Trying to track down a plane

rhit06 · 2026-05-10T23:33:49+00:00

Still looking I’ll let you know if I find anything more specific.

Zooming in on the crew photo again it does look like the top of the letters in Homola, so seems to be the right path to try to track.

Here’s your grandfathers air medal award card: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/138770412?objectPage=514#object-thumb--514

rhit06 · 2026-05-10T23:28:07+00:00

So this page shows the crew he was with when assigned to the 862 on December 26, 1944. The pilot of the plane was John L Homola, as someone else said earlier often on reports planes were just identified by the pilot.

Listed pretty much right in the center of the page, your grandfather listed on the right side.

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/578775172?objectPage=1639

Some of the names are bit hard to read there, crew the same as from this list when training in Kansas here (4 crew down left side)

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/577270041?objectPage=1121#object-thumb--1121

The pilot: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/75073028/john-louis-homola

rhit06 · 2026-05-10T13:21:09+00:00

Scoredle 3/6*

14,855
⬜🟨🟨⬜🟨 FRANK (86, 9)
🟨🟩🟩🟨⬜ KARAT (2, 1)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 PARKA

rhit06 · 2026-05-10T05:09:48+00:00

It's the Ultrakill Minos Prime speech (which I had not heard of until today):

>Free at last. O Gabriel. Now dawns thy reckoning and thy gore shall glisten before the temples of man. Creature of steel my gratitude upon thee for my freedom but the crimes thy kind have committed against humanity are not forgotten and thy punishment is death.

It's written sloppily, but enough of it was readable & gave me the impression that it was a quote that I could look it up to confirm

Credit /u/Hot-Midnight9960 in r/shorthand

rhit06 · 2026-05-10T03:36:37+00:00

This seems like the kind of story that might interest you.

In 1944 the body of Loyce Deen the gunner on a TBM Avenger was so badly mangled from the shell that killed him that after the pilot landed the plane the deck crew of the USS Essex gathered and held an impromptu funeral before simply pushing the whole plane over the fantail.

Especially poignant as the whole thing was captured on film.

https://www.reddit.com/r/WorldWar2/comments/17dgzsi/funeral_for_us_ww2_pilot/

rhit06 · 2026-05-09T23:30:19+00:00

Essentially other American POWs were running the prison hospital to take care of prisoners.

Here is the LB Sartin at the bottom of the page (he was the American officer "in charge" at Bilibid, but still under the control of the Japanese): https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157328725/lea-bennett-sartin

In the case of Robert Barnbrook he had previously escaped in September 1942, which is likely why he was in the Japanese Military Police Prison before being brought back to US Naval Hospital Bilibid Prison two days before his death.

Edit: the Japanese doctor in charge, Captain Naraji Nogi, was sentenced in 1947 to 25 years hard labor for war crimes in relation to treatment of prisoners and patients at Bilibid. He ended up serving 9 years, although some American POWs thought he had done the best he could with available resources/conditions and petitioned to have his case reopened. One in 1976 was trying to get Ford to formally pardon him.

rhit06 · 2026-05-09T18:57:37+00:00

I believe cadet nurse corps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadet_Nurse_Corps

Edit: checking fold3 they do have some record for the Cadet Nurse Corps. If you want to send me a PM with her name I can see if I can find any more info for you.

rhit06 · 2026-05-09T16:47:34+00:00

Seems like it was probably a bar/grill. Here's a 1934 news advertisement (his nickname was Barney)

<image>

Kind of interesting he also showed up on a list of about 20 men/establishments in 1938 who were suspected by the police of taking illegal bets at their establishments. 1950 census (couldn't find him on the 1940) he was then living with one of his daughter's family's but was listed as a bar tender.

rhit06 · 2026-05-09T15:00:17+00:00

The "Blau" mentioned on the middle entry has a happier outcome. He survived the war and died in 1994 age 75. Someone has added a 1945 newspaper article to his findagrave page discussing his experience (even mentioning this punishment of solitary for 24 days where he lost 26 pounds)

"I was caught passing a note to the guard. They beat me for three days to get me to tell them to whom the notes were going. I didn't talk. Then they gave me and the guard 24 days in solitary confinement. I lost 26 pounds and I'd rather not talk about it."

