U.S. Iranian Mission - crash 1942/3 - General Motors technicians

[Leendert]

I refer to the online publication The Persian Corridor and Aid to Russia, Vol. 1 by T.H. Vail Motter (1951).
On p. 152 the text reads: "...but as the two General Motors technicians sent to Tabriz (...) were killed in a plane crash en route..."

Not clear if this was in the summer of 1942 or 1943, but former more likely.

The technicians had to check the Russian reception facility in Tabriz.

GM had a contract with the U.S. Iranian Mission to assemble trucks for Russia at Andimeshk.

Any info to shed light on this air crash is welcome, thanks.

Regards,
Leendert

[Alex Smart]

Maybe one of these ?
Refer to Accident-Report. Com

http://www.accident-report.com/world/africa/iran.html

420531 PICKERING, JAMES A-20 41-19594 TAHIRI, IRAN
Possibly -
*PICKERING (UNITED KINGDOM); AYRE (UNITED KINGDOM); BROCHMAN (UNITED KINGDOM); DAVIES (UNITED KINGDOM) (42-5-31-18)
Ref: Air Force History Index.
http://www.airforcehistoryindex.org/...00/877/044.xml

Does not seem to have been a fatal crash ?

420602 STEWART, WILLIAM A B-25C 41-12588 TEHRAN, IRAN
Possibly -
STEWART, WILLIAM A.; DEAN, D. L.; CAWVEY, H. J. (42-6-2-14)
Ref: Air Force History Index.
http://www.airforcehistoryindex.org/...00/877/045.xml

Also does not seem to have been a fatal incident ?

[Alex Smart]

Or -

AGAIN REF: ACCIDENT-REPORT. COM
-
431114 NICHOLAS, CLAUDE G A-20G 42-86868 ASALU, IRAN (MACR)

431114 - A-20 - 42-86868 - 20 -IRAN - MACR 15881.

Ref: Air Force History Index

http://www.airforcehistoryindex.org/...00/877/229.xml

*NICHOLAS, CLAUDE G.; GROSS, IRVING B. (44-11-14-509).
A fatal accident.

And

431211 CARROLL, JOE R P-40M 43-5518 TEHRAN, IRAN.
[ Baugher - Delivery to USSR ].

Ref: Air Force History Index
http://www.airforcehistoryindex.org/...00/877/241.xml

*CARROLL, JOE R. (44-12-11- 506)

431213 THATCHER, CHARLES R P-40N 42-106211 TEHRAN, IRAN.
Baugher - To USSR ].

Ref: Air Force History Index
http://www.airforcehistoryindex.org/...00/877/242.xml

*THATCHER, CHARLES R. (44-12-13-505)*

[Leendert]

Alex,
Will look them over. Pickering can be ruled out (see http://www.hinckleypastpresent.org/jamespickering.html) as well as the P-40 losses.


Technicians would have been passengers, I presume. At present not known if in military plane....



Regards,
Leendert

[Leendert]

Trawling thru findagrave.com I now found that the a/c most likely was a Russian one.
Date 28 Feb 1942.


See https://nl.findagrave.com/memorial/5...-arrin-gillies.


Text has "two representatives of the General Motors Corp." who died in this crash as were two Russian officers (crew?) and Col. John Arrin Gillies.



Will dig deeper now that a name is known.


Regards,
Leendert

[RSwank]

One of the GM reps was Roland L Spencer.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/42144645/newspress/

Ancestry gives his date of death as February 28, 1942 in Iran.

A description of the crash scene:

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive...89025422/facts

The plane left Basra on February 28 and crashed near Darud around noon the same day.


Some other references apparently in the IDPF file for Gillies:
https://wwiiresearchandwritingcenter...s-in-the-idpf/


Other GM rep was Gustave A Goesele.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4215..._suntelegraph/

Remains were not recovered for either man.

Plane was a Russian DC-3.

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive...0_171348-00562

[Leendert]

Thanks for these GM names. There is a small bio of Goesele here: https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Gustave_Adolphe_Goesele


From 1945 newspapers it transpires that the plane was found by a "native" in a mountainous area in June 1942. A joint US-Soviet search party set out only to be prevented entry by "hostile native tribes". After intervention by the Iran gov't, (the) bodies could be recovered and remains were buried at the scene at that time.



Regards,
Leendert



Regards,
Leendert

[Leendert]

One of the Russians was Ivan Karmilitsin, chief of engineering, who was in Basra to prepare the acceptance of 77 Boston bombers.


Regards,
Leendert

[Alex Smart]

How many DC-3's did Russia have in 1941/42 ?
Most of those listed in Joe Baughers site give date as 1943.
Or would it have been an early La-2 ?

[Leendert]

Alex,
Although Russia (Aeroflot) had some DC-3s before WW II, a Li-2 or PS-84 model here in this crash indeed possible as well.

Perhaps one of our Soviet experts may have more about this accident.

Regards,
Leendert