History of the missions flown.

Crew Type A/C City / Target Date Remarks Hours Iwo
JAK DP T?? Tachikawa - Hitchi Air      24Apr Jack's 1stt with another crew XXX .
PPS SD . Superdumbo 27Apr Me with Stendahl's Crew 19:00 .
PPS SD . Superdumbo 29 Apr Me with Stendahl's crew 20:20 .
C - DP T8 Kyushu - Miyakondo 29 Apr Schifferli did not fly . X
C DP T14 Kure -Hiro Naval ACF 5 May Looped plane - JUNKED 9:40 X
C DP T14 Yokuyama - Naval Fuel 10May NEW  T 14 15:35 .
C DI T1 Nagoya - City 14May Typhoon - last to land 13:00 X
C . . Iwo to Saipan 15May . 3:45 .
* NI T15 Nagoya - City 15May Erickson with Brodies crew . .
C W T12 All of Japan 24May To Guam then Saipan 14:50 .
C NI T1 Tokyo - City 25May . 13:50 .
C DI T1 Yokohama - City 29May . 12:20 X
C . . Iwo to Saipan 30May . 3:45 .
C DI T10 Kobe - City 5Jun . 15:00 .
C DI T10 Osaka - City 7Jun . 19:00 .
C - . T7 Hitachi - Kaigan Plant 10Jun Schifferli did not fly . .
C - DI T7 Osaka - Amagasaki 15Jun Schifferli did not fly . .
C - NI T7 Hamamaysu - City 17Jun Schifferli did not fly . .
PPS RR . Yawata - Radar Recon 17Jun Schifferli with another crew 20:00 .
C - NI T7 Fukuoka - City 19Jun Pacelli did not fly 19:40 .
C DP T4 Kure - Naval Arsenal 22Jun . 17:45 .
C NI T7 Sasebo - City 26Jun . 15:20 .
C NI T7 Kumamoto 1Jul Mighty Fine I 15:10 .
C DP T10 Marcus Island - practice 4Jul . . .
C NI T17 Akashi 6Jul . 4:00 X
C . . Iwo to Saipan 7Jul . 3:20 .
C NI T7 Sakai - City 9Jul Cracked up on Take Off . .
C NI T7 Ichinomiya - City 12Jul New Mighty Fine II 16:15 .
C NI T7 Oita - City 16Jul . 14:15 .
C NI T7 Hitachi - City 19Jul . 15:35 .
C DP T7 Kuwana - Radar Plant 24Jul Bombed Alternate 13:40 .
C NI T7 Matsuyama - City 26Jul . 16:05 .
C NI T7 Ichinomiya - City 28Jul . 16:15 .
C NI T7 Toyama - City 1Aug . 14:45 .
C DP T7 Toyokawa - Naval Arsenal 7Aug . 15:05 .
C DP T7 Osaka - Army Arsenal 14Aug . 18:30 .
. .   WAR ENDS . . . .
C POW T11 Osaka - POW Camp 28Aug . 14:25 .
C POW T7 Niigata - POW Camp 31Aug . 17:40 .
C POW T30 Tokyo - Atsugi Airfield 6Sep Drop supplies to troops 16:30 .
. . . . . TOTAL 444:05 .

Legend
NI = Night Incendiary      POW = Prisoner of War
DI = Daylight Incendiary       C = Entire crew flew mission
RR = Radar Recon Mission W = Weather Recon   
DP = Daylight Precision    C - = Crew less some members

 

A brief history of the 873rd insignia of the 498th Bomb Group,
73rd Bomb Wing, 20th Air Force

THE SQUADRON INSIGNIA: Designed originally for the 676th in Great Bend in December, 1943, it was immediately popular, but in the rapid change of events that followed it was lost in the shuffle and did not turn up again until the arrival of the 873rd. It survived a number of insignia contests and in July, of 1944 was adopted officially as the Squadron Insignia of the 873rd Bombardment Squadron. . . . Created to symbolize the immense size, yet graceful ease of the SUPERFORT, the elephant was chosen to typify size. His attitude, cocksure and easy going, symbolized the attitude of the men of the Squadron. The position of the hand dropping the bomb denoted ease and accuracy in ability to destroy the target, while the bomb became the symbol of destruction ... the cloud symbolized the altitude, while the little elephant's position of recline depicted the ease and grace of the immense 29 in flight. The red circle carried out the color scheme of the national colors. while the seven white stars on top and the three on the bottom designate the last two numerals of the Squadron number.

 

Planes of the 873rd

Gained

From

Type

T No.

Number

NickName

Commander

Date

Remarks (Including date lost)

Date

 . . .

Serial

. 

Aircraft

Incident

 .
. . . . .

Devil's Darling

AC-Lt. M. Malone

02/04/1945

M # 23 AC Killed over Kobe. Plane ditched and all others survived. 

. . . . . .

AC - G. Alexander

09/04/1945

POW # 6. POW Drop to Sendia area, Japan.  All lost

12/17/44

US Proi 98087-TR

B-29

T-01

42-24727

Ruthless ???

AC - 1st Lt. H. MacDonald

03/31/1945

M # 36 Enroute to target, #3 engine backfired, prop would not feather, caught on fire - bombs salvoed - ditched 29-58N, 135-13E - All crew except tail gunner rescued

9/10/44

Manufacturer

B-29

T-01

42-63430

 .

AC - Capt. G. McCandliss

12/13/1944

M # 12 - #1 engine and instruments shot out - two crew members reported reported injured - Ditched 20-20N, 143-00E - No crew members rescued.

4/ 2145

US - Proj 98216-R

B-29A

T-01

42-94027

 .

 .

