• HOME
  • Home Page
  • Site Search
  • Project Overview Video
  • Men/Planes Lost over Yap
• CONTACT
  • Contact Pat
• COLEMAN CREW
  • The Coleman Crew
  • Original Crew
  • The Final Mission
  • The Shoot Down
  • The Documents
  • The Plane B-24
  • The 307th Bomb Group
• THE MAC PROJECT
  • Project Overview Video
  • Pat's Project Overview
  • American Planes & Men Lost near Yap
  • Yap Search Trips
  • Project in the Press
  • Old Site Update
  • Resources
• YAP ISLAND & WORLD WAR II
  • About Yap
  • American Planes & Men Lost near Yap
  • Yap WWII Tourism and Memorial Project
  • WWII Yap Pictures
  • WWII Yap Video
  • Yap related Japanese Info
• SOCIAL MEDIA
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
• SUPPORT
  • Place Amazon orders to support project

2nd Lt. Martin B. Unger—Navigator Letters 1943-44

(Click to Enlarge Image) Picture with Newspaper cliping stating, "NEY YORKERS WIN HERO AWARD: Two Posthumous Awards. In the same area two Oak Leaf Clusters in lieu of additional Air Medals were awarded posthumously to 2nd Lt. Martin B. Unger. 2nd Lt. Martin B. Unger

Note: The following letters cannot be reproduced or used for any purpose without written permission from the Martin Unger family or Patrick Ranfranz. The letters (documents) may be used solely for personal, informational, and noncommercial purposes.

The following letters were written by Martin B. Unger to his family from March 1943 until June 1944. The letters start in March of 1943 when Martin entered the Army Air Force basic training in Nashville, TN and they end the day before his shoot down (the last letter sent on 24 June 1944). His final letter was written while based with the 13th Air Force & 307th Bomb Group on the Admiralty Islands (Mokerang Field, Los Negros). Martin likely wrote his final letter while sitting in his tent on Los Negros as he prepared for one of the longest bombing missions of the entire war (a 13 hour round trip to Yap Island) the following day.

Cecile (Martin's sister) provided me (Pat Ranfranz) with access to 57 letters from 1943 and 34 letters from 1944. The letters are an invaluable piece of Army Air Force (AAF) history that follow Martin from the time he entered the Air Corps on 6 March 1943, throughout his training as a Navigator, and up until his tragic loss on 25 June 1944. The letters provide an insight into someone going through the Army Air Force training during the height of the air war in World War II. In addition, the letters help us understand how an Accountant from New York City, Martin Unger, was transformed into an Army Air Force Navigator who flew numerous missions with the 307th Bomb Group before being lost and listed as KIA/MIA over Yap Island on 25 June 1944.

Martin’s letters have allowed me to put more than a face on one of the Coleman crew members. I feel like I know Martin from his letters and can feel his thoughts and dreams that ended too soon. The letters have pushed me to work even harder to locate the Coleman plane and to document the life and times of the Coleman crew members who were lost so many years ago.

The letters were sent from the following locations:

• March 1943 to April 1943: Nashville Army Air Center (A.A.F.C.C.), Thompson Lane, Nashville, Tenn
• April 1943 to October 1943: Navigation School, Monroe, Louisiana
• October 1943 to February 1944: Army Air Base, Pueblo, Colorado
• February 1944 to June 1944: Overseas

Select One

1943 Nashville Army Air Center (A.A.F.C.C.), Thompson Lane, Nashville, Tenn Navigation School, Monroe, Louisiana Army Air Base, Pueblo, Colorado

1944 Army Air Base, Pueblo, Colorado Overseas-Pacific

 

1943 Letters:

The letters are in a PDF file format. Viewing or downloading .pdf files requires that the Adobe Reader program is installed on your computer. The Adobe Reader program is free, and may be downloaded by going to the following site: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. From Martin Unger's first letter to his family dated 6 March 1944: We just arrived here a little while ago end have been assigned to barracks already. The train arrived 6 ½ hours later & took about twice as long as an ordinary train. March 1943 Nashville Army Air Center (A.A.F.C.C.), Thompson Lane, Nashville, Tenn 6 March 1943 8/9 March 1943 11 March 1943 13 March 1943 15 March 1943 17 March 1943 20 March 1943 April 1943 5 April 1943 7 April 1943 13 April 1943 Navigation School, Monroe, Louisiana 28 April 1943 29 April 1943 Late_ April 1943 May 1943 1 May 1943 3 May 1943 10 May 1943 11 May 1943 13 May 1943 19 May 1943 31 May 1943 June 1943 4 June 1943 9 June 1943 11 June 1943 15 June 1943 17 June 1943 19 June 1943 23 June 1943 24 June 1943 July 1943 2 July 1943 15 July 1943 Late July 1943 Auguest 1943 9 August 1943 13 August 1943 25 August 1943 27 August 1943 September 1943 3 September 1943 12 September 1943 19 Septemeber 1943 24 Septemeber 1943 October 1943 6 October 1943 10 October 1943 16 October 1943 Army Air Base, Pueblo, Colorado 28 October 1943 30 October 1943 November 1943 NA November 1943 3 November 1943 4 November 1943 13 November 1943 16 November 1943 19 November 1943 22 November 1943 25 November 1943 30 November 1943 December 1943 8 December 1943 15 December 1943 23 December 1943 26 December 1943

Return to top

1944 Letters:

The letters are in a PDF file format. Viewing or downloading .pdf files requires that the Adobe Reader program is installed on your computer. The Adobe Reader program is free, and may be downloaded by going to the following site: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. From Martin Unger's last letter to his family dated 24 June 1944: I am well & kept busy flying. Aside from that there is nothing else to write about. You undoubtedly know from the news reports from this area that quite a lot has been happening out this way. It is encouraging news to everyone & it seems as though the beginning of the end is in sight. Army Air Base, Pueblo, Colorado January 1944 3 January 1944 10 January 1944 17 January 1944 Overseas-Pacific February 1944 5 February 1944 9 February 1944 12 February 1944 13 February 1944 15 February 1944 17 February 1944 22 February 1944 27 February 1944 March 1944 2 March 1944 5 March 1944 13 March 1944 17 March 1944 23 March 1944 26 March 1944 April 1944 1 April 1944 8 April 1944 14 April 1944 20 April 1944 May 1944 Admiralty Islands 8 May 1944 14 May 1944 16 May 1944 21 May 1944 27 May 1944 31 May 1944 June 1944 7 June 1944 9 June 1944 10 June 1944 13 June 1944 (2) 13 June 1944 15 June 1944 24 June 1944 (Martin's final letter written the day before the shoot down.) 30 June 1944 (Letter from Martin's mother that was returned to the family and marked "Deceased-return to sender".

Note: The following letters cannot be reproduced or used for any purpose without written permission from the Martin Unger family or Patrick Ranfranz. The letters (documents) may be used solely for personal, informational, and noncommercial purposes.

Return to top