Photos submitted by Charlie Johnson, of his Dad,
Major Charles W. Johnson Jr. aka Big Spook. Aircraft was named
Lil Spook for Charlie's older sister.
484th Bomb Squadron, 505th Bombardment Group, Tinian Island.
Crew #484-06 - Formed stateside and went on to
Tinian as a crew and leader of "B" Flight in the squadron. AC
#42-24828
Original Crew members: Charles W Johnson Jr
(aka Big Spook), Arthur H Stolz, Charles E Stanton (aka Stan), Louis
E Taubert, Fred P Pantone, Vernon S Prather, William S LaViolette,
Charles H Bailey, Richard J Miller, JD Vickery, Frederick J Milley
Jr and Shorty Vaughn - Crew Chief. (Note-Not
necessarily pictured in the above order)
Same plane with logo of the 9th Seabees on the opposite side from
those pictured previously.
The final crew 26 May
1945 MACR 14514 - 12 KIA
| 1st LT William F Helfert |
Pilot - Commander |
| 2nd LT Russell E Bickford |
Co-pilot |
| 2nd LT John E Purcell |
Navigator |
| 2nd LT Thomas E Weekly |
Bombardier |
| SSgt Harold A Van Cleve |
Flight Engineer |
| SSgt Ivan E Campbell |
Radio Operator |
| 2nd LT Joseph L Brimeyer |
Radar Observer |
| SSgt Joseph H Neely Jr |
Central Fire Control Gunner |
| SSgt Herbert C Pearce |
LB Gunner |
| SSgt William McQuade |
RB Gunner |
| SSgt Edward G Coz |
Tail Gunner |
| Robert L Petersen |
Radio Counter Measures Observer |
Aircraft crashed during bombing mission to
Tokyo, Japan 26 May 1945 - 9 bodies recovered from aircraft.
Peterson, Coz and Brimeyer were not in the crash - listed as
KIA. Brimeyer's body never recovered.
Group burial 13 October 1949 Plot E 175-177
Zachary Taylor Nat'l Cemetery, Louisville, KY
Above information furnished by Wayne Pearce,
brother of the Herbert C Pearce listed in the above crew.
