How to locate Corsair & Hellcat Documents? (Yap Crash Si

Sat Nov 12, 2005 1:46 pm

I'm looking for help regarding the process to locate information about Navy & Marine missing air crews. My knowledge base is limited at this time to AAF missing air crews.

For example, we located three American crash sites on Yap Island last month ( 2 Hellcats and 1 Corsair). http://www.missingaircrew.com/yapoct.asp. I have located a Navy CINPAC Communique that likely describes the Corsair we found (see below). What sources can I use to locate additional information about the mission, pilot, missing air crew report, etc? I would greatly appreciate anyone's help:

Second Marine Aircraft Wing F4U Corsair Crash Site on Yap Island:
http://www.missingaircrew.com/yap/MISSINGAIRIMAGE_YAP/YAP_ENGINERADIO/opt/index.asp

Navy CINCPAC COMMUNIQUE reporting a Corsair being lost over Yap on 26 October 1944
CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ N0. 167, OCTOBER 23, 1944 http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/comms/1944-10.html
Four grounded enemy planes were destroyed by Corsairs of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing which bombed and strafed the airfield at Yap Island on October 21. On October 22, 23, and 24 similar attacks were repeated. One of our planes was shot down on October 23 by intense antiaircraft fire. Liberators of the Seventh Air Force also bombed Yap on October 21, 22, 23 and 24, setting fires near the airfield and in Yap Town.

In addition, what is the process to request BUNO records and additional detailed information? Someone emailed me the possible BUNO numbers for the Hellcats last week. I now need to take the next step and locate the records:

Hellcat Crash Site #1-Yap Island
http://www.missingaircrew.com/yap/MISSINGAIRIMAGE_YAP/YAP_HELLCAT_CRASHSITE_1/opt/index1.asp

Hellcat Crash Site #2-Yap Island
http://www.missingaircrew.com/yap/MISSINGAIRIMAGE_YAP/YAP_HELLCAT_CRASHSITE_2/opt/index.asp

Thanks in advance,

-Pat

Sat Nov 12, 2005 5:57 pm

The Corsair was likely lost on October 23, 1944, however, I do not have dates for the Hellcat's lost over Yap. I understand 7 Hellcats were lost over or near Yap during the war.

Sun Nov 13, 2005 10:16 am

Pat,

Here's what I have for all USN & USMC downed at Yap. DDAA is Ditched Damaged AA. P/U by DD is picked up by Destroyer. If there isn't Killed or Missing by the name, it means they were rescued or made it back to the CV, but the plane was pushed overboard. I have copies of the Action Reports for VF-13 & VF-31. I'll look through those & see what specific info is in them for each loss.

Mac

18583 SB2C-1C VB-2 27 Jul 44 Hornet, Yap, Armbruster, G.M., Ens. Killed
40280 F6F-3 VF-31 28 Jul 44 Cabot, Yap, Free, Edwin, Ens.
45654 TBM-1C VT-31 26 Jul 44 Cabot, Yap, Russell, J.B., Lt(jg)
57420 F4U-1D VMF-122 22 Mar 45 Yap, Russell, Lt.
58140 F6F-5 VF-13 8 Sep 44 Franklin, Yap, Slingerland, Robert E., Ens. DDAA Yap, P/U by DD 9 Sep 44
58471 F6F-5 VF-20 6 Sep 44 Enterprise, Yap, Brown, H.D., Lt(jg) Missing
58638 F6F-5 VF-20 22 Nov 44 Enterprise, Yap, Lillard, Zack F., Lt. Missing
58675 F6F-5 VF-20 6 Sep 44 Enterprise, Yap, Cox, Joseph E., Ens. Missing
58713 F6F-5 VF-20 6 Sep 44 Enterprise, Yap, Holding, H.A., Ens. Missing
68526 TBM-3 VMTB-232 16 Mar 45 Yap, Crowley, Joseph, 2nd Lt. Missing

Sun Nov 13, 2005 10:33 am

Thank you Jim!

I'm looking forard to you reply after you review the action reports.

