C-478 #43-48308 Missing Aircrew Report - MIA Recoveries
3
C-478 #43-48308 Missing Aircrew Report This C-47 aircraft of the 10th Air Force was assigned to the post-war American Graves Registration Service (AGRS). Very early in the morning on 17 May 1946, it departed Mingaladon airport at Rangoon, Burma for Barrackpore I Calcutta, India. The aircraft had a crew of 3 from the 1304th Air Force Base Unit and 8 passengers, including a 6-man AGRS team. This aircraft was transporting possibly as many as 43 sets of US remains which were recently recovered by the AGRS team from POW cemeteries in southern Burma. A heavy storm was developing over the Bay of Bengal that day, and it was moving to the N - NE. The aircraft would unavoidably be running into the storm along its route to Barrackpore. The standard flight route from Rangoon to Barrackpore required flying over the NE corner of the Bay of Bengal between Akyab, Burma and Calcutta. The pilot was known to dislike flying over water; furthermore, before departing Mingaladon, the pilot told airport personnel he could not fly over water on this flight because he did not have enough life jackets aboard. The pilot stated he would instead follow the coast, and if he encountered a storm over Akyab, he would fly N or NE to skirt around it. The pilot radioed Barrackpore at 061 OZ to report he had passed over Akyab at 0530Z, was flying on instruments and he expected to arrive at Barrackpore at 0800Z. At 0615Z the pilot radioed Barrackpore for a weather update, and Barrackpore had to respond to him twice due to heavy atmospheric interference. At 0705Z the pilot mistakenly responded to a call from Barrackpore to another aircraft and said he had nothing to report. This was the last contact with C-47B #43-48308. The plane was never heard from again and its location is unknown. Dead: 11 plus possibly as many as 43 sets of US POW remains. Pilot: 1st Lt. Horace J. Gabbart, xxxx9790 Check Pilot: 1 st Lt. Melvin L. Power, xxxx3431 Radio Operator: Pfc. Eugene F. Ryan, xxxx4187 Passenger: Lt. Cmdr. James T. Campbell, xxxx5425 Passenger: Capt. Roy W. Corley, xxxx7766 Passenger: 1st Lt. Harry Chan, xxxx7552 Passenger: 1st Lt. Henry E. Derbyshire, xxxx6766 Passenger: 1st Lt. Donald S. Dutton, xxxx8713 Passenger: SSgt. Glenn F. Cox, Jr., xxxx1684 Passenger: Sgt. Warren R. Haines, xxxx3730 Passenger: Cpl. Wallace J. Davis, xxxx1295 POW Remains: Lt. Col. Everett C. Plummer, xxxx0365 POW Remains: Capt. William R. Gilhousen, xxxx7062 POW Remains: Capt. Armin J. Ortmeyer Jr., xxxx9326 POW Remains: Capt. Wayne E. Westberg, xxxx2792 POW Remains: Capt. Bill Wright, xxxx5565
Transcript of C-478 #43-48308 Missing Aircrew Report - MIA Recoveries
C-478 #43-48308 Missing Aircrew Report
This C-47 aircraft of the 10th Air Force was assigned to the post-war AmericanGraves Registration Service (AGRS). Very early in the morning on 17 May 1946,it departed Mingaladon airport at Rangoon, Burma for Barrackpore I Calcutta,India. The aircraft had a crew of 3 from the 1304th Air Force Base Unit and 8
passengers, including a 6-man AGRS team. This aircraft was transportingpossibly as many as 43 sets of US remains which were recently recovered by theAGRS team from POW cemeteries in southern Burma.
A heavy storm was developing over the Bay of Bengal that day, and it wasmoving to the N - NE. The aircraft would unavoidably be running into the stormalong its route to Barrackpore. The standard flight route from Rangoon toBarrackpore required flying over the NE corner of the Bay of Bengal betweenAkyab, Burma and Calcutta. The pilot was known to dislike flying over water;furthermore, before departing Mingaladon, the pilot told airport personnel hecould not fly over water on this flight because he did not have enough life jacketsaboard. The pilot stated he would instead follow the coast, and if heencountered a storm over Akyab, he would fly N or NE to skirt around it.
The pilot radioed Barrackpore at 061 OZ to report he had passed over Akyab at0530Z, was flying on instruments and he expected to arrive at Barrackpore at0800Z. At 0615Z the pilot radioed Barrackpore for a weather update, andBarrackpore had to respond to him twice due to heavy atmospheric interference.At 0705Z the pilot mistakenly responded to a call from Barrackpore to anotheraircraft and said he had nothing to report. This was the last contact with C-47B#43-48308. The plane was never heard from again and its location is unknown.Dead: 11 plus possibly as many as 43 sets of US POW remains.
