DR AHEAD THE AIR FORCE NAVIGATORS OBSERVERS ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER VOL 31, NUMBER 1 LITTLE RIVER, CALIFORNIA JANUARY 2015 F-14 Tomcat in front of the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida, photograph by Ron Barrett. PRESIDENT’S REPORT by Ron Barrett, James Connally 63-06 We continue to have a number of copies of our newsletter, DR AHEAD, returned after each mailing. To avoid delays, please provide your address, telephone number, and e-mail address changes to Jim Faulkner so you can get your DR AHEAD on time. E-mail changes to: [email protected] or mail changes to: Jim Faulkner: 4109 Timberlane, Enid, OK 73703 or call: 580-242-0526. AFNOA Rosters are also available in Microsoft Excel by e-mail. Advise Jim Faulkner if you would like a copy. Jim Faulkner has also taken over the LAST FLIGHTS task from Dick Mansfield (see page 14 of this issue), so please address all information about our losses to Jim at one of the addresses above. ********* THE 2015 AFNOA ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS by Jim Bannerman, Ellington 55-06 Do you have a child, grandchild or even a great grandchild either in college or about to enter college? Now is the time to submit an application for a 2015 AFNOA Academic Scholarship. This year we will be offering $1,000.00 scholarships to descendents of Air Force Navigators. Awards will not necessarily be based on financial need or academic excellence, but on a subjective judgment by the awards committee of the overall qualifications of each applicant. The application procedure is described below. The one thousand dollar ($1,000.00) scholarships will be awarded in July 2015 to the persons best meeting the following criteria. The applicant must be a direct descendent of a current or former Air Force Navigator. The relationship may be—son or daughter, grandson or granddaughter or great grandchild, but a direct lineage to an Air Force Navigator must be established. If Continued on Page 3 DR AHEAD PAGE 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS President's Report, by Ron Barrett . . . . . . . . 1 The 2015 AFNOA Academic Scholarships, by Jim Bannerman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Membership Application Form ...........2 Historian's Report, by Ron Barrett ........3 From the AFNOA President, by Ron Barrett . . 3 My Chief is an Ace!, by Ray Sanchez . . . . . . 3 Just Another Weekend Warrior, by Barry Turner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 "One of Those Left-Behind Japs", by Joe Lyons 7 Reunion Registration Form .............8 Reunion Schedule ...................9 The World's Greatest Navigator, by Frank Genadio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 A Few Terrifying Moments, by Charles Hinton 12 First Ride, by Joseph T. Guastella . . . . . . . 13 Navigating the Pacific During WWII, by Richard Mansfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Last Flights, by Richard Mansfield . . . . . . . 14 AFNOA Board & Operating Committees . . . 16 DR AHEAD MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION THE AIR FORCE NAVIGATORS OBSERVERS ASSOCIATION (AFNOA) Name _________________________________ Spouse's Name __________________________ Address ________________________________ ________________________________________ City ___________________________________ State/ZIP ______________________________ Home Phone ___________________________ Work Phone ___________________________ Cell Phone ___________________________ Internet Address ________________________ Base Name/Class Number ________________ Send a Tax Deductible $15.00 Annual Contribution check payable to AFNOA to: Dennis Ehrenberger, AFNOA Treasurer 2783 Glenview Drive Sierra Vista, AZ 85650-5734 Telephone: 520-378-1313 Tax Deductible Life Membership Contribution payable to AFNOA Under 55 55-60 61-65 $190.00 $165.00 $140.00 66-70 Over 70 Over 80 $90.00 $65.00 $35.00 Advise Jim Faulkner (address on page 16) of changes in address. Please include your e-mail address with your renewals and applications. DR AHEAD is the official publication of the Air Force Navigators Observers Association; a non-profit, non-political organization dedicated to maintaining the peace and security of the United States of America and a spirit of comradeship among the navigators, observers and bombardiers of the USAAC, USAAF, or the USAF. TENOA, the forerunner of AFNOA, was organized by Clarke Lampard, Ellington Class 50-D, in 1985. DR AHEAD is published by AFNOA, Inc., 6441 Avenida De Galvez, Navarre, Florida 32566-8911. Presorted 3rd class postage is paid at Fort Walton Beach, Florida. MANUSCRIPTS are welcomed, especially by E-mail (address: [email protected]) or by submittal to the editor on data CDs, IBM-compatible formats only please. All submissions must be signed and must include the address of the contributor; no anonymous material will be printed; however, names will be withheld on request. The editor reserves the right to edit submitted articles for reasons of taste, clarity, legal liability, or length. Originals will be returned only if a self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage is included. The comments and views herein represent the views of the editor and are not necessarily those of AFNOA, Inc. Deadline for the next issue is 15 February 2015. ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS are strongly preferred. If you cannot send information through electronic mail or on CD, copy should be typed. Photographs and drawings are also very welcome. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please report changes of address to: AFNOA, Inc., 4109 Timberlane, Enid, OK 73703-2825; [email protected]; 580-242-0526 DR AHEAD STAFF: Owner Editor, Richard W. Ahrens Copy Editor, Jack Mudie Circulation, Jim Faulkner Distribution AFNOA [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] ********* DR AHEAD Continued from Page 1 the sponsoring navigator is still alive, a letter stating the relationship of the applicant will suffice. If the sponsor is deceased, some other affidavit of the relationship or letter from a family member must be provided. The applicant must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a regionally accredited college or institution of higher learning. If the applicant is currently enrolled, a copy of the current transcript should be submitted. If the applicant has not yet attended college, he or she should submit a copy of his or her high school transcript and a letter from the college or institution acknowledging his or her acceptance. The applicant must submit a paper of five hundred (500) words or less describing his or her educational program, extracurricular activities, and what his or her career plans are after graduation. A cover letter including the applicant's name, address, telephone number and email address should accompany the supporting documentation and paper and must be received not later than June 1, 2015. Selection will be made at the sole discretion of a committee of five AFNOA members. Mail the application package to: AFNOA Scholarship Committee % Dr. James Bannerman 761 Marina Point Drive Daytona Beach, FL 32114 Questions? Call Jim Bannerman at 386-257-3853. ********* HISTORIAN'S REPORT by Ron Barrett, James Connally 63-06 Our Reunion in April, 2015, will feature a day-long tour in the National US Naval Aviation Museum. This unique Aviation Museum is a delight in many ways. It features not only airplanes we mostly knew from afar, but great displays where you can get up close. One highlight is the NC-4 flying boat that was the first plane to cross the North Atlantic Ocean almost 100 years ago. That was an outstanding heroic effort. Then there is the Cubi Bar & Grill that the Navy flyers dismantled in the Philippines and had reconstructed here! That'll bring back some memories—if only of Clark, Angeles, and Pauline's! Those were the days! Get ready for a dose of aviation history such as you have never before experienced. Errol