Addendum 25: Captain Bender & the 26 July 1942 Mission

Additional information for Chapter 9 – To the rescue near Aimari

Information from the Pacific Wrecks website at pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-25/41-12792.html is as follows :

“Mission History

On July 26, 1942 one of (the) five B-25s that took off (from) 7 Mile Drome near Port Moresby (was) piloted by Captain Frank P Bender on a mission to attack enemy sea planes off Gasmata on New Britain. The B-25s were from both the (US)  Bombardment Squadron (90th BS) and 13th Bombardment Squadron (13th BS).

Meanwhile, nine A6M Zeros from (Japan’s) Tainan Kōkūtai (Tainan Air Group) Sasai Chutai took off from Lae Airfield on a mission to patrol over Buna. The first chutai was led by Lt(jg) Jun'ichi Sasai with wingmen FPO1c Toshio Ota and FPO3c Masuaki Endo. The second chutai WO Tora'ichi Takatsuka with wingmen FPO3c Noboru Sato and F1c Yoshio Motoyoshi. The third chutai was led by FPO1c Saburo Sakai with wingmen FPO2c Masayoshi Yonekawa and FPO3c Yoshio Mogi.

At 8:15am, the Zeros spotted and intercept the bomber formation over the Buna area. The bombers believed they were under attack by approximately 10-15 enemy fighters and immediately jettisoned their bombs, aborted the mission, and turned back for Port Moresby.
 

This B-25 was hit by gunfire and caught fire then went into a spin and eventually exploded before crashing into the ground. Only two of the crew were able to bail out: pilot Bender and the turret gunner Thompson. The rest of the crew died in the interception or impact. Also lost was B-25C 41-12470 (MIA).

The other three B-25s were chased by Sasai, Ota and Sakai back to Port Moresby and sustained further damage. Over 7 Mile Drome, Sakai strafed a P-40 Kittyhawk from No. 76 Squadron before the trio of Zeros withdrew at 8:50am. Afterwards, all nine Zeros landed back at Lae Airfield and claimed three enemy bombers shot down.

Fates of the Crew

While attempting to exit the aircraft, Captain Bender became trapped in the cockpit when the B-25 went into a spin. He was miraculously blown free when it exploded and managed to deploy his parachute though he sustained injuries to his knee. Bender landed close to the wreckage of his plane (roughly 12 miles southeast of Buna) and also about a mile away from Japanese forward patrols.
 

Friendly natives assisted Bender in reaching the crash site where he identified the remains of Flt. Sgt. Hawter and Sgt McBroom and Sgt Middleton. The natives buried the bodies next to the crash site. Afterwards, Bender was led to Isivita Mission and met Reverend Henry Holland.

Meanwhile, Sgt. Thompson was able to bail out successfully and landed unhurt. Later, he was assisted by natives and led to nearby Isivita Mission and met Reverend Henry Holland.

Aided by members of ANGAU and native people, Bender and Thompson spent the next three weeks walking and being carried in stretchers made from bush materials over the Owen Stanley Range to the southern coast of New Guinea. They finally reached a mission station and were taken to Abau Island and then transported by boat back to Port Moresby.

Wreckage
This B-25 crashed near Isoge. In 1945, a RAAF Searcher Team led by S/L Keith Rundle visited the site of the crash and recovered the remains of the crew.

Recovery of Remains
At the site, the team found the remains of Sgt Hamilton along with his identity disc in the wreckage. His remains were initially buried at Soputa Cemetery and later transported to Bomana War Cemetery for permanent burial.

What was thought to be two sets of remains were recovered and turned over to American Graves Registration (AGRS) who identified the remains of Americans Sgt McBroom and Sgt Middleton. Their remains were transported to the United States for permanent burial. In fact, the remains included a third individual, RAAF F/Sgt Hawter whose remains were unintentionally sent with them and all three were buried together in the United States.

Memorials
The four crew members killed in the crash were officially declared dead the day of the mission. After the recovery of remains, RAAF Sgt Hamilton was buried at Bomana War Cemetery at B8. A. 9. Sgt McBroom, Sgt Middleton RAAF F/Sgt Hawter were buried together in a group burial at Vicksburg National Cemetery at section W site 17527-17529.”

“Bender continued to serve in the 3rd Bomb Group.  On July 26, 1942 Captain Frank Peter Bender bailed out of B-25C "Arora" 41-12792 after being shot down by Zeros. Bender earned the Silver Star with oak leaf cluster and Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster. He remained in the U. S. Air Force (USAF) and retired with the rank of Colonel and served in the Korean War and Vietnam War and served as a military attaché in Caracas and with Strategic Air Command (SAC) until he retired in 1965. He passed away on May 9, 2003 at age 87. On June 16, 2003 he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery at section 66 grave 6484.”

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