9/23/11

Here are some of my father's pics from his days with the 380th/531st while he was flight engineer on "Undec?ided."
The 3 photos of the RAAF Catalina (found plane-rescued crew destroyed plane) are from a mission that is specifically noted in "Undec?ided's" history on your fantastic site.
Sorry, but there are no names for the crewmen in the base photos.

Hope you like them.

Dennis French (son of Charley French)

Editor's Note: From the 1945 "THE FLYING CIRCUS" history (p.47): When an RAAF Catalina was missing off Celebes, 380th B-24s took over the search, located the stricken airplane and her crew. These photographs show the PBY when first sighted with crew members waving and sea anchor out; when a rescue Catalina had answered the 380th call, it anchored along side, and crew members were transferred in rubber rafts from the disabled craft to the rescue airplane; and the final picture shows the strafing of the stricken Catalina, destroying her so that she could not fall into the enemy's hands.

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When an RAAF Catalina was missing off Celebes, 380th B-24s took over the search, located the stricken airplane and her crew.

The PBY when first sighted with crew members waving and sea anchor out

When a rescue  Catalina had answered the 380th call, it anchored along side,  and crew members were transferred in rubber rafts from the  disabled craft to the rescue airplane

Strafing of the stricken Catalina, destroying her so that she could not fall into the enemy's hands

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