While today’s Register acknowledges that 68 years ago today Col “Jimmy” Doolittle led the joint US “Raiders” surprise attack on Japan, what George Grupe did not mention is the fate of Plane number 40-2242, the B-25 that “landed in Primorskrai Regional Airfield, approximately 40 miles north of Vladivostok,” Russia.
As acknowledged, the other 15 planes had crashed in China, but I have not seen any follow up to the missing B-25 nor it’s five member crew.
Piloting 2242 was Captain Edward J. York, known as “Ski.” At his side sat copilot Lieutenant Robert “Bob” G. Emmens with tailgunner Sergeant David W. Pohl, navigator Lt. Nolan A. Herndon and engineer Staff Sgt. Theodore H. Laban.
Before departing McClellan AFB in CA
plane #2242’s carburetor had to be adjusted which would later burn more fuel that originally projected precluding any chance to reach the Chinese coast after the raid.
A good friend of mine has spent years searching for the missing B-25 bomber that includes his working with high level members of the Russian Military and administrations.
On August 28, 1989 Walter received a letter from J.H. Doolittle which reads:
“Dear Mr. Kurilchyk,
Thank you for your letter of August 23 and for the update on your search for the B-25 flown by “Ski” York. May I suggest that you update Brig. Gen. Richard Knoblock as more information becomes available. Gen. Knobloch is pretty much the man in charge of coordinating the Raiders’ activities.”
The letter from Col. Doolittle ends with the General’s TX address and a closing line that treads: “Every good wish to you and your Russian counterpart in this venture.”
Larry. What happened to the B-25 bomber and its crew?
Let me answer the second part and suggest your reading Walter’s book entitled “Chasing Ghosts.”
“After (a safe) landing at 5:45 p.m. at Primiori Airfield north of Vladkvostok, Captain York and his crew were briefly interviewed by the base commander, Colonel Kovalev, and then fed prior to their overnight stay. The following morning, their journey across Siberia began with their first stop at Khabarovsk, some 400 miles north of Vladivostok, where they met the Soviet Far Eastern Army Commander, General Stearn. He informed them that they were ‘interned pursuant to the Geneva Convention International Law.’ The crew was held for 10 days at Khabarovsk. They then traveled by train, accompanied by a 21 year old Russian officer, for 21 days westerly to Penza, approximately 400 miles southwest of Moscow.
According to co-pilot Bob Emmans, the five man crew remained at Penza for 2 1/2 months. While in Penza they were visited by U.S. Military Attache, Colonel Joe Michela, from Moscow. Michela reported the crew’s health and general condition to the U.S. Embassy in Washington, D.C.
On March 25, 1943, the crew was moved from Okhansk (Perm) to Ashkabad near the Iranian border.
Just prior to May 29, 1943, the 2242 crew members (with a blink of the Russian eye), escaped through the rugged mountains to Mashhad, Iran, and subsequently returned to the U.S. via the British Embassy in Tehran, Iran. All crew members had survived the ordeal and were able to continue their flying service in Europe until the German surrender in May, 1945.”
We need to back up and let the readers know that “On board the Hornet, Doolittle had informed the volunteer crews that the Soviet government, led by Premier Joseph Stalin and Molotov, was adamantly opposed to U.S. bombers landing on Soviet soil.”
OK. You’ve told us about the crew but who has the plane and where are they hiding it?
A working plane lands in Russia in 1942 and you ask “who has the plane?” What an American viewoint.
The answer is obvious: no one. The Russians would have pressed the plane into service. Depending how desperate the situation was at the airbase (it’s Russia, 1942. The situation _was_ desperate), the B-25 was:
1. Immediately scavenged for parts
2. Repainted, and immediately pressed into service (presumably as maritime patrol — Stalin had few resources to defend against a repeat of 1906) ,or
3. sent west so Russian engineers could break down the plane for reverse engineering.
Since the Russian aircrew would have had to fly the plane with no prior training, I would guess that the best hope for finding the plane would be that the Russians at the base immediately starting using the plane and crashed somewhere with permafrost, so that the wreck would be preserved. Like the Finnish F2-F “Brewster Buffalo” that was found in Russian lake and smuggle to the US in the 90s.
However, don’t expect to find much information in the Russian archives. Staline *hated* how dependent he was on the US for Airplanes and tank engines, so keeping careful records of Russian use of anAmerican plane acquired under the auspices of the Geneva convention probably wasn’t encourage.
tylerh
A nice attempt at fiction. Let me suggest your getting a copy of Walter’s book Chaisng Ghosts.