Hoberman and I met this month with the Museum staff and they are preparing for our visit. Errol is our point-of-contact navigator for this grand tour. On a side note, I will bring more than two hundred maps and charts that members have sent to AFNOA over the years that the various Museums do not now need. They will be offered in exchange for donations to our scholarship program. ********* PAGE 3 FROM THE PRESIDENT OF AFNOA To all members of AFNOA: At this very moment AFNOA is in good financial shape. However, while looking into the future and planning our progress I foresee difficulties because we are not gaining members. Succinctly, this means less funding. We must decide to continue on marching proudly or we must look at closing. I choose marching on smartly. However, you all have the real say on this. Please let me know your desires. I will post them at the Reunion in April 2015 and in DR AHEAD. If you desire to march on smartly, please consider making a donation to AFNOA now. Send your donation and statement of support to be posted in DR AHEAD to our Treasurer: E. Dennis Ehrenberger 2783 Glenview Drive Sierra Vista, AZ , 85650-5734 E-mail: [email protected] Tel: 520-378-1313 Be sure to remember that not one of us serving AFNOA is paid anything. All monies donated to AFNOA go to either the scholarship program, to publishing DR AHEAD, or to small housekeeping expenses such as stamps and some computer software. We all use our own personal computers, so there are no hardware costs of any kind. AFNOA is now almost thirty years old, and is a 501(c)(19) IRS-registered non-profit organization. As such, all donations can be claimed on your income tax. Your generous support of AFNOA is truly appreciated by all. It is a grand representation of our national pride and service to our country. Thank you for your support of our unique organization. Ron Barrett, President AFNOA [email protected] ********* MY CHIEF IS AN ACE! by Ray Sanchez, Harlingen 56-02 In November 1956, as a 2nd Lt and newly minted Radar Observer (Radar Intercept Officer), I arrived at my first operational assignment—the 96th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (FIS) at New Castle, Delaware. The 96th FIS and its sister squadron the 97th FIS, flying the F-94C allweather interceptor, were scions of the 82nd Fighter Group of the Air Defense Command. The 96th had an established reputation of being one of the best fighter-interceptor squadrons after having won several Air Defense Command rocketry competitions. I arrived with the anticipation of a second string football player about to play in his first varsity game. This was big time for me. I was not surprised at the fighter jock atmosphere that prevailed in the squadron, particularly among the pilots. DR AHEAD PAGE 4 P-61 Black Widow. Photograph provided by Ray Sanchez After all, fighter operations are the pilots’ genre. The younger pilots, after having gone through crew training with an RIO right after pilot training, were more in harmony with the RlOs. The older veteran pilots were more independently minded. Most of them had flown single seat fighters in WWII and/or the Korean War and were transitioned involuntarily into 2-seat fighter-interceptors. Some were openly resistant to getting directions from a backseat non-pilot. One old captain told me "Don’t do anything, just lock on. I’ll do everything else." I said "Yes sir". What is a 2nd Lt to do? The pilot is, after all, the aircraft commander. As RIOs we learned the many nuances of the term "backseater". Although socially the squadron exuded great harmony because of its esprit de corps, professionally the RlOs quietly went about their tasks as dedicated crew members in the mission of the F-94C. Often between flights the RlOs would congregate in the Chief RIO’s office. The Chief RIO, Capt. Robert F. (Shorty) Graham, was a relatively small man in his late thirties with graying hair and warm smile. He exuded quiet confidence and professionalism, which were contagious to the other RlOs in the squadron. Everyone in the squadron liked "Shorty" Graham. One day while reading an Air Force publication that listed all the aces of WWIl, I came across the name Robert F. Graham. What a coincidence, I thought, and forgot about it. One Friday evening at beer call when I was having a stein with "Shorty", I mentioned to him the coincidence of my having seen an ace with five kills with his name among the aces of WWII. Was I surprised when he said, "Yes, that’s me". Wow!, I said to myself. The only ace in this gung-ho fighter interceptor squadron is an RIO. As a relative youngster in the Air Force, I was not aware that an RIO could even qualify as an ace. After a few more steins of beer, he proceeded to tell me in detail how he was credited with his five kills. In 1944 he was assigned to the 422nd Night Fighter Squadron, a P-6l Black Widow unit stationed in France. P-61s, with a new AI (airborne intercept) radar system and 20mm cannons, was designed specifically for night operations. Once airborne and on patrol station, they would receive vectors from the Ground Control Intercept station (GCI) on the general location of the bogey; and after finding it with his search scope, the RIO would direct the pilot to the intercept. He would direct the pilot to a quartering stern position on the blacked-out bogey, close enough to positively identify it and fire on it if it was an enemy aircraft. A night interception from the stem generally had the element of surprise which made a shoot down a relatively easy accomplishment. However, when the bogey discovered he was being attacked, the interception evolved into a stern chase with rapid evasive action. Tracking the bogey on radar and locking on became a difficult task which tested all the skills Bob Graham had learned in training. DR AHEAD Bob Graham's persona became excited as he described his "triple night"—the night he and his pilot shot down three German aircraft. The first kill was made while flying patrol after being steered by GCI to an unknown aircraft appearing to be hostile. Bob picked it up on his radar and directed the pilot to the intercept. They identified it as a hostile and shot it down with the 20mm cannon. The German pilot apparently never knew he was being attacked. After returning to patrol station they were again vectored by GCI to another unknown aircraft. Again, Graham detected it on his radar and directed the pilot to its quartering stern position. They identified the aircraft as an enemy aircraft and fired on it. The aircraft exploded and went in a steep dive into the ground. The enemy pilot apparently was unaware that he was being attacked. After landing, refueling and going back up on patrol, GCI steered them toward another intruder, which was at low altitude providing air support over the front lines. This kill, the third of the night, turned out to be a real challenge for pilot and RIO. Bob Graham made radar contact and directed the pilot to descend to target altitude. They pursued the bogey just above the treetops, so low that Bob had a difficult time tracking it and keeping lock-on due to all the ground clutter. In spite of the ground clutter problem and both aircraft maneuvering, he managed to steer the pilot to point blank range behind the target, enabling him to visually identify it as a German aircraft and fire on it. The enemy aircraft flamed, quickly struck the ground and exploded. It wasn’t until three months later that he got his fifth kill which made him an ace. In 1958 my squadron was disbanded. The F-94C aircraft were flown to Davis-Monthan AFB for mothballing, and everyone was reassigned. I was assigned as a GCI Director and lost contact with the fighter-interceptor community. I never heard from or heard of Bob Graham again, but I never forgot his action during WWII. His feats made a big impression on this young RIO. My Chief RIO, this quiet and unassuming man, was a real hero! Night fighter operations were developed by the British in defense of the night