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Operation: Daylight bombing of shipping in the Irrawaddy River, Burma (Myanmar)
Date: 4th June 1942 (Thursday)
Unit No: 88th Reconnaissance Squadron (H), 7th Bombardment Group (H), 10th Air Force
Type: B-17E
Serial No: Unknown
Code: Unknown
Base: Dum Dum airport, India
Location: In the region of the Imphal plain, Northern India
Pilot: Capt. Frank Douglas Sharp SSM, O-22587 AAF Age 25. Evader
Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. Herbert Emmanuel ‘Herb’ Wunderlich SSM, O-430649 AAF Age 21. Evader (1)
Navigator: 2nd Lt. Kenneth Foster ‘Jack’ Horner SSM, O-435393 AAF Age 23. PoW *
Bombardier: 2nd Lt. George Hawks Wilson SSM, O-431825 AAF Age 28. PoW *
Engineer: S/Sgt. Albert Louis ‘Al’ Malok SSM, 6942456 AAF Age 25. PoW */DED **/MiA (2)
Radio Operator: Sgt. Harold Benjamin ‘Hal’ Cummings SSM, 6970825 AAF Age 22. PoW */DED **/MiA (2)
Waist Gunner: Pfc. Francis James Teehan SSM, 6920124 AAF Age 20. KiA
Waist Gunner: Pfc. Smith William ‘Smittie’ Radcliff SSM, 20735198 AAF Age 22. PoW *
Tail Gunner: Sgt. Elias E. ‘Eli’ Gonsalves SSM, 6570123 AAF Age 23. PoW */DED **/MiA (2)
* Burma #5 (Moulmein & Rangoon Jail)
** DED = Declared dead
REASON FOR LOSS:
The date of the mission has been variously described as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of June 1942, however, for the purpose of this report it will be reported as the 4th June 1942.
On the 4th June 1942 Capt. Sharp’s aircraft and another bomber flew a daylight mission to bomb shipping on the Irrawaddy River in Burma. Capt. Sharp’s aircraft suffered heavy damage from a squadron of enemy fighters. Pfc. Teehan was killed aboard the aircraft and was the first airman of the 7th Bombardment Group in Burma to be killed in action.
The "7th Bombardment Group/Wing 1918-1995" by Robert Dorr, published by Turner Publishing in 1996 has a detailed account of Pfc. Teehan's death, written by a fellow crew member.
The following is the excerpt from the above mentioned unit history:
On the 3rd June, three (3) of the 436th (88th) B-17s flew from Allahabad, India to Dum Dum airport near Calcutta to stage out of there for a mission. The next morning one of the aircraft was not able to fly, however, aircraft flown by Capt. Sharp and 1st Lt. Matthew L. Toomey Jr., O-746224 went on to complete the mission.
2nd Lt. ‘Jack’ Horner, Navigator on Capt. Sharp's crew, recounted what happened.
“Two planes headed for Rangoon to bomb shipping in the Irrawaddy River. During the course of the bombing, we were attacked by a squadron of Zeros and other unidentified aircraft. When we reached cloud cover about 15 or 20 minutes later, we had shot down, by my count, over seven planes, although officially we were given credit for four.
After entering the cloud cover, S/Sgt. Malok, the crew chief, entered the bomb bay to fight a fire. Some minutes thereafter the Bombardier, 2nd Lt. Wilson, and I either misinterpreted the order to bale out or were given the order to bale out. Our electrical system was down and I was communicating with the pilot, Capt. Sharp, through the bulkhead separating the nose from the pilot compartment.
I later found out that after we baled out, S/Sgt. Malok emerged from the bomb bay and advised the pilot that he had extinguished the fire. They then began to throw everything movable off the plane to lighten the load. Eventually, after they had flown for nearly an hour, the plane was losing altitude so fast that the balance of the crew bailed out. The plane again began to maintain altitude and eventually reached the line between Japanese and Allied forces. Capt. Sharp crash landed the plane in a rice paddy.
Our young private, Francis J. Teehan, had been killed in the plane. S/Sgt. Al Malok, Sgt. Hal Cummings, Sgt. Eli Gonsalves, and Pfc. Radcliff were reunited with 2nd Lt. Wilson and myself about four (4) months later in Rangoon prison. S/Sgt. Malok, Sgt. Cummings and Sgt. Gonsalves were killed by Allied bombs on 29th November 1943.
Capt. Sharp and co-pilot 2nd Lt. Wunderlich, although wounded, walked out after burying Pfc. Teehan”.
