2nd Lt. Hugh R. McFarland
United States Army Air Corps (1942-1944)
Hugh Robert McFarland was born on August 11,
1920 to parents Henrietta and William J. McFarland of Beltzhoover. William worked as
the Deputy Warden at the Western Penitentiary at Rockview and had served as an
artilleryman in World War I. Williams's father had served in the Grand Army of the
Republic (GAR) during the Civil War.
A graduate of South Hills High School, Hugh
was an employee of the Duquesne Light Company, Manchester Stores Department when the
United States entered World War II. He lived at 147 McNeilly Road with his wife,
Dolores Schu, whom he married on June 3, 1941.
Following in the footsteps of his father and
grandfather, on February 5, 1943, Hugh enlisted in the U.S. Army, joining the Aviation
Cadet Corps. He graduated as a pilot and received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant
in the Army Air Corps. Lt. Hugh McFarland flew the C-47 Skytrain and was assigned to
the 51st Troop Transport Squadron, 62nd Troop Transport Group of the U.S. 12th Air
Force.
The 51st Troop Transport Squadron was activated
in June 1942. The unit trained in the United States with the C-47 aircraft at Kellogg
Field in Michigan and Florence Army Airfield in South Carolina. In October 1942 the
squadron was deployed to the RAF Keevil Airfield in England and assigned to the U.S.
8th Air Force.
After the Operation Torch landings in North
Africa, the 62nd Troop Transport Group, was transferred to Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria,
on November 15, 1942. The 51st Squadron's aircraft flew supplies to front line units in
Algeria and Tunisia during the North African Campaign as soon as suitable landing strips
were available and casualties evacuated back to rear area field hospitals.
After the surrender of Axis forces in Africa,
the Squadron engaged in combat operations, dropping airborne units into Sicily during
Operation Husky in July 1943, and later participating in the Invasion of Italy in
September 1943 and Operation Shingle, the Battle of Anzio, in December 1943.
During its first year of wartime operations, the
Squadron's base airfield was moved several times. The C-47 moved first to Nouvion
Airfield, Algeria on December 24, 1942, then to Matemore Airfield, Algeria on May 16,
1943, Goubrine Airfield, Tunisia on July 2, and Ponte Oliva Airfield, Sicily on
September 6.
As the Allied Armies moved up the Italian mainland,
the base shifted once again to Brindisi Airfield in Italy in February 1944 and then to
Galera Airfield, north of Rome, on June 30, 1944. As the front advanced forward, so did
the Squadron, staying close to the ground forces for the ferrying of supplies and wounded
to and from the battlefield. In August 1944, the 51st Troop Transport Squadron
participated in the Invasion of Southern France.
Another campaign that the 51st Squadron's C-47
Skytrains participated in was the Partisan Campaigns in Yugoslavia and Northern Italy.
The unit flew missions behind enemy lines in both countries to haul guns, ammunition,
food, clothing, medical supplies and other materials to the partisans and to drop
propaganda leaflets.
It was on such a mission from Malignano Airfield,
on November 12, 1944, that Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Hugh R. McFarland and his other four crew
members boarded their C-47, nicknamed the Bar Fly. They were headed to Corenica, Yugoslavia
on a covert mission to aid the partisans. The other men on the flight were Pilot 1st Lt. Oren
Leeds, Navigator 1st Lt. F. L. Johnson, Sgt. Forrest Peck and Sgt. Howard Seage.
In addition to the five-man crew, the Bar Fly
also carried a sixth man, the Dispatcher named A. Dovzak, a Yugoslav partisan who
was along to serve as interpreter.
The flight proceeded as normal until the plane
neared the Yugoslavian coast, where unexpected adverse weather conditions. In addition,
the Germans had unsuspectedly moved a battery of twenty anti-aircraft guns into the
village of Jablanac, which was directly along the route of the flight. The guns opened
up on the unsuspecting crew, who took evasive action and proceeded towards the drop
zone.
The weather conditions did not improve, and
the Bar Fly crew was unable to locate the target zone. The decision was made to abort
the mission and return to base.
On the return trip, the Yugoslav dispatcher
went into the cabin of the plane alone when, suddenly, the plane lurched upwards
and then returned to level flight. Immediately, the bell began to ring signaling
the crew to bail out.
The dispatcher saw what looked like fire
along the right wing of the aircraft and he bailed out as the plane began to
drift to the right. The aircraft lost altitude quickly, careemed off of a low
hill and crashed in flames on the southern tip of Rab Island. No other members
of the Bar Fly crew were seen exiting the doomed aircraft.
After swimming to shore, Dovzak made his
way towards the wreckage, located about a mile away. As he neared the area, he
could see men milling about the debris. He believed these to be German
soldiers.
Dovzak found refuge with the local partisans,
who reported that the Germans had been to the wreckage and removed five bodies.
The American airmen were buried in a nearby ditch.
After a few days the Germans left the island
and a document was retrieved from near the burial ditch which identified the pilot,
Lt. Leeds. This form was given to Dovzak, who in time returned it to the squadron.
It document was partially burnt, but clearly identified the Lt. Leeds.
When the Bar Fly did not return to base, all
six men were listed as Missing in Action. Even after the unexpected return of Dovzak,
due to the covert nature of the mission, no mission was launched to find the remains
of the crew. The information on the doomed flight, as told by the survivor upon his
return, was kept classified for several years.
Back home in Brookline, Hugh R. McFarland's
wife Dolores, who was then expecting their first child, received notice of his status
on January 10, 1945. It wasn't until after the war, in August 1945, that Dolores and her
infant son Dennis William McFarland, received official notification that Hugh's status
was changed from Missing in Action to Presumed Dead (Killed in Action).
Nearly five years later, 2nd Lt. Hugh R.
McFarland's remains, along with the other four crew members of the "Bar Fly," were
returned to the United States under the provisions of the World War II Dead Act. Their
remains were buried in a common grave (Section 34 - Site 4685) at Arlington National Cemetery on January 18, 1950.
Note: Not long ago, Croatian aviation
archaeologist Radovan Zivanovic inspected the site where the C-47 Bar Fly crashed
on Rab Island. During his search, Zivanovic came across the dog tags of the navigator,
Lt. F. L. Johnson.
* Written by Clint Burton:
April 12, 2018 - Edited September 22, 2022 *
* Thanks to John Turanin for
the de-classified flight information *
The Brookline
War Memorial
Listed below are
many of the sons of Brookline who gave their
lives to preserve freedom and contain aggression during
World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died.
Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.”
General George S. Patton
World War I
(1917-1919)
The World War I Memorial -
Washington D.C.
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World War II
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Alm, William H.
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The World War II Memorial -
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Korean War
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Korean War Memorial -
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Vietnam War
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Vietnam War Memorial -
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The Brookline
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