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AB Raymond Guinn
to remember
Crum, Charles Donald, SSgt.
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Casualty Info
Home Town Uniontown
Last Address Borneo
Casualty Date Nov 16, 1944
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Sea
Location Pacific Ocean
Conflict World War II/Asian-Pacific Theater
Location of Interment Manila American Cemetery and Memorial - Manila, Philippines
Wall/Plot Coordinates Tablets of the Missing Manilla
PROFILE UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND IS INCOMPLETE
Further editing needed
SSgt. Crum enlisted in the AAF from Greensburg, Pennsylvania on 16 April 1943. He was trained at Scott Field, Illinois; Harlington, Texas; and Muroc, California prior to deployment.
He entered the PTO in July 1944 and served as a radioman and aerial gunner with the 23rd Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, Heavy, 13th AIr Force, U.S. Army Air Forces in the South Pacific.
His aircraft, B-24J (#44-40962), flew a bombing mission from Morotai Island to bomb the Japanese fleet at Brunei Bay, North Borneo.
Though successful, the aircraft was hit by AAA, while returning, and went down southwest of Siau (Siaoe) Island, Sangihe Group, Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) in the Celebese Sea. Though 4 men were rescued in the water by a Catalina aircraft on the following day off Talaud Island, the rest were never found. Two other bombers were also lost on this mission.
Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 10844.
Crew:
1st Lt. Wyatt A. Norris, pilot (MIA/KIA)
2nd Lt. Grant N. Hansen, co pilot (MIA/KIA)
2nd Lt. Frederick Zimmerli, bombardier (MIA/KIA)
SSgt. Charles D. Crum, radio operator (MIA/KIA)
Sgt. Albert T. Chapman, Jr., gunner (MIA/KIA)
Sgt. Melton D. Patrick, assistant radio operator/gunner (MIA/KIA)
2nd Lt. Carlos C. Page, navigator (Rescued)
SSgt. Thomas J. Honsowitz , engineer, (Rescued)
Sgt. Paul P. Makuchan, gunner/assistant engineer, (Rescued)
Sgt. Edwin I. Mills, gunner, (Rescued)
Comments/Citation:
Military Photo:
May be found at - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56767086/charles-d-crum
