[Back][Next]
 22 OCTOBER 1944 - First Lieutenant Frank
Rauschkolb, pilot of
"Daylight One Three", departed
Middleburg Island
at 0645 with instructions to cover strikes along the Northern coast of
Ceram and in
general keep sharp lookout for any survivors who might have gone down in this area.
Lieutenant Rauschkolb searched hundreds of miles of coast line. At 1445, he received a
call that an A-20 had gone down in the entrance of Amboina Bay. Lieutenant Rauschkolb
proceeded to that area, finally sighting an oil slick and mirror flashes approximately two
miles south of Alang, on the Southwestern tip of Amboina Island. Lieutenant Rauschkolb
taxied to the survivor and took his aboard. The survivor, Captain W. L. Davidson, 775th
Attack Squadron, pilot of the A-20 had been forced to ditch his plane following severe
damage by enemy fire. His gunner went down with the ship. Fighter cover had departed at
1400 due to lack of sufficient fuel to continue protecting the rescue plane. At 1605, as
take-off was underway, the chatter of serial machine guns and splashes in the water around
the rescue ship drew their attention to the Jap fighter who was attacking them. The Jap
made two more passes as the rescue plane became airborne, but the cool-headedness of
Lieutenant Rauschkolb and the employment of skillful evasive action prevented the Jap from
effecting a kill. With full throttle Lieutenant Rauschkolb piloted his plane into a
convenient cloud bank and escaped. One hour later he broke out of the clouds beyond the
reach of the Jap fighter, and set course for his base, arriving at 1930 with an estimated
ten minute supply of fuel. Total time in the air was 12 hours and 15 minutes. The spot
where Captain Davidson was picked up was but a few miles from the Jap strips near Laba and
Naroakee.
RESCUED
A-20 PILOT:
Captain W. L. Davidson, 775th Attack Squadron
AIRCRAFT:
OA-10A*
USAAF SERNO:
44-33???
CALLSIGN:
"Daylight
??"
CREW:
(Pilot)
1Lt Frank Rauschkolb,
(Navigator) 1Lt Frank W. Abele, (Radar) S/Sgt Arthur E. Goldenbaum, (Engineer) Pfc Needham
B. Stuart Jr.
[Back][Next]
*
Aircraft produced at Canadian Vickers Ldt, Cartierville, Quebec, Canada
1 |
