War vet meets sis of dead crewmate

[decaro]

from Stars and Stripes:

"For 69 years, Shiloh resident Victor Morris dreaded facing the families of his crew mates who didn't survive when their B-29 bomber was shot down over Tokyo on May 24, 1945.

"But he agreed to meet with Frances Corona, sister of Andrew Kierein who served as a gunner on the plane called 'Danny-Mite.' And on Wednesday, they sat at the dining room table of his home and passed around photos, newspaper clippings and beautifully handwritten letters that Corona has kept since the 1940s ... Morris assured Corona her brother was among friends and that they shared great times together in between harrowing flights even though Kierein was an enlisted man and Morris was an officer.

'There are no ranks in combat,' Morris said. 'We were all the same and we were like brothers."

http://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/a- ... um=twitter

A very moving account.

[Josh]

Nice story Joe.

So; "For 69 years, Shiloh resident Victor Morris dreaded facing the families of his crew mates who didn't survive when their B-29 bomber was shot down over Tokyo on May 24, 1945..."

And then; "It was easier than I thought it would be," Morris said of talking about the horror of being shot down and taken prisoner. "I'm glad we were able to do it. I've carried around terrible guilt for so long. So I have a great feeling of relief and closure."

So he dreaded that moment for almost seventy years and then it was easier than he thought it would be.

I wonder, were the bodies of his comrades never recovered?

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: Josh

... I wonder, were the bodies of his comrades never recovered?

Apparently not.

"When he was captured by the Japanese, Zweifel said he was taken to the wreckage of Danny-Mite. There he said he saw no signs of any of the crew members with the aircraft.

"Zweifel, like Morris, spent the last six months of World War II in a Japanese prison camp. Seven crew members died in the crash and Corona has been unable to learn for certain what happened to their bodies.

"'There are some things I don't think we'll ever know,' Morris said."

[Josh]

Yeah I read that too...still hard to believe that after all those years still nothing has been found? The wreck site must be known, and or the place were the remains of his comrades were brought to.
Not an expert on that matter though. Here in the Low Countries they go to great lenghts to find each downed bomber/fighter (be it US/English/German or other) and try to find any remaining relatives.

[windlessmill7777]

Here's Japanese list of every shot down B29 planes and crew.
These are based on GHQ survey after the war, I could not find original English document.
Please use Google translate.

http://www10.ocn.ne.jp/~kuushuu/mia.html
http://www.powresearch.jp/jp/archive/pilot/tobu.html

Article's B29 is #44-69777 that belonged to 574th Bombardment Squadron
/498th Bombardment Group/73rd Bombardment Wing/20th Air Force.
This is all crew list

http://www10.ocn.ne.jp/~kuushuu/B29-44-69777.html

Remains of dead crew were unknown. I think they were buried in temple or shrine nearby crashpoint.
The plane was crashed on middle of urban even in those era, called Shirokanedai, Tokyo.

https://www.google.co.jp/maps/@35.64131 ... 724105,16z

I assume flak is from IJA 112th Anti Air Regiment based on Komazawa.

[decaro]

ORIGINAL: Windlessmill
... Remains of dead crew were unknown. I think they were buried in temple or shrine nearby crashpoint.
The plane was crashed on middle of urban even in those era, called Shirokanedai, Tokyo.

Doumo arigatou gozaimasu, Windlessmill son