The exact location of the crash site has not been reported but it is estimated that the aircraft was crash-landed in the region of the Imphal plain in Northern India which was the extent of the Japanese front lines at that time of the war.
Above: Brig Gen. Earl L. Naiden, commanding Army Air Forces in India-Burma-China (in the absence of Gen. Brereton in the Middle East) pins Silver Star medals on the left, Major Frank D. Sharp of Salem, Oregon and 1st Lt. Herbert F. Wunderlich, on his left, of Williston Park, Long Island, N.Y., who, though both wounded, escaped from enemy-held Burma by a 28-day trek, after a crash landing in their disabled Flying Fortress. Similar decorations were awarded the other seven members of the crew, one posthumously to a gunner killed at his post, and six in absentia to six members ordered to hit the silk. Four of whom were also wounded, are known to have been taken prisoners by the Japanese. The fates of the navigator and bombardier, who also jumped, are not known. (Received on the 17th September 1942 from Signal Corps - Photo by Delhi Photo Co., 78 Queenswey, New Delhi)
The following are the citations issued by Headquarters, 10th Air Force, General Orders No. 16 (15th July, 1942) for the award to;
Capt. Frank D. Sharp:
'The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain (Air Corps) Frank D. Sharp (ASN: 0-22587), United States Army Air Forces, for gallantry in action against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber in the 9th Bombardment Squadron, 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), TENTH Air Force, in aerial operations in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, on 3 June 1942. On that date his bomber was part of a two-plane flight that flew a daylight mission to bomb shipping in the Irrawaddy River in Burma. During the course of the bombing, it was attacked by a squadron of Zeros and other unidentified aircraft. When the bomber reached cloud cover about 15 or 20 minutes later, the crew had shot down at least four enemy aircraft. A fire in the bomb bay forced some members of the crew to bail out, but the pilot continued to remain airborne until the bomber crash-landed in a rice paddy near the allied lines. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Staff Sergeant Malok, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army Air Forces. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Captain Sharp, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army Air Forces'.
2nd Lt. Herbert E. Wunderlich:
'The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Second Lieutenant (Air Corps) Herbert F. Wunderlich (ASN: 0-430649), United States Army Air Forces, for gallantry in action against the enemy while serving as a Member of the Air Crew of a B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber in the 9th Bombardment Squadron, 7th Bombardment Group (Heavy), TENTH Air Force, in aerial operations in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, on 3 June 1942. On that date his bomber was part of a two-plane flight that flew a daylight mission to bomb shipping in the Irrawaddy River in Burma. During the course of the bombing, it was attacked by a squadron of Zeros and other unidentified aircraft. When the bomber reached cloud cover about 15 or 20 minutes later, the crew had shot down at least four enemy aircraft. A fire in the bomb bay forced some members of the crew to bail out, but the pilot continued to remain airborne until the bomber crash-landed in a rice paddy near the allied lines. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Second Lieutenant Wunderlich, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army Air Forces'.
Silver Star Medal (SSM) - The Silver Star Medal is awarded for gallantry, so long as the action does not justify the award of one of the next higher valour awards: the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), the Navy Cross (NC), the Air Force Cross (AFC).
Posthumously award of the Silver Star Medal (Courtesy of The Capital Times, dated 1st September 1942)
Above newspaper clippings courtesy of The Oregonian, dated 8th June 1942; The Morning Call, dated 19th January 1944 and The News Star, dated 10th July, 1942.
(1) After Herbert Wunderlich finished his service with the USAAF as a Major, he joined Trans World Airlines (TWA). He was one of the following four (4) American Crew members who were all employees of TWA on temporary duty with Saudia Arabian Airlines.
Herbert Emmanuel ‘Herb’ Wunderlich;
Roy Charlie Farmer;
Marvin Owen Mckay;
Norman Edward ‘Dusty’ Rhodes.
On the 19th March 1963 they were the crew of Comet 4C, SA-R-7, on a flight from Genève-Cointrin Airport in Switzerland to Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport in France, which struck the slope of Monte Matto (10,161 ft (3097m)), completely destroying the aircraft and killing the eighteen (18) occupants onboard, ten (10) of whom were members of the House of Saud, the four (4) crew and four (4) flight attendants.
They were cruising by night above the Alps and along the border between France and Italy. The crew was in communication with Air Traffic Control (ATC) based in Aix-en-Provence and were instructed to descent to FL100 (10,000 ft (3048m)) and the airplane struck the slope of Monte Matto located about thirty (30) km SW of Cuneo in Italy.
