Crew 19

Crew 19 was assigned their B-29, "Old Eighty One," at Clovis, NM, after completing combat training. They proceeded to Kearny, NE, for overseas equipment and then flew to Sacramento, CA. They left the States on May 5, 1945, flying over the Golden Gate Bridge, and arrived at North Field, Guam, on May 9, 1945, after a 36-hour journey with stops in Hawaii and Kwajalein. Their first combat mission was on May 24, 1945, a night raid on Tokyo. The mission was challenging, with 12 searchlights focused on their plane and extremely heavy flak. After the bomb run, Capt. Wren maneuvered the plane to evade flak, and though fighter activity was light, a few Japanese aircraft attempted to drop phosphorus bombs. On May 26, 1945, tail gunner Dick Curry learned his cousin, David Curry, had been killed on a previous Tokyo mission. Of the crew, only Harry Slater, a gunner, survived and was captured. Slater was imprisoned in a Yokohama POW camp, losing 50 pounds over four months. The rest of the crew was later discovered in a common grave and interred in St. Louis National Cemetery. Prior to this, the pilot and flight engineer had survived a mission with an experienced crew that had to ditch their aircraft. During radio silence, crews enjoyed listening to "Tokyo Rose" on Radio Tokyo, which was more entertaining than demoralizing. On May 29, 1945, Crew 19 participated in a daylight raid on Yokohama. Despite heavy and accurate flak, fighter activity was minimal. After the raid, they suffered an engine fire and feathered one engine. They were directed to land at Okinawa, where they feathered a second and third engine. The crew's luck was remarkable, as they also sustained flak damage to the wing and tail areas. Dick Curry, previously reluctant, found his flak suit and helmet much more tolerable after this experience.

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