Sgt. Harry Spack
United States Army Air Corps (1942-1945)
Harry Spack was born on January 2, 1921, the
only son of Mary and Anthony Spack. Originally from Etna, the Spack family moved to
Brookline in 1940 and settled at 418 Linial Avenue. At age 21, Harry enlisted in
the U.S. Army, and after basic training, opted to join the Air Corps.
After additional training and evaluation,
Harry was assigned as a tail gunner in the 25th Bombardment Squadron, 44th
Bombardment Group of the newly formed 58th Bomb Wing. This wing formed a part
of the new XXI Bomber Command, the Super Heavy unit in the new Far Eastern U.S.
20th Air Force.
Only the best and brightest new recruits,
and a strong cadre of seasoned veterans, had the honor of joining this command
because it was to be equipped with the Air Corps' new global bomber, the Boeing
B-29 Superfortress.
The 25th Bombardment Squadron was stationed
at an Army Air Base near Pratt, Kansas, where intensive training began immediately,
covering maintenance, navigation, flying, bombing and gunnery. Ground crew members
were sent to schools across the country to learn the technical aspects of the bomber,
which had been rushed into production.
The airmen gawked in awe when they got their
first glimpse of the Superfortress. It had a wingspan of 141 feet, pressurized
compartments for the crew of eleven, remotely controlled gun turrets, for 18-cylinder
engines and the largest propellers of any aircraft. This goliath could carry up to
20,000 pounds of bombs and hit targets from 31,000 feet.
During flight training at Pratt, KS, in
February 1944. Back - Sgt. Harry Spack TG; Cpl. John Layoak, V; Sgt. Grady
Shiflet, R; Cpl. Richard Lemin, RG; Cpl. Lloyd Reed, LG;
Cpl. Albert Hockel, CFC;< Front: F/O Laverne Bauer,
FE; Lt. Clyde Olson, B; Capt. William Mueller, A/C; Lt. Wm. Wilson, CP;
Lt. Robert Spain, N.
Because of mechanical problems and numerous
engine modifications with the new planes, crews were forced to train mostly with
B-17s and B-26s. They were lucky to get in at least one B-29 flight a month while
the ground crews, with the help of civilian technicians, labored for the next several
months to correct these issues.
The Tail Gunner was responsible for keeping
enemy planes away from the tail of the aircraft, which was particularly vulnerable
to enemy attack. It was a lonely job, since he was isolated from the rest of the
crew in his own pressurized compartment. On the other hand, he had a good view of
the action, especially on low-level bombing missions. The Tail Gunner was also trained
as an Armorer, an Airplane Mechanic and an Aviation Engineer.
SUPERFORTRESS IS DEPLOYED
The first group of thirty-eight B-29s and
sixty flight crews, including Sgt. Spack, were deployed to Chakulia Air Base in
India. While maintenance crews continued their struggle to correct deficiencies in
the plane's engines, the 25th Bomb Squadron flew its first combat mission on June 5,
1944. The target was the Makasan railroad yard at Bangkok, Thailand. The mission
used staging posts in China and was seen as a practice run for raids on
Japan.
A B-29 of the 25th Bomb Squadron lands at
Chakulia Air Base in India.
The first attack on Japan came only ten days
later. It was launched in an attempt to reduce the pressure on the Chinese, and was
the first attack on Japan since the Doolittle raid. The target was the Imperial Iron
and Steel Works at Yawata and its associated coking plants.
During the rest of 1944 the 40th Bomb group
attacked transport centers, naval installations, iron works and aircraft factories
spread across Burma, Thailand, China, Japan, Indonesia and Formosa (Taiwan). It was
based in India but often attacked through staging posts in China. In August 1944 the
group also used staging posts on Ceylon on a mission to drop mines in the waters off
Palembang on Sumatra.
One of the group’s most prestigious achievements
in the Pacific war effort was its aerial support for General Douglas MacArthur’s
invasion of the Philippines in September 1944. On the 14th and 17th, the B-29s hit key
Japanese airfields and installations on Formosa. During the ensuing months, more 40th
Bomb Group raids followed from bases at Chakulia as well as at Hsinching Airfield in
Sichuan, China.
