04 SEPTEMBER 1944 - First Lieutenant Kenneth N. "Doc" Hunter, (Co-pilot, Lt. William Holbrook pictured) pilot of a PBY, while on patrol off Jeffman Island sighted a life raft with one man aboard about five miles off shore. Lieutenant Hunter landed his ship in two foot swells and took the P-38 pilot aboard and returned him to his base at Noemfoor. The pilot stated that while returning from a strafing mission over Ceram, he exhausted his fuel supply and was forced to land his craft in the sea two miles off shore. He escaped from the ship unhurt, launched his life raft, and paddled toward the open sea while his squadron companions strafed the beach preventing the Japs from capturing him.

Read the actual account as written by the Co-pilot, Bill Holbrook.

RESCUED MAN: 1 P-38 pilot

AIRCRAFT TYPE: OA-10A*
USAAF SERNO: 44-33885  (CV-342)**
CALLSIGN: "Daylight ??" 
CREW:  (Pilot) 1Lt. Kenneth N. "Doc" Hunter**, (Co-Pilot) 2Lt. William C. Holbrook,(ACP) Lt J.A. Scrivener, (Navigator) 2Lt John L. Hotz, (Flight Surgeon) Capt. Louie Goldberg, (Engineer) S/Sgt Charles Bledsoe, (Radio) Cpl Victor G. Frank, (Radar) Sgt Richard A. Littlefield, (AR) T/Sgt D.J. Lauricella, (Surgical Tech) S/Sgt Louis Hibbard (** Indicates DFC awarded for this mission)

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* Aircraft produced at Canadian Vickers Ldt, Cartierville, Quebec, Canada
** Canadian Vickers contract number that was unique to each aircraft produced by at Cartierville
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