14 OCTOBER 1944 - 1st Lt. JOHN R. DICKINSON, pilot of "Daylight One One", departed Middleburg Island at 0523 to cover strikes on Twiflit on Paloe Bay, in the Western Celebes. While at the rendezvous, Daylight received a message that a P-47 was going down. He crash landed his damaged plane on a beach near Paloe Bay. Lieutenant Dickinson, under an umbrella of P-38's, landed in the Bay and picked up the survivor. Rescue was affected at 1230. The pilot was in good condition. He stated that the enemy fire had inflicted so much damage to his ship that it would no longer fly. His P-47 was strafed and set ablaze by escorting P-38's. Pilot was brought back to base and the rescue ship landed at 1825.

Rescued P-47 pilot:  First Lieutenant Darrel J. Laird, AC, 0-685996, 40th Fighter Squadron

AIRCRAFT TYPE: OA-10A  
USAAF SERNO: 44-33??? 
CALLSIGN:  "Daylight One One" 
CREW: (Pilot) 1st Lt. JOHN R. DICKINSON, (Co-Pilot) 2nd Lt. LARRY E. BOORMAN

[Back][Next]

* Aircraft produced at Canadian Vickers Ldt, Cartierville, Quebec, Canada
1