1943 — Dec 7, Navy dive bombers collide, bomb falls, Marines on ground die, Maui, HI –22
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 4-22-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 22 Lowell Sun, MA. “Crash Kills 20 Marines,” Dec 13, 1943, p.1.
— 22 Associated Press. “Hawaii Marines Bombed.” New York Times. 12-14-1943, p. 15.
— 2 radiomen from two dive bombers
–20 Marines on the ground
— 22 Schmitt, Robert C. Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii. 2-2-2009, p. 69.[1]
Narrative Information
Schmitt: “The second [of historical explosions Schmitt discusses] resulted from the collision of two Navy dive bombers during training exercises over Maui late in 1943. Both pilots parachuted to safety but their respective radiomen were killed. A bomb carried by one of the planes, loosened by the impact, fell and exploded in the midst of a group of Marines, killing 20 and injuring 29. (The exact time and place of this accident are unclear. One source gives the date as December 7, another as December 11, and both locate it near “Keilii Point,” possibly a misspelling for Kealii Point, several miles east of Pauwela.[2])” (Schmitt, Robert C. Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii. 2-2-2009, p. 69-70.)
Newspaper
Dec 13, Lowell Sun, MA: “Pearl Harbor, Dec. 13 (INS) – An official court inquiry today was investigating a mid-air collision between two navy dive-bombers which loosed a high explosive bomb from one of the planes and caused the death of 20 marines and injuries to 29 others. The bomb burst in the midst of a marine detachment carrying out field maneuvers near Keilii point on Maui island, southeast of Oahu, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz announced in an official statement. It was loosed by one of the two colliding planes, both of which were engaged on regular training exercises. The pilots of both planes parachuted to safety not far from the scene of the mishap, but their two radio operators were killed in the crash which occurred last Tuesday [7th].”[3] (Lowell Sun (MA). “Crash Kills 20 Marines,” Dec 13, 1943, p.1.)
Sources
Associated Press. “Hawaii Marines Bombed.” New York Times. 12-14-1943, p. 15. Accessed 4-22-2024 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1943/12/14/issue.html
Lockhart Post-Register, TX. “The Year in Review…Disasters,” 1-6-1944, p. 6. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=158478718
Lowell Sun, MA. “Crash Kills 20 Marines,” Dec 13, 1943, p.1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=57771694
Schmitt, Robert C. Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii. 2-2-2009, 86 pages. Accessed 9-20-2012 at: Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii – eVols – University of Hawaii. Accessed at: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fevols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu%2Fbitstream%2Fhandle%2F10524%2F150%2FJL03074.pdf%3Fsequence%3D2&ei=UPSvVK2bLoO4yQTO74L4DA&usg=AFQjCNHER9A57xAr6d0m9mJcnsc4F2Z8Gg&bvm=bv.83339334,d.aWw
[1] Two radiomen, one each from the two planes, died, as well as 20 Marines on the ground from dropped bomb.
[2] Cites: Honolulu Star Bulletin, 12-13-1943, p. 6; Hawaiian Almanac and Annual (Thrum’s Almanac), 1945, p. 25.
[3] In that the two radio operators were most likely not Marines, we have added these two fatalities to the 20 Marine fatalities highlighted in this article.