02 Oct 1944, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong

02 Oct 1944, WW2 Air Raids over Hong Kong & South China

Date(s) of events described: 
Mon, 2 Oct 1944

OBJECTIVE: Fly a series of staggered single-aircraft night raids to harass airbases at Canton and prevent JAAF pilots from flying night bombing missions against American airbases in China.

RESULTS: Eight B-25 crews are briefed to bomb the Canton airbases.  Six aircraft are unable to locate the target and return their bombs to base.  One B-25 commanded by Lt. Hexberg bombs White Cloud airbase.  One B-25 commanded by Lt. Ley bombs the town of Samshui.

TIME OVER TARGET: ~6:50 p.m. over White Cloud and ~11:03 p.m. over Samshui

AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Eight B-25s from the 491st Bomb Squadron (341st Medium Bomb Group)

  • B-25J #43-3904: 1st Lt. E.M. Hexberg; Lt. Col. J.K. Hester; 2nd Lt. R.M. Howard; 1st Lt. F.J. Belot; Staff Sgt. F.W. Konkolics; Tech Sgt. H.P. Albro; Staff Sgt. A.L. Matos
  • B-25H #43-4159: 1st Lt. P.J. Ley; 1st Lt. A.J. White; Staff Sgt. W.S. Faulkner; Tech Sgt. J.H. Starling; Staff Sgt. A.J. Quinn
  • B-25H #43-4361: 1st Lt. R.M. Blake; 2nd Lt. T.F. Jordan; Staff Sgt. L.F. Concannon; Tech Sgt. J.B. Clark; Sgt. G.D. Tanchum
  • B-25H #43-4602: 1st Lt. H.W. Fox; 2nd Lt. J.L. Wolfe; Staff Sgt. M.E. Vollmer; Staff Sgt. C.E. Henderson; Staff Sgt. W.R. Green
  • B-25H #43-4319: 1st Lt. J.E. Andrews; 1st Lt. R.K. Shaw; Staff Sgt. G.A. Penney; Staff Sgt. W.C. Cheverie; Sgt. H.R. Lehmann
  • B-25J #43-4326: 2nd Lt. F.O. Dice; 2nd Lt. R.M. Howell; 1st Lt. W.W. Merrill; 2nd Lt. R.V. Zaloudek; Staff Sgt. D.E. Murphy; Tech Sgt. P. Mandich; Staff Sgt. E.E. Routon
  • B-25D #43-3288: 1st Lt. J.M. Musgrove; 2nd Lt. J.A. Wilson; 1st Lt. G.L. Verlan; 2nd Lt. S. Mazer; Staff Sgt. S.E. Smith; Staff Sgt. L.F. Doherty; Staff Sgt. C.R. Bigelow; 1st Lt. H.L. Ramey
  • B-25D #43-3291: 1st Lt. W.A. Sussdorf; Captain D.F. Blaha; 1st Lt. W.P. Dougan; 1st Lt. M. Radovich; Staff Sgt. R.J. Gebhardt; Tech Sgt. W.F. Irwin; Staff Sgt. W.R. Wahl

ORDNANCE EXPENDED: 8 x 250-pound bombs (White Cloud) and 22 x 100-pound bomb (Samshui)

JAPANESE UNITS, AIRCRAFT, AND PILOTS: None

AIRCRAFT LOSSES: Minor flak damage to Lt. Hexberg’s B-25, which is caught by searchlights over White Cloud airbase

SOURCES: Original mission reports and other documents in the Air Force Historical Research Agency archives at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

Information compiled by Steven K. Bailey, author of Bold Venture: The American Bombing of Japanese-Occupied Hong Kong, 1942-1945 (Potomac Books/University of Nebraska Press, 2019).

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