Not far from Jiaming Lake on the way to Sinkang Mountain, about a 3-days hike north of Taiwan's Southern Cross-Island Highway is a location marked on hiking maps as 'Remains of American Plane'. I've been to this site but until recently knew little about the story behind this crash.
Below is some (will add more soon) of what I've found out thus far. It is incomplete and is likely to contain some mistakes. If you have any further information on the subject, or suggestions on the direction I should take this project, please get in touch with me, Richard Foster, at barkingdeerinfo@gmail.com.
A short account.
On the 10th of September 1945 two American military planes took off from Okinawa on route to Manila. These converted B-24 Liberator bombers, carrying liberated allied prisoners of war, ran into the tail end of a typhoon. The 'Les Miserables' crashed into the sea; the 'Liquidator' (Serial Number 44-42052) crashed in the mountains of Southern Taiwan. The 5 crew, 11 American POWs, 4 Dutch POWs, and 5 Australian POWs all perished.
The crash was witnessed by local hunters and a recovery mission, which included Japanese military, local Taiwanese, and native tribes, was undertaken shortly afterwards. A second recovery team was caught in a subsequent typhoon, and 26 members of the team died. A third team was sent up in October, 1945, to bury the bodies near the crash site. A further mission several years later, recovered the bodies for reburial in Hong Kong - Sai Wan War Cemetery, and the US - Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
Passenger and crew on board the Liquidator.
Crew
1) O-715399 - SCRUGGS, Charles C. 1st Lt, Pilot
2) O-925827 - BALCOM, Charles A. 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot
3) T131846 - JONES, William D. F/O, Navigator
4) 34799372 - DENHAM, John D. Sgt, Engineer
5) 37565964 - McFARLANE, George E. Sgt, Radio Operator
US POWs
6) 19054413 - WATSON, W.J. Pfc
7) 14042312 - THOMAS, William J. S/Sgt
8) 18050020 - DAVIS, Ben F. Pfc
9) 17010090 - WILSON, Robert J. Pvt
10) 18045741 - WADE, Elbert E. Cpl
11) 12007085 - BRILL, Arthur Pvt
12) 16003943 - GABSKI, Hobert J. Pfc
13) 14056710 - WYATT, James R. Pvt
14) 6557283 - CRAMER, Thomas L. Sgt
15) 19010290 - THORNSBERY, Jim M. Sgt
16) 15047583 - HOLLON, Dexter J. Pvt
Dutch POWs
17) V13644 - WINGERDEW, P.H. Sailor
18) V96498 - BELZEN, Job, Kpl. MGD - buried in Sai Wan War Cemetery, Hong Kong - Grave 4.N.4
19) 90334 - OUWENS, Antonius Bernardus, Sergt. Art. - buried in Sai Wan War Cemetery, Hong Kong - Grave 4.N.6
20) 93362 - DEKKER, Daniel Cornelis, Sld. - buried in Sai Wan War Cemetery, Hong Kong - Grave 4.N.5
Australian POWs
21) NX60056 - JAMES, Albert Arthur, Sgt. - 2/19 Battalion - buried in Sai Wan War Cemetery, Hong Kong - Grave 6.A.2
22) NX35741 - NOBLE, Richard Thomas, S/Sgt. - 2/30 Battalion - buried in Sai Wan War Cemetery, Hong Kong - Grave 6.A.3
23) VX35009 - ROGERSON, Harry, WO2 - 2/29 Battalion - buried in Sai Wan War Cemetery, Hong Kong - Grave 6.A.4
24) VX58497 - COOPER, Ronald Simmons, Gunner - 4 Anti Tank Regiment - buried in Sai Wan War Cemetery, Hong Kong - Grave 6.A.5
25) SX10013 - GILDING, Jack Livingstone, Cpl. - 8 Australian Division Ammunition Sub Park - buried in Sai Wan War Cemetery, Hong Kong - Grave 6.A.6
Dateline.
August 15th 1945: Japan surrenders.
September 10th: Plane crashes. 25 die.
September 15th: Bunun hunters report seeing the crash to officers at Wulu Police Station.
September 18th: First recovery team of 8 men depart.
September 27th: Second team of 89 depart.
September 30th: Typhoon hits Taiwan. 26 die.
October 5th: Third team sets of, bury the crash victims together, other dead where they were fell.
October 12th: Memorial event held in Guanshan Town.
November 24th: American representatives arrive and confirm victim identities. May have visited crash site.
October 1948: Remains are disinterred.
Australian and Dutch remains reburied in Hong Kong.
22nd February 1950: American remains reburied in Missouri.
Relevant websites. (mostly in Chinese)
Various photos.
http://picasaweb.google.com.tw/barkingdeerinfo/SanchaMountainIncident?feat=directlink
Good general intro (Chinese)
http://www.wretch.cc/blog/bruceliu1951/13692691
Australian 2/30 Batallion
http://www.230battalion.org.au/history/stories/NX35741.htm
A July 2009 hike passing by crash site.
http://www.wretch.cc/blog/bruceliu1951/14686627
Professor 施添福's account. (in Chinese)
http://www1.nttu.edu.tw/teaching/960110/old/product/mountain.htm
http://club.ntu.edu.tw/~mtclub/database/110300_1.htm
A Bunun angle.
http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/lido-mamama/article?mid=105&prev=106&next=104
Allenlin
http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/allenlin1976/article?mid=-2&prev=4328&l=f&fid=32
Missing Aircrew Report (LIQUIDATOR)
http://kelleys_kobras.home.att.net/reference/macrs/14972.pdf
Missing Aircrew Report for the other aircraft. (LES MISERABLES)
http://kelleys_kobras.home.att.net/reference/macrs/14936.pdf
Another account in Chinese with aircraft pictures, newspaper reports, and the route take by the relevant typhoons.
http://www.wretch.cc/blog/kchu/12086352
http://www.wretch.cc/blog/kchu/11702853
Clive James on his father.
http://www.clivejames.com/poetry/james/my-father
Richard Noble details. Also link to photos.
http://www.230battalion.org.au/NominalRoll/Search/index.php?table_name=230nominalroll&function=details&where_field=fldArmyNumber&where_value=NX35741
Some artifacts are on display at Guanshan Police Station, Taitung County.
Another (unrelated) Plane Crash I hope to learn more about.
An RAF Sunderland that crashed near Yuli in January 28, 1951.
http://lov.vac.gov.tw/OverSeas/eng/Content.aspx?Para=32&Control=1
Richard,
ReplyDeleteMy uncle was one of the POW's that was on this flight....He is listed as Gabski, Hobert J, his name is Hubert J Grabski, I'm certain that this is just a typo as the service number given matches what I have on all the documents that I've located. This account, along with the other websites that I've visited today, fill a lot of holes in my uncles short 25 years that he was here. It's really sad to learn that he was taken prisoner at the fall of Corregidor, survived the Bataan Death March, made it through almost 4 years of Japanese torture and dies when the plane he was on crashed into a mountain side.
I appreciate all the time you spent researching this accident and getting it out there for those of us that are trying to fill holes in our families lives.
Thank you again,
Bert
Thank you Richard,
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather Richard Thomas Noble was an Australian POW on this plane. I, like Bert also appreciate your efforts on this topic. Richard was a POW in Changi for around 4 years and survived unsightly conditions. My father was 3 when Richard marched down the driveway to go off to war, never to return.