attacks on London by German aircraft. The British converted several types of twin-engine aircraft into two-place airborne radar-equipped interceptors. They had moderate success with these conversions. However, the American P-61 Black Widow, which was specifically designed and produced as a night fighter, was the most successful. The P-61 also operated very successfully in the Pacific and China-Burma-India (CBl) Theaters of Operations, but only one crew of pilot and RIO emerged as aces in the Pacific theater, and none in the CBI Theater. The P-38M, a two-place radar equipped night fighter conversion also saw action late in the Pacific war but it had few engagements and produced no kills. Eventually the PAGE 5 night fighter mode of operation evolved into the all-weather fighter-interceptor concept with specific jet aircraft designed for the air defense mission. Over seven hundred P-61 Black Widows were produced and the vast majority of them were employed very succesfully as night fighters in the three theaters. A few were assigned ground support when there was no threat of aerial intruders. Because of the nature of its mission, the Black Widow did not acquire a large number of kills as in day fighter operations, and its exploits are understated in WWlI history. However, the night fighters engaged in aerial combat and logged 127 confirmed kills. Every one of these night kills was directed by a "backseater". Besides the aces listed below, several RlOs had multiple kills, as many as four, which did not qualify them as aces, but certainly made them worthy of acclaim. NAVIGATORS OF NOTE There were four RIO night fighter aces during WWII: 1/Lt P.B. Porter, 5 kills in a P-61 Black Widow in the Pacific Area of Operations. 1/Lt Robert F. Graham, 5 kills in a P-61 Black Widow in the European Theater of Operations. 1/Lt R.E.Tierney, 5 kills in a P-61 Black Widow in the European Theater of Operations. 1/Lt E.H. Kopsel, 5 kills in a P-61 Black Widow in the European Theater of Operations. WSO aces of the Vietnam War; Capt Charles De Bellevue, 6 kills in an F-4 Capt Jeff Feinstein, 5 kills in an F-4 MISCELLANY The last enemy aircraft shot down in the Pacific war was credited to the P-61 crew of 1/Lt Robert Clyde, pilot, and 1/Lt Bruce K. LeFord, RIO. Although there were no RIO aces during the Korean War, the first enemy aircraft shot down during that conflict was accomplished by Air Force pilot 1/Lt William Hudson and 1/Lt Carl Fraiser, RIO in an F-82G Twin Mustang night fighter. The RIO/WSO’s work encompasses the tasks of three crew positions: navigator, co-pilot, and radar weapons officer. The position demands complete awareness of all the components of the aerial mission. The snap judgments a fighter crew must make demand close coordination between the pilot and RIO or WSO for a successful aerial engagement to detect, intercept, identify, and destroy an enemy target. I can only imagine Bob Graham’s difficult task of tracking and engaging a hostile aircraft with a first generation radar set, at tree top level, and in a night environment. That was quite an achievement, considering his fatigue after having been on patrol most of the night and engaging in two previous successful combat engagements. ********* DR AHEAD PAGE 6 JUST ANOTHER WEEKEND WARRIOR by Barry Turner, James Connally 65-18 "Neil Armstrong! You’re Neil Armstrong!" His reply was, "Yea, I get that a lot". He was planning a T-38 training flight at the NASA base at Ellington AFB. At the same table I was planning a C-130 Reserves flight to Panama to deliver Reservist flyers to Howard AFB for jungle survival school. I thought that would be the most exciting moment of my navigator career. I was wrong. My excitement could have come as a B-52G EWO, but I left active duty just before the G-model crews were cross-trained to go to Southeast Asia, adding additional capability to the B-52Ds getting ready for LInebacker II, the so-called Christmas Bombing Campaign. Having been advised by trusted mentors not to stay in the Reserves, I left the military and started dental school the following fall. A classmate invited me to visit his Air Force Reserve unit, saying that the unit was getting C-130Bs very soon. All the mentor advice disappeared. A C-130B was the exact aircraft that I had always wanted. This was an air evacuation/cargo and troop delivery unit, and the time commitments were mostly compatible with my dental school schedule. Nobody quite believed the story about meeting Neil Armstrong (his moon-walker fame was just three years old at the time), but everyone at school was still very curious about this second life. Returning from our honeymoon just before my senior school year, Sharyn (a flight nurse from Reserves) and I agreed that I could fit in a three-week trip to deliver an old C-130A to Thailand (part of President Nixon’s Vietnamization Plan). The school gave its blessing, and I was gone a week later. Thus, the adventure began. The flight from the Willow Grove NAS (Philadelphia) to McClellan AFB (Sacramento) was uneventful. I thought there was an error in my fuel calculations for the next leg to Hickam AFB in Honolulu. It showed that I had a negative reserve fuel number. The "old heads" said that the fuel graph line included the reserve fuel and that they had made the same flight dozens of times. The only reason that I felt comfortable with that explanation was that our aircraft was scheduled to be just about in the middle of the pack of thirty aircraft, giving me fourteen aircraft who would have called in at the point of no-return—a solid scientific study in anyone’s book. It seemed weird that I had flown for nine years as a navigator (also have Commercial Pilot’s license) and had never had to calculate a real point of no return. No matter. All was well. The point of no return was a non-issue. The "old heads" were right. The next mileage of significance was mileage to destination = 185 miles. One of my jobs was to back up the flight engineer’s fuel management. The fuel quantity was fine, but the fuel tanks were way out of balance. Each of the four engines can run on fuel from the adjacent fuel tank. It was obvious that the inboard fuel tanks had much less fuel than the outboard tanks. Our flight engineer had a few thousand hours in SEA in C-130s, and he calmly announced he was working on it. When I pointed out that there was a "fuel low warning" light on the number 3 engine, he said, "That is not as accurate as the ‘fuel low pressure’ light". Ten seconds later, the pressure light illuminated. Very few minutes later came the sound of the number 3 engine slowing down and stopping. The pilot feathered the #3 prop. The C-130 flies fine on three engines. Normally, it would not be panic time. That would change. The next mileage recollection was 85 miles out from Hickam AFB. Then the same sequence happened to the #2 engine. The pilot feathered #2 prop. Something in my memory banks reminded me that C-130s have a bad water landing history. Curiously, the number 1 fuel tank was full. Numbers 2 and 3 were empty. Number 4 was low, but no lights had come on yet. The flight engineer had done everything (on/off switches, circuit breakers, cut wires to cross-feed fuel pumps). Nothing was working to solve the problem. We assessed the situation: 1) We had lost two engines and likely would not be able to restart them. 2) The number 1 engine was running and had a full fuel tank. 3) The number 4 engine was running and had "low" but unknown quantity of fuel. 4) We had lost all navigation equipment (including radar) and communications. 5) We could not start the auxiliary generator (later it started). 