S/Sgt. GLYNN R. EARLY
S. Sgt. Glynn R. Early served with the 90th Bomber Group “Jolly Rangers” of the 400th Squadron of the 5th Army Air Force. He was a gunner aboard the B-24D “Twin Niftys” (D-24D-53-Co).
On August 16th, 1943, “Twin Niftys” left 5-Mile Wards Drome, located near Port Moresby on the south coast of New Guinea, at 23:44. The mission’s target was Boram Airfield near Wewak. When the B-24s reached their target, they were greeted by searchlights and heavy anti-aircraft fire.
“Yanks From Hell II” (B-24D 41-23716) was hit during the attack and subsequently crashed into a swamp near the Sepik River. It is believed that as “Yanks” was floundering, she hit “Twin Niftys” and damaged her.
A RAAF team, on April 30, 1946, discovered the wrecked “Twin Niftys” southwest of Wewak near the village of Timbunke. The wreck, at the time, was submerged for the most part under water due to the rainy season. Upon interviewing villagers at Anagoram, the RAAF team was told that the plane had crashed and exploded. The villagers recovered three bodies of the crewmen which they buried near the mission. The villagers told the team that one crew member had successfully bailed out and was taken prisoner by the Japanese. Another body had floated away before the villagers could retrieve it.
Upon investigating the crash site, the RAAF team determined that pilot 1st Lt. Charles R. Freas had attempted to crash land the plane.
The RAAF team recovered a few bones from the sites. Another team from the U. S. Army AGRS revisited the site in 1948. They exhumed the gravesites but were unable to recover much from the crash site as it was the rainy season. The crash site was submerged in the water. During the 1980’s, a team from the U. S. Army CILHI revisited the site during the dry season. No additional remains were retrieved.
Early in June of 2003, the crash site was rediscovered and explored by another team. At this time more of the wreckage was obtainable due to an unusually dry season. A few additional human remains were recovered at this time.
On August 16, 1950, what remains that were recovered were interred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri, at section 84, graves 207-209.
The crew that went down with “Twin Niftys” were:
1st Lt. Charles R. Freas, pilot, body not recovered
1st Lt. Dean P. Hope, co-pilot, K.I.A.
2nd Lt. Clifford G. Oskamp, navigator, K.I.A.
2nd Lt. Joseph Paw, bombardier, K.I.A.
TSgt. Leo D. Faulk, engineer, K.I.A.
TSgt. James A. Bush, radioman, K.I.A. (surname Hush on some sites)
SSgt. Kenneth E. Heck, assistant engineer (PoW?)
SSgt. Roland N. Peterson, assistant radioman, K.I.A.
SSgt. Glynn R. Early, waist gunner, K.I.A.
SSgt. John M. Blessing, tail gunner, K.I.A.
Sources:
jollyrogersweb.com/resultDetail.asp?jrID=3917
pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-24/42-40348.html