Pilot: 1st Lt. Horace J. Gabbart, xxxx9790Check Pilot: 1st Lt. Melvin L. Power, xxxx3431Radio Operator: Pfc. Eugene F. Ryan, xxxx4187Passenger: Lt. Cmdr. James T. Campbell, xxxx5425Passenger: Capt. Roy W. Corley, xxxx7766Passenger: 1st Lt. Harry Chan, xxxx7552Passenger: 1st Lt. Henry E. Derbyshire, xxxx6766Passenger: 1st Lt. Donald S. Dutton, xxxx8713Passenger: SSgt. Glenn F. Cox, Jr., xxxx1684Passenger: Sgt. Warren R. Haines, xxxx3730Passenger: Cpl. Wallace J. Davis, xxxx1295POW Remains: Lt. Col. Everett C. Plummer, xxxx0365POW Remains: Capt. William R. Gilhousen, xxxx7062POW Remains: Capt. Armin J. Ortmeyer Jr., xxxx9326POW Remains: Capt. Wayne E. Westberg, xxxx2792POW Remains: Capt. Bill Wright, xxxx5565
POW Remains: 1st Lt. Paul E. Almand, xxxx4774POW Remains: 1st Lt. Robert F. Angell, xxxx7635POW Remains: 1st Lt. Amel Boldman, Jr., xxxx6094POW Remains: 1st Lt. Robert D. Drummey, xxxx5670POW Remains: 1st Lt. Burdett C. Goodrich, xxxx0504POW Remains: 1st Lt. James M. Grey, xxxx5192POW Remains: 1st Lt. Robert L. Kavanaugh, xxxx5791POW Remains: 1st Lt. John C. Kelley, xxxx6034POW Remains: 1st Lt. Charles B. Liston, xxxx9445POW Remains: 1st Lt. Joseph F. Zialavsky, xxxx4863POW Remains: 2nd Lt. Burdett H. Baker, xxxx8884POW Remains: 2nd Lt. Everett E. Briggs, Jr., xxxx8189POW Remains: 2nd Lt. Carl F. Carpenter, xxxx2680POW Remains: 2nd Lt. Clarence A. Clyborne, Jr. , xxxx8961POW Remains: 2nd Lt. Thomas P. Hogan, Jr., xxxx3571POW Remains: 2nd Lt. William R. McCandless, xxxx3037POW Remains: 2nd Lt. Joseph C. Rich, xxxx9054POW Remains: FIO Gene Gambale, xxxx1948POW Remains: G.R. Murphy (AVG)POW Remains: SSgt. William C. Fetterman, xxxx5731POW Remains: SSgt. Thomas S. Hopes, xxxx5336POW Remains: SSgt. Francis B. Jordan, xxxx4268POW Remains: SSgt. Albert L. Malok, xxxx2456POW Remains: SSgt. Robert McCarty, xxxx6491POW Remains: SSgt. Frank Rodriquez, xxxx8491POW Remains: Ssgt. Jack R. Sheets, xxxx7183POW Remains: Sgt. Norman E. Albinson, xxxx6804POW Remains: Sgt. J. BrownPOW Remains: Sgt. Alfred L. Busby, xxxx3907POW Remains: Sgt. Malcolm W. Carter, xxxx1547POW Remains: Sgt. Harold B. Cummings, xxxx0825POW Remains: Sgt. Paul L. Elyea, xxxx9569POW Remains: Sgt. Elias E. Gonsalves, xxxx0123POW Remains: Sgt. Eugene L. Moyers, xxxx0896POW Remains: TSgt. Urvan A. Aubuchon, xxxx3004POW Remains: TSgt. Edward R. Bodell, xxxx1740POW Remains: TSgt. Charles A. Pittard, xxxx1123POW Remains: Cpl. Julius F. Yackie, xxxx2536
Note: Bolded names are those of the crewmembers from B-24J #42-73222(a.k.a. Bugs Bunny). This B-24 aircraft with a crew of ten men was shot downover southern Burma on 01 Dec 1943. Nine of the crewmembers subsequentlydied either in the crash, or later from their injuries, illnesses, malnutrition ormistreatment by their Japanese captors while being held as POW's in Burma.Although it probably cannot be proved with 100% certainty, it is believed theremains of these nine crewmembers were recovered from POW cemeteries in
southern Burma after the war by the American Graves Registration Service(AGRS), and were being transported to Barrackpore, India aboard C-47B #4348308 when this C-47 aircraft disappeared on 17 May 1946. The loss of the fieldnotes and reports of the AGRS team in the crash of their C-47 aircraft mayforever prevent this question from being fully resolved. Barring any indisputableevidence that some of these nine dead B-24 crewmembers remain unrecoveredsomewhere in Burma, all nine dead from Bugs Bunny will remain listed here as amemorial to their incredible heroism in the face of a brutal enemy.
