B-17 CC Additional Material by Robert M Stitt

could fight their way to and from any target – meant that the large and less-than-agile B-17
was pressed into the tactical anti-shipping role, sometimes at low level.
Early missions to New Guinea typically began with a late evening take-off at Mareeba
and a risky night landing at 7-Mile Airdrome at Port Moresby. Departure for the mission was
usually before sun-up and was followed by an unescorted leg to the target and bomb runs
in flights of two or three aircraft, if not already separated by often marginal weather and
frequent tropical storms. Once the bombing was complete, almost invariably after running
a gauntlet of anti-aircraft fire and defending fighters, each pilot found his way back to Port
Moresby where he refuelled before returning to Australia for another night landing.
Directing these operations were Major General George C Kenney, Commanding General
of the Allied Air Forces in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA), and Brigadier General Kenneth N Walker,
Kenney’s key tactician for the growing bombing offensive. Kenney knew from intelligence sources
that the Japanese planned to capture three vital airfields at Milne Bay on the extreme south-eastern tip
of the New Guinea mainland, so the 19 th BG at Mareeba was ready to respond when an invasion convoy
was spotted around noon on August 25, 1942. Major Felix Hardison of the 93 rd BS commanded a mixed
force of nine Fortresses drawn from three squadrons: the 93 rd BS, the 28 th BS, and the 30 th BS.
It fell to Capt. John W Chiles to take 41-9234 on its first mission of the war, the 27 th mission out of
Mareeba. 1 st Lt. James Dieffenderfer was Chiles’ co-pilot: “On August 25 th , we flew up from Mareeba to
Milne Bay with Hardison leading… it was our indoctrination mission. We had just delivered a B-17F across
the Pacific and the crew was not happy to change aircraft. We found a three-ship Australian convoy in Milne
Bay and exchanged a few shots before flying to 7-Mile Airdrome.”
The Fortresses had been two hours late leaving Mareeba and low ceilings and growing darkness
obscured the enemy convoy, allowing the Japanese troops to land. Eight aircraft returned to Milne Bay
early the following morning. Jim Dieffenderfer recalls that August 26 began with a couple of bad omens:
“We got up in the dark early in the morning [for a 4:45am take-off]. We had a dead magneto on number
1 engine and blew a spark plug on take-off on number 2… but we went anyway. We assembled in the dark
[with our B-17 41-9234] leading an unplanned three-ship formation.”
The Fortresses arrived over Milne Bay around 6:45am, a little after dawn, and this time the crews
had no difficulty spotting the convoy. John Chiles remembers their arrival. “The weather was terrible. We
were supposed to be bombing from 24,000ft but found ourselves in fighter territory at around 1,700ft. Clyde
Webb was on my left wing [in B-17F 41-24354].” The Japanese responded with intense and very accurate
anti-aircraft fire and most aircraft were immediately hit. A radio transmission from 41-9234 described
damage as: ‘large A/A holes in nose, left wing, bomb bay.’
Cpl Wathen Cody was the flight engineer and describes what happened in the nose compartment.
“An ack-ack shell exploded just above the nose and left a hole in the Perspex the size of a basketball. The
bombardier Sgt. Earl Snyder was hit in the back of his head by a piece of metal but managed to release four
500-pound demolition bombs before he died. The navigator, Lt. David Hirsch, was badly hit in one knee so
I tied a tourniquet to try to stop the bleeding.”
John Chiles’ priority now became getting medical attention for his wounded crew, so he turned
41-9234 away from the convoy, salvoed the four remaining bombs into the sea and climbed into the
clouds. “I had a badly injured navigator, the radio operator was hurt and the right waist gunner had been
hit in the eyes.” With the navigator incapacitated in the nose, Chiles sent Dieffenderfer to his station
to find a map. “Chiles needed a course for Mareeba right away so we gave the navigator some morphine,
hauled him up to the ‘hole’ behind the cockpit and stood him up. He then gave us a heading for home.” The
seven battered Fortresses made it back to Mareeba some three hours after leaving the target area – the
newly-delivered 41-9234 and its fledgling crew had been well and truly tested in combat. The other
crew members were radio operator Sgt. Marvin Berkowitz, waist gunners Pvt. Galen A Brown and Pvt.
George D Browning, and tail gunner Gilbert R Tredway.
41-9234 Returns to the Fray
The Japanese army’s thrust into Milne Bay proved to be a significant turning point in the Pacific
War. Although able to land two more groups under cover of the prevailing poor weather, the invaders
had underestimated the strength and determination of the Australian and American forces and by the
end of the first week of September had been forced, for the first time in the Pacific War, to abandon
a ground campaign.
Fortress 41-9234 had by then been repaired following the harrowing second mission to Milne Bay
and on September 5 was one of six 28 th BS B-17s dispatched from Mareeba to Port Moresby for an attack
on the Japanese evacuation convoy. Five aircraft were refuelled and each loaded with four 500-pound
bombs prior to departing 7-Mile Airdrome in two flights. Capt. Richard F Ezzard led ‘A’ flight with
wingman Lt. Walter T Schmid in the camera-equipped 41-9234. Capt. Boris M Zubko in 41-9235
Capt. John Chiles flew
41-9234 on its first two
missions, to Milne Bay on
August 25 and 26, 1942.
Here he receives the Legion of
Merit from General Francis
H Griswold at HQ Army
Air Forces in early 1946.The
award was for his management
of the project to arm
the Boeing B-29 Superfortress
with larger bombs, primarily
the 1,000-pounder. (via John
Chiles)
1 st Lt. James Dieffenderfer
was John Chiles’ co-pilot
for the two missions to
Milne Bay in 41-9234. This
photograph was taken in
San Francisco the previous
month, shortly before
Dieffenderfer delivered a
new B-17F to Australia. (via
James Dieffenderfer)
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