CRASH OF A B-25D MITCHELL
AT HERVEYS RANGE
NEAR TOWNSVILLE, QLD
ON 31 DECEMBER 1942
Late on the morning of 31 December 1942, B-25D Mitchell, #41-29698, "The Bird Dog", piloted by Captain William R. "Red" Johnson, of the 90th Bomb Squadron of the 3rd Bomb Group, left Charters Towers for Townsville to pick up some friends, to bring them back to Charters Towers for a party in the newly completed Officer's Club. While returning to Charters Towers they struck some bad weather and crashed into a mountainside about 20 miles west of Townsville. Another source suggest it was 20 miles south of Townsville. The crash site was not located until 3 January 1943. One report suggest it may have occurred near Herveys Range, near Townsville. Private Coen from the 90th Bomb Squadron's Intelligence Section was listed on the passenger list but apparently did not board the aircraft.
On board were two members of the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron of the 374th Troop Carrier Group whom were killed. They were Captain John R. Linn and 1st Lt. Malcolm E. Peterson.
The burial records for the US War Cemetery in Townsville shows the following records. I have assumed that they were all killed in the one crash:-
NAME | SERVICE NO. | UNIT | CAUSE | BURIAL DATE | RELIGION |
Lelik, Andrew | 12029966 USA | 90th Bomb Sq., 3rd Bomb Gp. | Air Crash | 9 Jan 43 | Catholic |
Gibson, Archibald B. | 6971481 USA | 90th Bomb Sq., 3rd Bomb Gp. | Air Crash | 9 Jan 43 | Protestant |
Petersen, Malcolm E. | 0397451 USA | 22nd TP. Carrier Sq, 374th Troop Carrier Group | Air Crash | 9 Jan 43 | Protestant |
Linn, John R. | 0315444? USA | 22nd TP. Carrier Sq., 374th Troop Carrier Group | Air Crash | 9 Jan 43 | Protestant |
Johnson William R. | 0422025 USA | 90th Bomb Sq., 3rd Bomb Gp. | Air Crash | 9 Jan 43 | Protestant |
Penler, Stephen | 0321823 USA | CML. SEC, HQ USASOS (Chemical Warfare Service) | Air Crash | 9 Jan 43 | Catholic |
Faris, Robert M. | 0295946 USA | CML. SEC., 5th Air Force (Chemical Warfare Service) | Air Crash | 9 Jan 43 | Protestant |
The following person was buried the following day. I originally thought he may have been involved in the same crash above.
Prunty, Neil J. | 6274189 USA | 4th Depot Repair Sq. | Air Crash (may have been in the above crash) | 10 Jan 43 | Protestant |
On 12 May 2020, David John Barnes from the United Kingdom pointed me to a web called "West Virginia Memory Project" which shows that Neil J. Prunty (6274189) of the 4th Depot Repair Squadron died on 9 January 1943 as a result of falling off a moving truck and being run over by the truck.
1st Lt. Malcolm E. Petersen is buried at Plot C, Row 0, Grave 1223, Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu. Hawaii. He was awarded the Silver Star.
Captain Stephen Penler is buried in Plot A 664 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Captain Robert M. Faris is buried in Section 8, of Oakwood Cemetery, Alton, Madison County, Illinois, USA
Photo:- USAAF, 5th AF, 3rd BG via Joseph Masiero Date:
1942 B&W via Gordon Birkett
Captain John R. Linn
Official history of the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron of the 374th Troop Carrier Group indicates as follows:-
"On 31 December 1942, Captain John R. Linn and 1st Lt. Malcom E. Peterson lost their lives in the crash of a B-25 somewhere between Townsville and Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia."
The following personnel were reburied in the US Cemetery at Ipswich, west of Brisbane on 30 July 1945:-
Captain John R Linn, 0-375444
1st Lt Malcolm E Peterson, 0-397451
Pvt Andrew Lelik, Jr (NMI) 12029966
Capt William R. Johnson, 0-422025
T/Sgt Archibald B. Gibson
John R. Linn, of Columbus Ohio was a co-pilot on the Royce Mission on 12 - 13 April 1942. He flew in B-25C "Boomerang" 41-12499 (
as Co-Pilot) on a difficult mission on 26 July 1942. Later, Lt. Linn transferred to the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron, 374th Troop Carrier Group. He was awarded the Silver Star. Malcolm E. Petersen (ex 17th Bomb Group) was also part of the Royce Mission commanding B-25C Mitchell #41-12472.The Townsville Daily Bulletin of Monday 23 March 1953, reported on Page 1, that aircraft wreckage had been spotted in the Herveys Range area 20 miles west of Townsville.
The book "Red Dust Rising: The Story of Ray Fryer of Urapunga" by Ray Fryer and Marion Houldsworth, states on page 24 that a Mitchell bomber coming from Charters Towers to Townsville clipped the top of a hill not far from Ray Fryer's Tabletop Station Homestead at Herveys Range and exploded. The book indicates that about 6 or 8 Americans were killed. Two Blackhawk helicopters collided on 12 June 1996 at High Range Training Area, a short distance from the site of this WWII B-25 Mitchell crash site, tragically killing 18 Australian Army soldiers from the SAS and 5 Aviation Regiment.
REFERENCES
"Red Dust Rising: The Story of Ray Fryer of
Urapunga"
by Ray Fryer and Marion Houldsworth
"History of the 22d Troop Carrier Squadron from 2 April 1942 to 31 January 1944"
West Virginia Memory Project - Neil J. Prunty
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I'd like to thank David John Barnes, Michael Musumeci and Gordon Birkett for their assistance with this web page.
Can anyone help me with more information on this crash?
"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products
© Peter Dunn 2015 |
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This page first produced 31 May 2003
This page last updated 12 May 2020