Flights to Port Moresby from Australia had to do special identifications to not get shot at by the Port Moresby defenses. Once on the ground they would follow a vehicle to a specific location where they would be loaded with whatever they were taking back out to Australia. The three main types of cargo to take back to Australia were R&R passengers, wounded personnel and parts for repair. Troop Carriers almost always carried stretchers. Regardless of what they hauled in, they almost always hauled wounded out.
Most Troop Carrier Squadrons contained 13 planes, with 4 squadrons per Group. At the time Randy arrived in New Guinea, aircraft and crews stayed pretty well intact. For each squadron there was approximately another 50 ground support personnel. The 374th Troop Carrier Squadrons were 22nd (Randy), 33rd, 21st and 6th.
See Imparato’s book “374th Troop Carrier Group” showing “Hoosier Traveler” inside the front cover and Randy’s picture on page 63. I was in communications with Col. Imparato while he was about finished writing the book. He said if I could get him a picture of Randy within the next couple of days, he would put it in the book. I grabbed the first picture I could find and mailed it to him, and he put it in the book. He already had the picture of the Hoosier Traveler before my contacting him. I have not been able to locate the source picture of “Hoosier Traveler” due to Imparato’s death in 2000.
The concept of nose art – “Hoosier Traveler” was spelled with two “l”s in some places due to differences in the U.S. and U.K. versions of English. The “29” on the side of the plane was a “field number” used for quick identification, probably helped coordinate loading, unloading and tower communications.
Troop Carriers dropped blood plasma and machine gun barrels before the Iwo Jima landing. C-47s were sometimes equipped to spray mosquitoes and flies on the islands. Gen Joe Stilwell said “C-47 Troop Carriers fly even when birds walk.” There were 821 C-47s that took part in D-Day. C-47s went by many names, some good, some bad… “Forty-and-Eight”—the titles and symbols of the Forty & Eight reflect its First World War origins. Americans were transported to the battle front on French trains in boxcars (very small) stenciled with a “40/8,” denoting its capacity to hold either 40 men or eight horses. “40/8” was a lighthearted moniker for the C-47. Other nicknames over time included Biscuit Bomber (for supplies), Gooney Bird, Skytrooper and many more.
The campaign on New Guinea is all but forgotten except by those who served there. The Pacific war was never as important to most of the allies as Europe. Yet Allied operations in New Guinea were essential to the U.S. Navy’s drive across the Central Pacific and to the U.S. Army’s liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation. The Allied advance along the northern New Guinea coastline toward the Philippines forced the Japanese to divert ships, planes, and men who might otherwise have reinforced their Central Pacific front. And it took quite some time for the Navy to regroup after Pearl Harbor. It was probably late ‘42 before the tide started turning toward the U.S. Navy.
New Guinea is the second-largest island in the world behind Greenland. Its north coastline extends close to 1,600 miles. A major mountain range cuts across the island’s center and makes passage overland through the mountainous jungle by large units nearly impossible. The part around the Port Moresby area is wet from January to April, but otherwise dry. On the other side of the mountains, where most of the ground fighting occurred, rainfall runs as high as 300 inches per year. As one veteran recalled, “It rains daily for nine months, and then the monsoon starts.”
In January of 1943 the Allied and the Japanese forces facing each other on New Guinea were tired. The allies had removed the Japanese from Papua, New Guinea, after three months of battles.
General Douglas MacArthur, the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) commander, had his airstrip and staging base at Buna on the north coast. It came at a very high price for both sides. About 13,000 Japanese troops died along with 8,500 allies, almost 6,000 of them Australians. Some 30,000 cases of malaria were reported, mainly because of shortages of medical supplies. To block the Allied counter-offensives on New Guinea and in the Solomon Islands, Tokyo dispatched thousands of reinforcements. Despite their defeat at Buna and the heavy losses in the continuing struggle for Guadalcanal, in January of 1943 Japan still held most of the strength in the Southwest Pacific.
The Owen Stanley Range goes up to 14,000 feet. Aircraft were normally required to fly between the mountains rather than over them. Visibility was normally good for only a few hours since clouds often hid the mountains. It is likely that as many (maybe more) C-47s were lost to the mountains hidden in the clouds as to enemy action. And if you survived the initial crash, the jungle was the biggest problem of all. The jungle would normally cover a downed plane within three or four days, eliminating it from being found by search planes. To this day, they’re still finding planes in New Guinea.
This mountain range is where the term “Flying the Hump” originated, made much more famous later a world away from New Guinea.
This was the situation on the ground when Randy arrived in New Guinea. His missions included supply and paratroop drops into areas that were inaccessible by land.
