Subscribe
On 26 July, 1944, the aircrew of 1st Lt. William J. Amos, assigned to the 2nd Bombardment Squadron, 22d Bombardment Group, found itself in a predicament: a B-24J-120 Liberator bomber fell from the sky after being struck by intense enemy flak. Earlier in the day, Amos’ crew were part of a larger fleet of bombers targeting several key enemy positions located on Dutch New Guinea. For the 2nd BS, orders dictated they pair with their sister unit, the 33rd BS, to strike the Ransiki Airdrome on the eastern side of Vogelkop Peninsula. The two units combined 18 aircraft and departed their base at nearby Wakde Island.
Upon reaching Ransiki, strong cloud cover forced the 33rd to drop their ordnance and head home without confirmation of a successful hit. Flying at 7500 feet, and fairing slightly better weather conditions, the 2nd released their bombs as well. Although the crews witnessed the impact of the munitions, effective hits could not be established. Moderate amounts of enemy anti-aircraft fire flew skyward and met the squadrons overhead. While most of the ordnance proved ineffective, tail 974 experienced a different fate. Upon releasing its bombs, the aircraft took fire in the number one and number four engines.
Diving out of the way and shutting down the immobile engines, Amos regained control of the speeding airplane. Checking his crew for injuries, the young lieutenant received word his bombardier, 2nd Lt. James K. Bishop, suffered a torn abdomen. While crew members stabilized the ghastly wound, Amos and his co-pilot, 2nd Lt. William A. Rush, attempted to control the bomber as they set course for the allied base on the island of Owi, over 200 miles away. Able to maintain a speed of 100 miles per hour on two engines, the plan diminished as the plane coasted downward for a wet landing. The crew made ready for evacuation, sending several distress calls though they received no response.
Coasting only 30 feet above the water’s surface, the number two engine failed and the aircraft abruptly plummeted into the sea. The tail sheered from the fuselage and the cockpit split in half. Quickly releasing his safety harness while underwater, Amos made his way to the outside of the sinking airplane and released the exterior life raft. Inflating upside down, Rush and the radio operator, Staff Sgt. Ben M. Gonzalez, hurried to the aid of Amos to turn it right side up. All three men jumped into the raft and saw the water consume tail 974 along with the assistant engineer, assistant radio operator and two gunners.
The navigator, 2nd Lt. Louis Moore, Staff Sgt. Harold W. Talley and the wounded Bishop managed to evade the sinking plane. With a crushed kneecap, Talley held the head of the unconscious Bishop after floating to the surface as the plane sank beneath the waves. One of the trapped crew members managed to inflate the lieutenant’s life preserver before going below.
The remaining crew hoisted Bishop into the preserver. Despite being unconscious, Bishop let out a blood-curdling scream when the crew inadvertently agitated his wound. The crew recovered a floating “Gibson Girl” emergency radio and used it periodically to attempt communication. Ingested salt water and a burning thirst further complicated the men’s physical state. As day turned to night the crew ate raw fish, attempted to flag down passing friendly aircraft, avoided potential enemy patrols and witnessed the somber passing of Bishop. Having regained consciousness earlier, Bishop talked about his wife and unborn child. Later, the crew discovered that shortly before the mission, a telegram arrived indicating the birth of Bishop’s daughter.
By late afternoon, a lack of pulse and a cooling body caused concern among the rest of the crew. Within a half hour rigor mortis began to set, which confirmed Bishop’s passing. The engineer recited a prayer and the crew committed his body to the deep. On July 27, a PBY Catalina rescue craft came about appearing to fly a course indicating of a rescue mission. The crew waved frantically to get its attention and tried using the radio to no avail. A second pass directly overhead and a waterborne landing proved a good sign as the PBY crew took in the distressed crew. The aircraft flew to Owi were the surviving members were admitted to the 92nd Evacuation Hospital for treatment. Amos and Rush returned to duty the following day, while the remaining crew members stayed for additional treatment.
| Date Taken: | 07.23.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 07.23.2020 16:51 |
| Story ID: | 374486 |
| Location: | MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The Trial of the Amos Crew, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
