500th Bomb Group ( Very Heavy )

AIRCRAFT COMMANDER

SERIAL NUMBER

NICKNAME

1ST LT EDWARD G LAW

44-69666

BOTTELED IN BLONDE

source: Van Dever Family

Tribute to Lt Donald J Van Dever
can be found at

Scott Muselin's
500th Bomb Group Virtual Cemetery

The assistance of the following is appreciated

Jim Bowman
Michael Krehl

Ed Lawson
Bob Mann

Scott Muselin
Al Schutte

Roland Swank
Roy Wall

Air Force Historical Research Agency

The Van Dever Family

Suggested Reading

Sgt Ray Hopper Section
Page 3

A four page article contains details that do not appear
in any other section within Lt Van Dever's pages.

Sgt Hopper was the only one of the crew to survive.

Throughout these pages you will encounter the abbreviation IDPF
Individual Deceased Personnel File
______________________________________

2nd Lt Donald Joseph Van Dever was born
30 March 1925 in Kansas City, Missouri.

His parents were Cecil John Van Dever ( 1892-1949 ) and
Henrietta Katherine Flynn Van Dever ( 1893 - 1980 ).

Lt Van Dever was the fourth of their five children.

In 1930 they were living on Monroe St in Amarillo, Texas,
and in 1935 on Taylor St.

Many of the family remained in either Amarillo or Claude, Texas.
see map below commentary

Lt Van Dever attended Price College in Amarillo.
This was a high school run by the Christian Brothers.

The school was located about 3 miles North West of what
would become Amarillo Army Air Field in 1942.

Lt Van Dever was the valedictorian of the Class of 1942.

In the Fall of 1942 he attended the
North Texas Agricultural College ( NTAC ) in Arlington, Texas.

This was part of the Texas A&M system.
The 1943 Junior Aggie yearbook states his major as chemical engineering.

On 25 March 1943, his 18th birthday, Donald J Van Dever registered for the draft.

His enlistment in the US Army Air Force took place in May 1943.
Lt Van Dever's enlistment record is not in the
National Archives on-line data base

Based on his dental records and newspaper clippings,
he was at the Santa Ana Aviation Classification Center in August 1943.

By January 1944 he was an Aviation Cadet at the
Navigator School at Hondo AAF, Texas.

His status changed on 20 May 1944 when he was commissioned a 2nd Lt.

His next assignmentt was with the
483rd Bomb Squadron, 505th Bomb Group,
at Harvard AAF, Nebraska.
This is where he joined the Lt Edward G Law Crew.

In September 1944 they were transferred to Pyote AAF, Texas.

Lt Van Dever completed training at Pyote on 24 January 1945.
The Law crew was then transferred to Kearney AAF, Nebraska.

On 14 Feb 1945 they departed to Aerial Port of Embarkation at
Mather Field, Sacramento California.
They arrived on Saipan 25 February 1945

Their B-29 was hit by flak on the 1-2 April 1945 mission to Musashino.
Ten of the crew survived with Lt Law going down with the B-29.
Sgt Ray Hopper was the only member of the crew to survive the war.

Nine of the crew died at Tokyo Military Prison fire on 25-26 May 1945.

Within the

Law Crew and Mission 37

Case History 111 and Tokyo Military Prison

sections you will find original source documents and maps

__________________________________

Below is Lt Van Dever's Memorial Certificiate from the
American Battle Monuments Commission
and

his name on a
Tablet in the
Courts of the Missing
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Honolulu, Hawaii

AMARILLO, TEXAS
AND
SURROUNDING AREA

source:Google Maps

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MEMORIAL CERTIFICATE

source: American Battle Monuments Commission

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COURTS OF THE MISSING
NATIONAL MEMORIAL CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC
HONOLULU, HAWAII

source: Sherry Harysch

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