B-29 42-65273 lost 25 May 45 Tokyo
 

Hi, I have a 4 page MACR somewhere for this aircraft which was 677 BS of 444 BG, it simply states MISSING. Pleased can anybody advise if there is any post-war research which matches it to a claim by fighter or flak ?


Please can anybody tell me what shot it down and where it crashed.
Thank you.

Re: B-29 42-65273 lost 25 May 45 Tokyo
 

The report can be downloaded from here:

https://catalog.archives.gov/search?...estorNaIds=421

This plane. "Big Ain't It" was one of 26 B-29s lost that night in a fire bomb raid on Tokyo.
The MACR has no information on where the plane was lost. "Airplane took off from West Field, Tinian at 0800Z on Combat Mission - No messages were received." There is no mention of any search being conducted.

There is some information about the raid on this link, search for "42-65273":

https://user.xmission.com/~tmathews/...ars-4505b.html

There is a photo of the plane here, again search for the serial number.

https://www.444thbg.org/677thsquadron.htm

There does not seem to be any specific info available as to exactly where or how it was lost. All the crew is still listed MIA.

Re: B-29 42-65273 lost 25 May 45 Tokyo
 

Thanks for your help, yes I had a search and found the MACR but wondered if anything had been discovered in cooperation with Japanese researchers.

Re: B-29 42-65273 lost 25 May 45 Tokyo
 

Not that I am aware of. There are some Japanese sites that come up now on a Google search, but none seem to have specific info. (I have used them in the past and they did sometimes contain very specific info on some losses.)

Re: B-29 42-65273 lost 25 May 45 Tokyo
 

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency website gives a small clue as to where the crew were lost, it states "Marianas Islands".

Sean

Re: B-29 42-65273 lost 25 May 45 Tokyo
 

Thank you, thats a good lead !

Re: B-29 42-65273 lost 25 May 45 Tokyo
 

Given that there is no Japanese record of this B-29, 42-65273 crashing on land it is more likely this plane was either damaged by Japanese AA artillery or enemy aircraft or experience mechanical difficulty causing it to ditch/crash at sea somewhere between Japan and Tinian.

The exact reason for the loss of this aircraft is likely never to be known.

Here are the Findagrave memorials for this crew with content added by me.

Major John Bratton DuBose, Jr. (AC) O-421743, MIA/KIA
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...bratton-dubose
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...john-b-du_bose

2nd Lt Lois Franklin Beard, Jr. (P) O-937616, MIA/KIA
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...6/lois-f-beard

2nd Lt William “Buck” C Powell, Jr. (N) O-2079095, MIA/KIA
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...m-clyde-powell

F/O Howard R George (B) T-136546, MIA/KIA
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...-robert-george

Sgt Harold W McWilliams (FE) 37662942, MIA/KIA
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...d-w-mcwilliams

2nd Lt John F Flynn, Jr (Radar) O-2076611, MIA/KIA
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...8/john-f-flynn

Sgt Alfred B Nowlin (RO) 16189701, MIA/KIA
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...d-bruce-nowlin

Sgt Ivan D Barker (CFC) 36902696, MIA/KIA
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...an-dale-barker
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...an-dale-barker

Cpl Curtis L Meadows (RG) 35903173, MIA/KIA
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...s-loyd-meadows

Cpl Harry R Anderson (LG) 19179062, MIA/KIA
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...dolph-anderson

Cpl Leon R Weber (TG) 13159057, MIA/KIA
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...6/leon-r-weber
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...-r-weber/photo

Re: B-29 42-65273 lost 25 May 45 Tokyo
 

Thank you, I appreciate your help.

Re: B-29 42-65273 lost 25 May 45 Tokyo
 

Pleased to be of assistance.

As Rolland noted in post #2 there were many 21st Bomber Command (XXI BC) B-29 losses during this mission. It is a little unusual that there was no radio contact from this ship, perhaps suggesting damage to their radio and or catastrophic loss with no time for a message of trouble to be sent.

By late May 1945 XXI BC had a fairly sophisticated Air-Sea Rescue plan implemented for all missions to the "Empire" with USN submarines and and surface vessels on life guard duty, as well as aerial dumbos waiting to assist downed crews.

Here is a link to the XXI BC Tactical Mission Report for this Mission No 183 which may aid your research.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rkut5cnqw8...t-183.pdf?dl=0

Re: B-29 42-65273 lost 25 May 45 Tokyo
 

Scott,

Thanks for posting the link to the mission report. I had already started to work through the lifeguard submarine reports for the mission that are available on fold3. It appears some pages are missing from the mission report you gave the link for, in particular page 18 which had some info on Air Sea Rescue. That may have had info on lifeguard submarine locations. Am I correct that the page is missing?

For anyone interested, some info on lifeguard submarines:
https://www.archives.gov/files/publi.../lifeguard.pdf

COMSUBFORPAC (Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet)
Main Reports for May and June


May
https://www.fold3.com/image/296081760

June
https://www.fold3.com/image/296569469


One of the subs on lifeguard duty during the raid was USS Tigrone. There were others that need to be identified.

2nd War Patrol USS Tigrone, 19 May to 3 July, 1945
https://www.fold3.com/image/296528894