Pearl Harbor's Missing Aircraft - 7 Dec 1941

[David_Aiken]

In introduction, since 7 Dec 1966, my goal is to locate, identify, and, hopefully, recover the MIA American and Japanese airmen from the Pearl Harbor Attack. Your help to locate witnesses who viewed an aircraft in distress, crashing, or visited any such plane from that day's action is greatfully appreciated. While I have interviewed over a thousand US and Japanese witnesses, the job is still on going and still has needs.

The research includes:
A list of every aircraft airborne within 300 miles of Oahu on 7 Dec 1941--THE WHOLE DAY! BOTH SIDES!

A crew roster for the above aircraft? Both Sides! Japanese side nearly complete. US side in progress. My incomplete roster of PILOTS for those 70-plus American aircraft airborne DURING the attack is given in EAST WIND RAIN by Stan Cohen (Missoula, MT: Pictorial Histories Pub; 1991) page 97-8. March 1994 edition has most current list.

Experiences of those airborne crews and the ground crews which aided these planes into the air. Both sides!

A history of each airbase (and the radar history) for 7 Dec 1941 is in work.

A roster of all aircraft on Oahu. See my incomplete list in 7 DEC 1941: THE AIR FORCE STORY by Leatrice Arakaki and John Kuborn (Washington DC: GPO; 1992).

Acquire marking data to properly paint replica or museum aircraft correctly as "Pearl Harbor" aircraft.

Acquire data to assist museums with exhibits of Pearl Harbor related accessions which are still relegated to storage.

Locate and recover the Missing Aircraft of 7 Dec 1941. Crew identification at recovered crash sites helps eliminate potential problems.

Assure the historic aircraft get properly restored and exhibited.

*For JPAC http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/

Provide enough data to isolate the crash sites of missing American airmen. See a sample of one project at: http://www.flightjournal.com/article.../sterling1.asp

Have the US military's JPAC do the crew recovery. I have been working with JPAC and its predecessor since 1975.

Prove that certain UNKNOWN graves at Punchbowl contain the bodies of Pearl Harbor MIA airmen.

*For the Japanese Bereaved Family Association and the Yasukuni Shrine:

Recover MIA airmen for return to Japanese relatives.

Identify those recovered Japanese returned to Japan in 1948.

Assure that all 1941 burials were disinterred.

Unique and esoteric stories or sources regarding Pearl Harbor are sought. These may be witnesses to crashed planes, a list of wartime/prewar publications, photos or documents of those days.

Here is to history, the ultimate puzzle, with a lot of pieces missing!
May the pieces be found before the witnesses are gone.
Cheers,
Sincerely,
David Aiken, a Director: Pearl Harbor History Associates, Inc.
http://www.pearlharbor-history.org/
PearlHarborHistory (at) Hotmail (dot) com

[Alex Smart]

Hello David,

While I beleive your website is a good one I feel that your aims re the recovery of those airmen while honourable, is it not better now that they be left where they are,
and let to sleep in peace, undisturbed. Even their most closest relations must by now have passed on.

Anyway, to my question's.
Just how many aircraft were destroyed at PH ?
I have seen different numbers quoted, 200, 170, etc.

What if any was the difference between the USAAC at PH and the Hawaiian Air Force at PH ?

Re the Douglas B-18's destroyed, some 12 in number so I beleive.
I have numbers for 7 can you help with the other 5 please ?
I have -

Number "3" serial number 37-4
number "32" serial number 37-11
number "37" serial number 37-19
number "51" serial number 36-335
number "82" serial number 37-3
number "92" serial number 36-270
number "95" serial number 37-12

Thanks

Alex

[David_Aiken]

Aloha Alex,
The next of kin to Vietnam MIA (missing in action) and BNR (Body Not Recoverable) have made their case about recovery and closure. I can not speak to say, enough is enough...as I have received a host of letters that say, enough is NOT enough. Thus, I am working with JPAC on the American BNR of Pearl Harbor... JPAC http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/

The USAAC is the "Air Corps"...and the paperwork had been made to make this into the USAAF in July 1941. Segments were still USAAC until 1942, but the bulk became the USAAF in July 1941.

The Hawaiian Air Force refers to that portion of the USAAF in Hawaii.

As to totals lost...I am still determining the total. I have the paperwork, but I have not made the totals, yet. Sorry.

Ah, the B-18s of 7 Dec...I have made an addition which covered that -and more- in the appendices of Leatrice Arakaki and John Kuborn: 7 DEC 1941, THE USAF STORY (Hickam AFB, HI: PACAF Office of History; 1991...Washington DC: GPO; 1991). http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/7...941/index.html

Cheers,
David Aiken, a Director: Pearl Harbor History Associates, Inc. http://www.pearlharbor-history.org/

[Alex Smart]

Thank you David,

Sorry you cannot add to the B-18 list though.

