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 18 AUGUST 1944
- Captain
Clarence
L. "Solie" Solander, pilot of a PBY, while on a searching mission for a P-38 pilot
reported to have landed at sea at 0°45'S, 135°00'E, sighted a white man in a native canoe off the
South shore of
Japen Island. He circled the canoe several times to investigate
and was surprised to note that the white man proved to be an albino native. However, the
natives kept pointing towards the village on the shore, where Captain Solander sighted a
beached Air Corps life raft, and a native paddling a white man with his parachute in the
direction of the ship. Captain Solander landed and picked up the lost P-38 pilot. The
pilot stated that while returning from a strafing mission over Ceram, his fuel became exhausted and he was forced to land his plane on a
coral reef, 200 yards off the shore of Japen Island. The pilot was unhurt, paddled ashore
in his life raft and spent the night with friendly natives.
RESCUED: 1
P-38 pilot
AIRCRAFT
TYPE:
OA-10A*
USAAF SERNO:
44-33880
(CV-332)**
CALLSIGN:
"Daylight
Special"
CREW:
(Pilot) Cpt Clarence
L. Solander, (Co-Pilot) 2Lt
Richard K. Knowlton, (Navigator) 2Lt Harry I. Schulman, (Engineer) S/Sgt Prescott D.
Register, (Radio) Cpl Ned M. Books, (Radar) Sgt Anthony C. Napolitano
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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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