Capt. William Mueller (second from left in front) and
his crew at Chakulia Air Base in September 1944.
Tail gunner Sgt Harry Spack is standing second from the right.
A BRUSH WITH DEATH
It was from the base in Hsinching Airfield that
Sgt. Harry Spack and his crew took off on October 22, 1944. Their mission was a long
range photo recon flight over the Japanese mainland. The B-29 #42-6288 was destroyed
when it suffered engine failure and crashed moments after takeoff. Seven of the eleven
member crew were killed, including the pilot, Captain William Mueller. Tail gunner
Sgt. Harry Spack was one of the fortunate four to survive the deadly
experience.
After some time recovering from his wounds, and
a much needed convalescent leave at home with his parents in Brookline, Sgt. Harry Spack
was returned to active flight status. He was assigned to an experienced crew in the 44th
Bomb Squadron that had suffered personnel losses. He also received a promotion to
Technical Sergent.
T/Sgt. Harry Spack's ten new crew members were
Major Ronald A. Harte (pilot), 1st Lt. George P. Appignani, 1sy Lt. Robert L. Brush,
1st Lt. James D. Haddow, 1st Lt. Henry O. Lee Jr, S/Sgt Lyman Y. McGehee, S/Sgt Algernon
Matulis, S/Sgt Dale Johnson, Sgt Edward A. Gisburne Jr and Pfc. Clement E.
Gorman.
FIRE BOMBING OF JAPAN
General Curtis LeMay, commander of the XXI Bomber
Command, in February 1945, decided on a new strategy for his strategic bombing campaign
against Japan. The present high altitude bombing runs were not having the desired results.
Target accuracy was suffering considerably from a number of factors, mostly the jet stream
air currents swirling around the island of Japan. Once dropped, bombs were blown off target
by the strong winds.
The B-29 Superfortress proved to be one of the
decisive weapons in the war with Japan.
To counter this, General Lemay switched to a new
tactic, first tested in a raid against Tokyo on February 24, 1945. On this day, 172 B-29s,
including those of the 44th Bomb Squadron, dropped 450 tons of incendiaries from high
altitude. The raid gutted 28,000 buildings in the Japanese capital. A week later another
raid resulted in similar destruction.
Pleased with the outcome, Lemay further refined
his strategy by ordering that the bombing raids be conducted at low altitudes of only
5,000-10,000 feet, below the jet stream. This had a marked effect on increasing
target accuracy, and the fire raids caused severe collateral damage due to the infernos
spreading further than the designated target area.
Death and destruction (left) and the burned out
residential district of Tokyo after the B-29 fire raids.
Throughout the month of March, the 40th Bomb
Group participated in several long range fire-bombing missions over Japan. The cities
of Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Kobe were set ablaze and burned to the ground. The devastation
was enormous. As the firestorms raged, the B-29 Superfortress was finally showing
it's true capabilities. Had the 20th Air Force not run out of incendiaries, the whole
island of Japan would have been set aflame.
TESTS OF ENDURANCE
In April 1945, the 44th Bomb Squadron was ordered
to its new base on Tinian Island. By now the group was using 8,500-foot runways on the
three tropical islands of Guam, Saipan and Tinian. The long flights from the Mariana
Islands to Japan were serious tests of endurance for the crews. The round trip of 3,000
miles over the Pacific took about fifteen hours. The airmen often found it difficult to
stay awake and alert. If it had not been for coffee and Benzedrine they might not have
accomplished their task.
Staying alert on long flights and the nagging
problems with the B-29 engines were not the only thing that was hard on Sgt. Harry Spack
and the other flyers. The Japanese defenders put up an enormous amount of flak, and their
Mitsubishi fighters proved to be formidable opponents. Bombing at lower levels made it
easier to target the planes with illumination for the flak gunners. It was dangerous
business, and several B-29s were lost to enemy fire.
B-29's over Tokyo with Mt. Fuji in the distance (left)
and a crew member inspects flak damage after a Toyko raid.
THE FATEFUL MISSION
Replenished with a new supply of incendiary bombs,
on the night of May 25/26, 464 B-29s, including those of the 25th Bomb Squadron, attacked
urban areas immediately south of the Imperial Palace with 3262 tons of matchsticks. The
raid destroyed financial, commercial and governmental districts as well as factories and
homes.
