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25 JUNE 1945 - Second Lieutenant Bryan W. Guess, pilot of "Playmate 41", departed Morotai at 0030 hours, reaching his orbit point in the vicinity of Balikpapan at 0710. At 0830 he received a message of distress, stating that a B-25 was in trouble and would ditch at 01°15'S, 117°08'E, only a short distance from his position. Lieutenant Guess flew to the scene of the crash and landed at 0850 and with the aid of a Navy shore boat, the six survivors were taken aboard the rescue plane. The survivors were uninjured but were treated for immersion. At 0910 take-off was accomplished and at 0930, Lieutenant Guess received a message that all strikers had left the target, so he headed for base. On his way in he was instructed to investigate a smoke signal and blinker light off Cape Gresco, east coast of Borneo. Search disclosed no survivors. Presumably the signals were from natives in that vicinity. The return trip was uneventful and the rescue ship landed at Morotai at 1530.

The survivors, all members of the 71st Bomb Squadron, 38th Bomb Group, on TDY with he 42nd Bomb Group at Palawan, were taken to the 155th Station Hospital for rest and observation. The survivors were 2Lt J.B. Barbour, 2Lt W.W. Norton, 2Lt Joseph Sherim, Sgt R.G. Thompson, R.L. Rechmang, and Cpl J.B. Kleinkneck. Lieutenant Barbour stated that while making a run over the target, small arms fire damaged one aileron, which threw his ship temporarily out of control, his right wing striking a tree and shearing off a portion of the undersurface of the wing. His ship went out of control but somehow he righted it and, in spite of terrific vibration, he successfully ditched the plane near a destroyer in the bay.

Survivors: 2Lt J.B. Barbour, 2Lt W.W. Norton, 2Lt Joseph Sherim, Sgt R.G. Thompson, R.L. Rechmang, and Cpl J.B. Kleinkneck

AIRCRAFT: OA-10A   #44-34043   CALLSIGN:  "PLAYMATE 41"    CREW: (P) 2Lt Bryan W. Guess, (CP) Lt Waugh, (N) 2Lt James Young Jr., (E) Sgt Clarence L. Coon, (R Opr) Sgt McCoy, (Rad) Sft Kominsky, (ST) Pfc Harrold
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