He has just sent a letter to the Register which may be published. Walter’s guest view letter may contain some revealing facts that are not in his book.
OMG, I saw a B-25 in russian colors at an airshow last year! Maybe it’s the one from the story! If so, now I know why it had a red star on the side, I always wondered about that since then.
F.C.
We supported the Soviet Union during WW II including our providing aircraft to fight the German army.
Why at that time russia owed us. We sent millions of supplies during the lend lease act and saved there bacon. Then they stab us in back. This is why the germans hated them. Should have helped germany instead and we would not be under nuclear threat.
“Should have helped Germany instead”? You mean the Nazis?
“Why at that time Russia owed us’
Really? The Russians defeated the Nazis with their blood and guts on the Eastern Front.
They were friends with the Germans. They carved up Poland and then attacked Finland. If not for help from the west they would have been defeated. Eastern front was their home of course they had to fight harder. Little known fact the US was almost ready to go to war with them and the Germans when they attached Poland.
According to a Russian web page about aircraft of the Second World War, York’s plane was flown and studied by naval pilots on a base near the area where it landed, which was not far from Vladivostok, in Primor’e. Then it was flown to Semenovka Airbase, wherever that is. It was then, by order, flown to Moscow and incorporated into the 65th Air Wing, which was Special Forces; apparently using unique aircraft.
I surely would like to read Chasing Ghosts, though.
Here’s the link to the Russian web-site and the text where I found the info. It’s in Russian, however:
http://www.airpages.ru/uk/b25rus.shtml
“Один из «Митчеллов» попал в СССР в апреле 1942 года не совсем обычным путем. Это был самолет того самого капитана Йорка, который когда-то радушно принимал в своей эскадрилье советских летчиков. Он участвовал в знаменитом рейде Дулиттла на Токио. 16 бомбардировщиков стартовали с палубы авианосца «Хорнет» и в день рождения японского императора отбомбились по целям в Токио, Иокогаме, Кобе и Нагое. Предполагалось, что либо самолеты сядут в Китае, либо экипажи выбросятся на парашютах в районе, где патрулировали американские подводные лодки. Это удалось не всем. Йорк выбрал другой вариант—он сел под Владивостоком. В-25В Йорка (№ 40-2242) был нестандартным—с урезанными крыльями, неполным комплектом оборудования и без хвостовой турели (заменена деревянным макетом), зато с дополнительным бензобаком. Самолет изучался летчиками ВВС Тихоокеанского флота и облетывался ими. Из У нашей, где он сел, его перегнали на аэродром Семеновка, а затем, но приказу,—в Москву, в 65-й авиаполк особого назначения.”
Capt York’s real name was Joseph Cichowski, hence his nickname Ski. He chged it right b4 the raid, and was a late add-on to the mission. He was the son of Polish immigrants, and it is highly likely he spoke Polish. Now, I speak Russian and I can make sense of Polish, so I would guess he managed Russian, too. His bio shows he was a science and math whiz in school, and worked in intelligence after the war. I am willing to bet that his diversion to Russia was not an accident but a test and exploratory mission that only he and his co pilot knew about. And that story is eve more intriguing than the fate of the plane.
its all gone with the wind now – but the truth is very important – since the truth will set us free from future consequences
*Remember this story well…….Doolittles’ boyz crashed and landed everywhere….in
China, Mongolia and Japan and most probably Russia too. One thing is certain, we
sent more P-39 Air Cobras to the Russians than you can shake a stick at. It was called our “Lend Lease Program”. Don’t think those Ruskies paid us much on Lease Payments, but we sure sent them lots parts too…..which they used on their Yaks and other fighter planes during WWII. Think the Ruskies got some B-24 Liberators too. We need a good ol boy Army Air Corp guy to tell us the truth of the matter..however!
*And what about those B-17’s too? Did we ever give the Ruskies any of those?
David Pohl, the tailgunner, was my great uncle. My aunt has some links to the military memos regarding their crew on her old genealogy page. Cheers.
TOKYO RAIDER INFORMATION – crew lists
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mvreid/dwp/11dave07.html
CREW 8 – INTERNEES’ DEBRIEFING – 1943
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mvreid/dwp/11dave03.html
ARMY MEMORANDUM – 1943
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mvreid/dwp/11dave02.html
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mvreid/dwp/11dave09.html