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 Gen. Ralph Royce - Mission Commander

 3RD BOMBARDMENT GROUP PERSONNEL


 

Davies/McAfee

Strickland/Hipps

Heiss/Townsend

Gunn/Bender

Peterson/Mangan

Maull/West

Wilson/Keeter

Feltham/Linn

Smith/Talley

Lowry/Walker

Schmidt/Birnn

M/Sgt. Firman S. Adams - Line Chief

 B-25C 41-12483

 (P) Lt. Col. John H. Davies

(CP) 1st Lt. James B. McAfee

        (B) Ronald D. Hubbard / 1st Lt. James B. McAfee

 

(N) Lt. William C. Clapp / (B) Capt. Ronald D. Hubbard / (E) T/Sgt. Young / (G) Cpl. Robert M. Newman / (G) Sgt. Hayes

 B-25C  41-12480

(P) 1st Lt. Robert F. Strickland

(CP) Maj. William G. Hipps

 (B) T/Sgt. George H. Bengel

 

(N) Lt. Brindel  19th BG / (B) T/Sgt. George H. Bengel / (E) S/Sgt. William R. Crutchfield / (G) Sgt. Kenneth A. Cooper / (G) Pfc. Arthur J. White

B-25C 41-12485

(P) Capt. Paul I. Gunn via Frank Patnaude

(CP) 1st Lt. Frank Bender via Edward Rogers

(E) Midgett  (Probably Jack Fox) / (G) S/Sgt. Arnold M. Thompson / (G) PFC Joseph A Paradiso (Paradise) / No Navigator or Bombardier

 B-25C #41-12442

 (P) Capt. Gustave M. Heiss

(CP) 2nd Lt. Edwin C. Townsend

MacDavitt - S/Sgt. Lionel G. Young  via Bill Beck

 

      Aircraft was recovered by Charles Darby in 1974.     

 Image Courtesy of Rob Parer

(N) Lt. John Bevan / (B) Sgt. Marlon K. Smith / (E) T/Sgt. Henry J. Snipers / (G) Sgt. James W. Miller / (G) Sgt. Lionel G. Young

B-25C 41-12511

(P) 2nd Lt. Harold V. Maull

(CP) 2nd Lt. Howard B. West

(N) Lt. William Culp / (B) Sgt. O. C. Cook / (E) S/Sgt Cyril A. Moore / (G) Cpl. Francis H. Pryor / (G) Francis M. Fowler

B-25C 41-12441

(P) Capt. Herman F. Lowery

(CP) 2nd Lt. Leland A. Walker

(N) 1st Lt. Joseph M. Bean / (B) T/Sgt. William B. Wherry / (E) Cpl. Hodges K. Rigdon (Regan) / (G) Noah Fresquez / (G) Sgt. David H. Runnager

 B-25C 41-124555

 (P) 1st Lt. Bennett G. Wilson

 (CP) 2nd Lt. John J. Keeter

(N) Lt. E. T. Tisonyai

 (B) T/Sgt. Luther D. Word

 M/Sgt. Firman S. Adams

 

 (N) Lt. E. T. Tisonyai / (B) T/Sgt. Luther D. Word / (E) S/Sgt. Kenneth W. Gatewood / (G) Sgt. Jimmy D. Morris / (G) Cpl. Stephen L. Taylor

 * It must be noted that M/Sgt. Firman S. Adams is listed as Line Chief & flew to Del Monte on this aircraft. It has been indicated to me by George F. Moon, Crew Chief with the HQ, 89th & 13th Squadrons, that M/Sgt. Adams forced his way onto this flight and that it created a resentment between Gatewood & Adams which was related to Sgt. Moon by S/Sgt. Gatewood.