6) We were above a solid cloud deck. 7) We had a DR position 85 miles to go (turned out to be 10 miles off) While the pilot and co-pilot were discussing the wisdom of descending "blind" through the cloud deck, copilot Captain Bill Hood saw a hole in the clouds and did an aerobatic maneuver so as to be able to keep the water in sight while spiraling down. Below the cloud deck, we resumed our southwest heading. There was Oahu about 20 miles out. My DR (dead reckoning) position was 30 miles out. The reality was that making the blind descent 5 or 6 minutes later would have put us into ridge (Ko’olau Cliffs) between windward and leeward side of Oahu. In ten more minutes we might have flown beyond the island. Both bad options. Life is sometimes surprising in a very positive way, as I knew a shortcut to a closer airport. I had worked (and went to school) for a semester in Honolulu and knew Oahu well. I knew that Kaneohe Marine Air Base is about ten minutes closer than Hickam AFB. It was a leap of faith that the pilot and co-pilot took my directions because the runway was behind a ridge and not visible from our 2,000 feet altitude. We landed unannounced, against the active DR AHEAD runway in use, and in the middle of an IG inspection. Four F-4s were ready for takeoff at the opposite end. Stopping with the left wingtip just missing the runway, we hastily exited the aircraft, and all five of us kissed the ground. The Marine colonel in charge of the IG performance calmed down after seeing the pathetic posture of our aircraft on the runway. The number 4 fuel tank "sticked" at 15 minutes worth of fuel. We would have had five minutes of extra fuel had we continued to land at Hickam AFB. An Air Force team came from Hickam AFB and disassembled and reassembled the fuel system several times but could not duplicate the malfunction. They then installed a completely new fuel system. During the test flight, I volunteered to stay on the ground in order to have a witness (just in case). The pilot agreed. It was the only time in my Air Force career that I was happy to be a navigator instead of a pilot. We flew this same C-130A to Midway Island, then to Wake Island, and then to Guam. The Vietnamization commander of the project turned us around in Guam. Our main cargo door was being held closed by two "come-alongs" purchased at a Guam hardware store, the radar was inoperable, and a sizable storm had stalled between us and Thailand. The story we heard was that ours was the fifth such C-130A fuel incident. Some of the other flyers were not as lucky as we were. Epilogue to the story: when I returned to dental school a week later, my laboratory partner informed me that his weekends were getting so boring that he had taken up a hobby: model ship building. He asked me, "Where have you been the last three weeks?" Not part of the story, but important disclaimers: this is being written 42 years after the trip. I have tried to verify the numbers of aircraft that have experienced this same fuel cross-feed phenomenon but have found no meaningful information. I graduated from dental school six months after the trip and heard that our crew received an "Air Force Reserves Crew of the Year" award. I have never been able to verify that. I would welcome any corrections or elaborations. The biggest hero of the crew was co-pilot Bill Hood. At that very moment his action was closer to mutiny than to discussion. The aircraft commander was a by-the-book pilot and was taking too long to realize this was not a situation that had a "book" answer, but it doesn’t make any sense to name the pilot or call it a "mutiny." This definitely qualified as an "any landing that you walk away from is a good landing" situation. We obviously had enough confidence in the aircraft commander to watch Captain Hood relinquish whatever command he had taken away for that short time. I think that the aircraft commander would have refused an order to continue the flight without PAGE 7 the radar to safely negotiate a path through the weather. He seemed to grow from the experience enough to do it. I spent one more year in a C-130 unit at Hamilton AFB in California while I completed a one-year General Dental Residency program at the Martinez VA Hospital. I changed from flying status to the Dental Corps at Beale AFB when I moved to Grass Valley. I flew for ten years and was a USAFRes dentist for fourteen years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. The only truly inspiring day I had in 14 years as a dentist was the day I met the radar navigator who ejected from a B-52F from Mather AFB on the very first Arc Light bombing mission just before eight other crew members in the B-52Fs were killed in a headon collision (See http://shar.es/1XgU77). I had always wanted to meet the flyer who had that much confidence in his radar interpretation and had the courage to pull the eject handle. Having attended only one navigator school reunion to date, I have heard stories that have prompted me to count my blessings. I look forward to my second reunion in April of 2015 in Pensacola, Florida. ********* "ONE OF THOSE LEFT-BEHIND JAPS!" by Joe Lyons, Ellington 50-D The sound of a .45 slide being pulled back and released is certain to get your attention, but sometimes your absolute total attention and then some. Ask Alfred Tsang, Class 44-07. When we captured the islands in the Pacific they were secure, well kind of. Usually there were a few Japanese left behind, and most were downright unfriendly. Some were caught on base in GI uniforms, some in the chow line, but others were up to mischief, like sniper fire in the remote areas. Alfred flew B-29s off Guam and knew all about this. Late one afternoon he headed for the showers wearing only an undershirt above his trousers. Imagine his pure stark terror when he heard a .45 slide and "Look! That’s one of them left-behind Japs!" Then the relief when his pilot said "Hey! Leave him alone! That’s Tsang, my navigator!" ********* This is the fifty-eighth of the eighty-six "Mickey Mouse Mission" short tales left to DR AHEAD by the late Joe Lyons, Ellington 50-D, who was the very efficient and very helpful Recording Secretary of AFNOA when I started editing DR AHEAD. -Ed. ********* 2015 AIR FORCE NAVIGATORS OBSERVERS REUNION APRIL 14-17, 2015 PENSACOLA, FLORIDA Name___________________________________________ Preferred name on badge ______________________ Current address _______________________________________________________________________________ Telephone ____________________________ E-mail _______________________________________________ School _______________________________ Class __________ Home town ____________________________ Name of guest _________________________________ Preferred name on badge ________________________ In case of emergency, please notify _______________________________________________________________ REGISTRATION FEES Number of persons attending _____ x $150.00 = $ ______ Banquet meals selection: Beef ______ Salmon ______ Vegetarian ______ OPTIONAL TOURS Tours 1 & 2 are on the same day. Please select which tour you wish to go on. TOUR 1: April 15 National Naval Aviation Museum & Lunch. Number ______ x $34.00 = $ ______ Lunch sandwich choice = Roast Beef _____ Ham ______ Chicken Salad ______ TOUR 2: April 15 Dolphin Cruise Boat Tour. Number ______ x $50.00 = $______ TOUR 3: April 16 Historic Pensacola Village. Number ______ x $18.00 = $______ Total enclosed $______ Payment is due no later than March 14, 2015 Please send payments to the following address, made payable to: The Reunion Brat 16817 Mountainside Drive East Greenwater, WA 98022 360-663-2521 Questions? Call the Reunion Brat at 360-663-2521, or call Ron Barrett at 305-797-0745. Confirmation of registration and tours will be sent out by March 14, 2015. A $20.00 per person cancellation fee will apply to all cancellations received within 30 days of the event. Cancellations received within 10 days of the event will be non-refundable. Call the Crowne Plaza Pensacola Grand Hotel at 850-433-3336 no later than March 14, 2015 to make your hotel reservations; be sure to mention that you are with the AFNOA Reunion to receive your group rate of $102.00 plus tax per night. These hotel prices are available 3 days prior to and 3 days after the event should you choose to extend your stay. We’ll see you in Pensacola, Florida! 