By June of 1945, the war in Europe had been over for approximately two months, but the war in the Pacific Theater was ongoing. While hostilities would continue until – and even after – Japan’s acceptance of unconditional surrender on August 14, the Second World War would only officially end during the formal surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri on September 2, 1945.
This change in the nature of the Second World War would be reflected in Casualty Lists issued by the War Department through the mid- and late-1945. Though listing far fewer casualties than had appeared in the early part of 1945 (especially just before Germany’s surrender), Casualty Lists would still be released, with the preponderance of names being those of aviators in the Pacific and Asiatic Theaters.
The name of one such airman appeared in the New York Times on June 30, 1945, in an obituary for Navy Lt. (JG) James Lester Israel (0-250869). The co-pilot of a PB4Y-1 Privateer aircraft (Navy version of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator) of Patrol Squadron VPB-111, Fleet Air Wing 10, his aircraft (Bureau Number 38976) commanded by. Lt. JG Theodore Gilmer, crashed on take-off from Puerto Princesa Airstrip, Palawan Island, the Philippines, on June 20.
Oddly, historical records concerning the plane give two different (and brief) accounts of this incident. One version states that the aircraft was piloted by Lt. Quinlan, and that all but one member of the crew survived. The other (correct) version states that the plane was Command Lt. JG Theodore Gilmer, with three officers and three enlisted men being killed, six men surviving – one of the latter requiring hospitalization.
The named casualties were:
Pilot: Gilmer, Theodore, Lt. JG – Minneapolis, Mn.
Co-Pilot: Israel, James L., Lt. JG
A-V(N): Quinlan, Dennis Joseph, Lt. – Terre Haute, In.
A-V(S): Affeldt, Richard Charles, ARM3C – Janesville, Wi.
Gunner (?) – Kerr, Richard Lee, AOM3C – Memphis, Tn.
Gunner (?) – Lang, Harry Dale, AMM2C – Hayward, Ca.
The injured survivor was S1C Gerald L. Bergstrom; seriously injured with a compound fracture of the right leg. He was airlifted to the Base Hospital at Guam.
Born in New York City on April 24, 1918, Lieutenant Israel was the son of Adolph Cremieux Israel (5/14/80-3/22/4) and Barbara “Babette” Rosaline (Bloch) Israel (9/10/90-4/17/69), and his parents’ address was listed as “95 Grant Street”, in New York City. His brother was Adrian Cremieux, who lived at Ingleside Road, RFD #2, in Stamford, Connecticut.
Actually, the residential address given in Combat Connected Naval Casualties of World War Two seems to be in error. While the address “95 Grant Street” exists in both Rye Brook and Staten Island, there is a “95 Grand Street” (see image below) in the Soho area of Manhattan, probably the correct location.
Along with the article in the Times, Lieutenant Israel’s name appeared in a Casualty List released on July 22, 1945, and – decades later – in the “In Memoriam” section of the Times, on June 26, 1971, and September 14, 1991.
His place of burial is unknown, but based on the last residence of his father and mother, is probably somewhere in Florida or Louisiana, respectively.
Here is the article from the Times:
Patrol Plane Commander Lost in Crash in Pacific
Lieut. (jg) James L. Israel, 27 years old, a patrol plane commander, has been killed in a crash in operations in the Pacific, according to word received by members of his family on Thursday.
After receiving his wings at Pensacola in February, 1943, he was assigned to Catalina flying boats in the campaigns of the Ellice, Gilbert and Marshall Islands. He received special commendation for the rescue under fire of a pilot of the Seventh Air Force, who had been downed within four and one-half miles of a Japanese-occupied island.
He was sent to the United States in August of 1944 for training in land-based PBY Privateers and returned to the Pacific last month.
A graduate of Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., he received his A.B. degree from Yale University in 1940. Before entering the Navy he had obtained a commercial pilot’s license in December, 1941. His mother, Babette B. Israel, and a brother, Adrian S., survive. He was vice president of A.C. Israel Commodity Company, Inc., and a member of the New York Cocoa Exchange, Inc.
A contemporary view of the Israel family’s (likely?) residence, at 95 Grand Street, New York City.
A PB4Y-1 of VPB-111, from the Yankee Air Museum Photo Gallery at Fotki. The three digits in black on the aircraft’s nose (“750”) may represent the last three digits of the plane’s Bureau Number. If so, the aircraft’s actual Bureau Number would be “38750”.
And, an in-flight view of a VPB-111 Privateer, also from the Yankee Air Museum Photo Gallery.
The following four maps, at successively larger scales, show the island of Palawan, in the Philippine archipelago, and “zoom in” upon the city of Puerto Princesa.