  B-25 41-12472

 (P) 2nd Lt. Malcolm E. Peterson

 (CP) 2nd Lt. James H. Mangan

(B) S/Sgt. John P. Butler

 

 (N) Lt. Hansom / (B) S/Sgt. John P. Butler / (E) Sgt. Norman H. Salles / (G) Cpl. M.S. Whismett ( Whinsett ) / (G) Sgt. Lawrence H. Cooper

 B-25C 41-12443

(P) 1st Lt. James R. Smith

(CP) 2nd Lt. Thomas P. Talley

(N) Lt. Grant / (B) M/Sgt. Ray A. Oliver / (E) T/Sgt. Aden L. Simmons / (G) Sgt. Guy E. Clanton / (G) Cpl. Alfred A. Fawe ( Fall )

 B-25C 41-12466

 (P) 1st Lt. John D. Feltham

(CP) 2nd Lt. John R. Linn

 (B) T/Sgt. Melvin E. Owens

 

(N) Lt. Alfred A. Heyman / (B) T/Sgt. Melvin E. Owens / (E) T/Sgt. Norman L. Cates / (G) Cpl. George H. Nelson / (G) Cpl. Chester L. Hatcher

B-25C 41-12496

(P) 2nd Lt. Ralph L. L. Schmidt

(CP) 2nd Lt. Richard R. Birnn

Started on Philippines Mission from Charters Towers. Upon arrival at RAAF Station Darwin a bad cut cut was discovered on one of the main tires. With no immediate replacement available a decision was made to abort this aircraft from mission. Page 300  Operation Plum

 B-25C Serial # Unknown

(P) 1st Lt. Donald P. Hall

(P) 1st Lt. Christian Petri, Jr.

 Hall & Petri tried to fly a tire to Darwin for Schmidt's B-25 and got lost. Page 300-301  Operation Plum

Some of the crewmen and one of the two B-17s that returned safely to Australia from the Philippines. U.S. Air Force photo

 B-17E  41-2447  ( San Antonio Rose II )

Destroyed on ground at Del Monte #1 April 12, 1942 

(P) Capt. Frank P. Bostrom ( center of photo )

(CP) Lt. Wilson L. Cook

(N) Lt. Harold E. Snider - (B) Lt. Earl Sheggrud - (R) S/Sgt. Kenneth A. Gradle - (AR) PFC Clyde L. Horn - (E) S/Sgt. John C. Haddon

(AE) PFC Herbert M. Wheatley ( Tail Gunner ) - (G) Sgt. Edward Van Every

 B-17E  41-2421

(P) Capt. David G. Rawls

(CP) Unknown

(N) Lt. Robert T. Jones - (B) Unknown - (R) Unknown - (AR) Unknown - (E) Sgt. Robert J. Dunn, Jr. - (AE) Sgt. Robert K. Palmer - (G) Unknown 

Passenger - ( Del Monte to Batchelor Field )  Capt. Frank P. Bostrom


Navigator Lt. Robert T. Jones

B-17E  41-2486

(P) Capt. Edward C. Teats

(CP) Lt. "Ted" Greene

(N) Lt. Walter E. Seamon - (B) Lt. Stone - (R) Unknown - (AR) Unknown - (E) Sgt. Hopkins (?) - (AE) Unknown - (G) Unknown

Passengers - ( Del Monte to Batchelor Field ) 

Col. Charles A. Backes - Lt. Col. Arthur S. Fischer - Lt. John D. Bulkely - Lt. Harold E. Snider - Lt. Earl Sheggrud - 1st Lt. Howard W. Brown - Lt. P.S. Miller - Pvt. Johnson


Images in this section are from the National Museum of the Air Force unless otherwise noted.

General R. B. Lincoln awarding DSC to Ralph Royce & John H. Davies 

Sydney Morning Herald  April 16, 1942

 MESSAGES OF CONGRATULATION

New York Times  April 16, 1942

 

Decoration Ceremony at Charters Towers

 

Urgent Message from Lt. Colonel Davies to General George Brett

 

Major William G. Hipps - Report on the Royce Mission

 

Excerpts from the General Ralph Royce Diary 

 

General Ralph Royce - Account of the Royce Mission 

 

Royce Special Mission by Dwight Jon Zimmerman

 

General Ralph Royce - Biography

 

 13th Squadron Combat Log


 90th Squadron Combat Log


This page is made possible by the efforts of Gus Breymann, Larry Stephenson ( Operation Plum ) & Edward Rogers. Thank you so much. Also, many thanks to Doug Ruegg who scanned numerous photos from the Robert G. Ruegg copy of the 27th Reports. Thanks also to Neal Patnaude for his photos from the Frank Patnaude Collection.

GTK

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