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  #11  
Old 4th July 2018, 13:13
Brian Brian is offline
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Re: Major William Horrigan USAAF Java PoW 1942

More excellent information, RSwank, thanks very much.

Now that we have established that the aircraft involved was a B-18, do we know its identity and from where it came?

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Brian
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  #12  
Old 4th July 2018, 14:14
Stig Jarlevik Stig Jarlevik is offline
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Re: Major William Horrigan USAAF Java PoW 1942

Quote:
Originally Posted by kaki3152 View Post
Can't have been a C-46. None in service in that area at that time
None in service anywhere at the time!
First C-46 was accepted 12 July 1942.

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Stig
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  #13  
Old 4th July 2018, 14:33
RSwank RSwank is offline
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Re: Major William Horrigan USAAF Java PoW 1942

There may be some info on this link:

http://lanbob.com/lanbob/H-42Auth/19-DIARY.htm

Two B-18s seem to be mentioned, 36-338 and 36-434. 36-338 seems to have been shot down with Major Straubel aboard. The fate of 36-434 is not exactly clear. It is mentioned on this link:
http://warbirdinformationexchange.or...c.php?p=459479


to have been destroyed on the ground sometime in February. "Maybe" it was the B-18 used by Horrigan.
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  #14  
Old 4th July 2018, 15:55
Brian Brian is offline
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Re: Major William Horrigan USAAF Java PoW 1942

Thanks again.

It seems likely therefore that 36-434 was the machine - but I'm still confused about the date.

My notes suggest 6 March, but another source says 24 February.

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Brian
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  #15  
Old 4th July 2018, 19:25
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25Kingman49 25Kingman49 is offline
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Re: Major William Horrigan USAAF Java PoW 1942

Supplemental to Rolland's post #10, adding a face to this B-18 crew, and offers a new crash date (adding to the confusion) of 18 March 1942, captured/POW 19 March 1942.

GAYLORD ALEXANDER BUCHANAN, JR.

Buck received a medical discharge upon graduation, having lost his right foot in a subchaser accident the latter part of Second Class Year. He joined the Sperry Gyroscope Company and was sent to the South Pacific in October, 1941, as Sperry Representative to the Air Corps, R.A.F., R.A.A.F., R.N.Z.A.F., and Dutch Air Force. Buck was in Singapore when WW II started. Two days before Singapore surrendered, he flew to Java. As the Japanese swarmed into Bandoeng, Buck took off in a beat-up B-18 bomber for Australia. The plane crash- landed on the north coast of Java and all were taken prisoner the following day, March 19, 1942.

Buck spent over three and a half years in various P.O.W. camps with survivors from HOUSTON, PERCH, LANGLEY, POPE and several hundred Texas National Guardsmen. During this period, Buck constructed a small short-wave receiver in his artificial leg and was able to receive news broadcasts from around the world. Buck later received the Navy Bronze Star and citations from the British and Dutch Governments. After a post-war rehabilitation in Calcutta, he returned to New York and his work with Sperry. On December 23, 1945, Buck married Esther Clark Montgomery, M.D.

Buck resigned as Sales Representative to the Air Force at Sperry in March, 1949, and entered medical school at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He received his M.D. in 1954. A rotating internship was followed by five years in General Practice. In March, 1960, he returned to the University of Utah for a residency in Anesthesiology, followed by a partnership in a group practicing at Holy Cross Hospital in Salt Lake City. Certification followed as a Fellow in the American College and as a Diplomate of the American Boards. While in active practice, Buck served as President of the Central Utah Medical Society, President of the Utah Society of Anesthesiologists, Chairman of the Holy Cross Hospital Anesthesiology Department and Clinical Instructor, University of Utah College of Medicine.

Following a divorce in 1973, Buck married LCDR Leanna Aretas Ruth, N.C., USN (Ret) on May 31, 1974. This culminated a romance that had started in high-school and had been interrupted by WWII. Plans for retirement came to fruition in December, 1977. Since then, Buck and Aretas have been enjoying the GOLDEN YEARS at 9329 South Sneddon Drive, Sandy, Utah 84070. Buck is still active in amateur radio as W7UG, and both enjoy frequent local desert trips and overseas jaunts.

Source: 2000, usna.com; SIXTIETH GRADUATION ANNIVERSARY OF THE CLASS OF 1940 Class Individual Biographies
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Last edited by 25Kingman49; 28th July 2021 at 01:19.
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  #16  
Old 4th July 2018, 22:32
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Re: Major William Horrigan USAAF Java PoW 1942

Hi Scott

Many thanks for the latest contribution - we're getting there!

