W45AUTH\AT28E-JR.DOC

28^th sqd crew #14A John Randolph Jr (copilot F Maupins crew) Photo taken at Iwo Jima

Row	Duty	Rank	Name	ASN	MOS	Home, 1945
B-1	AC	1st Lt	John Randolph Jr.	0-449069	1093	Silva, NC
M-5	P	F/O	Billy R. Huffman		1091	Tulsa, OK
B-3	N	1st Lt	Bernard Van Arkel		1034	Philadelphia, PA
B-2	B	2nd Lt	William E McFain		1035	Namcoki, IL
B-4	RO	1st Lt	Joseph E. Jamieson		0142	Rochester, NY
F-2	FE	F/O	Thomas Adams		737	Roanoke, VA
M-2	R	T/Sgt	Lloyd B. Ford		2756	Coffeyville, KS
M-4	CFC	T/Sgt	Kenneth G. Aiken		580	_____MD
(1)	RG	S/Sgt	Joseph H. Alves		611	unkn
(2)	RG	S/Sgt	William R McNeill		611	unkn
F-1	RG	S/Sgt	Harry D. McCluskey		611	unkn
M-1	LG	S/Sgt	Chester E. Williams		611	Dallas, TX
M-3	TG	S/Sgt	Albert L. Lockwood		611

(1) Sgt Joseph H. Alves was the first Rt Gunner and was replaced after one or two missions, reason unkn.

(2) Broke leg on crew bailout at Iwo Jima on fifth mission, Nagoya raid. Replaced by McCluskey

Aircraft flow by Crew #14

M-2 Crew Chief: M/Sgt Daniel Sidelko

M-13 Crew Chief: S/Sgt Hugh Simmons (Out of gas, airplane OK but lost, bail out over Iwo Jima.)

M-11 Crew Chief: Harold Engel

Fig 2 Lt Dillard,AC; Lt McFain,B; Lt Jamieson,RD; Lt Van Arkel,N. Fig 3 F/O Huffman, P

Fig 5 F/O Tom Adams, FE

The crew assembled at Lincoln AAB NB, Oct ’44.

Crew training was at Pyote AAB TX and Clovis AAB, NM during period from Nov to Mar ’44.

The crew was sent to Kearney AAB NB, Mar ’45, issued new clothing and combat equipment items plus a new B-29 aircraft.

The crew flew the new aircraft for 2-3 flights for testing and instrument calibration; then flew to Mather Field, Sacemento, CA, for some new modifications.

The crew departed for overseas, made overnight stops at Honolulu and Kwajalean and arrived North Field, Guam, April 10, 1945.

Fig 6 T/Sgt Aiken, CFC; S/Sgt McCluskey, RG; T/Sgt L Ford, R; S/Sgt C Williams, LG. Fig 7 Sgt J Alves

Fig 10 Lt John Randolph’s crew on Iwo after JV Day. Standing: ______, F/O T Adams, Lt Randolph, _____, _____, _____, _______, _____, Lt Fred Bigalow Sqd B; Front: _____, ______

In Oct ’45 the Bombardier and Flight Engineer were reassigned to Lt Henry Dorrough, transferred to the 330^th BG, so that personnel and aircraft could start returning to the US.

Crew #14 Combat Missions

Date	Target	Flt time hrs
04-27-45	Kanoya	15:00
04-29-45	Kanoya	15:10
05-03-45	East Kanoya	15:15
05-10-45	Otako	16:20
05-14-45	Nagoya	14:30
05-24-45	Tokyo	15:55
05-25-45	Tokyo	15:25
05-29-45	Yokohama	15:10
06-01-45	Osaka	9:00
06-06-45	Osaka	12:35
06-10-45	Tokyo	16:40
06-15-45	Osaka	15:40
06-17-45	Kagoshima	15:20
06-19-45	Shizuoko	14:30
06-22-45	Tamashima	16:10
07-06-45	Kofu	15:45
07-12-45	Umajiima	14:50
07-17-45	Hiratsuka	14:10
07-19-45	Okazaki	13:55
07-24-45	Tsu	15:15
07-26-45	Omaa	15:35
08-02-45	Mito	6:00
08-05-45	Nishinomya	15:25
08-10-45	Tokyo	14:05
08-15-45	Isesaki	14:00
09-02-45	Tokyo (1)	15:25
09-__-45	POW supplies
09-__-45	POW supplies
09-__-45	survivor search	PI Typhoon
09-__-45	survivor search	PI Typhoon

(1) Massed 20^th AF “Show of Force” missions.

· From Tom Adams Form 5 missions logged, above does not include two missions flown with Capt. Jack Ambroze’s crew when his FE was disabled.

