[Back][Next] Lieutenant Stover, pilot of the ill-fated B-25 #469, stated that with a skeleton crew and three passengers, he departed Hollandia on the morning of 13 July, heading for Morotai. However, encountering heavy weather and with no navigator aboard, he became lost and overshot his destination. When he broke out of the overcast, he found himself over a group of islands and having insufficient fuel to risk any further search for Morotai, he elected to ditch his plane in the shallow water just off shore and near a native village. The ditching procedure was entirely successful, all the occupants of the plane escaping without injury. With the help of friendly natives, part of their survival equipment was removed from the plane and taken to the nearby village where the survivors remained the first night. The natives informed them that Japanese patrols frequented the island daily and that to remain in one place for over a few hours was dangerous. The following morning they were taken into the jungle and concealed throughout the day. The natives maintained contact with them and supplied them with food and water. After nightfall, the survivors and equipment were transported by native canoe to an adjacent island where they set up their "Gibson Girl" and began transmitting distress signals, which they later discovered were ineffective due to operational error. During the remainder of the second night, they were concealed in the chief's house, the chief standing guard while they slept. On the first day of their sojourn on the island, a native informer notified the Japs of their presence which necessitated their constant moving. They hid by day and traveled from one island to another by night with the Japs ever in hot pursuit. On the night of 17 July, they received a message written in a mixture of Malayan and English stating that the Japs knew of their whereabouts and were closing in for the kill. They immediately left the village and hid in the jungle throughout the remainder of the night, transmitting distress signals almost constantly which were picked up early on the morning of 18 July by a passing aircraft, the position plotted and transmitted to Rescue Headquarters. A rescue plane and a crash boat were dispatched immediately upon receipt of the message. Since the Japs were closing in, the survivors abandoned all their equipment with the exception of the dinghy and were preparing to make a dash for the open sea when the rescue plane arrived. Lt Stover felt certain their rescue could be attributed to the excellent assistance of the local natives and the final effectiveness of the Gibson Girl. Lessons learned from this rescue are that the services of a navigator on long over water flights are essential and that air crews be briefed in the proper operation of survival equipment. Rescued crewmembers: 1Lt R.D. Stover, T/Sgt B.F. Lewis, M/Sgt B. Miller, S/Sgt G.C. Pussey AIRCRAFT: OA-10A 44-34071 CALLSIGN: "PLAYMATE
61" CREW: (P) 2Lt Frank P. Hayes |
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