2015 AIR FORCE NAVIGATORS OBSERVERS REUNION APRIL 14-17, 2015 PENSACOLA, FLORIDA To be held at the Crowne Plaza Pensacola Grand Hotel, located at 200 East Gregory Street, Pensacola, Florida. Room rates are $102.00 plus tax per night, for single or double occupancy. The hotel provides complimentary airport shuttle and parking. Call the Crowne Plaza at 850-433-3336 no later than March 14,2015 to make your hotel reservations. Be sure to mention the group code AFN to receive the group room rate. Online reservations can be made by going to the hotel's website: http://pensacolagrandhotel.com Be sure to enter the group code AFN. You can make your hotel room reservations by e-mail to the hotel if you wish. Reservations e-mail is: [email protected] Tuesday, April 14, 2015 10:00am - 10:00pm ~ Hospitality Room Open for Registration, Mini-Reunions and Snacks 6:00pm - 10:00pm ~ Welcome Party with Hors d'oeuvres and Cash Bar Wednesday, April 15, 2015 9:00am - 9:00pm ~ Hospitality Room Open for Registration, Mini-Reunions and Snacks 8:30am - 5:00pm ~ Optional Tour, US Naval Aviation Museum, Lunch, and USAF CSO School 8:30am - 3:30pm ~ Optional Tour: Dolphin Cruise, with Time for Lunch on Your Own and Shopping 6:00pm - 9:00pm ~ Hospitality Room ~ Cash Bar & Light Snacks Thursday, April 16, 2015 8:00am - 12:00pm ~ General Membership Meeting with Board Elections 9:00am - 12:00pm ~ Hospitality Room Open for Mini-Reunions Noontime ~ Open Lunch Time on Your Own 1:00pm - 4:00pm ~ Optional Tour of Historic Pensacola Village 5:00pm ~ Pre Banquet Cash Bar 6:00pm - 9:00pm ~ Pledge Of Allegiance, Invocation and Banquet Friday, April 17, 2015 9:00am - 11:00am ~ Hospitality Room Open for Good-Byes. Have a Safe Trip Home. Optional Tours There are two tours scheduled for Wednesday ~ Choose which one you want to go on. Wednesday, April 15th 8:30am - 5:00pm ~ Naval Aviation Museum & Lunch/AF Combat Systems Officer's School ~ Price $34.00 The National Naval Aviation Museum is the world's largest Naval Aviation Museum. Share the excitement of Naval Aviation's rich history and see more than 150 beautifully restored aircraft representing Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Aviation. Lunch will be provided on the tour at the Cubi Bar. After lunch we will tour the Air Force Combat Systems Officer's School. Wednesday, April 15th 8:30am - 3:30pm ~ Dolphin Cruise/Shopping and Lunch on your own on the Boardwalk ~ Price $50.00 Pensacola's Dolphin Cruise offers the best cruising experience on Northwest Florida's Gulf Coast. You will step aboard the Portofino I, a 63' open-air, covered catamaran for a two-hour cruise, guided by the experienced and entertaining captain, and spy dolphins, birds and the other marine life playing in their natural habitat along the protected Gulf Islands National Seashore. Be sure to bring a camera, suntan lotion and sun glasses. Continued on the next page. Thursday, April 16th 1:00pm - 4:00pm ~ Historic Pensacola Village ~ Price $18.00 Historic Pensacola Village is a museum and house museum complex that displays Colonial Pensacola t through the Roaring Twenties. This tour will take you through the Charles Lavalle House: This French Creole House was built in 1805 while Pensacola was still a Spanish colony. The interior of the house reflects the Creole influence and tradition of the Gulf Coast region. Next we will tour The Clara Barkley Dorr House. Built in 1871, this home represents an affluent Victorian family of post-Civil War Pensacola. The final stop will be a tour of the Old Christ Church: This symbol of historic preservation and Pensacola heritage is one of the oldest church buildings in Florida, built in 1832. Gothic wood beams and inspiring stained-glass windows take visitors back to the 1879 appearance of the church. Not all of the buildings on the tour are wheelchair accessible. For more information contact: Ronald Barrett 305-797-0745 [email protected] or The Reunion BRAT 360-663-2521 [email protected] Come join us as we share old memories and make new ones! Reprinted with permission of the Pensacola News Journal. The Crowne Plaza Pensacola Grand Hotel pool DR AHEAD THE WORLD’S GREATEST NAVIGATOR by Frank Genadio, Ellington 54-11 After some enlisted service followed by twenty-one months as an aviation cadet (due to medical problems, not denseness; original class listed above), I started flying C-118 passenger aircraft for the 38th Air Transport Squadron at McGuire AFB, New Jersey, in 1955. Having been #1 in my class in Primary, and having more maturity than my fellow "brown bars", since I was already 22, I knew that I was well on the way to becoming a premier navigator. After several months of mostly Atlantic crossings and a flawless check ride leg from Lajes AB in the Azores to McGuire, I had no doubt that, with over 600 flying hours, none of those older guys had anything left to teach me. So it was with supreme confidence that I embarked on a mission on 1 February 1956 to Rhein-Main AB, Germany. It was the usual routing: airways to Harmon AFB, Newfoundland; over water to Prestwick, Scotland; airways to RON at Rhein-Main; airways to the coast of France and then over water to Lajes; and the last leg to McGuire. Our aircraft commander (A/C) was an old major (and in those days, majors could be old) known (under our breath) as "Mumbles" because nobody ever heard what he said the first time. The co-pilot also was a brown bar and also named Frank. The other navigator was AFNOA’s esteemed Clarke Lampard. By now, with my wealth of experience, the flight was to be strictly routine—I thought. As for routine, I followed mine on the airways leg. Since dependents were almost always along on our flights, it was important to check the manifest for young, single, females of appropriate weight (e.g., Miss Susie Smith, 110 pounds). Finding a suitable entry, the passenger cabin was then explored for Miss Smith, her (usually accompanying) parents were asked if they were enjoying the flight, and a casual invitation was made to the (hopefully, comely) daughter to visit the flight deck—where I could explain why the navigator was the most important member of the crew. Although nothing further ever resulted from these "explorations," they were pleasant diversions during the long hours required by piston engine aircraft to cross an ocean. Out of Harmon for the overwater, overnight leg, we encountered the usual winter weather. With no celestial between cloud decks, and quickly out of useful LORAN range, I relied on DR and pressure pattern for the crossing—no major concern for the "World’s Greatest Navigator." Our illustrious A/C followed his usual routine, take-off and climb to altitude, put it on autopilot, and head for about six hours sleep in one of the crew compartment’s three bunks. Lt. Lampard also took a bunk and the engineer grabbed the last one about the same time, leaving the two Franks in charge of the bird for the next several hours. PAGE 11 Although we had no Air Defense Identification Zone to worry about on the eastbound flight, we had standing orders to avoid Irish airspace, except for the use of Shannon airport in an emergency. As the night wore on, my expert measurements indicated we were a little south of our planned route. An hour or so from approaching the Irish coast, I gave co-pilot Frank a heading change of several degrees left to ensure passing well north of the Emerald Isle on our way into Scotland. I received a "Roger—as soon as I finish an HF transmission." While confident in my course through use of pressure pattern, I started checking on when dawn would commence and allow me to take a celestial shot as we flew directly toward the rising sun. This would give me an excellent speed line and as close to a fix as one could get after "DR-ing" all night. As it happened, the World’s Greatest Navigator’s usual meticulous attention to detail was somewhat distracted during the next hour when one of the "Susie Smiths" on board couldn’t sleep and decided to visit the flight deck. After I spent some time