Warbird Information Exchange

Perhaps you're right--Next time I'll err on the side of politeness.

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"Welcome back Mr. Lasky."

I am fascinated by this story too. I own a BT13A that was based out of Marana Serial# 41-22384. I wonder if the cadet had any time in my aircraft. I can envision a very nervous young airman, lost and fearful of not really his mortality but possibly being washed out of the program. He obviously had the skills to land the aircraft remotely without any damage. I wonder if he might have seen someone and decided to land near them, in hopes they could help him, but inevitably found they were the wrong kind of people? Maybe. Were cadets equipped with a sidearm when they flew? Stuart

Matt

Some AAF accidents and incidents were turned over to other agencies, but very seldom. The same AAF Form No. 14 Aircraft Accident Report was used .

Tony

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"Welcome back Mr. Lasky."

You can probably find weather records from nearby areas such as Tuscon and be able to "triangulate" the approximate weather conditions at the time of the forced landing. Are there any local villages or towns in general vicinity? Perhaps an "old timer" may have some recollection that could aid your search. Or, maybe there were local or regional newspapers from that regions. A field trip with a metal detector following the general course to the beacon may yield results. While I doubt any kind of human remains would ever be found, perhaps there are dog tags or a wristwatch still out there.

This cadet is still missing.

On 3 November 1943, at approximately 1820 MWT, a Vultee BT-13A (41-22638) was landed intact and abandoned 25 miles east of an area called Rocky Point in northwest Sonora, Mexico (near the town Punta Penasco). The student pilot, A/C Maurice Herzog (service number 38428453), was declared missing. The Aircraft Accident Classification Committee stated, "At 1400 [MWT] A/C Herzog departed Marana Army Air Field [Marana, Arizona], solo, in a BT-13 airplane for a triangular student training cross country flight. The first two legs of the flight were negotiated by the cadet without incident. On the final lap from Safford, Arizona, to Marana, the pilot apparently became lost, overshot the home field, and landed in a sparsely populated section of northwest Sonora, Mexico. The airplane was not discovered until 14 November 1943. It was not damaged and was flown back to Marana. A search by ground and air has failed to disclose the whereabouts of A/C Herzog. Within approximately 18 miles from the point where the student landed his airplane, there is a revolving air beacon situated at the town of Punta Penesco, Sonora, Mexico, which is clearly visible from the ground where the student landed. It is felt that this would have been the most logical direction in which the student should have started walking, and he would have been able to have reached the town in a matter of a very few hours, as the terrain was a type easily negotiated on foot. In only one general direction would the cadet have failed to reach a highway, railroad, or roadway, and this direction referred to was composed of by far the most difficult terrain from a walking standpoint. [The] Form 1 was missing from the airplane when it was discovered and on the floor was a Mexican 'Tequila' bottle full of water indicating, respectively, that some disposition had been made of the Form 1 [and Form 1A] and that the airplane had been visited by someone who left the water for one purpose or another. To the end that all possibilities shall be investigated, this case has been referred to Army Intelligence and the Federal Bureau of Investigation." Investigators estimated that the airplane had been airborne for about 4 hours and 20 minutes. Weather was reported as "Sky high scattered clouds, wind--north three miles per hour." A/C Maurice Herzog is apparently still missing.

What happened to Cadet Herzog in "Old Mexico" (as the report calls it)? Researchers Chris Baird and Tony Mireles have spent two years attempting to determine Cadet Herzog's final whereabouts. The FBI requires a proof of death document for release of records. Or 100 years from the date of birth. Or a privacy waiver from the person in question (that would be Cadet Herzog himself). No success with the FBI. We have no proof of death or even a date of birth.

Army Intelligence stated that they referred documents 25 years or older to the National Archives (NARA). They did do a Master Name Index Search for us (including what little personal identifying data we had) but came up with nothing. National Archives searched records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, Missing Aircrew Report (MACR) Name Index and located a card for A/C Maurice Herzog. The service number on the card matched A/C Herzog's service number. The only information on the card was the notation "No MACR" (presumably because incident was non-combat?). NARA referred us back to Maxwell Field for the official Form # 14 Aircraft Accident Report, which we already had.

Finally, a letter to the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, produced the most perplexing reply. They stated that A/C Maurice Herzog's search resulted in an Army personnel record that they could not locate. Their letter states that "the file was removed from its location in October 1988 and has not been returned. The file location did not indicate where the record was sent."

Does anybody know what happened to A/C Maurice Herzog? Was he ever found? The official accident report states that he was assigned to the 755th Basic Flying Training Squadron, Training Group 2, Training Squadron 14, Personnel Class 62, Marana Army Air Field, Marana, Arizona. A/C Maurice Herzog shares his name with a famous alpine climber, complicating internet searches. We did turn up the following information in recent months: Maurice Herzog, 14617 Rochester Street, Monroe, New York; SS # 131-10-1308; DOB 03-10-18; Died May 1986. The year 1918 is about right for a WWII era serviceman, but we have discovered that this is not our man. Subject is from New Orleans, 1921 Dante Street, born in 1921. His half brother was a prep sports writer for the New Orleans Picayune. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for any and all help.

Tony Mireles and Chris Baird

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"Welcome back Mr. Lasky."

Has anyone checked out the reports from the other lost pilots that ended up in that area? I would bet that they all stayed with their planes.
Having been thru some of that area on a train, especially south of Safford down to Bowie, I can see how it would be easy to get completely lost while trying to walk out. Adding a probable lack of water, even in the winter and you can bet that he walked for a couple days and died from the effects of dehydration. That also doesn't take into account issues like, snakes and Coyotes.
I recall hearing a number of stories from locals about people getting lost, in fact there was a person who disappeared while I was there. If I'm remebering correctly, He went hiking, on a known trail, got lost and his remains were found about a month later a few miles from his starting point.

Keep up the hunt. Did you see if Maurice had any siblings in the earlier censuses? Sometimes tracking down a sibling (or a niece or nephew) can get you the answer you are looking for. I managed to track down the nephew of one subject that I was researching and we have enjoyed a lively correspondence back and forth since.