-Pat

Sun Nov 13, 2005 11:39 am

I created a new web page on my www.MissingAirCrew.com web site to list all planes lost on missions to Yap. I will continue to link in supporting documents and data as it is located. Please feel free to send me any updates to make this page as comprehensive as possible:

American Planes Lost on Yap Missions During WWII: http://www.missingaircrew.com/yap/yapmissions.asp[/url]

Thanks again for everyone's help!

-Pat

Sun Nov 13, 2005 11:50 am

Pat,

Here's all that I could come up with.

While attacking Yap Town:
Brown was SDAA & crashed just west of Yap Town.

Cox & Holding were also attacking Yap Town at the same time & were just getting ready to push over at the same point as Brown, when they either both got hit by the same AA burst or due to AA one crashed into the other. They were both seen spinning in at the same time, and I would imagine somewhere in the vicinity of Yap Town.

Free was making his approach to Yap, when he started having engine problems. He headed back towards the CV but ditched a couple of miles off of Yap & was P/U bo an OS2U.

Can't find anything on Lillard. The date or the carrier might be wrong. On 22 Nov, the Enterprise arrived at Ulithi & didn't strike Yap.

Can't help you with the USMC losses. I don't have any of their Action Reports.

Mac

Sun Nov 13, 2005 11:55 am

Pat,

Just found another source that has Lillard being SDAA at Yap on 22 Nov. I can't come up with any more than that, since I don't have VF-20's Reports.

Mac

Sun Nov 13, 2005 12:04 pm

What does the S in SDAA stand for..."___ Damaged AA"?

Sun Nov 13, 2005 2:30 pm

Shot Down?

Sun Nov 13, 2005 9:25 pm

I only have two entries for Corsair's lost on Oct 23rd '44 and they are:

F4U-1 Bu#56126 VMF-314 out of Midway lost in CenPAC Capt R.S. Greenwood Jr. (S 3 5 Z)

and

F4U-1 BU#55923 CASU-39 out of Espiritu lost in SoPAC Ens. Arnold Miller ( S 3 5 N)

The First letter is STATUS possible D S or M

I am guessing Destroyed Scrapped or Scavanaged and Missing

I do not have any idea on the other 3 Identifiers.

Sun Nov 13, 2005 9:38 pm

Is it possible the CINPAC report below is in error about a Corsair being lost over Yap on 23 October 1944?

Navy CINCPAC COMMUNIQUE reporting a Corsair being lost over Yap on 26 October 1944
CINCPAC COMMUNIQUÉ N0. 167, OCTOBER 23, 1944 http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/comms/1944-10.html
Four grounded enemy planes were destroyed by Corsairs of the Second Marine Aircraft Wing which bombed and strafed the airfield at Yap Island on October 21. On October 22, 23, and 24 similar attacks were repeated. One of our planes was shot down on October 23 by intense antiaircraft fire. Liberators of the Seventh Air Force also bombed Yap on October 21, 22, 23 and 24, setting fires near the airfield and in Yap Town.

Mon Nov 14, 2005 11:07 am

Pat,

I came up with only the same two missing Corsairs that Mike mentioned.

Figuring in the time zone hassle. I checked on the 22nd & 24th as well. No Corsairs downed on the 22nd & only one on the 24th.

50207 F4U-1 VMF-111 24 Oct 44 (based at) Makin (lost in) Central Pacific Knutson, D.L., 2nd Lt.

SDAA stands for Shot Down Anti-Aircraft, DDAA is Ditched, Damaged by AA.

http://www.abmc.gov/search/wwii.php is a good website for locating the status of an MIA/KIA. If a person isn't in their database, then he was more than likely a POW that was repatriated at the end of the war, rescued shortly after being lost (sometimes not mentioned in the Action reports) or the remains were found after the war, but not interred at one of the National Cemetaries. Sometimes the dates at this site don't match the date of loss. Usually if a person was MIA, there status was changed to KIA a year after they were lost. So some of the names will have a lost date in 1946.

Mac