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13 APRIL 1945 - First
Lieutenant Archie A. Yelvington, pilot of "Playmate 46" departed
Zamboanga at 0640 to conduct a special search over Northern
Mindanao for a
Marine B-25 (PBJ) crew reported to have crashed near Pangayan at 08°40'N, 125°27'E on 12
April 1945. Lieutenant Yelvington landed off shore at Pangayan for information and found
three survivors whom he took aboard. They informed him that the other three were in
Misamis Hospital at
Libertad, about 15 miles North. Lieutenant Yelvington landed off Libertad at
0945, went ashore and assisted in bringing the three severely injured survivors aboard. He
departed Libertad at 1200, landing at Zamboanga at 1350, where the survivors were
transferred to the Marine Hospital. Lieutenant Good, the pilot, stated that on a mission
over the Jap held airstrip at Del Monte, his ship was so extensively damaged by
anti-aircraft fire that a forced landing was imminent. He attempted to reach
Iligan Bay, but crashed a few hundred yards inland. The plane
burst into flames as it struck, but the six crewmembers miraculously escaped. With the
exception of Lieutenant Good, all were injured, four seriously. The radar operator was
killed in the crash and was buried by the Filipinos in a Catholic cemetery at Libertad.
Three of the more seriously injured were taken to Misamis Hospital at Libertad,
where they were cared for by a Filipino doctor until removed to Zamboanga.
The survivors were: (P) Lieutenant Good, Lieutenant Clayton, Tech Sergeant Alawolf,
Staff Sergeant Le Favour, Sergeant Wheeler and Corporal Foster, all members of the
Marine Corps VMB-611.
AIRCRAFT: OA-10A 44-33880 CALLSIGN: "PLAYMATE
46" CREW: (P) 1Lt Archie A.
Yelvington
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