Above and Beyond: Recovery: Bataan
- By Ralph Wetterhahn
- Air & Space magazine, August 2009
A deformed machine gun from the Nakajima Ki-27 spoke volumes to the author (center).
Kevin Hamdorf
Two fighters went after each other at midafternoon on February 9, 1942, with machine guns blazing. They were scant feet above the dense jungle enveloping the Mariveles volcano on the Philippines’ Bataan peninsula. Sergeant Toshisada Kurosawa, Imperial Japanese Army, was flying a Nakajima Ki-27 “Nate”; U.S. Army Air Forces Lieutenant Earl R. Stone was in a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk.
The two airplanes circled, popping in and out of a cloud layer blanketing the peak. Finally the Ki-27, having emerged from the mist, slipped behind the P-40, trailing white smoke. As both aircraft approached Cogon Tarac, a spiny ridge that juts from the volcano, red tracers arced toward the P-40. The airplanes disappeared into the murk.
Reports suggested the two aircraft may have collided in the clouds. When the American pilot failed to return to his base, a search party was sent up Cogon Tarac. The searchers found the wreckage of the Ki-27 and thought they could see what remained of the P-40, but could not reach it.
Over the decades, attempts to locate the P-40 crash site failed, much to the disappointment of the Stone family. Stone’s younger brother Westcott, himself a World War II combat veteran, had promised his late father that he would bring his brother home. In 2006, Wes Stone, having learned of my interest and experience in aircraft archaeology, enlisted my help.
After an airplane crashes, aircraft archeologists deal with the effects of compression, tension, shear, torque, and their combinations. Every piece of wreckage holds a clue to the airplane’s last moments. Our role is to find the fragments and put the story together.
Spike Nasmyth, an American prisoner of war in North Vietnam, and Australian photographer Kevin Hamdorf organized a search team at Subic Bay. On February 6, 2008, I joined them and our guides. Our group of 18 headed south in convoy and ascended the volcano.
After five tough hours, two Philippine Aeta guides and I were the first to top the ridge. We offloaded our gear. I put on gloves and a hydration system and followed lead guide Eric Flores over the side.
Descending the 45- to 50-degree slope, we had to keep a tight grip on sawgrass or shrub. Eighty feet below, the ground leveled out onto a narrow ledge amid a thicket of saplings. There was a radial engine, single-bank, nine-cylinder, the type used by the Ki-27, lying on its back.
Comments (7)
Since the author had reached both crash sites, why were only the Japanese pilot's remains removed and carried back, and not the American's? What was the response from the Japanese Government? What was the response from the U.S. Government? Was there some governmental procedural glitch against returning the American's remains? Did the Phillipine Government participate?
AUTHOR'S ANSWERS BELOW:
Since the author had reached both crash sites, why were only the
Japanese pilot's remains removed and carried back, and not the
American's?>>
The American' remains have not yet been located. Two soldiers reported
finding the remains back in 1942 and burying them near the wreck, but
they have not been found.
A proper recovery operation at that site requires considerable more
time, equipment, personnel and supplies than we had with us.
***
What was the response from the Japanese Government?
The Japanese veterans organization which we work with and the pilot's
family are very appreciaative. A contingent is coming to Bataan soon
to complete the recovery of remains.
***
What was the response from the U.S. Government?
JPAC in Hawaii is aware of the discovery and has plans to conduct an
Initial Expedition in the future, but there are problems with terrorism
in the Philippines that have to be addressed first. Security is a
prime issue with JPAC, and arrival of a large team is not something
that can be kept out of the public eye, as opposed to our private
effort.
***
Was there some governmental procedural glitch against returni
ng the
American's remains?
See responses above.
***
Did the Phillipine Government participate?
No.
Posted by Charles Griffith on July 16,2009 | 05:44 PM
I read the story several times and too was surprised that the remains of both brave pilots were not recovered. I feel that this may be comforting to some degree to the respective families, but will not replace that empty space in their hearts that has been there for all these years. I hope the mission can be completed.
I love to read all things aviation especially military history and would like to read the opinions and ideas of other pilots from this era and in these types of fighters as to what they think happened. I suppose a collision can be ruled out. Could Lieutenant Stone's P-40 not out maneuver Sergeant Kurosawa's fixed gear Ki-27? Perhaps the P-40 had also sufferred battle and Sergeant Kurosawa got behind the P-40, either behind him on his tail? Could both have flown into the terrain during the speeds of a dogfight?
I hope some other interested readers will respond and I would like to thank the author and his party for a difficult undertaking that otherwise would have probably never happened. THE AUTHOR, RALPH WETTERHAHN, REPLIES: The P-40 has better performance than the Ki-27, but there were several
aircraft engaged at the same time. Once a pilot "saddles up" behind
another aircraft, he becomes vulnerable to attack from behind because
his speed and turn rate are close to that of the lesser-performing
plane. Thus Stone may have been chasing one Japanese plane while
another got on his tail. So far we have no evidence of battle damage
to the P-40, but the larger parts of the plane have been removed, so we
may never know. The Ki-27 showed damage to the gear box and exhaust
stacks, so we know he took some hits. Could both have flown into
terrain? Yes, but not likely as the impact angle of the P-40 suggest
it made no attempt to avoid impact, whereas the impact angle of the
Ki-27 indicates an attempt to clear the ridge. The steep angle of
impact of the P-40 suggests it was no longer in pilot-controlled
flight. There are a number of possible explanations, but one tries to
propose the "most likely" scenario, and go from there to other
alternate possibilities. That's what I do in the case of incomplete
evidence such as this.
Posted by Donald Price on August 5,2009 | 03:39 PM
Keep up your exellent work Ralph, I wish the UK government was as proactive in the recovery of MIA servicemen.
Posted by John Goodman on February 15,2010 | 08:35 PM
There was a report by an Army Air Corps Captain at the time of this accident. He climbed to the wreck sites and verified the accident. I think he stated the P-40 was either inaccessible or they couldn't couldn't locate it.
In 1947 two Australians found the sites and buried both pilots. Or maybe they only buried Lt Stone. I am unsure.
Tom McGeeney
Posted by Thomas McGeeney on February 20,2010 | 03:12 PM
Hi
this is a great result, finding both wrecks and pilot remains means offical records and family histories can now be completed and the pilots buried according to their faiths. Is there any information about the identity of the P-40 that Stone was flying?
regards
Posted by Peter Smythe on September 26,2010 | 09:46 PM
My grandfather served in Bataan during WW 2 and was a Death March survivor. He often said that he and his buddies would have had higher morale had they seen their own air force battling against these planes. I wonder if this Ki-27 was one of those he saw. I hope I get to meet the relatives of the pilot in a peacful get together. A pity my grandfather passed away five years ago this week and will not have that chance.
Posted by Jerico A. Parazo on March 2,2011 | 09:15 PM
Hello my name is John Mar Denito, I'm one of the search guide of the wreckage expedition. I'm happy that I found this website on which they publish my name as one of the search guides of the said expedition. I would like to extend my gratitude to the families of the to pilots involved in the plane crash. I' m happy on the response of the relatives regarding the outcome of the expedition. If ever they are willing to visit the crash site, I am in honor to guide you there. If you had any questions regarding the matter please feel free to send me an e-mail at johnmardenito [at] yahoo [dot] com. I am also very thankful to Mr. Carl Weltach, Mr Ryan Batch, Mr. Brad Blyth and Mr. Spike Nashmith for taking me on this expedition. I'm very honored to witness a part of this historical achievement.
Posted by John Mar Denito on December 4,2012 | 03:40 AM