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30 MAY 1945 - Second Lieutenant Warner A. Britton, pilot of "Playmate 43", departed Zamboanga at 0650 and headed for his orbit point off Brunei Bay, West of Borneo. At 1140, he received an urgent message stating that a B-24 was down in the vicinity of Brunei Bay. Lieutenant Britton altered his course, arriving in Brunei Bay at 1223. He contacted a B-24 circling the survivors and proceeded to the area of the survivors. While flying over the Bay, a Jap motor launch fired on the rescue ship but failed to register any hits. At 1310, a life raft was sighted at 05°17'N, 115°20'E near a wrecked B-24 off the northeast shore of the Labarin Island. Lieutenant Britton landed his ship northeast of Tabanan Island in the mouth of the bay and effected the rescue of of one survivor at 1335. He then taxiied about a mile to another life raft containing three more survivors whom he took aboard at 1400. Fifteen minutes later he located another raft containing five men, all of whom were taken aboard the rescue ship and made comfortable. He then contacted the circling B-24 who informed him that they had made a thorough search of the area but could find no more survivors. Lieutenant Britton took-off at 1440 and searched the area until 1450 when he departed for Zamboanga, arriving at 1850.

The survivors, members of the 72nd Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Group, were as follows: 1Lt E.J. Glenn, 1Lt R. Angless, 1Lt A. Harballs, F/O J.P. Quinn, S/Sgt T.J. Gascone, S/Sgt N. Ostergoard, S/Sgt E.M. Gibson, S/Sgt R.C. Desay, and S/Sgt Bell. They stated that when almost to their target, mechanical failure of three engines forced them to bail out of their ship. Ten men were seen to leave the ship, but one man's chute failed to open, apparently becoming entangled in the "Gibson Girl" radio which he was trying to throw out. The radio operator was not seen to leave the ship. None of the survivors was injured. The two men missing were T/Sgt Chauvin and S/Sgt H.B. Fimes.

Survivors: Members of the 72nd Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Group. 1Lt E.J. Glenn, 1Lt R. Angless, 1Lt A. Harballs, F/O J.P. Quinn, S/Sgt T.J. Gascone, S/Sgt N. Ostergoard, S/Sgt E.M. Gibson, S/Sgt R.C. Desay, and S/Sgt Bell.

AIRCRAFT: OA-10A   44-33933   CALLSIGN:  "PLAYMATE 43"    CREW: (P) 2Lt Warner A. Britton, (CP) 2Lt Joyce R. Aly, (N) Cpt R.D. Toms, (E) Cpl J.H. Rowe, (Rad) Pfc R.W. Logan, (V) S/Sgt Ortman, (ST) Cpl W. Shorette.

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