Fig 12 Photo taken at Hawaii; Lt Henry Dorrough’s 8 crew members, 12 passengers

Back: F/O Adams, Lt Dorrough, _____, _____.Front: _____, Sgt Hoobler, Lt McFain, _____

Crew’s Story by Tom Adams

Crew #14 arrived on Guam on April 10, 1945. Assembled as a crew at Lincoln Army Air Field, NB in Oct 1945. At Lincoln, the crew along with hundreds of other crew members, were almost daily given briefings and shown movies along with speeches by returned combat members from the Pacific area and China about the B-29 Operations that were on going. Most were at Lincoln for only a short period. Other than briefings, we only had to check in on a daily basis. I, along with others, took part time jobs in the city to earn extra money. (I loaded freight at the railroad station.) We went from Lincoln to Pyote AAB in west Texas on or about first of November ’45 but only stayed about a month. Pyote was having operational problems with the B-29 and crew training was being delayed. About this time – memory is dim – but I do not recall that crew #14 did any or very little flying as a crew, at Pyote. We were sent to Clovis Army Air Field, NM, about Christmas time. Fact is, my earliest memory of meeting Lt Jesse Dillard was on the main street of Clovis one afternoon. He spoke saying words to the effect, “your Sgt Adams – you’re going to be my crew’s Flight Engineer.” He was carrying a quart size Mason jar full of North Carolina Corn Whiskey that had been sent to him from home. He invited me into the drugstore soda fountain, seated in a booth he ordered a couple of glasses of ginger ale and mixed in some moonshine – enough said!!

Crew #14 took crew training at Clovis AAF, NM, during Jan-Feb ’45. This period is recalled as very exciting times and many wonderful memories of the training, flying and crew member’s parties at the base clubs and the honky-tonks around Clovis. (These early but fond memories were mostly about the enlisted members of the crew and friends from other crews.) The radio operator Lloyd Ford married his home town girl during this time.

Tom Adams left 59 years later.

It is also recalled as a cold and sometimes lonely period, reveille at 0330 hours on the flying days, crew briefings and pre-flights in the dark, take-off at daybreak, those early flights, learning to fly the B-29, each member in his position trying to recall and use all the knowledge gained from the previous ground and tech schools and flight training but through it all supported by the crews. As for me, and I’m sure all of the crew, it was truly a wonderful time.

Crew training was completed in March 1945 and crew #14 was sent to Kearney AAB, NB. Only stayed there for a couple weeks during which time we got a complete new issue of clothing and equipment, including a new B-29 aircraft. The airplane was only flown a couple training and calibration flights, at Kearney Field, then the crew flew to Mather Field, Sacramento CA where some modifications were made on the plane. Of significance was the air operated bomb bay doors (the earlier models had electric motor actuator doors.

Crew #14 departed from California on or about April 7-8, 1945 and headed for Guam via Honolulu and Kwajelian islands and after overnight stops at each one, arrived North Field Guam April 10, 1945.

On arrival we lost our new airplane to a lead-crew (rank has it’s privileges). As recalled, we were one of the first -- possibly first – replacement crew into the 28^th Squadron. After about a week of flying other crew’s aircraft on local training flights, we were assigned another (well used) aircraft and started flying missions with the unit.

Crew #14 flew 24 sorties. On the 5^th mission to Nagoya, on return, the crew had to bail out at Iwo Jima. The crew was given aircraft M-2 formerly named City of Bakersfield that we renamed City of Trenton (New Jersey) in honor of our tail gunner Al Lockwood. The crew had (3) right gunners as noted in the crew listing.

Memorable events

Fond, good, scary and perhaps even doubtful (50 years is a long time ago).

Bail-out at Iwo Jima.

On out 5^th mission, a daylight formation attack on Nagoya. We had low fuel remaining in passing Iwo, but decided to fly on for an hour to see if winds and ground speed was picked up. It did not and decision was made to return to Iwo for fuel. Arriving back over Iwo, they instructed to hold for landings of aircraft with damage and wounded. The weather was deteriorating due to an approaching typhoon and when our turn came for landing, it was with radar approach. Three attempts were made without landing. Having used extra power in each go-around and with fuel almost gone, the ground operations decision was to get us down or bail out. Next attempt was same thing – we pulled up climbing – Lt. Dillard had told us when Bell goes – go and we did. The last time I recall looking at altimeter it showed 1000 feet. The Bombardier was first then Flight Engineer with Co-pilot and Pilot through the nose wheel well. The Navigator and Radio operator went out the front bomb bay and all guys in the back went out through the rear entrance door. The CFC Gunner hung the handle of his rip-cord on something and chute popped open, with no time to get spare changed they gathered panels and pilot chute and with his arms crossed over it, Sgt. Aiden stood on the door and left gunner , Sgt. Williams, pushed him out and jumped with him. The others followed. All landed on Iwo OK except for Right Gunner, Sgt. McNeill hit on a tent and fell on his leg and it was shattered. The Medics took him and he was returned to USA. The aircraft went about five miles passed the island and into the ocean.

