Hello, the following is what I gathered about the first casualties of 1st Air Commando Group on 14 February 1944:
"The Fighter Section of the 1st Air Commando Group flew its first combat mission over Burma on 3 February 1944 and met for the first time Japanese aircraft on the 14th. At 0820 hrs, the unit's commander, Col Philip Cochran, led 13 P-51s on a bombing mission against Zaundaing railroad station just north of Mandalay. Leaving a few planes above as cover, Cochran and the others dived down on the target. Just after they released their bombs, the high cover shouted out that Japanese fighters were diving on them. Ten Ki-43s Oscars of 50 Sentai that were providing air cover for railway traffic between Indaw and Kawlin came out of the sun and hit the Mustangs at their most vulnerable point, just as they were beginning their pull out.
The Air Commandos lost two pilots: Captain John Miller bailed out to become a prisoner of war, while Lt Carl Hertzer was posted as missing in action. Three other aircraft were damaged. In the dogfight that followed, Captain Paul Forcey, Major R.T. Smith, and Captain Duke Phillips each claimed a damaged Oscar. The 50 Sentai claimed eight P-51s destroyed in the Maungdaw area.
Following this mission, Major General Orde Wingate, the commander of the Special Force that the Air Commandos were supporting, put a stop to Cochran's combat flying. He was too valuable to risk losing, and Wingate grounded him."
Sources:
"Air Commando Fighters of World War II", by Edward Young, ISBN 1-58007-022-1, pages 15-16
"Air War for Burma", by Christopher Shores. ISBN 1-904010-95-4, page 161
Both sources above agree on the identities of the two shot down pilots, but as Shores included Young's book in his bibliography, they may come from the same source.
I now believe that both names are false:
_ there is no Carl Hertzer listed on ABMC, findagrave, fold3 or
http://www.usaafdata.com/?q=search. But all except findagrave have a Carl Hartzer
https://www.fold3.com/memorial/63722...carl-jr-1st-lt
https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/hartzer%3Dcarl
http://www.usaafdata.com/?q=node/184496
The death date of 18 January 1946 is very probably the official date when his status was changed from MIA to dead, no hope remaining to find him alive. It is very common for USAAF crews missing in the Pacific and CBI areas.
_ Capt Miller was captured but I first could not find him in the NARA POW database. There was a John H Miller, but he was a civilian in China. What make me wonder was that the date of the first report for him was 14 February 1944, the date Capt Miller was shot down. But there is a Capt Donald V Miller, O-660175, who was captured in Burma. First report date is 19 February 1944, five days after the battle, so the pilot could have avoided capture for some days or the report was late. AFAIK there was no other US loss in Burma between 14 and 19 February from where this Miller can come. End of captivity is 2 May 1945, the day 1400 POWs were liberated in Rangoon. There is no trace of Miller's release on this day in both books listed above, both including how L Coll Pryor of 2nd Command Group was freed then.
John H Miller:
https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-...=31&rid=113305
Donald V Miller:
https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-...=371&rid=97295
I am searching more proofs of my assumptions. Hartzer's case is the clearest IMHO. As for Miller, I would like more sources than the above.
Thanks in advance
Edited: by the way, there are no MACR for these two pilots.