Operation: Fighter Sweep, Rabaul, New Britain

Date: 7th November 1943 (Sunday)

Unit No: 39th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force.

Type: P-38H

Serial: 42-66911

Code: Unknown

Base: Kiriwina Airfield, Trobriand Islands

Location: 3 to 5 miles inland of Wide Bay, New Britain

Pilot: 2nd Lt. Alphonse Diaz ‘Al’ Quinones O-748876 AAF Age 24. PoW *

* Tunnel Hill PoW Camp, Rabaul, New Britain

Above: 2nd Lt. Alphonse Diaz ‘Al’ Quinones (Courtesy of the Arizona Republic, dated 23rd May 2002)

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the morning of the 7th November 1943, 2nd Lt. Quinones took off from Kiriwina Airfield, Trobriand Islands on a fighter sweep over Rabaul in New Britain.

The following is the combat report that describes the loss of 2nd Lt. Quinones and his aircraft:

‘Lieut. Quinones was flying No. 2 position in Red flight, which was leading the formation in combat. On first pass Lieut. Quinones’ plane was hit in right Engine and he was trailing Prestone [Coolant] badly. Lieut. Flood who was flying No. 3 position in the flight, stayed with him and started coaching him as to what he should do. Lieut. Quinones followed his instructions. Lieut. Quinones then reported the engine was on fire on both sides. About this time, three Zeros tried to attack from the rear and above, but were driven off by Lieut. Walters and Urquhart who had been following above. Seeing the fire increasing Lieut. Flood told him to release the Canopy. After telling him to bail out Lieut. Flood saw something leave the ship immediately. They were separated by some distance, but Lieut. Flood is sure that he went straight out of the Cockpit and above the stabilizer. Circling directly over the chute in a vertical bank at approximately 9,000 ft. and 150 MPH. Lieut. Flood saw a Zero diving on him. After taking evasive action he could not see the Zero or the chute. When last seen the chute was very close to the ground approx. 200 yards South of Powell River and 3 to 5 miles inland from Wide Bay. This report is taken from the Combat Report submitted Nov. 7,1943, due to the fact that Lieut. Flood has returned to the States. This report is certified true and correct.’

Note: Lt. Flood was Capt. Edward C. Flood O-659457, DFC (OLC); Lt. Walters was Capt. James D. Walters O-659500, DFC (OLC); Lt. Urquhart was 1st Lt. William L. Urquhart O-792082, DFC. All three survived the war and returned to the United States.

After 2nd Lt. Quinones baled out his damaged P-38 continued flying and crossed the Baining Mountains, heading back towards Rabaul before crashing south of Lemingi more than twenty-five (25) miles from where he baled out.

Upon landing he attempted to work his way towards the south end of New Britain in hopes of contacting American Forces or an Australian Patrol who were known to be in that vicinity. He met some natives and stayed in their company for five (5) days, during which time they travelled in a westerly direction. On the morning of the sixth day (6th) he awakened to find himself alone and exiting the hut where he had been sleeping he was surrounded by Japanese and became a PoW.

He was taken to the 6th Field Kempeitai HQ at Rabaul and held there until the 2nd March 1944 when the HQ was destroyed in a bombing raid. That day at about 15:00 hours he was amongst approximately fifty-three (53) PoWs who were transferred to another camp known as the Tunnel Hill Cave PoW Camp in a mountain pass named Tanoura on Tunnel Hill road, which was about 2½ miles from Rabaul City and between Rabaul and Pilapila. The PoWs were handcuffed in pairs and blindfolded before being loaded onto Japanese flatbed military trucks. After a journey lasting approximately 1 hr they arrived at the site.

In his affidavit, and those of the surviving PoWs, he described that on the 3rd March 1944 Japanese guards arrived at the cave and read off the names of twenty (20) men. They were blindfolded, handcuffed, tied together and taken away. The remaining PoWs could not see how they were taken away because a blanket had been suspended across the entrance to the cave. The remaining thirty-three (33) PoWs were still so congested that it was still impossible to sit down even in a squatting position. The following day at about 09:00 hrs the names of another twenty (20) men were read out and were removed from the cave in a similar manner as the first twenty (20).

He did not know where they were taken or what their fate was as no official announcement was made, although, some of the Japanese guards implied that those PoWs who were removed were safe at another camp. However, some of the Japanese guards allowed it to leak out that all forty (40) of the prisoners had been killed by American air strikes during an evacuation attempt.

Although the affidavits of the surviving PoWs all claimed that forty (40) PoWs were transported to the beach the names of only thirty-one (31) PoWs were established through records kept by Japanese officers and a statement by Capt. Murphy.

The description of the circumstances leading to the deaths of the forty (40), albeit only the names of thirty-one (31) PoWs were established, can be read in the report Talili Bay Massacre, New Britain (Insert link when complete)

2nd Lt. Quinones was one of only eight (8) PoWs who survived and released from the Tunnel Hill PoW camp on the 7th September 1945 to Australian forces after the Japanese surrender:

1st Lt. James A. McMurria O-372644 USAAF;
1st Lt. Jose L. Holguin O-728388 USAAF;
S/Sgt. Escoe E. Palmer 34269270 USAAF;
Lt(Jg). Joseph G. Nason 117057 USNR;
AR2c. John B. Kepchia 65228343 USNR;
WO. Ronald C. Warren 425959 RNZAF;
Capt. John J. Murphy NGX310 AIF.

He was one (1) of a party of twenty-eight (28) Service personnel that boarded HMAS Vendetta at Rabaul and brought to Jacquinot Bay on the south coast of New Britain. They were then taken by RNZAF Air-Sea Rescue boat to the Australian Army 2/8th General Hospital at Jacquinot Bay for assessment and treatment.

After approximately three (3) weeks at Jacquinot Bay and Finschafen Hospital, he was turned over to the American authorities at Leyte and left for the United States by sea on the 26th September 1945.

Above: Courtesy of The Arizona Republic, dated 11th August 2002

Identifications left to right: 1st Lt. James A. McMurria, 2nd Lt. Alphonse D, ‘Al’ Quinones, 1st Lt. Jose L. Holguin, S/Sgt. Escoe E. Palmer, AR2c. John B. Kepchia

Burial details:

None- Pilot Survived

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the pilot and his relatives (Mar 2026)

Other sources listed below:

References(s):

Investigation File: NAA: 336/1/1345 Part 6

Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them. Franklin Delano Roosevelt