4/21/43 Maude and Bob went to Princeton to get a bag Randy had sent home. It would have been shipped on or before 4/14. Doris received a censored letter from her husband, Jim McDevitt.
4/23/43 Family received letter from Randy that had been written on April 13, the day before he left the U.S.
4/24/43 Henry worked on Bond Drive.
4/30/43 Bob went to Princeton for cablegram from Randy.
6/3/43 Family received two letters from Randy.
6/15/43 Family received V-mail from Randy written 5/27.
6/22/43 Randy 4 Flt (3.4) Wards – Dobodura (38 planes hauled almost 750K pounds to Dobo on one day – record).
7/2/43 Randy received Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster (50 missions); received DFC for flights 4/27 to 5/29/43, per news article. DFC was awarded for 50 combat missions – an Air Medal for the next 25 combat missions. The next 50 earned a DFC and so on.
7/9/43 Family sent camera to Randy.
7/19/43 Family received news of Randy’s “award.”
7/21/43 Randy received Air Medal for operational missions from 5/29/43 to 6/24/43.
9/5/43 First paratroop combat mission staged in Southwest Pacific; 96 Troop Carriers with 1,500 men landed in Nadzab. Others, including Randy, started landing the next day. First 20 days of September, 2,000 planeloads landed. Nadzap eventually became largest air base in Southwest Pacific area. Transports landed at a rate of about one per minute. The C-47s were unloaded within just a few minutes and were back in the air.
9/28/43 Randy commissioned 2nd lieutenant.
10/1/43 374th Troop Carrier Group transferred to Australia. 22nd TCS moved to Garbutt Field, Townsville. Flight time increased. During October, November and December of ’43, the four Troop Carrier Squadrons of the 374th group were keeping an average of 55 planes flying daily. The group dispatched three leave planes per day from the U.S. rest center at MacKay to Port Moresby.
10/1/43 Received Instrument Flying certification; received earlier certificate on 10/14/42.
10/22/43 Maude and Henry hosted more than 100 people for a wiener roast at their farm. It was not unusual for them to have anywhere from 10 to 20 visitors on a Sunday afternoon at their home.
12/3/43 Henry took Doris to train for a trip to Massachusetts to visit her husband, Jim McDevitt.
12/7/43 Maude baked Henry a birthday cake. Henry was 49 years old.
12/11/43 Maude mailed a new writing pen to Randy.
CHAPTER 13 – December 19, 1943
12/22/43 Maude’s diary entry for 12/22/43
“Telegram from War Department came about 5:00P.M.”
For its own personnel, the 374th Troop Carrier Group normally sent one leave plane each week to Sydney for R & R and a returning plane bringing people and supplies back to Townsville. These flights made stops along the way both going and coming. Starting in December of 1943, two leaves planes were dispatched weekly to Sydney carrying 374th leave personnel. All indications are that this was the flight Randy was on when his plane exploded and crashed before getting to Rockhampton.
The plane being loaded that morning had flown in late the night before and had some unknown work done on it during the night. The plane was U.S. Army C-47-A-DL, 43-30742 VH-CHR (Civil Registry Tail Markings) delivered to the 5th AAF on November 28 , 1943. It was a part of the Allied Directorate of Air Transportation (ADAT) fleet.
After testing and servicing it was ferried across the Pacific to Australia and then to New Guinea. On November 30 it was assigned to the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron. The plane, with less than 200 hours, left New Guinea on December 18th to ferry military personnel between airfields, including as far south as Sydney. After remaining on the ground in Townsville during the night, it left Garbutt Airport in Townsville for Rockhampton and Brisbane and points south at 7:11a.m. the next day, December 19, 1943. For all practical purposes, it was a new plane, just delivered to the Army Air Corps on October 7, 1943. I doubt that Randy had ever flown a plane this new during any of his training or time in New Guinea or Australia.
The passengers, 17 Americans and 10 Australians, were being transferred or were going on R&R. Being just before Christmas, it would seem most would have been in a very good mood. They would be traveling on what many say is the safest plane ever built, and a new one at that. It would be a great trip. Evidently at least one was planning to get married over the Christmas vacation, and others were making their final trip home from the war.
Just north of Rockhampton, almost within sight of the town, the left engine burst into flames. I am not sure about the setup of any on-board fire extinguishers but they evidently did not execute and Randy tried to land on an open area at Canal Creek rather than try to get to the airport. The left fuel tank exploded before they could land, tearing off the wing. The military wording was that the “plane crashed “Disintegrated” about 9:15 a.m. 36 miles north of Rockhampton at Ross Moya Rd, Canal Creek area.” (Link to police report.)
