B-24D-155-CO "Ten Knights in a Bar Room" - Jefferson Barracks Cemetery - Lemay, MO
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 38.014 W 090° 16.781
15S E 736786 N 4279625
B-24 shot down over New Guinea during World War II.
Waymark Code: WM15X4A
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 03/14/2022
Views: 0
County of memorial: St. Louis County
Location of memorial: Middle Dr. & Monument Dr., Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Lemay
TOMBSTONE TEXT: KILLED IN ACTION - NEW GUINEA - DECEMBER 1, 1943
"After the 1971 recovery of remains, the rest of the crew was buried in a group burial at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery at section 81, site 311-313. Afterwards, a rosette was added next to each of their names at Manila American Cemetery on the on the tablets of the missing." ~ Pacific Wrecks
"Assigned to the US Army, 5th Air Force, 90th Bombardment Group, 321st Bombardment Squadron. Operating from 5 Mile Drome (Wards) near Port Moresby this bomber was nicknamed "Ten Knights in a Bar Room" and painted with a figure riding a Pegasus. This nickname was a play on the title of the book Ten Nights in a Bar Room, and What I Saw There by Timothy S. Arthur published in 1854. The book become a famous temperance novel, moralizing on the certainties of bar room life, and was also made into a play.
"On December 1, 1943 took off from 5 Mile Drome (Wards) near Port Moresby piloted by 1st Lt Oliver Sheehan on a bombing mission against Wewak. This bomber was in the number five position in the formation.
"After the bomb run at 11:12am over Wewak, a single Ki-61 Tony attacked from the direction of the sun and fired a momentary but accurate burst that hit the port wing of this bomber, causing it to catch fire, with flames coming out of the waist windows. The bomb bay opened just prior to the wings buckling and the tail broke off, crashing near Angoram. The tail section impacted roughly a half mile from the rest of the wreckage. The attacking Ki-61 Tony followed the bomber down to the ground. Possibly, at least one of the crew bailed out before it impacted the ground.
"S/Sgt James W Cayten, tail gunner of B-24 "Blonde Bomber" witnessed:
"the number two engine caught fire. Approximately 15 seconds after the engine was afire, flames broke out through the bomb bay, and waist windows. I saw three chutes open behind the plane. I also saw an object which might have been a man leave the ship, but no parachute was seen. I saw two parachutes float with the clouds, and watched the other until out of view. The plane started losing altitude just after the engine was hit. After approximately a minute and half the plane went into a dive and started breaking apart”." ~ Pacific Wrecks [link below]