I think there were some civil losses too, any info on them and their crew(s). Some were shot down I beleive.

Alex

[David_Aiken]

Originally Posted by Alex Smart

Thank you David,

Originally Posted by Alex Smart

Sorry you cannot add to the B-18 list though.

I think there were some civil losses too, any info on them and their crew(s). Some were shot down I believe.

Alex

All B-18s were accounted for at the above URL...."I have made an addition which covered that -and more- in the appendices of Leatrice Arakaki and John Kuborn: 7 DEC 1941, THE USAF STORY (Hickam AFB, HI: PACAF Office of History; 1991...Washington DC: GPO; 1991)." http://www.gl.iit.edu/wadc/history/7...941/index.html

Ah, the civilian planes...check out: http://www.pearlharborattacked.com/c...=ST;f=14;t=413

HTH,
David

[JeffK]

In reply to Alex's comment "While I beleive your website is a good one I feel that your aims re the recovery of those airmen while honourable, is it not better now that they be left where they are,
and let to sleep in peace, undisturbed. Even their most closest relations must by now have passed on"

I believe the United States Armed Forces have made a commitment to ensure that every effort is made to return the mortal remaind of its Soldiers (Sailors & Airmen) no matter at what cost or period of time.

In OZ we get an excellent coverage of the work undertaken in Papua New Guinea by CIL-HI (Central Indetification Laboratory - Hawaii)

[David_Aiken]

Originally Posted by JeffK

I believe the United States Armed Forces have made a commitment to ensure that every effort is made to return the mortal remaind of its Soldiers (Sailors & Airmen) no matter at what cost or period of time.

Aloha Jeff,
Good points! This task is due in big part to the widows of Vietnam veterans still missing and the campaign they made to bring their loved ones home. I noted the effects in my own search, from about 1969. Prior to 1969 folks did not know the term "MIA".

In OZ we get an excellent coverage of the work undertaken in Papua New Guinea by CIL-HI (Central Identification Laboratory - Hawaii)

Yes, Brian Bennett (the New Guinea, New Britian representative of JPAC-CILHI) is doing an excellent job. He and I have corresponded since 1983. He had been roaming the jungles at that time for various civilian plantations, etc, and finding aircraft while doing his job...he now tracks aircraft crashes for JPAC.

The US Army set up the Identification Lab in Hawaii after a move from the Orient. Johnie Webb was a mere Captain when my mother (a hospital nurse) took care of his mother in 1975...which introduced me to him and his commanding job. Johnie led CILHI until he retired from the military, and now is the top civilian at CILHI...this organization was taken over recently by a combined services unit called "Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command (JPAC)". The facility in Hawaii is still the central location for identification of suspected military human remains. http://www.jpac.pacom.mil/

In 1981, I got a phone call from the Army's Casualty and Memorial Affairs Branch (the former CILHI's direct boss) in Washington DC. In this most friendly call, he was concerned that I was using the term "MIA" as applied to World War II deceased personnel. He told me that the term "MIA" is like a pay scale for widows. As long as the loved one is declared "Missing", the widow gets money. Once the person is declared "Body Not Recoverable", that pay stops. Then it really "hit" me that I understood why the widows raised such a ruckus...money!

For some light reading on one "BNR" from Pearl Harbor: http://www.flightjournal.com/article.../sterling1.asp

Thanks for your interest, Jeff!
Cheers,
David Aiken

[JeffK]

I also see regular articles in "FLIGHTPATH" magazine submitted by various "Pacificghosts" staff.

(The stories my parents tell about the destruction of Australian Aircraft at Tocumwal would make your stomach turn.)

[Alex Smart]

Helo David,

Thanks for the reply.

I have looked but cannot find all 12 serial numbers for the B-18's as you suggested IIR that they are there in the appendix.

Have looked at appendix C and can only find mention of 30 B-18's plus 2 other B-18's details unknown. Some 33 being reported.

Those 32 noted being -
2; 3; 4;31;32;33;35;36;37;50;
51;52;53;54;62;63;64;76;77;78;
79;80;81;82;83;92;92;93;94;95;
?; ?.
Two "92"'s being two different aircraft.

I can only find serial numbers for 7 [3;32;37;51;82;92;95] as previously mentioned of the 12 destroyed.

Are the other 5 serial numbers in the documents ?

Thanks

Alex

[Alex Smart]

Hello Jeffk,

Thank you for the reply.

What was meant on my part was that the 7th Dec 41 people should now be let to rest in peace.

I made no mention of those lost in other conflicts, simply because this thread was about the Pearl Harbour Losses.

Alex