380th Bomb Group Association World War II Veterans Group Newsletter #56 - September 2014

CONNECTION BETWEEN "UNBROKEN" AND THE 380TH

Email received from Glenn Horton on July 15, 2014:

Subject: Louis Zamperini and Mutsuhiro Wantanabe

I made the connection between those two men and the 380th BG.

As you recall, Zamperini was a former Olympic runner and had crashed landed in a B-24, only to spend 46+ days at sea and then survived the sadistic brutality of Wantanabe in several prison camps. It turns out that Zamperini and crew were searching for Clarence Corpening and his 530th crew that disappeared crossing from Hawaii to Palmyra Island! It says so in "Unbroken" and "Devil at My Heels." If you look at our first book "King of the Heavies" and read in the back about "POW Tales," Paul Stansbury mentions this war criminal by name. Unfortunately he escaped justice and reappeared in Japanese society in 1952 when war trials were over and the US needed friendly relations with the Japanese because of the Korean War.

Crew members lost were:
- 1stLt Clarence C Corpening, Pilot
- 2ndLt Richard J StDenis, Co-Pilot
- 2ndLt Everette D Stoner, Bombardier
- 2ndLt Ralph S Powell, Navigator - SSgt Raymond Jackson, Jr, Asst Engineer
- SSgt Howard A Morckel, Armorer-Gunner
- SSgt Anthony J Schneider, Asst Radio Opr
- TSgt Felipe D Chavez, Radio Operator
- TSgt Francis L Powell, Engineer
- MSgt Richard E Boucher, Passenger

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Last updated:    18 March 2015