Lt. Alfred E. Muldoon in the center &
Hubert Downs to the left.
Date of Loss: 6 Nov
1944 –
Northern Kurile Islands Mission Type: Photo/Attack
Aircraft Type:
B25-J 10/11 (med. Bomber config) Aircraft S/N: 43-36151
Armament: 13 Browning
.50-cal MG
1x Flexible Nose
2x Fixed Nose
4x Fixed Blisters
left/right fuselage
2x Dorsal Turret
2x Waist
2x Rear Turret
Aircrew
Pilot: 2Lt. Alfred E.
Muldoon
Co-Pilot: F/O. Glen E.
Morris
Nav-Bomb: 2Lt. Frank
W. Putnam
Eng-Gunner: Cpl.
Hubert G. Downs
Radio/Opt-Gunner: Cpl.
Ola B. Kelso Jr.
Arm-Gunner: Pvt.
Candaloro O. Salvato
Additional Crew
Weather Obs: T/Sgt. James K. Hastings (11th Weather Sq.)
Eye Witness
Accounts:
Narrative from 77th
Bomb Squadron History - Four planes took off on the
morning of 6 November on what appeared to be a routine
Photo Mission sent out to net pictures of the
Paramushiru coastline, only three planes, however,
returned to their base.
For Lt. Alfred
Muldoon, pilot of the lost plane this was journey his
fourth journey “west”. Muldoon was a newcomer in the
squadron. He received his wings on January 7, 1944 at
Marfa Army Air Base, Texas, and officially became a
member of the 77th in the latter part of September.
Flying was among
Muldoon's first loves - that is after his wife, Margaret
[actually Ruth, Mom says he never called her 'Margaret']
and his four year old daughter, Virginia [my Mom].
During civilian life he held a pilot's license, and he
had spent over four hundred hours in the air before
signing up with "Uncle Sam".
Unable to take
photos because of the cloud layers strung over
Paramushiru, the mission swung north and spotted nine
power barges sitting in Asahi Bay. These were thoroughly
strafed by the four Mitchells.
While flying in the
Asahi region, one of our pilots observed between fifteen
and twenty Zeros winging towards them. Nevertheless, our
flight continued in a northerly direction and selected
Torishima Retto as their next objective.
Lt. Willis Anderson
dropped twelve incendiaries on the Retto. Lt.
Muldoon unloaded
four GP’s on the target scoring several direct hits on
buildings and installations. Meanwhile the Japs pressed
home the attack.
After strafing and
bombing Torishima, Lt. Muldoon started to change his
position from Lt. Goller’s right wing to Lt. Goller’s
left wing.
While moving under
Lt. Goller’s plane, Lt. Muldoon was jumped on by four
enemy fighters –
three from above and one from below. The single zero
coming in from 0200 low drove his attack recklessly and
vigorously and succeeded in seriously damaging Lt.
Muldoon’s tail. The tail turret was badly riddled. The
plexiglass was shot away, the canvas covering the guns
was observed flapping in streamers behind the plane.
Several large holes were in the tail surfaces, and the
left wing had about 6ft.
blasted away the
wing tip and the engine nacelle.
Lt. Muldoon’s plane
immediately went into a dive and struck the water while
in a vertical bank. The wings, engines, and tail
surfaces were seen to shear off from the fuselage. The
fuselage rolled on it’s back and immediately sank,
followed by the other sections of the plane.
No wreckage floated
to the surface, and no survivors were seen in the
vicinity. This was the first plane that had been shot
down by enemy fighters in the history of the squadron.
We were about five
minutes out from the target on a course of approximately
78 degrees, under fighter attack at an altitude of fifty
to one hundred fifty feet an airspeed of 220mph.
Lt. Muldoon was on
my right wing on tail-man in the four-plane V-formation.
Immediately preceding the crash he was sliding from the
right of the “V” to the left under my plane to make a
Box-formation. The plane was badly damaged with 6ft. of
the left wing-tip missing.
He went into a
vertical attitude before striking the water and after
the crash smoke was visible and parts of the plane were
scattered in all directions.
No survivors were
seen at the moment of impact, but high speed and evasive
action afforded little opportunity for observation.
- 1st Lt. Andrew L.
Goller
Lt. Muldoon was
flying as our wing man and was on our right wing just
out of the prop wash, about twenty, feet lower and 15 to
20 yards in back. I was at the tail gun position and had
Lt. Muldoon under constant observation until 20 or 30
seconds before the crash.
My Co-pilot called
out a fighter at 11 o'clock low; we were at 50 or 70 ft.
altitude. I had been watching 3 enemy fighters cross Lt.
Muldoon's plane which were on the verge of an attack. I
immediately turned my head and saw a fighter under our
left wing, flying a pursuit curve and firing at Lt.
Muldoon's plane. The attack was made by a Zeke and I
observed his fire strike ship 6151 just aft of the rear
heater and continue aft of the rear heater and continue
aft to the tail. The rear turret was struck and the
plexiglass was off the dome and strips of canvas were
fluttering in the slip stream from the gun cover on the
turret.
Lt. Muldoon slid
under our tail and. took up a position on our left wing
where I paid no more attention to him until I saw a Jap
Zeke crash.
Watching the Jap
crash, I saw Lt. Muldoon crash within a hundred yards.
The plane sank
immediately with no survivors.
- S/Sgt. Raymond C.
Ellis
Lt. Muldoon and Cpl. Downs are
memorialized at the
Honolulu Memorial
2177 Puowaina Drive
Honolulu, HI 96813-1729
Telephone (808) 532 - 3720
Information & pictures courtesy of Russell Rendon -
r_s_rendon@sbcglobal.net
