1945 — March 10, USAAF B-24 Crash, Atlantic off Montauk Point, Long Island, NY — 12
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard for: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/ Last edit 12-10-2023.
–12 Evening Independent, Massillon, OH. “3 Fliers Killed, 9 Are Missing.” 3-12-1945, p. 8.
–12 Mireles 2006. Fatal Army AF Aviation Accidents…US…, V3, Aug 1944-Dec 1945, p.1055.
–12 New England Aviation History. “Atlantic Ocean – March 10, 1945.” 2-4-2022.
Narrative Information
Mireles: “At 0910 EWT, a Consolidated B-24J crashed into the Atlantic Ocean seven miles southwest of Montauk Point, Long Island, New York, killing 12 fliers. The airplane took off at 0630 EWT from Westover Field, Chicopee, Massachusetts, on an air-to-water gunnery mission. The airplane reported to Westover Field that it was over the gunnery range south of Montauk Point at 0830.
“There was no further contact with the airplane. A civilian craft operating in the area found wreckage floating on the surface at about 1300 EWT. AAP crash boats, U.S. Coast Guard PBY aircraft and Coast Guard vessels were dispatched to the scene. The body of the pilot and radio operator and a small amount of airplane wreckage were recovered from the sea. Investigators noted that the horizon was indistinct and the surface of the sea was smooth. The cause of the accident was unknown, but investigators speculated that the pilot had inadvertently flown the airplane into the sea while maneuvering near the gunnery range.” (Mireles, Anthony J. Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Volume 3: Aug 1944-Dec 1945). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006, p. 1055.)
New England Aviation History: “On the morning of March 10, 1945, a B-24J Liberator, (Ser. No. 42-50975), with twelve men aboard, took off from Westover Field in Chicopee, Massachusetts, for a gunnery training flight off Montauk Point, New York. The aircraft was last heard from at 8:30 A. M. when the crew radioed that they were over the target area. At 1:oo P.M. a civilian boat happened upon floating aircraft wreckage about seven miles southwest of Montauk Point and notified the Coast Guard. It was noted that the sea was smooth and calm, and that the horizon line was difficult to distinguish, which may have contributed to the accident.
“The crew were identified as:
Pilot: 2nd Lt. Howard Bruce Tolle, 24, of Hillsboro, Ohio.
Co-pilot: Flight Officer George Francis Ruf, Jr., age 21-22, of Louisville, Kentucky.
Navigator: 2nd Lt. David Henderson Richey, 20, of Detroit, Michigan.
Bombardier: 2nd Lt. Raymond G. Bushee. 20, of Chicago.
Gunner: Cpl. Russell L. White.
Radio Operator: Cpl. Philip Ward Ayers, 19, of Sussex, New Jersey.
Radio Operator: Cpl Carl E. Carlson.
Radio Operator: Cpl. William F. Budka, 18, of Jefferson, Maine.
Gunner: Cpl. John W. Shedlock, 20, of Cleveland, Ohio.
Engineer: Cpl. Charles Richard Clark, Jr., 19, of Gaston, Indiana.
Engineer: Cpl. Donald J. Finger, 19, of St. Claire Shores, Michigan.
Gunnery Instructor: Tech. Sergeant Harold E. Falk, 30, of Pittsburgh, Penn.”
Contemporary Newspaper Report:
March 12: “Montauk Point, L.I. – (AP) — The first service command today listed 3 army fliers killed and 9 others missing in the crash of a heavy bomber off Montauk Point late Saturday [March 10]. The body of the pilot, Lt. M. B. Tolle of Hillsboro, O., was recovered yesterday. The plane was on a combat training fright from Westover field, Chicopee, Mass., the army said.” (Evening Independent, Massillon, OH. “3 Fliers Killed, 9 Are Missing.” 3-12-1945, p. 8.)
March 13: “Lieutenant Howard B. Tolle, 25, son of Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Tolle, North High St. was one of 10 men killed in the crash of a B-24 Liberator bomber seven miles off the Atlantic coast about 10 A. M. Saturday. All men on the plane were lost in the crash, the cause of which has not been determined. Only the bodies of Lt. Tolle and that of the bomber’s radioman were recovered….
“First word of Howard’s death came in a telephone message from an officer at Westover Field, Mass., at 4 P. M. Saturday. Lt. Tolle had been based at Westover Field for some time and his squadron was scheduled to go overseas about the first of April. Additional details of the accident were learned when Howard’s chaplain called his parents about 8 P. M. Col. Jones, commanding officer at Westover Field, wired other details Sunday. The officers stated that Lt. Tolle’s bomber was doing low altitude flying in “soupy” weather when the big plane suddenly crashed into the sea. The mishap occurred seven miles southwest of Montauk point, Long Island. Men on a fishing schooner saw the crash and notified authorities. The bodies of Howard and the radioman
were recovered three or four hours after the crash.
“Field authorities told the parents that evidently something occurred instantly that caused the plane to plunge into the sea. They based this opinion on information obtained from an inspection of the bomber’s controls. They reported that none of the controls had been changed by the pilot which indicated that he was in trouble….” (Press-Gazette, Hillsboro, OH. “Lt. Howard Tolle Killed in Plane Crash off East Coast.” 3-13-1945, p. 1.)
Sources
Evening Independent, Massillon, OH. “3 Fliers Killed, 9 Are Missing.” 3-12-1945, p. 8. At: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=97889009&sterm=westover+plane+crash
Mireles, Anthony J. Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945 (Volume 3: August 1944 – December 1945). Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2006.
New England Aviation History. “Atlantic Ocean – March 10, 1945.” 2-4-2022. Accessed 12-10-2023 at: https://newenglandaviationhistory.com/atlantic-ocean-march-10-1945/
Press-Gazette, Hillsboro, OH. “Lt. Howard Tolle Killed in Plane Crash off East Coast.” 3-13-1945, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=15733105&sterm