Lt. Col. Frederick G. Terry - KIA 24 Jun 1944 - Saipan

[Leendert]

US Army Field Artillery officer Lt Col Frederick G. Terry (O-18044) was killed when the light observation plane he was in had collided with a 'friendly bomber' over/near Saipan on 24 Jun 1944.
Lt Col Terry was attached to the Northern Troops and Landing Force Staff.

I wonder if this light plane was USMC OY-1 Sentinel BuNo 60498 of VMO-4?

If so, what happened to the pilot and is info available about the fate of the 'friendly bomber'?

Online newspaper report can be read via Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov in the Evening Standard (DC) of 29 June 1944 (p. 7).

(In case it was a VMO-4 aircraft, this text also speaks of a collision, but here with a vehicle on take-off....
"Considerably less lucky in the course of the Saipan operation were the men of VMO-4, whose mission in support of the 4th Marine Division was identical to that executed by VMO-2 for the 2d Division. The first two planes of VMO-4 left the White Plains 150 miles offshore on 19 June and arrived safely at
the Charan-Kanoa strip. The remaining aircraft, in crates, were brought ashore two days later; by 22 June, eight squadron planes were in operation. From this point on, and for the duration of its employment on Saipan, bad luck appeared to dog the squadron. Six days after reaching Saipan, VMO-4 had already lost a substantial number of its original aircraft. Two planes were damaged beyond repair by enemy fire; another had to be scrapped after it collided with a vehicle during takeoff. Loss of the fourth plane resulted in the death of the pilot."



All further info welcome, thanks.

Regards,
Leendert

[RSwank]

The War Diaries for VMO-4 are on fold3.

https://www.fold3.com/image/287151160

For June 24 they record "Ten missions were flown; six artillery and five infantry missions." Not too sure about their math?? But there is no mention of anything else happening.

Richard Louis Orrok was a pilot killed on June 19 when his engine failed and he crashed into an ammo dump. Only his observer was rescued before the dump exploded.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...rd-louis-orrok


For the month of June they record 1 OY-1 "lost in combat" (serial number not given).
and 3 OY-1s "lost operational". Their serial numbers were 60500, 60502 and 60498.


VMO-2 was also on Saipan, but a check of their War Diary for June does not show any loss on June 24 either.

So..... Perhaps there was an army liaison squadron that had the loss of Terry?

[Revi16]

First photo is OY-1 60498. (These photos may have been taken after June 24, 1944, parts stripped off airframe.)





Second photo is dated June 24, 1944. (This may or may not be the same plane as seen above, same relative damage.)




I may have more photos, will need to dig.

[RSwank]

Some more details on Frederick's death in this writeup:

https://www.westpointaog.org/memoria...2-85174f1b5bfa

In June, 1944 "Fred was sent to the Central Pacific Area as an observer for Headquarters. Army Ground Forces. On June 24. 1944, Fred requested a Field Artillery battalion commander to permit him to fly as an observer in one of the battalion's liaison aircraft, so that he could actually adjust artillery Are from an Air O.P. The Battalion Commander tried to talk Fred out of going up, because enemy action was heavy and the air traffic around this unit's air strip was particularly thick. However, Fred, being the soldier he was, insisted on going up and the Battalion Commander finally agreed. The pilot, with Fred as his observer, took off in an L-4 aircraft; they had no sooner gotten into the air when they and a B-25 bomber, coming in to land, collided. Both Fred and the pilot were killed."


Were L-4s directly "attached" to the artillery units and not separate Liaison Squadrons? B-25s in 7th AF or Marine PBJs?

[Leendert]

Thanks for all the info so far.
OY-1 with lost pilot on 19 Jun 1944 must have been BuNo 75159 according the AAIR database.

US Army 27th Infantry Division fought alongside the USMC 2nd and 4th Marine Division.
DIVARTY has a detailed report of its Saipan actions on https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/applicati....2019.0003.pdf

Looking for any pilot or observer losses, there's one observer missing in a TBF in the 291600-301600 June timeframe (294th FA Bn = Lt James W. O'Neil) and a liaison pilot between 011600-021600 July 1944 shot down in a Navy plane (TBF?) (106th FA Bn = Lt George Sandburg).
Annex D provides more details about the L-4 operations. It transpires that up till end of month the pilots/observers used Navy planes and that two DIVARTY pilots were lost. See 4. Summary of Annex as well that no L-4's were lost on Saipan.

Will look for B-25/PBJ on Saipan.

Regards,
Leendert

[Leendert]

Just to add that (I think) for US forces only possible airfield on Saipan on 24 June was captured Aslito airfield to have a 'friendly bomber' landing.

On youtube there's a film of Aslito, apparently shot on 24 June: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG8eRR4ZQh4

At around 3:05 there are two OY-1/L-4 types visible and further on in film P-47s (must be 19th/318th FG?) and TBM/TBF Avengers. And a lot of abandoned Japanese airplanes...


Regards,
Leendert

[Buckeye30]

Lee you are right 19th FS, they removed the paint from cowling and tails. They left Pearl 5 June refueling at Eniwetok on USS "Natoma Bay" CVE 62 .
The 73FS was delivered on "Manila Bay" CVE 61 and the 333FS later on "Sargent Bay" CVE 83.

Regards
Nick

[RSwank]

Slightly off topic, but the man we are researching, Lt Col Frederick Garside Terry (West Point, Class of 1930) had a son, Major Frederick Garside Terry, Jr. (West Point, Class of 1960) who was killed in Viet Nam in 1968. The circumstances of his death are here:

https://www.west-point.org/class/usm...-Memorial.html

(similar in many ways to his father's death)

[Leendert]

Rolland,
Yes, I had come across the stories about his son in Vietnam.

Meanwhile found via Chroniclingamerica.loc.gov an article in the Evening Star of 30 Nov 1944 (p. A-2) that either solves or adds to the confusion about Lt Col Terry's death.
Part of text reads why he was awarded the Legion of Merit posthumously: "While observing the effect of artillery fire on Jap forces from an extremely hazardous position, Col. Terry was killed by hostile fire."

Here nothing about a collision with a 'friendly bomber'. Since no fatal casualties among USN, USMC or US Army light plane pilots or loss on Jun 24 of their planes on Saipan can be found so far, I'm starting to lean towards the Nov. 30 newspaper version.
On the other hand, the first published and at places repeated cause of death must have originated somewhere....

Regards,
Leendert

[Leendert]

NARA has an online S-2 Journal of the 145th Field Artillery Battalion (NAID 83554740, RG 38).

On 24 June 1944 1600h it says: "A friendly navy plane, type OY1, hit the wing of Liaison 3 plane. The navy plane returned but the cub crashed in enemy territory Square 189-KINS"

Still a mystery what Cub this may have been, as all/most other accounts of the Saipan campaign state that no Army L-4s (or similar) were lost...

However, if contrary, then this Cub must have had Lt Col Terry on board with a yet unknown (Army) pilot.

Another report, this time of the Provisional 225th FA Group, states on 24 June 1944 1600h: "At 1535 a Navy plane crashed in area 189 DINS. Believed to have hit the wing of a Liaison #3 plane. Please forward all available information relative to crash."

It continues at 1700h: "225th FA Bn plane reports that he saw XXIV Cops Arty plane No. 1 go down in Area 189 L at 1700."

All adding to the confusion which is which.

Regards,
Leendert