explaining all the mysteries of aerial flight, she finally got bored and left, allowing me to "precomp" and take some sun shots. When I checked the instruments (not looked at in quite some time) to plot my LOP, I realized that Frank had forgotten to make the heading change given to him much earlier. At the same time, Frank came on intercom to ask me what that beautiful bay was directly ahead of our aircraft. My response, cleaned up somewhat for our distinguished readers, was "It’s Donegal Bay, you (bleeping) idiot; turn left immediately." Well, just as Frank banked hard to port, Mumbles decided to get up. Since the bunks were on the starboard side, our A/C flew about five feet and crashed to the flight deck on hands and knees while uttering a string of obscenities at a level many decibels above his usual speaking voice. Ignoring any explanations from either of his two chagrined junior officers, Mumbles took over the controls for the flight over Prestwick and on to Rhein-Main. About the only response from him for the next day or so... we spent the night in Frankfurt... was a suspicious look at me every now and then—as if he were thinking about whether or not I could find Lajes in the middle of the ocean on the way home (or, perhaps in his thoughts, my "you know what" with both hands). I, of course, knew myself to be mostly blameless for (what turned out to be) "Disaster #1," but decided to pay more attention to detail on the way to Lajes, completely unaware that "Disaster #2" was about to occur. In base operations to clear for the leg to Lajes, which Clarke had assigned to me, the weatherman pointed out a pretty tight low pressure center across our route south of the British Isles. This was just prior to the period in which Atlantic-crossing transport aircraft would be allowed to use minimal flight techniques and deviate from great circle DR AHEAD PAGE 12 or rhumb line courses to take advantage of the winds, I flight-planned for fairly strong head winds along the south side of the "low" for our prescribed route. Having decided that it would not be smart to be nonchalant for the return home, I carefully watched the aircraft’s progress between Rhein-Main and Brest, France, on the airways leg, noting that the forecast wind direction and velocity were accurate. Departing airways at Brest (I think it was the Ploneis beacon in those days; does that sound familiar to any readers of this tortured account?), I took over navigation in the usual overcast and undercast conditions. Since the weather was actually expected to clear on the western side of the pressure system, the World’s Greatest Navigator knew that the course could be kept with pressure pattern—while carefully watching all of the instruments— until a celestial three-star fix could be obtained later for an on-ETA arrival into Lajes. Mumbles, I noticed, stayed in the left seat rather than head for the bunk after we reached Ploneis; this, I knew, would allow me to regain his confidence in my unquestioned ability. Pressure pattern readings heading southwest from Ploneis indicated drift within one degree right or left of track, in line with the forecast winds. All seemed normal for about two hours (here, memory fails me on precisely how long we were on the westward leg from Brest), and then everything changed. Despite the glowing weather forecast, we were notified that both Lajes and its alternate, Santa Maria, were closed indefinitely. All of a sudden, Mumbles was asking me for a heading and ETA for Land’s End, England, because we were heading for Prestwick. Having kept my DR current—in line with my "newfound" attention to detail—I was able to quickly calculate and relay the needed information. I started searching for Land’s End on radar when (according to my ETA) within about 125 nautical miles. Not only did I have no return but the pilots were unable to pick up the expected radio signal. With mumbling coming from the A/C’s seat, I rechecked my figures and could find no reason why we weren’t picking up Land’s End— other than the possibility than the head winds expected on the southwest track were instead tail winds. I can’t recall exactly how long it was before we finally found Land’s End on radar and radio, or exactly how badly I "busted" my ETA; I’m guessing I was off by at least an hour. Arriving at Prestwick, I raced into the weather desk, and found the flattest low pressure system I had ever seen—before or since—and it was placed south of where Rhein-Main had it (i.e., we had progressed southwest and then back northeast on the north side of the system’s center). Attempted explanations were rebuffed by Mumbles, whose thought patterns probably centered on certain words preceding "brown bar navigators." As for my thoughts, they no longer included the phrase "World’s Greatest Naviga- tor." To put a merciful end to this tale of woe, "Disaster #3" never occurred as Clarke took the leg from Prestwick-toHarmon, where we had to RON after running out of crew duty time. Mumbles probably got some sleep en route to Harmon; he undoubtedly would have stayed in the left seat if I were at the navigator’s table. And it was years before I felt confident enough to reclaim my "title"—although I’m guessing there are many pretenders among AFNOA’s members. Finally, I would like to add that the late Clarke Lampard was an excellent instructor and person, and never gave me any "grief" over that mission—one that I never forgot. ********* A FEW TERRIFYING MOMENTS by Charles Hinton, Ellington 51-27 Sunday, May 4th. The weather finally clears, and I am on the schedule with Austin Ayotte and Navigator Bill Moyna in a glass-nosed airplane to Purple 11 for mission #38. Moyna is crewed up with Ayotte, so I ride in the nose where the view of the action is superb. Moyna keeps the log, so I sit on my little platform in the nose behind the bombsight and enjoy the view across North Korea on the way to the route. We have some moonlight and the visibility is OK. When we get to the route Ayotte reccys up the road and railroad beyond Quaksan and Namsi-dong with no action and eventually we are in an area some 8 or 10 miles south of Sinuiju and see some searchlights pop up. In a short time there are several—maybe 6 or 8—and they are evidently sweeping the sky in random motion. One technique used by the "Commies" was to catch a B26 in the searchlights so the anti-aircraft gunners could see it. A few missions later I would learn that when the searchlights are on, it frequently meant there are night fighters in the area. I need to set the stage for the rest of this story. A navigator or bombardier enters a glass-nosed B-26 through a trapdoor under the nose that has built in steps. You climb into the nose and reach down and pull up the trap door with a leather strap, latch the door, and then lay a hinged, flat sheet of aluminum down over the trap door to smooth out the floor. In the front of the nose is a Norden bombsight sitting out on a platform surrounded by the Plexiglas nose. Terrific visibility, huh? Although configurations vary, this B-26 had a sheet metal shelf on the left side of the nose, about elbow high, with some navigational instruments, and on the right side an APN-9 LORAN set that was supposed to provide us with some electronic navigation assistance. Behind the trap door was a 6"-thick platform that you sat on for takeoff and landings—usually on a lead-filled flak protector. Throughout most of the mis- DR AHEAD sion you kneeled on the aluminum sheet over the trap door, maybe leaning over the bombsight, so you could have a good view of the action, and with your microphone switch in your left hand so you can talk to the rest of the crew while you help the pilot find good targets. A searchlight had locked on us for quite some time, and Ayotte was making a dive for a valley to escape the lights. As we were scrambling to get out of this situation we are being severely hosed by some anti-aircraft fire. I watch glowing bullets come up at us, starting out slowly and seeming to