Twenty-six B-29s were downed, which was the largest
loss of planes and crews for the entire 58th Bomb Wing on a single mission during the course
of the war. Among those aircraft lost were Major Ronald Harte's B-29 #42-65269 and all but
one of his crew. The ten dead crew members included Brookline's T/Sgt. Harry
Spack.
The surviving crew member, Sgt. Dale Johnson, gave
the following account of the fate of the crew and their plane:
"On the mission of the May 25, 1945, everything
was going fine until we got near Tokyo and made our turn toward the target. Our altitude
was pretty low, we all thought. The searchlights started to pick us up. We could have read
a newspaper in the gunner's compartment. We had dropped our bombs before we were
hit."
"I think we were hit by anti-aircraft. There was
no communication from any crew members after we were hit. The plane had a big hole near my
position (Right Gunner), and I felt it (the plane) was falling so I rolled out the hole,
waited a few seconds and pulled the rip cord on my chute. That was the last I saw of any
members of my crew. I landed on the edge of a bay or lake."
Harry Spack's B-29 spiraled to the surface and
crashed. Only Sgt. Dale Johnson escaped the doomed plane. He was captured by the Japanese
and spent the next two months in a Prisoner of War camp. The bodies of his ten crew members
were never recovered and the men were listed as missing in action.
ANOTHER GOLD STAR FAMILY
Back home in Brookline, news of Sgt. Harry Spack's
downing reached his parents at Linial Avenue in early-July. The Pittsburgh Press listed
him as Missing in Action on July 12, 1945. The Spack family held out hope that their son
had survived and was being held as a prisoner.
These hopes were dashed after the war when Harry's
official status was changed to Presumed Dead (Killed in Action). While the rest of the
country celebrated the end of World War II, the Spack's mourned the loss of their son and
honored his sacrifice by placing a Gold Star in the window of their Linial Avenue
home.
THE BATTLE RAGES ON
After the death of Sgt. Harry Spack, the B-29s of
the 40th Bomb Group continued to rain fire, death and destruction upon the Japanese
homeland. In mid-June, on the one-year anniversary of the B-29s, as well as the anniversary
of 58th Bomb Wing’s, first combat mission, General Henry "Hap" Arnold of the U.S. Joint
Chiefs of Staff Committee visited Tinian Island and awarded each group in the 58th Wing the
Distinguished Unit Citation.
The 40th Bombardment Group flew nine missions in July,
eight of them night incendiary raids on Japanese urban areas. Not one of the Group's B-29
planes or crew members were lost, and only two men suffered minor wounds. The Group then flew
twenty straight missions and 649 sorties without a casualty or a loss of a B-29 from enemy
action.
Then came August 1945. A force based on Tinian’s
North Field, called the 509th Composite Group, dropped atomic bombs on the cities of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The crews of the 40th Group heard the news of the first blast after
returning from a raid on Imbari.
It seemed only fitting that the 40th Bombardment Group
fly in the first B-29 raid of the war and the last one. On August 14, the Group bombed the
naval arsenal at Hikari. That same day the Empire of Japan capitulated.
The 40th made an impressive showing in the Pacific
conflict, flying seventy combat missions, dropping 9,200 tons of bombs, and losing only
thirty-two B-29s to enemy action.
Fifty-three crew members were killed, twenty-six
wounded and 134 reported missing, including tail gunner Sgt. Harry Spack. The Group’s gunners
were credited with 46 1/2 enemy planes shot down, ninety-two probably destroyed and
sixty-four others damaged.
Brookline's Harry Spack is memorialized at
the Honolulu Memorial in the Courts of the Missing. He is honored there along with three other Brookliners.
One is an airman from a different bomb squadron, who perished during the same
bombing raid, Walter L. Wentz, and the
others are seamen, Paul C. Kestler and John R. O'Day,
who were both lost at sea off the coast of Okinawa in May 1945.
