One of the better WWII Group Websites is the 40th BG. It is replete with stories of this CBI/Marianas B-29. One of the most interesting ones is the story of the emergency landing made by five B-29s after the Omura mission of November 21,1944.
The title of the story is ANKANG, AIRFIELD OF LAST RESORT
The link:
https://www.40thbombgroup.org/
In the story, the B-29s are only identified as Able 1 - 5. It's quite a harrowing story of fuel starved airplanes, including some with mechanical difficulties, attempting to land at a remote Chinese airstrip. The last two airplanes had a runway collision that left 4 KIA, including the Aircraft commander Dunn and 3 crew members.
The B-29 designated Able 1 was the 40th BG airplane flown by Maj. Ira Matthews. This plane was the famous B-29 “Eddie Allen”, 42-24579. He had been the leader of the 40th BG on the Omura mission. This plane was gassed up at Ankang and flew back to base.
Able 2 was probably 42-6251, 444th BG. This was another famous B-29, “Old Battler”. This A/C was the one that made high and fast landing approach on the short runway. It ended up being mired in mud, with all three landing gears in mud up to their axles. In the 444th BG website (another very good Website), the picture of B-29 42-6251 has the following caption:”Omura Nov 21. This was “Old Battler's last combat mission. Forced to land in China due to damage from a Jap fighter attack. She was later recovered and sent back to the States as a trainer.”
Able 3 was probably 42-65204, 444th BG,677 BS. This B-29 made a belly landing on a mountain terrace, near the airstrip. The entire crew, except for one crew member killed over Omura, was safe and they hitched a ride on Capt. Matthews B-29. This plane was surveyed at Ankang on November 23,1944, two days after the Omura raid.
Able 4 was B-29, 42-6290, “Wempys Blitzburger”, 44th BS, 40th BG. This plane made a good landing and taxied to the base operations building. This airplane was commanded by Major Joseph White and had not suffered any casualties over Omura. The crew and Chinese workers began refuelling the B-29.
Able 5 was 42-6321. 444th BG,677 BS. Commanded by Capt. John Arlen Dunn, this B-29 with damaged aileron controls, attempted the last landing. Major Matthews watched the landing from Able 1:”We watched Able Five, with its number two prop feathered, fly in over the village wall, touch down fast and veer off the runway and head toward Able Four parked in front of base operations. All those involved in refuelling Able Four jumped down from the B-29 and fled. They were safely out of danger when the out of control B-29 crashed into the parked B-29. A blinding orange fire ball erupted to mark the funeral pyre of two B-29s.”
In Capt Dunn's crew, the four crewmen in the nose were KIA. The were Capt John A. Dunn (CP), 1st Lt. Arwin C. Hook, 1st Lt. John J. Buckley III, and 1st Lt. Rufus Earl Sadler Henry (FE) were the dead crewmembers. All four have listing in Find-A-Grave. There is a memorial plaque in Kansas for this particular B-29 with a full crew listing, “
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=66269”.
Fnally, as visual evidence of the collision of these two B-29s, there is a photograph in the TIMES-LIFE series book, “Bomber Over Japan” that shows the final fate of 42-6290 (40th BG) and 42-6231 (444th BG) (pgs 50-51). The picture shows the hulk of both airplanes with many major components removed from the two hulks, including all turrets, the tail dorsal fins, all engines, and the two rudders.
BTW Any comments or suggestions welcomed. Now, with retirement, I can look into those areas of aviation history that pique my interest