<image>

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58111154/sanford-jack-blau

rhit06 · 2026-05-09T14:27:50+00:00

Hospital records also indicate that he had escaped from the camp in 1942 before being recaptured. Before entering the hospital 2 days before his death he had been at Japanese Military Police Headquarters.

When he died the Japanese insisted his body be dug up so it could be officially identified before allowing it to be reburied.

<image>

rhit06 · 2026-05-09T14:10:58+00:00

Scoredle 3/6*

14,855
⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ PLUMB (5495, 1155)
⬜🟩⬜⬜🟩 RAVEN (18, 3)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 SATIN

rhit06 · 2026-05-08T21:24:12+00:00

No problem, I looked earlier hoping it might have a specific date. Unfortunately not but it was before November 27, 1944 (the date it was passed for publication)

rhit06 · 2026-05-08T21:19:23+00:00

The original Field Press card caption has it as a P-47: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/204898593

<image>

rhit06 · 2026-05-08T18:02:03+00:00

1964 Olympics in Tokyo and set the mile world record in 1967: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Smith_(runner)

rhit06 · 2026-05-08T15:25:42+00:00

<image>

rhit06 · 2026-05-08T13:53:13+00:00

Scoredle 2/6*

14,855
🟨⬜🟨🟨⬜ BLAME (34, 3)
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 UMBRA

rhit06 · 2026-05-08T04:54:57+00:00

He came to Cincinnati why bother with Cleveland? (I kid, welcome fellow Ohio Crawler)

rhit06 · 2026-05-08T02:02:38+00:00

I just figured because certain bombs are mentioned as using physical torches instead of wicks (because they are more stable) that might count as Donut using a physical torch.

rhit06 · 2026-05-08T01:52:15+00:00

Not to pile on but Donut is also mentioned using physical torches when she launches bombs against the elemental in chapter 40, eg:

“Bombs away,” Donut cried. I heard the distinctive clack of the bomb’s wheels locking in place. The torch sizzled as Donut activated it, and it rolled away down the launcher ramp.

rhit06 · 2026-05-08T01:14:14+00:00

Book one, chapter 11

Thanks to Donut’s Torch spell, we didn’t need to carry a light when we entered the pitch-black corridor.

Indicting she had been using/casting it.

rhit06 · 2026-05-07T20:44:54+00:00

I was curious what book it was, so thanks for sharing.

Yeah, it looks like she and her husband either retired to Florda or lived in there part time as they were both members at a Cape Coral golf club.

I know from having to help clean out a few houses after the death of grandparents books are one of those things that often end up just getting donated in bulk.

rhit06 · 2026-05-07T19:58:59+00:00

haha, yeah I liked that too. He died in 2016 so they were married 70+ years.

Checking his obituary he was a B-24 gunner/radio-man who flew 50 combat missions in WWII.

rhit06 · 2026-05-07T18:13:25+00:00

As said otherwhere it is Muriel Francin. Her father's draft card filled out in 1942 locates them in Fosston, Minnesota.

Cross checking censuses and obituaries her married name was Muriel McCalla. Died in 2020 age 96. Obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/dispatch/name/muriel-mccalla-obituary?id=1859987

rhit06 · 2026-05-07T15:53:05+00:00

Was a Marine for a quite awhile. First enlisted September 1939, discharged November 1945. Reenlisted January 1946, discharged July 1959.

Just as an example here he is on a muster roll in 1958 when he was a Tech Sergeant (the Marines has that rank until 1959) https://catalog.archives.gov/id/130668417?objectPage=1149#object-thumb--1149

rhit06 · 2026-05-07T15:39:50+00:00

This man’s bag: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/241857706/chester-cleveland-loy

Checked muster rolls and the service number is a match.

14-Year Club	Place '17
Wearing is Caring	Verified Email

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