This map shows – in the center – Palawan Island (the South China Sea to the west, and the Sulu Sea to the east) in relation to the Philippines.
A closer view of Palawan. Puerto Princesa lies along the eastern cost of the island.
Puerto Princesa, showing what is now the Puerto Princesa International Airport (“RPVP”). According to its Wikipedia entry, the airport was constructed by prisoners of war (American POWs, captured during the Japanese conquest of the Philippines?), and was used by the United States after the liberation of the Philippines.
An air photo view of the above map, showing the east-west orientation of the airport’s runway. (Note that the image has captured two contrails!)
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Other Jewish military casualties on June 20, 1945 (9 Tamuz 5705) include two 20th Air Force Flight Officers: navigator Monroe Melvin Cohen and bombardier Maurice J. Powsner. Neither they, nor any of their fellow crew members, returned from a mission to the urban area of the city of Shizuoka, in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshu, Japan.
The uncertainty of surrounding the loss of their B-29s is reflected in the MACRs covering both aircraft.
That for F/O Cohen’s plane, 44-69681 (MACR 14880) states: “A well organized search procedure has been set up by XXI Bomb Command and is coordinated with special units of the Navy. On this particular search both Dumbo aircraft and surface vessels were used. All vessels of this area were informed of this situation. In addition inter-island search was conducted by different types of aircraft. There are two units in this vicinity that specialize on these searches and are so equipped. All results on this search are negative at this time. Search has been temporarily discontinued because of a storm warning but will continue as soon as weather will permit.”
MACR 14833, for aircraft 42-65373, is similarly brief: “No information available at this headquarters at this time. Missing aircraft not seen nor heard from after take-off from North Field, Guam 2049K 19 Jun 45. Aircraft considered as missing 0400Z 20 Jun 45, Authority: TWX 314th Bomb Wing, AMMCR 5739.”
Only after the war ended was the nature of the loss of these planes revealed, as related at the 39th Bomb Group wesbite:
“On the night of 19 June 1945, 123 Guam based B-29’s Bombed the City of Shizouka. More than 2000 Japanese were killed and 60 percent of the city was destroyed.
Two of the aircraft did not return with the others. One was Crew 42 of the 39th Bomb Group and one from the 29th Bomb Group. They collided and crashed near the Abe River, about 150 miles south of Tokyo. A Japanese citizen, Mr. Ito, found two surviving crewmen and tried to help them. These two men died of their injuries so Mr. Ito buried the two flyers at a Shinto Shrine at the base of Mt. Sengen and gave them a Shinto burial. This act took great courage because it was the violating the military law; all enemies, dead or alive were to be turned over to the authorities. For this act, Mr. Ito was labeled a traitor and forced to live in disgrace until the war’s end. Following the war, Ito built a monument to the Japanese citizens killed in that raid and wanted to erect one for the airmen who lost their lives. He needed to inscribe their names, and according to his religion, the matter had to be resolved within thirty (30) years. The efforts to get the names began a warm and strong relationship between the Japanese and the Americans that still continues today.
Mr. Ito became a Buddhist monk and continued a ceremony at the monument annually with the help of Dr. Sugano. When Ito died, Dr. Sugano was entrusted with the “Blackened Canteen” recovered from the crash site and used in the ceremony for over twenty years. From this canteen whisky was poured on the headstone of the monument.
In January 1995, Harry Mitchell, President of the 29th Bomb Group Association was contacted to by Dr. Sugano to aid in locating family members of the two crews. John B. Colli, brother of Kenneth Colli, Crew 42, and Mrs. Margaret Delago, wife of John Pauciloski of the 29th Bomb Group were located by Mr. Mitchell and his wife. These four were invited to Japan as the guests of Dr. Sugano to attend the 1995 Joint Memorial Service in Shizuoki City 17 June. Col. Michael G. King, Vice Commander 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan. Many other U.S. dignitaries attended.”
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Cohen, Monroe Melvin, F/O, T-137450, Navigator, 8 missions, Air Medal, Purple Heart
United States Army Air Force, 20th Air Force, 29th Bomb Group, 52nd Bomb Squadron
Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel and Anna Cohen (parents), 1131 Elder Ave., New York, N.Y.
Born New York, N.Y., 9/4/24
Casualty List 8/5/45
MACR 14880, Aircraft: B-29 44-69681, Pilot: 1 Lt. Waldo C. Everdon (“6”, “City of Austin”)
American Jews in World War II – 292
A portrait of Monroe Cohen from Noah and Sadie Finkelstein’s 1951 Memorial Album, covering Jewish airmen who were casualties in the 20th Air Force.