The Flight Engineer landed on a large rock on a hillside, butt first and was picked up bodily, with chute and dinghy, by a very large Marine. He was carried up the hill to a Navy aid station where we were all collected, examined, given shots of whiskey (Schenly Black Label) and released.

The crew was moved into a secured area and spent next couple days in a tent while the typhoon passed. A few days later the ground crews having repaired a B-29 by using tail section and engines from other damaged aircraft and we had a plane to return to Guam. There were (5) other crews bailed out that day under the same conditions that we had; missed approaches, low fuel and multiple go-round’s. An enduring member was the sight -- while laying on my back after landing on the big rock – a B-29 with two (2) engines on one side feathered, gear and flaps down about 200-300 feet up and making a go-around. The crew made it and landed on next attempt but skidded off the runway, hit an embankment and aircraft was badly damaged.

Engine Failure on Take Off

The incident happened about end of June ’45. Full load of bombs and fuel and daylight take-off, in M-2. The #4 engine quit – complete power loss – just after passing the “bump” about half way down the runway. The AC called feather #4 and pilot counted engine numbers twice and punched #4 feather button. FE shut off all switches and closed cowl flaps, oil and inter cooler doors (and with eyes fixed on instruments said a prayer). The AC flew the plane on runway to end and used all the coral overrun and out over the 600 foot cliff. Bombs were salvoed at the cliffs, aircraft dropped to about 100 feet above water, started a slow turn to right – right wing down. The AC flew on just above the water for about 50 miles when aircraft started to climb and made it to 1000 feet to relief of all on board. About 3 hours later we landed. The crew had true appreciation for flying skills of the Airplane Commander (AC).

The overrun and 600 foot cliffs at end of the runway was also very nice to behold. Amen.

Most of the missions flown by crew #14 were just long , long and tiresome; other than sweating out take-offs and the moderate flak over most targets.

There were some interesting times on some missions. The dates and/or targets are not recorded but incidents are still there in memory. The Pilot, F/O Billy Huffman recalled some of these and thinks they were on separate Tokyo raids. A flak shell-burst close, rattled the plane and suddenly the pilot’s controls were gone – control cables shot away but the AC’s cables were OK. On night missions when we flew single file over targets the searchlights and their accompanying flak along with columns of smoke rising upwards 20,000-30,000 feet was fearsome. The pilots had flight pattern to offset flak aiming however we got in the light and seemed we couldn’t shake. At these times tail gunner Sgt. Al Lockwood’s job was to throw rolls of chaff out of the camera hatch in rear. With 5 or 6 lights stuck on us – Al just dumped a whole box which seemed to do the job. Those lights would light up inside of the plane, and smoke columns were special – when we got in one it lifted us thousands of feet of feet in a few moments, which is a jolt.

On some daylight missions, formation raids, a few fighters would come and make a pass at the formation, but crew #14 had only one time in which three Jap fighters really pressed. There were three (3) attacks from two (2) o’clock position. They came in single file for a total of nine (9) passes. Being on the right side of formation we got a good look at them and our crew gunners sure used some 50 cal ammo.

On, a couple of daylight raids the Japanese would fly above our formations and drop phosphorous bombs. The bombs would, after being dropped, explode above the formations and sprinkle small ignited pellets down on the planes.

Weather conditions for most part was nice but on nearly every mission the crews had to fly a penetration of an almost permanent front that was between Iwo Jima and Japan. Some of the fronts were real strong and when encountered at night it was an ordeal. Turbulence, lightening and St. Elmo’s fire (tiny balls of electrical energy running along wire bundles or tubing) inside the airplane and discharging off of an antenna or temperature probe. The Radar Operator was a super aid to Pilots in guiding around and through some of the more dense areas of the front.

Crew #14 experienced one penetration that was a lulu and it happened over Guam. Returning to North Field which had a cloud cover we along with many other B-29s, were bouncing about up and down in and out -- getting low on fuel and the bail out a very fresh memory – crew spotted a runway through a small hole in the clouds. The AC pulled a fighter maneuver and down through the hole , flaps and gears down and leveled out – landing onto a small Navy strip – 3000 feet of DSP at other end of Guam. When low on fuel any airstrip runway that is available is very nice indeed.

The last item is not specifically a crew #14 happening but is something for all crews. The onboard In Flight Food service. Let it be a forgotten memory, the B-29 was equipped with an electrical food warmer. Food in containers was put into rack spaces in the unit and plugged into aircraft electrical system. This was to make hot meals for crews in flight – a good idea but it just did not work. Consequently , after a couple trial attempts, the units were removed. In Flight Food was contained in card board boxes of sandwiches and gallon cans of juices, coffee in thermos, cheese-crackers and some hard chocolate candy. I’m sure other items were in the boxes, just remember those I mentioned.