In my opinion, the suggested date of 18 March has to be incorrect.

Cheers
Brian
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  #17  
Old 5th July 2018, 20:40
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Re: Major William Horrigan USAAF Java PoW 1942

Brian,

I concur that the 18 March date is likely incorrect. It is also unclear who the author was for this USNA, Annapolis, MD bio for Gaylord A. Buchanan, Jr.

This account was found on ancestry.com It was noted as being published in 2000, so 6 years or so after Buchanan had passed. Perhaps I should not have added this content to this thread but it seemed to hold other pertinent content.

The NARA capture date of 24 Feb 1942 for Horrigan seems suspicious also, perhaps this was the date contact was lost with Java and Horrigan was presumed MIA/POW with the rapid invasion of Jap forces at Java.
https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-...g=1&rid=132436

The later date of 6 March seems more in line, offered in Rolland's post 7 with this account:
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/theo...ava-t1615.html
"MAJ Horrigan with CIV Gaylord Buchanan, my Father - FLT LT Val Morehouse RAAF, FLT LT Frank Wright RAAF, and 7 USAAC NCOs repaired a Bolo B-18 bomber (rigged as a transport) at Bandoeng on 6 Mar and tried to fly to Australia. They were seduced by the planet Venus having passed Surabaya, thinking it was a Japanese night fighter searchlight, tried to evade and ran out of fuel and landed on a beach near Semarang, were captured by two Dutch KNIL officers and turned over to the Japanese. It took my father 6 months to join the rest of 1 Sqn RAAF in bicycle camp, with no record of where he was. Does the LB docs have any mention of a RAAF FLT LT who may have been the guest of the Kempai Tai because he was the RAAF Operations Officer for the 1 and 8 Sqns for the retreat from Kota Baru?"

For me this is still not conclusive. Were they still repairing the B-18 on 6 march and tried to fly it out on a later date, or was this the date of departure with crash and capture a day or days later.

Perhaps more detail of this Flight/Crash/Capture event will yet be discovered.
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  #18  
Old 5th July 2018, 21:14
RSwank RSwank is offline
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Re: Major William Horrigan USAAF Java PoW 1942

I have just found a very interesting interview with John Wright. It is quite a long account of his life, but the key section for us starts in Part 4 of the tapes, around the 21:30 mark. John is in a hospital in Java and getting ready to be flown out in a B-18 piloted by a West Pointer. One of the other passengers has a wooden leg. Sound familiar? He describes the plane, the flight and later events in some detail.

http://australiansatwarfilmarchive.u...13-john-wright

Last edited by RSwank; 5th July 2018 at 21:52.
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  #19  
Old 6th July 2018, 00:05
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25Kingman49 25Kingman49 is offline
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Re: Major William Horrigan USAAF Java PoW 1942

Remarkable find, Rolland!

The Dutch surrendered Java to the Japs on 8 March 1942 https://www.history.com/this-day-in-...render-on-java according to this John Wright account “our” fight in question departed Bandung, Java, the day or night before; 6/7 March 1942. It appears the initial destination was Sumba, Island to refuel and pick up another P-40 downed USAAF pilot.

With the events after take-off from Bandung, Java the Island of Sumba, was no longer in range. Who knew the B-18 had landing gear locking pins which had to be manually removed before take-off to enable landing gear retraction once in the air. At any rate beyond not being able to retract the landing gear (severely reducing the planes range due to drag) this plane became “lost” or disoriented without navigational tools onboard on the southern coast of Java. Realizing this situation Major Horrigan cut across Java to the north coast hoping to refuel at Surabaya not yet captured by the Japs. Sadly once the north coast was reached Surabaya could not be found. The plane then crash-landed due to fuel starvation on a small sandy beach, not identified but likely west of Surabaya, Java.

The attached GEarth image with points of interest for this B-18 flight likely does not help much but hopefully offers some geographic reference aid. Such a sad story of lost hope as portrayed by John Wright, as they all were about to become Pacific POWs.
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Last edited by 25Kingman49; 28th July 2021 at 01:19.
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  #20  
Old 6th July 2018, 01:31
RSwank RSwank is offline
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Re: Major William Horrigan USAAF Java PoW 1942

Scott, I think they crashed a little west of Semarang. Wright talks about walking to Kendal, which is some 10-15 miles west of Semarang. Not quite clear which direction they traveled along the beach to reach Kendal, but I suspect they did not walk very far.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Ke...!4d110.1879106

Last edited by RSwank; 6th July 2018 at 02:13.
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