speed up as they got closer. You get used to them— well no, you don’t get used to them but you tolerate them— because mostly they didn’t seem very accurate... except when they hit you. This gunner was doing pretty well. Ayotte has some throttle on the airplane while in this gentle dive, and we are going at a good clip. The shells seem right on us. Then BLAMM, and I have a steady blast of air through my compartment. I announce, "Pilot—we’re hit"! Ayotte comes back very calmly and says; "I don’t think so. The airplane seems to be flying normally." I have a hurricane of air through my compartment, so something is wrong! I try to think this problem through. Where is that air coming from? Ooohh Boy! Oooohhhh Boy! A jolt of adrenaline goes through my body. My trap door is gone and I am kneeling on a flimsy piece of aluminum and that is all that’s between me and a hike across North Korea. I stick one elbow on top of the LORAN set on my right and the other elbow on the aluminum shelf to my left and squeeze the mike and tell Ayotte, "Don’t pull any Gs! My trap door is gone!" Hanging by your elbows over North Korea while you try to inch back to something solid is hard. Try hanging by your elbows some time. Finally I get back to my platform and off the sheet of aluminum. I lifted the sheet of aluminum over the hatch just a bit and the door is closed. Hmmmmmm. I still have a 300mph gale of wind through the compartment. I traced the blast of air forward and find there is a hole in the Plexiglas in front of the bomb sight, but it is not really a hole but a hinged sheet of plate glass to provide an optically perfect view for the bomb sight optics. Somehow the air pressure on the nose from our high speed dive to get out of the searchlights caused the catch to release and let the plate glass cover open up. I reached down, closed and latched the plate glass cover and all was quiet again. On nights that I wasn’t already "thrilled out" the rest of the mission would itself have been an exciting time. In the diary for the day I noted that we caught a train and worked it over. I don’t remember the details, but the diary says we damaged the locomotive and destroyed five cars and got a bullet through the fin. On the facing page at the bottom I PAGE 13 noted "Thought I was going to walk home from Purple 11." The preceding is an excerpt from the book KOREA: A SHORT TIME IN A SMALL WAR by Charles Hinton. The author writes that in Korea the B-26s performed interdiction of supplies carried by truck and trains from Manchuria to the front lines. "We did it at night at low level in the mountains of North Korea. The tactics we used were never used before, and with new technology will never be done again. Stars and Stripes told the stories of the air battles over MiG alley and the exploits of the fighter bombers and the naval activities. At the bottom of the article it usually said, "The B-26s also flew." I waited 60 years for some professional writer to tell the story of the B-26s in Korea. No one ever did. This is my contribution to the record." ********* FIRST RIDE by Joseph T. Guastella, Carlsbad 45-xx While I was a navigator in the 305th Bomb Wing at Bunker Hill AFB, Indiana, our wing was selected to transition from B-47s to B-58s. At that time I had over 2,000 hours in the B-47. There was a quantum increase in technology between the B-47 and the B-58. As a stanboard navigator in both aircraft, I experienced a number of major differences: a stanboard check could only be given in a navigator simulator in the B-58, in which each crew member sat in a capsule and your log was printed on a roll of paper; the B-58 had an astrotracker which the navigator programmed to provide heading information to the computer; the primary navigation table was the top of a large gyro with accelerometers that gave speed and drift to the computers; a Doppler also was used to send velocities to a Doppler inertia mixer (DIM) counters; the DIM drove the navigation longitude and latitude counters; and the radar crosshairs reached out 200 nautical miles to provide for a precision fix or a tanker's beacon code. Like the B-47, the navigator could fly the B-58 with his tracking handle—if the pilot gave him second station. For the transition, navigators took ground school at Mather AFB, and pilots went to Perrin AFB to fly the F102. We later gathered at Carswell AFB for crew training. The pilots and defense system operators (DSOs) first flew the TB-58, a two-pilot version. When this training was complete, combat crews were ready for their first mission. My first ride in a B-58 Hustler was a short one, but we landed safely. My pilot was Wes Lindley, and my DSO was Clifford Youngblood. On the runway at Carswell, we waited permission to take off. It soon came. Wes brought the four J-79s to afterburner and released brakes. DR AHEAD PAGE 14 The plane shot forward and in 25 seconds we were at 225 knots. Wes rotated the nose—the B-58 was airborne! As we climbed out, the tower advised us to check engines, as they saw a cloud of smoke as we rotated. I gave Wes a heading to Shreveport. Our engines seemed OK, but soon Wes saw the primary hydraulic system start to fail. We declared an emergency and returned to Carswell, requesting permission to dump fuel. It was approved. Wes lowered the gear for more drag and brought the power up. We needed to get down to the maximum landing weight. Wes noted both hydraulic systems going down and decided to land. The flapless B-58 flew the pattern at 230 knots—the final was at 210 knots with a 12-degree nose high attitude, so he raised the nose and increased rate of sink. We touched down at 190 knots, Wes pulled the brake chute handle. With limited hydraulics affecting brakes and steering, Wes pulled the yellow handle at his left knee that allowed nitrogen in the left strut to give us three applications of the brakes. We slowed up, went through the end of the runway and stopped on the overrun. The cloud of smoke had come from the utility hydraulic system that failed as we rotated. Happily, with the gear up the system did not leak fluid. ********* NAVIGATING THE PACIFIC DURING WWII by Richard H. Mansfield, Selman 44-10 First of all, I do not presume to be an expert on WWII Pacific navigation, and I can only relate what our navigational practices were and what conditions we had on our long flights over water. I was attached to the 26th Squadron of the 11th BG of the 7th AF. My first missions were from Guam bombing Iwo, Marcus, and Truk at different times. Later the flights over Japan were 8 to10 hours to Japan and back. The flights bombing Shanghai were a bit longer. In the Pacific, there were B-24 groups from the 5th, 7th (11th BG, 494th BG, 30th BG) and 13th Air Forces. The 20th AF had mainly B-29s. There were also a few smaller associated B-25 and A-26 groups. One had to be proficient at celestial navigation because—other than DR & pilotage—that is what was necessary and what we all used. Near the end of the war Loran stations, master & slave, were erected behind us, but after 400-500 nm on a long flight westerly we ran out of signal and range. We did have APN-4 units and later APN-9s aboard a few planes. Noonday celestial shots on the sun were frequently used and gave very accurate fixes. Bombing from Guam toward Truk to the south-southeast in early 1945 was sometimes a hassle, as we ran into many thunderstorms, both en route to the target and returning to base. Bombing from Guam to Iwo, straight north, was not bad, as there were many small identifiable islands enroute. Bombing from Okinawa to Kyushu Island of Japan was mostly pilotage, as there was a string of islands enroute. Conventional DR & pilotage were primary and practiced on all missions. Going westward to Shanghai from Okinawa, once you approached the China coast the DR position was confirmed by pilotage. Our lead B-24 in the group usually had an APQ-13 radar aboard, and we would toggle on the lead plane. A group effort usually had 12 planes in a box formation. Several