500TH BOMB GROUP (VH), 881ST BOMB SQUADRON

AIRCRAFT COMMANDER

AIRCRAFT SERIAL NUMBER

CAPT STANLEY H SAMUELSON

42-24692

source : 1943 The Red and White Yearbook
ancestry.com

Tributes to Sgt Charles R Weiser
Can be found at:

Scott Muselin's 500th Bomb Group Virtual Cemetery
at Find A Grave

and

Honor States

Jim Bowman
Ken Fine

Wes Injerd
Mansell Pacific POW Database

Ed Lawson
Bob Mann

Scott Muselin
Al Schutte

Roy Wall
Rolland Swank

Air Force Historical Research Agency

Americal Division Association

Perry Castaneda Map collection
University of Texas, Austin

Fold3

Ancestry.com

newspapers.com

POW Research Network Japan

Tokyo Broadcasting System

PROLOGUE

Captain Samuelson's B-29 was rammed by a two engine
Japanese fighter piloted by Lt Osamu Hirose.

This took place during the bomb run from
Kofu ( Initial Point ) to the Secondary Target at
the Tokyo Dock Area on 19 February 1945.

The B-29 crashed close to the peak of Ogi Yama ( Mount Ogi ),
elevation 1138 meters ( 3733 feet ).
within 4-500 meters of Nishihara Village.

Eight of the crew died at the crash site.

Sgt Janecek parachuted out of the B-29 and
landed at an unknown location.

He would later die from medical issues in a military hospital.

Sgt Weiser and Sgt Evans parachuted to safety
in the area of Ongata Village.

Sgt Weiser was killed by locals shortly after landing.

Sgt Evans was the only member of the crew to survive.

Orientation maps
follow
Prologue
____________________________________________________________________________

Sgt Weiser's Individual Deceased Pesonnel File ( IDPF )
has only one document concerning his recovery.

I am indebted to Wes Injerd and Roy Wall
for their assistance in
enhancing these pages.

Wes, webmaster of the Mansell Pacific POW Roster web site,
sent me information from the

Roger Mansell Collection
and the
Tokyo Broadcasting System

Mansell Pacific POW Roster

Most of this is in the
Recovery
and
Samuelson Crew
sections
____________________________

Roy sent me two IDPFs from the
St Louis National Archives, St Louis, Missouri.

The first was Capt Stanley H Samuelson, Aircraft Commander,
followed by
Sgt Forrest A Hargrove, Tail Gunner.

These have been of considerable assitance
filling in the gaps in
Sgt Weiser's IDPF.

BACK TO TOP

The first map is a wide view and the second a closeup.

At the left side is
Ogi Yama,
location of the crash and recovery of eight remains.

At the right side is the
area where Sgt Weiser's remains were recovered at
Ongata Village, located to the left of Hachioji.
______
Note:
In 1955 Ongata Village merged into Hachioji
______

In the middle is Uenohara.
This is approximately 6 miles from the crash location.

Mt Fuji is at lower left.

The coordinate squares are 6 miles x 6 miles

US ARMY MAP SERVICE
SERIES L 506
MAP NI 54-1

source: Perry Castaneda Map Collection
University of Texas, Austin

CLOSE UP VIEW

source: Perry Castaneda Map Collection
University of Texas, Austin

Sgt Charles Richard ( Dick ) Weiser was
born and raised in Orrville, Ohio.

He graduated from high school in 1943 and
enlisted on 22 December 1943 at Cleveland, Ohio.

There are no documents in his IDPF
stating where he was stationed.

Also not known is when he became a
member of the Capt Samuelson Crew.

In the
Introduction
section
are maps of northern Ohio and Orrville , a short family history,
pages from his high school year book, and newspaper articles.

Below this commentary are
his Registration Card and Enlistment Record.

_________________________________

His remains were among the first to be recovered
following the end of hostilities.

A few details are in the
Recovery
section.

His status at
United States Armed Forces ( USAF ) Cemetery Yokohama #1
was Unknown X-9.
source: document from Michael Krehl

These early recoveries and identifications were later found
to be unreliable based on lack of dental records.

His Disinterment for Identification states:

1. There were no Identification Tags

2. His remains were in such state that
no dental chart could be drawn nor
could fingerprints could be taken

3. His identification was based on
Burial Records from the Japanese Government.

_____________________

In the
American Graves Registration Service
section

are selected pages from two books from
the Office of the Quartermaster General.

The first, published in 1951, concerns the difficulties that
were encountered during the early months.

The last five pages of the second book, published in 1957,
is titled " Conclusions ".

______________________________________


Case History 045

Primarily concerns the crew members who
were recovered in the area of Mount Ogi ( Ogiyama ).

In there are hints that the
182nd Infantry Regiment, Americal Division,
was involved in Sgt Weiser's recovery.

A unit was known to be in Hachioji.
see
Americal Division
and
Recovery
sections

*******
_____________________________________

There are overlaps in the
Mission,
Samuelson Crew,
and
Missing Air Crew Report ( MACR )
sections.

In the latter are statements from four crew members
from other B-29s who witnessed the ramming.

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