Hansa Bay Strike, 6th March 1944

[BruceMk11]

Trying to identify which three sqns B-24s made this strike, 1335-1345.

Cheers,
Bruce

[RSwank]

I found this MACR: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/90940704

for B-24 42-41135 lost on a raid to Hansa Bay on March 6. The plane was from the 90th BG, 319th BS. Note however that the plane took off at 23:17 on March 5, so the squadron would have reached Hansa very early on the morning on the 6th. That does not seem to fit with the times you posted. I am thinking that perhaps a series of strikes were done throughout the day by different squadrons (maybe all from the 90th).

Note that the MACR mentions searches conducted on March 6 by A-20s and B-25s returning from strikes on Hansa Bay and also searches by returning B-24s
from the 319th Squadron. I suspect those searches were done in daylight by planes returning from later strikes on March 6.

The crash site of 42-41135 was not discovered until 1989 and remains were recovered in 1990. Story of the pilot is here: http://iagenweb.org/wwii/WWIISurname...wRaymondJ.html

[BruceMk11]

Thanks Mr Swank. The object of the B-24 strike seems to have been putting (or keeping) Awar strip out of service during the early stages of the Admiralties campaign.

[twocee]

According to the official US Army history, the bombing attacks in the Hansa Bay/Wewak area at this time were intended to confirm the enemy suspicions that this is where the next allied offensive would take place, rather than further west at Hollandia. A naval bombardment of Hansa Bay was also carried out for the same purpose.

[Edward]

From page 105 of Wiley Woods' history, Legacy of the 90th Bomb Group (Turner Publishing 1994).
Times are not given for 6 March 1944.

"Around 2300 on the night of March 5, three aircraft of the 319th Squadron were assigned to bomb the airdromes at Awar and Nubia on Hansa Bay. Two of the aircraft reached the target and started fires in the area. . . . The 90th [BG] was after the airdromes on Hansa Bay the next day [March 6]. Three aircraft from the 319th Squadron hit the north one-half of the Awar airdrome and were confident that their bombs landed on the target, but could not observe the results owing to the clouds. Only two planes from the 320th arrived at the target; one hit Nubia Airdrome and the other hit Awar. The four planes from the 321st hit Awar and the six from the 400th hit Nubia."

More information here on the loss and recovery of the Drewelow crew.

https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-24/42-41135.html

[BruceMk11]

Thanks guys