Above: Probe Crash of Saud's Jet (Courtesy of The Grand Rapids Press, dated 21st March 1963)
Wreckage of the aircraft remains at the peak to this day, serving as a permanent reminder of the tragedy that occurred here 60 years ago.
Burial detail:
Herbert Emmanuel ‘Herb’ Wunderlich. He was buried in a Cemetery of Cuneo, Italy. Born on the 11th June 1920 in Queens, New York City, New York. Son of Peter and Marie (née Cavanaugh) Wunderlich of West Palm Beach, Florida. Husband to Betsy Kenyon (née Adams) Wunderlich of Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio, USA.
Roy Charlie Farmer. He was buried in a Cemetery of Cuneo, Italy. Born on the 21st April 1919 in Tollar, Hood, County, Texas. Son of Okla Ewing and Irene Randolph (née Jeffrey) Farmer of Sweetwater, Texas. Husband of Vivienne Lois Suasman (née Dessa) Farmer of Ealing, Middlesex, England.
Roy served in the USAAF during WW2. As a 2nd Lt. Roy C. Farmer O-2042755 was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal, with an Oak Leaf Cluster (DFC (OLC)), Air Medal, with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters (AM (2 OLC).
Marvin Owen Mckay. He was buried in a Cemetery of Cuneo, Italy. A memorial stone was dedicated at the Woodbine Cemetery in Woodbine, Iowa. Born on the 10th November 1929 in Woodbine, Iowa. Son of Ora Orson and Jennie Eliza (née McGee) Mckay of Woodbine, Iowa. Husband to Berdina Eleanor (née Carpenter) McKay of Castro Valley, California, USA.
Norman Edward ‘Dusty’ Rhodes. He was buried in a Cemetery of Cuneo, Italy. Born on the 29th January 1920 in Santa Cruz, California. Son of Edward and Edna Kay Rhodes of Santa Cruz, California, USA.
Norman served in the USSAF during WW2. As a 1st Lt. Norman E. Rhodes O-668501 he was awarded the Air Medal (AM).
(2) The remains of S/Sgt. Malok, Sgt. Cummings and Sgt. Gonsalves were recovered from the Rangoon Cantonment Cemetery on the 5th May 1946 by the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS). On the 17th May 1946 their remains were loaded aboard C-47B 43-48308 of the 1304th AAF Base Unit to be transported from Mingaladon in Rangoon to Barrackpore in India. The aircraft failed to arrive at the ETA and despite an extensive air search no trace of any wreckage on land or sea was found and the aircraft, crew, passengers and the remains of these airmen along with another thirty-five (35) are still missing to this day.
Burial Details
S/Sgt. Albert Louis Malok. Silver Star Medal (SSM), Purple Heart (PH). Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery. Born on the 10th August 1916 in in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Son of John and Anna (née LePosa) Malok of Bethlehem and Hellertown, respectively, Pennsylvania, USA.
Above: Sgt. Harold B. Cummings, Manila American Cemetery, Walls of the Missing (Courtesy of the ABMC)
Sgt. Harold Benjamin ‘Hal’ Cummings. Silver Star Medal (SSM), Purple Heart (PH). Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery. Born on the 27th June 1921 in Lafayette, Louisiana. Son of Marlin Watts and Virgalma Ella (née Wink) Cummings of West Monroe, Louisiana, USA.
Above: Grave Marker for Pfc. Francis J. Teehan (Courtesy of Lynsay Pankhurst – FindAGrave)
Pfc. Francis James Teehan. Silver Star Medal (SSM), Purple Heart (PH). His remains were recovered and repatriated to his home state. He was laid to rest at the Calvary Cemetery, Monroe, Wisconsin on the 20th October 1949. Born on the 12th June 1921 in Footville, Wisconsin. Son of Maurice and Belle (née Stavn) Teehan of Footville, Wisconsin, USA.
Above: Sgt. Elias E. Gonsalves, Manila American Cemetery, Walls of the Missing (Courtesy of the ABMC)
Sgt. Elias E. ‘Eli’ Gonsalves. Silver Star Medal (SSM), Purple Heart (PH). Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery. Born on the 25th November 1918 in California. Husband to Vernon Gonsalves of California, USA. No further on-line biographical information has been found.
Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to this crew and their families (Jan 2025).
Other sources listed below:
RS 23.01.2025 - Initial Upload
RS 23.01.2025 - Initial Upload
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