B-29 CREWS 794-795TH BOMBARDMENT SQUADRONS 468TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP HENNIN CREW Major Phillip F. Hennin + Pilot 1st. Lt. William J. Mickish + Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. John Shennan + Co-Pilot Flight Officer Michael Kowalsky + Flight Engineer 1st Lt. Ottis Carey + Navigator-Bombardier 2nd Lt. Roscoe Schultz + Bombardier-Navigator Staff Sgt. Walter Bianco + Radio Operator Staff Sgt. Edward H. Salisbury + Central Fire Control Staff Sgt. Paul R. Rogus + Right Gunner Staff Sgt. Robert J. Metzger Left Gunner 2nd Lt. Marion A. King * Radar Operator Staff Sgt. George L. Dilloway III Tail Gunner Master Sgt. Richard W. Koontz Crew Chief + Deceased Date of last change: May 7 th 2007 * Supplied Information # Squadron Command Duties Major Hennin, 795th Operations officer, and his crew left Salina, KS in April 1944 in an unnamed B-29 #42-6358, later named Ding How. About 6 months after arriving at Kharagpur, the 468th Bomb Group reduced the number of squadrons from 4 to 3, eliminating the 795th Bomb Squadron. Lt. Col. Henry Sullivan, 795th Squadron Commander was promoted to full Col., and assigned to 40 th Group Headquarters, and Major Hennin was promoted to Lt. Col. and 794th Squadron Commander. William J. Mickish was promoted to Capt. and leader of Major Gus Askounis crew, when Askounis was rotated back to the States. Lt. John Shennan was assigned as Co-Pilot for Col. Hennin s crew. Major Walter R. George was assigned as 794th Operations Officer, and Harry Olsen was promoted to Capt. and pilot of that crew. On Nov. 28, 1944, Col. Hennin s crew, with 5 extra passengers, was on a shakedown flight, and practice bombing mission in a new B-29 (42-24706) received by the Squadron on Nov. 13, 1944. They developed a fire in the #3 engine over Halliday Island. Lt. Marion King heard Col. Hennin announce on the intercom, they were immediately returning to the base. Otis Carey told Hennin, he was going to try to lower the nose wheel manually. Hennin said it was a good idea. King said, it was about 1 or 2 minutes after the original fire before the right wing collapsed, and folded back over the fuselage, sending the plane into a spin. The nose wheel was not able to be lowered, and eliminated this as an escape hatch for those in the front of the plane. All members in the front of the plane were lost. All in the rear of the plane escaped with the exception of Paul R. Rogus, who was mesmerized by the fire, and would not leave his seat. Most who bailed out from the rear door received burns, and were hospitalized. They later returned to duty, and assigned to other crews in the 794th Squadron. The Co-pilot at the time of this flight was Lt. John J. Sheenan.
Bill Mickish believed it was a fuel line sabotage to the #3 engine that caused the fire. Another new plane, received in the squadron at the same time, was examined, and found to have the same problem with the fuel line. Photo and information supplied on Mar. 27, 1995 by Lucian L. Turk, 10100 Cypress Cove Drive, Ft. Meyers, FL 33908, and Marion A. King, 24016 S. Sam Houston, Huntsville, TX 77340 (National Archives Photo) Lt. Col Philip F. Hennin of Newark, New Jersey, Commanding Officer of the 794 th Bomb Squadron, 468 th Bomb Group, at controls of the Boeing B-29 Windy City II. The plane is returning to its home base in India after bombing enemy installations at Rangoon, Burma, on 3 November 1944.
(National Archives) Crew of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Windy City II of the 794 th Bomb Squadron, 468 th Bomb Group, XX Bomber Command, pose beside their plane after returning to their base in India after the 3 November 1944 raid over Rangoon, Burma. Back row, left to right: Capt. Ottis G. Carey of Nacona, TX Lt. Roscoe E. Schultz of Montevideo, MN Lt. Colonel Philip F. Hennin of Newark, NJ Lt. John J. Sheehan, Jr of Trenton, NJ Lt. Michael L. Kowalsky of Pleasant Point, PA Lt. Richard W. Newcomb of Waltham, MA Lt. Marion A. Kind of Huntsville, TX Navigator Bombardier Pilot Co-Pilot Engineer Radar Observer Front row, left to right: S/Sgt. R. J. Metzger of St. Louis, MO S/Sgt. Walter Bianco of Brooklyn, NY S/Sgt. Edward H. Salisbury of South Orange, NJ S/Sgt. G. L. Dilloway Wilmington, MA S/Sgt. Paul R. Rogus Clarence, PA Left Gunner Radio Operator Top Gunner Tail Gunner Right Gunner
L-R Standing Paul Rogus Bob Metzger Ed Salisbury L-R Kneeling Walter Bianco George Dilloway III (Yates Smith collection) From the looks of the mud, the photo had to be taken in China.
(National Archives) Crew of the Boeing B-29 WINDY CITY II peer at a chart of their course which is pointed out to them by their pilot, Lt. Colonel Philip Hennin, Commanding Officer of the 794 th Bomb Squadron, 468 th Bomb Group, XX Bomber Command, just before taking off on bombing mission over Rangoon, Burma on 3 November 1944. INDIA Back row, left to right: S/Sgt. Edward H. Salisbury of South Orange, NJ S/Sgt. Walter Bianco of Brooklyn, NY S/Sgt. R. J. Metzger of St. Louis, MO S/Sgt. Paul R. Rogus Clarence, PA Top Gunner Radio Operator Left Gunner Right Gunner Front row, left to right: Lt. Roscoe E. Schultz of Montevideo, MN Capt. Ottis G. Carey of Nacona, TX Lt. Colonel Philip F. Hennin of Newark, NJ Lt. John J. Sheehan, Jr of Trenton, NJ Lt. Marion A. King of Huntsville, TX Lt. Michael L. Kowalsky of Pleasant Point, PA Lt. Richard W. Newcomb of Waltham, MA Bombardier Navigator Pilot Co-Pilot Radar Observer Engineer