missions had maximum effort, especially over Japan. That was in the waning days of the war in July and August 1945. Most of the missions were at 12,000 feet, as the Japanese ack ack was proven to be inaccurate above 10,000 feet. The only navigational aids I had were an A-10 sextant, an astrocompass, a driftmeter, and an APN-4 Loran. My crew of ten—, the Joe Fabel crew—was together throughout. We crewed up in September of 1944 at Muroc, California, and flew ten combat missions plus many recons to adjoining islands in the Central Pacific. This report is a small summary of what I was involved in. Today, my tail gunner and I are the only ones still alive. We broke up when the war was over, and most of us returned to our homes of record after getting back to the States.. Since I was also the squadron adjutant of the 26th Bomb Squadron, I was selected to close up the squadron. That was a sad day for my crew, as another navigator took my crew home and got them temporarily lost en route! ********* LAST FLIGHTS by Richard Mansfield, Selman 44-10 Regretfully, I must announce that this will be my final submission of "Last Flights" for the quarterly DR AHEAD. Jim Faulkner has volunteered to continue it as an additional duty. Please support him. He was a most dedicated and worthy associate. It has been a lot of fun keeping track of classmates, our crews, and all those navigator escapades. Unfortunately, some have gone on to the great hereafter and we wish them all well. It has been the greatest group of people that I have ever known or served with. Thank you, People, for your warm responses, as you also have helped us considerably over the years in assembling our graduation records. Together, we have kept it all going, especially for our AFNOA, Selman Field and other school groups. Various Bomb Group Association records were established also, as were other crew relationships. Your help has brought many of the early days back so we could add important data to some of our previous documentation. After graduating from Selman Field with class 44-10 DR AHEAD in August 1944, I joined a 7th AF B-24 crew and flew 10 bombing missions over Japan and several other adjoining island targets. They were Marcus, Truk, Shanghai (2), Kure, Sasebo, Omuta, Kumamoto and Matsuyama. My bombardier, Monroe A. Ashworth (AFNOA, deceased), hit the Japanese battleship Haruna in a mission (7-28-45) just prior to Hiroshima being bombed (8-06-45) by the 20th AF Enola Gay B-29 crew! We also did several search missions in attempts to find lost crews. One in particular was the one searching for General Millard Harmon in March, 1945. Ten days of extensive searching by a full squadron failed to locate the remains of the General's C-87 (cargo B-24) plane. The square searches were westward from Johnston Island and eastward from Kwajalein. Thanks so much for your friendship over the years. A special thanks to the Selman Field Historical Association for their initial aid. About 600 of us from Selman joined AFNOA in 1991. I will miss them tremendously and all of you. Dick Mansfield SE 44-10 AFNOA Last Flights Coordinator Selman Field Past President FNOA Past Vice President & Membership Chair HOULIHAN BOMBARDIERS - BIG SPRINGS CHARLES J. SPRINGFIELD VA 44-11 COLEMAN BOMBARDIERS - MIDLAND JOSEPH W. SAN ANTONIO UNK WILLIAMS BOMBARDIERS - SAN ANGELO PARKS E. ARLINGTON TX TROMBLEY DOUGLAS JOHNSTON BOMBARDIERS - UNKNOWN WILLIAM J. DALLAS LEWIS W. DENVER KINGSLEY ORLANDO NAVIGATORS - ELLINGTON GALLIETT, JR. HAROLD H. OROVILLE GLENN BARNEY L. RESCUE LAVENDER GERALD J. MICO KING DWAYNE E. MAULDIN ANTHONY DONALD J. LOUDONVILLE CROCKER JACK J. PORTLAND ROSSI FRANCES V. TORRINGTON DINSMOOR JOHN W. AURORA JOHNSON RAYMOND D. TAVERNIER PONGRACE DON RYE DIETRICH THOMAS A. SAN ANTONIO PAUL FREDERICK CULPEPER SCHNUCKER, PAUL ROSWELL FLAGG DICK UNK NAVIGATORS - HARLINGEN DUKE, III OSCAR C. WINTER SPRINGS THUERWACHTER, JAMES T. WINDCREST FELDEN ROBERT J. ORLANDO HONNOLD JOHN K. TACOMA HINTERTHAN WINIFIED W. LAS VEGAS JASINSKI JOHN M. CHELMSFORD TX 44-09 TX UNK CO UNK FL UNK CA CA TX SC NY OR CT CO FL NH TX VA NM 44-01 44-01 44-05 44-09 44-11 45-04 45-04 50-D 50-D 50-D 54-00 55-13 56-08 56-18 FL TX FL WA NV MA 53-00 53-07 53-19 54-00 55-13 55-13 PAGE 15 NICHOLS DAVID L. CHARLOTTE NC RAINEY CHARLES A. BOUNTIFUL UT ROGERS EDWARD K. ROSEVILLE CA MATHERS DONALD E. TOPEKA KS PROCHASKA RICHARD C. SPEIGHT OH DUBE FRANCIS P. BLUFFTON SC BALISH DONALD G. LITTLETON CO QUACKENBUSH, DONALD C.NEWPORT NEWS VA SHEAR JAMES F. HOUSTON TX MELLON, JR. WILLIAM L. PATASKALA OH SQUIRES ROBERT W. SAN ANTONIO TX BOLTON DEWAYNE P. COLLIERVILLE TN SCHAEFER ROBERT W. SHALMA FL JUSTICE NEAL E. HORTON AL KELLEHER GERALD G. MINOT ND KELLY JAMES J. OFALLON IL DONNELL ROBERT D. CONROE TX 55-13 55-13 55-13 55-16 55-16 55-18 56-09 56-09 56-09 57-06 57-16 58-08 58-08 60-19 60-20 61-07 61-09 LANGHOFER LUKINGBEAL WALBORN ALKEMA JOHNSON CRAWLEY WHITMORE DIDLAKE PARSONS CRAWFORD NAVARRO CHAPMAN YOUEL ATAMIAN STUART ROBERTS ALEXIS ESTES HEFTY NAVIGATORS - JAMES CONNALLY BILLY G. NAPAQ CA MARK W. AUROA OH CHESTER A. MOUNTAIN HOME ID JOHN P. WAYNESVILLE NC ROBERT E. NASHVILLE TN DRURY B. COLLIERVILLE TN DAVID C. LAS VEGAS NV WILLIAM W. AUSTIN TX DOUGLAS E. MELNA ID THOMAS J. SACRAMENTO CA DANIEL L. HUMBLE TX DAVID L. PHOENIX AZ JAMES NORTHFIELD OH GARY J. ROCHESTER MN ADRIAN C. JACKSONVILLE AR FLOYD N. SPRINGFIELD VT JOSEPH MODESTO CA JERRY A. JACKSON LA RAYMOND S. CARMICHAEL CA 52-02 53-08 53-08 54-09 54-19 54-YN 60-09 60-11 63-03 63-08 63-14 63-16 64-13 64-14 65-07 65-15 65-16 65-20 66-17 STUTES NAVIGATORS - MATHER WAYNE S. GRIFFIN GA 71-08 FL OH SD MI LA MA TX MD 44-10 44-10 44-10 44-11 45-03 45-03 45-155 45-415 45-725 FL IL MI MD 43-14 44-02 44-07 44-43 NAVIGATORS - SELMAN CRISPIN, JR. FLOYD A. OCALA NICASTRO JOHN INDEPENDANCE SNYDER LESTER W. RAPID CITY DVORAK JOHN A. WASHINGTON ALSTON, SR. MAURICE E. SHREVEPORT JONES FRANK E. UNK SCHMALTZ ROBERT E. WESTFORD CARRELL ALBERT R. DALLAS JAGOE LOUIS KENSINGTON GROSS GROBAN SCHEIMAN KARAS BALLARD CAPUCO MARINARO NAVIGATORS - SAN MARCOS JOHN G. CLEARWATER RAYMOND `CHICAGO MARCUS ANN ARBOR FRANK W. KENSINGTON NAVIGATORS - UNKNOWN SCHOOL WILLIAM T. UNK UNK VITO ANNAPOLIS MD UNK FRANK J. LEESBURG VA UNK ********* THE AIR FORCE NAVIGATORS OBSERVERS ASSOCIATION 4109 Timberlane Enid, OK 73703-2825 PRSRT STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 182 Change service requested FROM ZIP CODE 32548 THE AFNOA BOARD President, Historian, and Museum Committee Ronald P. Barrett 1406 South Lexington Holden, MO 64040-1636 305-797-0745 [email protected] 1st Vice-President, Membership, and Director James Connally Affairs James R. Faulkner 4109 Timberlane Enid, OK 73703-2825 580-242-0526 [email protected] 2nd Vice-President and NMUSAF Museum Commmittee Sostenes Suazo 541 Riverwood Drive Beaverbrook, OH 45430 937-431-8542 [email protected] Secretary Lloyd Ward 8121 34th Avenue, Unit 206 Bloomington, MN 55425-1646 952-854-4110 [email protected] E. Dennis Ehrenberger Treasurer 2783 Glenview Drive Sierra Vista, AZ 85650-5734 520-378-1313 [email protected] Immediate Past President, Scholarship Committee and Reunion Committee Jim Bannerman 761 Marina Point Drive Daytona Beach, FL 32114-5050 386-257-3853 [email protected] Past President Peter Karnoski 1588 Sandinista Drive Las Vegas, NV 89123 702-361-4983 Distributor, DR AHEAD Errol Hoberman 6441 Avendia De Galvez Navarrre, FL 32566-8911 850-939-5231 [email protected] [email protected] Editor, DR AHEAD Richard W. Ahrens 79 Forest Drive, The Woods 43300 Little River Airport Road Little River, CA 95456-9612 707-937-4242 [email protected] Last Flights Coordinator Richard Mansfield 7313 Oak Leaf Way Sarasota, FL 34241-6204 941-388-7548 Chaplain John T. Massey 6810 Rosewood Court Tampa, FL 33615-3318 813-886-1938 Bombardier Committee 2025 Welch Court Ann Arbor, MI 48103 734-761-7251 [email protected] [email protected] Russell K. Woinowsk Web Master for www.afnoa.org Tim Duerson [email protected] [email protected]
© Copyright 2024