Here is Major David I. Cedarbaum’s record covering F/O Cohen’s last mission. As can be seen, no further information was available…
A photo of the Waldo Everdon crew at Monroe Cohen’s FindAGrave biographical profile (from contributor Sam Pennartz). Though there are no names in association with the photo, the five men in the rear row are probably the crew’s officers (pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bomber, and flight engineer), while the six men in the front are presumably the plane’s gunners, radio operator, and, radar operator.
This image, from the USAAF Nose Art Research Project, shows the simple nose-art of B-29 44-69681, the City of Austin. Is this the Waldo Everdon crew? I don’t know. The names of the airmen are not listed.
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Powsner, Maurice J., F/O, T-132514, Bombardier, 16 missions, Air Medal, 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
United States Army Air Force, 20th Air Force, 39th Bomb Group, 62nd Bomb Squadron
Mr. and Mrs. Ira L. and Ethyl R. Powsner (parents), 697 Eggert Road, Buffalo, N.Y.
Rhoda, Arline, and Lenore (sisters), 1131 Elder Ave., New York, N.Y.
Born Buffalo, N.Y., 1923
Graduated from San Angelo Army Air Field, Texas, August-September 1944 (Probably 9/1/44)
Left for overseas 3/29/45
MACR 14833, Aircraft: B-29 42-65373, Pilot: 1 Lt. Donald O. Hopkins (“42”)
Buffalo Evening News 9/6/44, 8/4/45, 10/22/46, 3/7/49
American Jews in World War II – Not listed
This portrait of Maurice Powsner is also from from Noah and Sadie Finkelstein’s Memorial Album. Akin to that for Monroe Cohen, each airman whose biography appears in the Finkelstein’s book is accompanied by his photographic portrait.
Akin to the report for F/O Cohen, Here is Major Cedarbaum’s record concerning F/O Powsner, reported by Chester H. Pelt. Once more, no further information was available…
A series of articles about F/O Powsner from the Buffalo Evening News. The first article covers his graduation from San Angelo Army Airfield in the latter part of 1944, the second (from August of 1945) reports his “Missing in Action” status, the third – from 1946 – confirms his death in action, and the fourth – from 1949 – his funeral service at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery.
The Capt. Donald Q. Hopkins crew, from the 39th Bomb Group website. (“Photo Courtesy of Richard Kelso, son in-law of Lt. Col James H. Thompson (2003”)
Front row, left to right:
Radar Observer – Long, Maurice E., F/O
Pilot – Joyce, William G., F/O
Aircraft Commander – Hopkins, Donald Q., Capt.
Navigator – Durham, Kenneth E., F/O
Bombardier – Powsner, Maurice J., F/O
Rear row, left to right:
Gunner (Central Fire Control) – Ulrich, Thomas G., S/Sgt.
Gunner (Right Blister) – Colli, Kenneth, Sgt.
Flight Engineer – Kuehler, Gerhard J., M/Sgt.
Gunner (Left Blister) – Patsey, Justin J., Sgt.
Radio Operator – Mose, Edward J., S/Sgt.
Gunner (Tail) – Barczak, Raymond E., Sgt.
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These maps show the location of Shizuoka city.
The southern coast of Honshu. Shizuoka is approximately halfway between Nagoya (to the southwest) and Tokyo (to the northeast), and adjacent to the coast.
Moving in closer, you can see Shizuoka’s location relative to Mount Fuji, to the northeast.
The 23 aviators from both planes are buried in a collective grave at Section E, Site 29, at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Ky. The grave marker is shown below. Notably, the grouping of names on the tombstone into two distinct “sets” – 11 on the left, 11 on the right (with S/Sgt. Ulrich on the bottom) is random: The groupings of the names don’t directly correspond to the actual crew complements of the two B-29s.
Wounded or Injured in Military Service
Katzman, Saul, AC 1C, R/265473
Royal Canadian Air Force
Circumstances of event unknown
Mr. Max Katzman (father), 77 D’Arcy St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Canada, Ontario, Toronto; 5/15/25
Canadian Jews in World War Two, Volume II – 101
References
Campbell, Douglas E., VPNavy! USN, USMC, USCG and NATS Patrol Aircraft Lost or Damaged During World War II, lulu.com, 2018
Dublin, Louis I., and Kohs, Samuel C., American Jews in World War II – The Story of 550,000 Fighters for Freedom – Compiled by the Bureau of War Records of the National Jewish Welfare Board, The Dial Press, New York, N.Y., 1947
Finkelstein, Noah and Sadie G., Memorial Album – Dedicated to the Boys of the 20th Air Force, Noah and Sadie G. Finkelstein, Los Angeles, Ca., 1951
Canadian Jews in World War II – Part II: Casualties, Canadian Jewish Congress, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1948