NOTE: The Spack family tragedy did not end with news of
the loss of Harry. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, on October 18, 1946, published a front page
article detailing a tragic cinder pit blast at the Jone & Laughlin Steel Mill complex on the
South Side that killed three and injured several others. One of the three men that died was
Open Hearth Second Helper Anthony Spack. The newspaper told of how inconsolable Mrs. Mary
Spack was after hearing of the death of her husband so soon after learning of her only son's
death.
CLOSURE
In 1995, DNA analysis on human remains found at
a former crash site near Tokyo matched that of Sgt. Harry Spack. Those remains were
returned to the United States and, on March 15, 1995, buried in the Hampton National
Cemetery in Hampton, Virginia.
* Written by Clint Burton:
April 16, 2018 *
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
(1941-1945)
Alm, William H.
Pioneer Avenue
Army
Details |
Arensberg, Roy T.
Fernhill Avenue
Army
Details |
Bracey, Bruce H.
Plainview Avenue
Army
Details |
Brickley, Edward G.
Woodward Avenue
Army
Details |
Capogreca, James J.
Merrick Avenue
Navy
Details |
Copeland, Clarence R.
Creedmoor Avenue
Navy
Details |
Cullison, Thomas J.
Birtley Avenue
Army
Details |
Dempsey, Howard F.
Berkshire Avenue
Army
Details |
Dempsey, Walter F.
Milan Avenue
Navy
Details |
Diegelman, Edward R. Jr
Norwich Avenue
Army
Details |
Dornetto, Frank P.
Jacob Street
Navy
Details |
Doyle, John F Jr.
Eben Street
Navy
Details |
Fagan, Gerald B.
Woodbourne Avenue
Army
Details |
Falk, Harold E.
Pioneer Avenue
Army
Details |
Fehring, Robert M.
Fernhill Avenue
Army
Details |
Gmuca, Joseph J.
Brookline Boulevard
Army
Details |
Heil, Robert F.
Bayridge Avenue
Army
Details |
Hynes, Richard E.
Waddington Avenue
Army
Details |
Kestler, Paul C.
Creedmoor Avenue
Navy
Details |
Ketters, Robert C.
Berkshire Avenue
Army
Details |
Mahoney, Michael J.
Oakridge Street
Army
Details |
Majestic, Arthur B.
Starkamp Avenue
Army
Details |
Mayberry, Alexander G.
Breining Street
Army
Details |
Mazza, John
Alwyn Street
Army
Details |
McCann, Robert F.
Edgebrook Avenue
Navy
Details |
McFarland, Hugh R.
McNeilly Road
Army
Details |
Meisner, Walter F.
Berwin Avenue
Merchant Marine
Details |
Miller, William J.
Norwich Avenue
Army
Details |
Napier, Edward J.
Brookline Boulevard
Army
Details |
Nicholson, John D.
Woodbourne Avenue
Army
Details |
O'Day, John R.
Creedmoor Avenue
Navy
Details |
Orient, Andrew D.
Fordham Avenue
Army
Details |
Pisiecki, Raymond A.
Wolford Avenue
Army
Details |
Reeves, Alfred M.
Brookline Boulevard
Army
Details |
Reitmeyer, John P.
Bellaire Avenue
Navy
Details |
Rhing, Vern M.
Norwich Avenue
Army
Details |
Ruane, Roy J.
Berkshire Avenue
USMC
Details |
Shannon, Harry C.
Midland Street
Army
Details |
Shannon, Jack E.
Midland Street
USMC
Details |
Simpson, James D.
Woodbourne Avenue
Army
Details |
Spack, Harry
Linial Avenue
Army
Details |
Tobin, Paul M.
Woodbourne Avenue
Army
Details |
Vierling, Howard F.
Fordham Avenue
Army
Details |
Wagner, Ralph G.
Shawhan Avenue
Army
Details |
Wentz, Walter L. Jr
Woodbourne Avenue
Army
Details |
Zeiler, Harold V.
West Liberty Avenue
Army
Details |
The World War II Memorial -
Washington D.C.
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Korean War
(1950-1953)
Korean War Memorial -
Washington D.C.
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Vietnam War
(1965-1973)
Vietnam War Memorial -
Washington D.C.
The Brookline
Monument - The Cannon
<Brookline
War Memorial> <> <Brookline
History> |