A number of enemy agents were rumored to be working the MacKay and Rockhampton districts and a bomb having been placed on the plane was seriously considered. In the end, sabotage doesn’t seem like a viable answer as to why the plane crashed and was not seriously considered. A contact on a following plane turned back due to a thunderstorm, but accounts of the crash from eyewitnesses do not put a thunderstorm at the crash site at that time.
The three flights would have been about an hour apart, and the weather conditions could have changed significantly between those times. They would not have been in any type of formation and each plan flew under completely different and individual flight plans. Whatever the weather, they had made it through to a time of fairly high clouds and a little mist, but no serious threatening weather. Most weather fronts in that area were narrow and could easily be avoided. Weather does not seem like a major issue after all is taken into consideration.
Ceiling was given as 1,000 feet and visibility as six miles. We will never know for sure what happened to cause them to try an emergency landing. It’s still confusing after all these years.
Wartime crash information in Australia was censored, so no information was made available in Australia except about the next of kin. Ambulances removed the bodies by mid-afternoon. Mr. Frank Rumpf (see pictures) took the pictures after the military had left with the bodies and personal effects. It was two days later before they found one of the nurses, who evidently fell from the plane when the right wing broke off just prior to the crash.
The U.S. investigators continued to investigate the site for three additional weeks. Hillman Motors, scrap merchants, bought the salvage rights to the wrecked plane.
http://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes/qld56.htm
-- 4 Crew (list)
-- 27 Passengers (list)
-- 17 U.S. Army, 6 AU Army, 2 RAF airmen, 1 YMCA Officer, 1 Salvation Army Officer
Aircraft departed Townsville at 7:10 a.m. for Rockhampton. Time of crash was about 9:15 a.m. Details in Bob Kelly investigation -- 1994. Randy’s flight was the first of three heading that direction that day. These were routine flights and were normally spaced 20 minutes apart in this area. Formations for flying were not used unless enemy contact was expected.
Additional details from the War Department’s “Report of Aircraft Accident” summary, completed 1/7/44 and received by HG AAF on 1/24/44. Time of crash estimated to be 8:50 a.m. “It is estimated that the plane was at about 3,000-4,000 feet altitude, and possibly letting down through the overcast for a landing at Rockhampton when the engine caught fire. From examination of the wreckage and from statement by Mr. Gale, Australian civilian, it was determined that this airplane crashed because of mechanical failure. A heavy Coating of oil was found on the left engine nacelle, which indicated that the fire probably was caused by an oil leak. The left gas tank exploded, blowing off the left wing, which in turn must have knocked off the vertical stabilizer, rudder, and left elevator. Parts of the plane were scattered over an area of 100 yards radius around the [unclear] where the engine, cockpit and [unclear] Airplane was burning and went into a spin, exploding about 100 feet from the ground. Ship burst into flames when it hit the ground.”
(Accident report)
Part of the fuselage struck the ground. Plane was listed as “complete wreck—beyond salvage. No recommendations offered. This was a 43-300 series airplane and this organization has had considerable trouble with this airplane during the short time we have had them.”
Weather at time of accident (9:00 local time) Cel 1000 ft, vis 6 miles, light drizzle. There are significant contradictions in what the weather conditions might have been that day, but I do not believe weather was a major factor in the crash, although at least one account noted that “thunderstorms built up high, frequently & fast”—and flights from Townsville were generally routine with no enemy action while Randy was stationed in there.
This crash was mentioned in several other historical reports and normally included the phrase “unexplained explosion” in identifying what occurred near Canal Creek.
Weather could be very bad in that area as it was on 4/16/44
that the 5th Air Force lost 37 aircraft when a late-afternoon frontal
system cut them off from their bases – “Black Sunday - When Weather Claimed the
5th Air Force” - Michael John Claringbould.
Lt. Crecelius’ Pilot hours given on Accident Report:
Last 90 days = 326:40
Total = 1531:25
Instrument
last 6 months = 8:10
Instrument last 30 days = 5:00
Night time last 6 months = 2:40
From the first flight from Wards Airdrome on 4/27/43 to the last landing on 12/17/43, Randy had 531 landings in the New Guinea and Australia area.
531 landings / 7 months = 75+ landings/month—approximately 800 hours in New Guinea and Australia. I’m not sure about 1943, but in 1945 1,000 hours allowed you to rotate back to the U.S.A. But that was toward the end of the war. I have not confirmed that any such plan, at any level of hours, was in place in ’43. There was still a lot of work to be done before the war would be over.