B-29-30-BW 42-24504 GUNGA DIN Assigned to the USAAF in July 1944 and sent to 792nd BS/468th BG, leaving the US on 13 July 1944. Arrived at Kharagpur, India, on 27 August 1944 and flew two Hump and four combat missions at time of loss — on 8 and 26 September it bombed Anshan, Manchuria, and on 14 and 16 October it bombed Okayama, Formosa. During a night takeoff for the first mission (while flown by an inexperienced crew that had just arrived from the states) early on 25 October 1944 for a mission to Omura, Japan, the aircraft lost power and crashed violently a minute after taking off from Pengshan. The whole crew was lost. Pilot Maj Edward F. Parsons, co-pilot Capt Harold W. Barber (a pilot from another crew who had flown several missions), bombardier 2Lt Franklin J. McDonald, flight engineer 2Lt Boyd W. Ebel, navigator 1Lt Argyle E. Hanscom, radio operator TSgt Louis L. Pfiefer, CFC gunner Cpl Wallace B. Martin, right gunner SSgt Warren F. Wood, left gunner SSgt John W. Fowler, tail gunner TSgt Rube E. Puckett Jr. 11 KIA. No MACR.
Dedicated to the lost crewmen on "GUNGA DIN."
