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Anthony Crew Picture
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Lt. Don Anthony (371st) and crew failed to return from Yap on August 10th. the plane was last seen entering a front thirty minutes before reaching target. Lt. Anthony, contacted the squadron leader, but the message was a garbled. A gunner from another squadron reported heaqring the following message: "Am going down in flames over the target." Radio Tokyo reported on August 11th, "The Japanese garrison on Yap Island shot down one enemy plane from an enemy formation of nineteen heavy boombers which raided the island yesterday." All searches for the missing crew and plane were negative. It is presumed that Lt. Anthony either dropped below the overcast and was hit by A/A fire or was jumped by the few remaining Japanese fighters while alone.
Sgt. Hilary Gilbert was rescued from the Lt. Kizer Crew crash on 15 July 1944 and shot down a second time with the Anthony crew on 10 August 1944
Sgt. Hilary Gilbert was rescued on 17 July 1944 after going down with the Kizer crew on a mission to Yap. He was shot down a second time less then a month later with the Anthony crew on 10 August 1944. He was captured by the Japanese near the mouth of the Yap harbor with Sgt. Reyond B. Mooney after bailing out of the Anthony B-24. On 11 August 1944 the two captured flyers left Yap on board the Special Sub chaser #27 under the command of Ensign Miyake Hito. On August 13 they reached Palau. On August 19 the POWs were put on the Japanese cruiser Kinu at Palau to be transferred to Manila by way of Cebu. The Kinu was likely sunk by American subs as it approached Manila.
Anthony Crew with the Frenisi B-24 on its 98th Mission
The Anthony Crew flew the famous 307th Bomb Group Frenisi B-24 on it's 98th mission. On page 9 of the document below it mentions the Anthony crew.
- June 29, 1944. Lt. Anthony flew her and returned to base with a flat tire. He made a beautiful landing this 98th mission and was able to fly again.
Declassified ULTRA Documents Provided Anwsers about Fate of Sgt. Reynold B. Mooney and Sgt. Hilary Gilber Captured on Yap
The following information was located by Mark Swank. Mark Swank lives in the Washington, D.C. area and is currently employed with Northrop Grumman IT as a Senior IT Database Consultant at the Defense Intelligence Agency. He currently supports both the MissingAirCrew (www.missingaircrew.com) and BentProp (www.bentprop.org) Projects to research, locate and repatriate MIAs from World War II through his research at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
The following information is found within the messages that were intercepted:
- Sgt. Reynold B. Mooney and Sgt. Hilary Gilbert from the Anthony Crew (307th Bomb Group) shot down over Yap on August 10, 1944 were transferred from Yap to Palau and then put aboard the Japanese cruiser KINU on 19 August 1944 at Palau for transfer to Manila via Cebu.
The Japanese cruiser KINU with Sgt. Reynold B. Mooney and Sgt. Hilary Gilbert from the 307th Bomb group was sunk near Manila an American submarine.
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