 

 

9/4/44

Manufacturer

B-29

T-02

42-24605

Heat's On

AC - Ist Lt. J. Gress

12/27/1944

M # 16. Ditched (18-06N 144-25E) due to mechanical failure of fuel transfer system.  4 crew members rescued 12/28/44

9/3/44

Manufacturer

B-29

T-02

42-24609

Lassie Come Home

No Record

01/14/1945

M # 19 Two engines shot up - structual damage to aircraft -Lost to Guam Air Depot 2/17/45

11/29/44

US - Proj 98087-TR

B-29

T-02

42-63468

 .

AC - Lt. W. Breeland

02/10/1945

M # 24 - Radio out - accompanying aircraft observed #1 engine out - fuel low - dissappeared in dark.

12/24/44

US - Proj 98087-TR

B-29

T-02

42-63501

 .

AC - Capt P. Kilgo

01/27/1945

M #22 Heavily attacked by fighters after leaving target - #1 engine shot out - last seen going into cloud near coast followed by fighters -

2/18/45

US - Proj 98202-R

B-20

T-02

42-65332

 .

 . . .

9/4/44

Manufacturer

B-29

T-03

42-24608

  

Stendahl

02/04/1945

M # 23 Landed on return with #1 engine on fire. Surv.2/6/45

9/4/44

Manufacturer

B-29

T-04

42-24611

Little Jo

AC - E. Fisher

04/29/1945

M # 63 - Aircraft damaged over target (Miyakonojo A/F, Kyushu) and crew bailed out soon after leaving the coast of Japan. 11 parachutes seen.  6 crew members rescued 5/1/45

4/28/45

497th Bomb Group

B-29

T-04

44-69932

Little Joe

 . . .
. .  

T-05

42-24614

Joltin' Josie The Pacific Pioneer

AC - Capt W. Currier

04/01/1945

M # 37 Ditched after takeoff - All lost

4/3/45

US - Proj 98216-R

B-29A

T-05

42-94014

Little Butch

 . . .

9/30/44

Manufacturer ***

B-29

T-06

42-24695

Lucky ‘Leven

 . .

Declared War Weary and returned to US 8/22/45

7/19/45

US - Proj 98255-S

B-29A

T-06

44-61734

Lucky Seven

 . .

Special Weather Strike Aircraft

9/7/44

Manufacturer

B-29

T-07

42-24603

 . .

11/27/1944

damaged on ground by enemy raid 11/27. Surveyed 12/18/44

12/23/44

US - Proj 98087-TR

B-29

T-07

42-24777

 .

Brodie

02/27/1945

Weather Strike Mission # 238 - #1 and #3 engines out - Ditched 20-10N, 136-25E - 9 crew members rescued 3/2/45

3/31/415

314th Bomb Wing

B-29A

T-07

42-93944

Mighty Fine I

AC - Lt. J. Tunnell

07/09/1945

M # 88 - Taxiing Accident before take-off, Tfd Guam Air Depot and salvaged.

7/10/45

US - Proj 98287-R

B-29A

T-07

44-61655

Mighty Fine II

AC - Lt. J. Tunnell

    

12/l0/44

US Proj 98087-TR

B-29

T-08

42-24755

Tommy Hawk ??

AC - Capt. M. Trecek

11/08/1944

M # 5 Engine fire.  4 bailed out, rest ditched.  2 survived.

2/20/45

US - Proj 98194-R

B-29

T-08

44-69706

Vanishing Rae

 .   .

3/20/45

US - Proj 98204-R

B-29

T-08

44-69765

 .

 

06/01/1945

 .

11/29/44

US Proi 98087-TR

B-29

T-10

42-24735

 .

AC - Lt. C. Fetter      Pilot Capt. W. Doxey

12/03/1944

M # 10 - missing - Last message stated #1 engine out, another leaking oil, and aircraft was being attacked by enemy planes. First mission for plane.

12/11/44

US - Proj 98087-TR

B-29

T-10

42-24767

 .

AC - Lt. W. Beyhan

01/27/1945

M # 22 - Two engines - fuel and electrical systems shot out - ditched for lack of fuel, 29-20N, 143-20E  All lost.

1/29/45

505th Bomb Group

B-29

T-10

42-24794

Homer's Rommers

 . . .

9/9/44

Manufacturer

B-29

T-10

42-63428

 .  

11/27/1944

Strafed and burnt on ground in enemy raid

1/31/415

US - Proi 98190-R

B-29A

T-10

42-93881

 .

AC - Lt. Geer

04/06/1945

Weather Strike Mission # 346 - Low on fuel and two engines out - no time to go around - pilot landed on Tinian with own lights - plane ground looped over cliff - completely destroyed - no major personnel injuries.

4/13/45

US - Proj 98216-R

B-29A

T-10

42-94030

Lucky Strikes

 . . .

1/29/45

504th Bomb Group

B-29

T-11

42-63522

Raidin' Maiden

 . . .

2/20/45

US - Proj 98202-R

B-29

T-11

42-65331

Arkansas Traveller

 . . .

5/8/45

US - Proj 98249-R

B-29

T-11

44-69969

Oregon Express

 . . .

1/1/45

US - Proj 98087-TR

B-29

T-12

42-63443

Shirley Dee

 . . .

1/22/45

US - Proj 98164-R

B-29

T-12

42-65295

 .

AC - 1st. Lt. M. Greer

04/29/1945

M # 63 - Following fighter attack plane left formation and last seen crashing on the ground - no chutes observed.

5/4/45

3rd Photo Recon Sq

F-13A

T-12

42-93852

 . . .

7/6/45 - Tfd to 3rd Photo Recon Sqd. Guam

2/26/45

314th Bomb Wing