serial number 42-64779

Bowden, John B.
Army Staff sergeant

John B. Bowden from Pennsylvania, Fayette county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, February 22, 1944
Death details: On February 22, 1944, a B-25G Mitchell (serial number 42-64779) with a crew of seven took off from Kurmitola, India, for a bombing mission against railroads in Monywa, Burma. While en route to the target, another aircraft crew on the mission witnessed the Mitchell catch fire and crash into a field on the banks of the Chindwin River, near Letpadaung, Burma. Witnesses did not report seeing any signs of survivors, and enemy presence in the area prevented searches of the crash site at the time. Post-war investigations discovered that, following the crash, Japanese soldiers had commanded Burmese locals to search and strip the wreckage of the B-25G and bury the bodies of the crew. Subsequent American search efforts to locate the remains of the crew from the crash site were unsuccessful, and all seven are still missing. Staff Sergeant John B. Bowden entered the U.S. Army Air Forces from Pennsylvania and served in the 490th Bombardment Squadron, 341st Bombardment Group (Medium). He was the engineer aboard this Mitchell when it caught fire and went down. He was killed in the crash, and attempts to locate his remains following the end of hostilities were unsuccessful. Today, Staff Sergeant Bowden is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.
Cemetery: Manila American Cemetery

Source: National Archives, American Battle Monuments Commission, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Heffernan, John Joseph
Army Private 1st class

John Joseph Heffernan from New York, Kings county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, February 22, 1944
Death details: On November 2, 2021, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) identified the remains of John Joseph Heffernan Jr., missing from World War II. First Lieutenant Heffernan entered the U.S. Army Air Forces from New York and served in the 490th Bombardment Squadron, 490th Bombardment Group. On February 22, 1944, a B-25G Mitchell (serial number 42-64779) with a crew of seven took off from Kurmitola, India, for a bombing mission against railroads in Monywa, Burma. 1LT Heffernan was the navigator on this plane. While en route to the target, this Mitchell caught fire and crashed into a field on the banks of the Chindwin River, near Letpadaung, Burma. Local villagers reported that the entire aircrew had perished in the crash, and Japanese military personnel had confiscated all items of personal property before instructing the locals to bury the bodies. In 1947, the bodies of the missing aircrew were deemed to be non-recoverable due to the uncertainty of the location of the remains and the inability to obtain local permission to excavate the crash site. In 2017, the DPAA began investigating this incident, and in 2018, was able to confirm the location of the crash site with eyewitness statements from the local residents and recovery of aircraft wreckage. From January to March 2019, the DPAA conducted a recovery mission at the site. Possible human remains (including dental material), possible life support equipment, and personal effects were recovered in association with the possible human remains. The retained evidence was accessioned into the DPAA Laboratory on March 13, 2019. Laboratory analysis and the totality of the circumstantial evidence available established that among these remains were those of 1LT Heffernan.

Source: National Archives

Holly, Robert J.
Army 2nd lieuatenant

Robert J. Holly from South Dakota, Pennington county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, February 22, 1944
Death details: On February 22, 1944, a B-25G Mitchell (serial number 42-64779) with a crew of seven took off from Kurmitola, India, for a bombing mission against railroads in Monywa, Burma. While en route to the target, another aircraft crew on the mission witnessed the Mitchell catch fire and crash into a field on the banks of the Chindwin River, near Letpadaung, Burma. Witnesses did not report seeing any signs of survivors, and enemy presence in the area prevented searches of the crash site at the time. Post-war investigations discovered that, following the crash, Japanese soldiers had commanded Burmese locals to search and strip the wreckage of the B-25G and bury the bodies of the crew. Subsequent American search efforts to locate the remains of the crew from the crash site were unsuccessful, and all seven are still missing. Second Lieutenant Robert J. Holly entered the U.S. Army Air Forces from South Dakota and was a member of the 490th Bombardment Squadron, 341st Bombardment Group (Medium). He was the copilot of this Mitchell when it went down. He was killed in the crash and his body was reportedly buried by Japanese forces when the plane wreckage was stripped, but he was not recovered or identified by subsequent U.S. recovery efforts. Today, Second Lieutenant Holly is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Playez, Irvin G.
Army Staff sergeant

Irvin G. Playez from Pennsylvania, Cambria county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, February 22, 1944
Death details: On February 22, 1944, a B-25G Mitchell (serial number 42-64779) with a crew of seven took off from Kurmitola, India, for a bombing mission against railroads in Monywa, Burma. While en route to the target, another aircraft crew on the mission witnessed the Mitchell catch fire and crash into a field on the banks of the Chindwin River, near Letpadaung, Burma. Witnesses did not report seeing any signs of survivors, and enemy presence in the area prevented searches of the crash site at the time. Post-war investigations discovered that, following the crash, Japanese soldiers had commanded Burmese locals to search and strip the wreckage of the B-25G and bury the bodies of the crew. Subsequent American search efforts to locate the remains of the crew from the crash site were unsuccessful, and all seven are still missing. Staff Sergeant Irvin G. Playez entered the U.S. Army Air Forces from Pennsylvania and served with the 490th Bombardment Squadron, 341st Bombardment Group (Medium). He was the photographer aboard this B-25 when it crashed near Letpadaung, and his remains have not been recovered. Today, Staff Sergeant Playez is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency

Sutphen, Harry S.
Army Captain

Harry S. Sutphen from Illinois, Piatt county.

Service era: World War II

Date of death: Tuesday, February 22, 1944
Death details: On February 22, 1944, a B-25G Mitchell (serial number 42-64779) with a crew of seven took off from Kurmitola, India, for a bombing mission against railroads in Monywa, Burma. While en route to the target, another aircraft crew on the mission witnessed the Mitchell catch fire and crash into a field on the banks of the Chindwin River, near Letpadaung, Burma. Witnesses did not report seeing any signs of survivors, and enemy presence in the area prevented searches of the crash site at the time. Post-war investigations discovered that, following the crash, Japanese soldiers had commanded Burmese locals to search and strip the wreckage of the B-25G and bury the bodies of the crew. Subsequent American search efforts to locate the remains of the crew from the crash site were unsuccessful, and all seven are still missing. Captain Harry S. Sutphen entered the U.S. Army Air Forces from Illinois and was a member of the 490th Bombardment Squadron, 344th Bombardment Group (Medium). He was the pilot of this Mitchell when it went down on February 22, 1944. He was killed in the crash and his body was reportedly buried by Japanese forces when the plane wreckage was stripped, but he was not recovered or identified by subsequent U.S. recovery efforts. Today, Captain Sutphen is memorialized on the Walls of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines.

Source: National Archives

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