Cyril Klimesh - 22nd Bomb Group

Subject:     Re: Red Raiders
Date:              Tue, 16 Jun 1998 10:24:21 -0700
From:             Cyril Klimesh <cyklim@sonic.net>

Yes. The 19th, flying B-26 Marauders, flew its mission on 5 April 1942, an attack on Rabaul. One bird was lost. This was the first time B-26s were used in combat. An illustrated history of the Group, THE REVENGE OF THE RED RAIDERS, is in the works but evidently the publisher ran out of money and there is a question as to when and if it will ever be published.

I like what you are doing re Townsville. Would you like me to link your page to mine?

Subject:      Re: Red Raiders
Date:               Thu, 18 Jun 1998 13:03:20 -0700
From:              Cyril Klimesh <cyklim@sonic.net>

DUCEMUS 'WE LEAD' by Frederich A. Schoeder, published by Hall Publishing Co, P.O. Box 1880, Daytona Beach, FL 32015, deals with the 22nd's B-26 era. As I recall, mostly it deals with the missions out of New Guinea. I think it is still available.

The Group published a history at the time it switched to B-24s. Townsville is barely mentioned: "The Group CO and the Squadron commanders flew ahead to Garbutt Field, Townsville, in North Queensland, to select camp sites and to establish maintenance facilities. No depot repairs were as yet available. By the first few days of April, the Group moved into sites outside of Townsville. Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron as well as the 19th Squadron remained at Garbutt Field while the 33rd moved out to Antill Plains about 20 miles south of Townsville. The 2nd and 408th Squadrons continued on to Reid River, another 20 miles beyond Antill Plains. From Garbutt Field, on 5th April 1942, the 22nd Bombarment Group took off to strike at Rabaul -- the first B-26s in combat, and the first medium bombers to strike Rabual, New Britain, the key Jap air and shipping base in the South-West Pacific." This one is out of print and very expensive should one be lucky enough to find a widow or dependent who still has one.

One plane and crew were lost. Later in the narrative: "On 13th September 1942, the 19th Squadron left Woodstock by boat for Iron Range, past Cooktown, Coen, and just about as far north as possible to go in Queensland."

Subject:      22nd BG B-26 crash
Date:               Mon, 06 Jul 1998 08:29:29 -0700
From:             Cyril Klimesh <cyklim@sonic.net>

Where is Cape Kitterton? From an old newletter: ""....fairly recent findings by Mr. David Pennefather, well-known New Guinea diver and aviation archeologist, of one of our B-26s, #40-1406, which according to Mr. Bruce Hoy, curator of the Papua Air Museum, crash-landed in 20 feet of water off Cape Killerton, on 12 Sep 1943, after an engive failed to restart."

Subject:     Re: 22nd BG B-26 crash
Date:              Tue, 07 Jul 1998 07:54:49 -0700
From:            Cyril Klimesh cyklim@sonic.net

The newsletter says, "Cape Killerton, PNG." Charge the discrepancy to my poor eyesight.

Subject: Tow planes
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1999 20:01:42 -0800
From: Cyril Klimesh cyklim@sonic.net

Have you ever heard of a unit that was stationed at Garbutt that flew B-26s to tow targets for gunnery practice? They normally were red. One such, photographed at Garbutt, date unknown, was named Red Ass. The nose art showed a jackass with a tow target tied to its tail.

Subject:      21 April 1942 crash at Garbutt
Date:              Mon, 01 Feb 1999 17:08:54 -0800
From:            Cyril Klimesh <cyklim@sonic.net>

Do you have any idea what the plane Number or the Nickname was of the B-26 that crashed on 21 April 1942? (Cardell's story) I just discovered the records I've been using give the names of the crew but fails to list the loss of a plane on that date.

Subject:     Re: 21 April 1942 crash at Garbutt
Date:              Fri, 05 Feb 1999
From:            Cyril Klimesh <cyklim@sonic.net>

What do you have on a B-26 that crashed on 5 November 1942 near Gin Gin with 13 people on board? One man died. Evidently came from Moresby so it may have been a 38th BG bird.

Subject:     26 Dec 42 crash
Date:              Fri, 23 Apr 1999 16:12:59 -0700
From:            Cyril Klimesh <cyklim@sonic.net>

From a newspaper clipping of unknown origin concerning Captain Franklin Allen, 19th BS, 22nd BG:-

"....Captain Allen saw a bomber filled with 500-pound bombs crash on an Australian field and kill all of the crew except one. Sprinting over to the shouting survivor just as the bomb went off, Captain Allen pulled him out of the flaming plane. For that he was decorated." (Soldier's Medal)

"When a Liberator heavy bomber crashed and burned on an airdrome in Australia last December, they disregarded exploding gasoline tanks and bombs and assisted in removing a wounded man from the wreckage."

"He (Capt. Allen) was one of six fliers cited for their rescue work when a Liberator bomber crashed and burned in Australia. They pulled out one of the crew, but the 500-pound bomb exploded and demolished the plane before they could complete their work."

Subject:     Re: 26 Dec 42 crash
Date:              Sat, 24 Apr 1999 06:36:35 -0700
From:            Cyril Klimesh cyklim@sonic.net

Allen was in the 22nd but I believe the B-24 belonged to the 90th which was stationed at Iron Range in November 1942 thru Feb,. 1943. The clippings are some held by Allen's daughter Jeanne-Louise Newell. In her letter she noted that she could not find the citation but that other material "elaborates on the 26 December 1942 incident in which my father and several others attempted to rescue crew from the burning B-24."

Subject:    22nd Bomb Group Crashes
Date:             Wed, 07 Jul 1999 07:13:51 -0700
From:           Cyril Klimesh <cyklim@sonic.net>

> Who has done the research for you on your crash list? Was it yourself or someone else?

Some is from the group film, some frames of which are of poor quality, incomplete print outs of sqd. films of reconstructed mission reports; Some from a doctored up list initially compiled by Hoy of the New Guinea Museum; some from correspondence with other 22BG people, some from 22nd Newsletter. The latter is where some of the names come from and these aren't always in agreement. I have about two dozen names I can't tie to serial numbers.

Initially I listed only the losses and disregarded the names, then decided to list all the B-26s, B-25s, and B-24s the Group flew. And
because the names seem so important to many, started including those. The only name I remember of the ships I flew is DOUBLE TROUBLE, a B-24M which we flew from Biak to Clark Field, and that only because the co-pilot still complains that we did not get to keep it.

I need your help

Copyright

� Peter Dunn OAM 2020

Disclaimer

Please e-mail me
any information or photographs

"Australia @ War"
8GB USB Memory Stick