Jack & Helen Frye Story
Camelot Years of TWA
A-Broad With Eleven Yanks - Memorial - Boeing Superfortress - B29 42-24698
In my Sedona Legend Research, I have had close contact with the daughter of Jack Frye’s personal TWA Hostess (Harriet Appelwick). In her mother’s photo albums the image below (left) was found. Obviously, she knew a crew member, but who? The notation states simply ‘Wilks Crew’, this is a mystery, her career was all about TWA, yet this poinant link to the past was just waiting to be discovered. This photo has opened a window into this aircraft (but not the same crew) which was all but forgotten. Research shows this aircraft had an onboard crew of 11, 1 passenger, (12). 11 came home (with the one passenger). One crew member was M.I.A. (Isley Field Base Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Clinton Northrop)
In honor of Isley Field Base Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Clinton Northrop, (seen above right) lost April 27th 1945, on B-29 (seen above left)
Boeing B-29, V8 Superfortress, 4 engine, long range bomber used in the Pacific Theater, 42-24698, 'A-Broad With Eleven Yanks'. Harriet likely knew one of the men seen above through her association with TWA, this B-29 image, with crew, is NOT the same crew which manned the plane when it crashed (it is not uncommon for a B-29 to have more than one crew). This ship was lost on April 27, 1945, on Agrigand Island, near home base of Saipan. The plane was part of a bombing mission to Kyushu Japan. 1 man lost (Lt. Col. Douglas C. Northrop) co-pilot. Very sad that many men and planes never saw American soil again. This image appears to have been taken on a Saipan, homebase of aircraft
73rd BW, 499th BG, 877BS
MACR 14334--Boozer crew-27 April 1945
Target Izumi airfield, Mission = Bullish 5. 22 B-29s. 15,800-17,700 feet. Flak. Bailed out at Agrigand, 10 of 11 survived
This said, 'From 1941 on TWA President Frye was working 24/7 with his contemporaries toward the war effort. This included committing all available TWA resources to serve our troops and personally setting up instruction centers to train U.S. servicemen to fly the larger support planes of the day. Many of the planes were airline flying stock previously unfamiliar to military pilots. One of the most famous facilities was the Eagle Nest Flight Center (more commonly known as the Jack Frye Training School) at Albuquerque, N.M. The training center became a invaluable asset for the United States Military in World War II, as based at Kirtland A.F.B. New Mexico'
Research reveals Northrop was from Connecticut his body was never recovered. (Service number O-393187, served with 499th Bomber Group, Very Heavy, 877th Bomber Squadron, Purple Heart and Air Medal). Honored at the National Cemetery at Honolulu Hawaii. It was a miracle that 10 survived this crash, with one passenger. Northrop was 31 when he died, have to wonder how many realize the men who never saw adulthood while dying for our freedom. Also of interest, there was a severe shortage of TWA pilots and TWA personnel during W.W. I I because so many contributed to the war effort
Similar B-29, Guam, 426284, 794th Bomb Sq 468th BG
Witness Overview:
B-29 42-24658 (lost at Agrihand Island, Marianas)
0330, 27 April 1945, enroute to Kyushu, Japan; plane had turned back to Saipan (No.1 engine would not feather and ran away, within 20-minutes it was consumed with fire. After the plane was evacuated, the engine exploded and the plane careened toward the volcanic Island of Agrihand where it crashed into the flank)
‘Lt. Col. Northrop gave orders to get ready to bail 5 or 10 minutes before abandoning aircraft. He gave the order on the interphone
Major Boozer, pilot, told me that Lieutenant Commander Northrop had bailed near Agrihand Island, last seen in co-pilot’s seat
Col. Northrop was second to last to bail, prior to aircraft pilot, Major Jack Boozer
Col. Northrop’s parachute failed to open (5000 feet)
Northrop became entangled in parachute after landing in water and was not able to free himself, he was battered against the rocky shore’
Interview: Pilot, Major Jack Boozer
‘Did Northrop bail? Yes, about 1 mile east of Agrihand Island, Northern Marianas
Last Contact: Northrop asked me if I wanted him to fly the ship while I bailed out, I told him to go ahead and jump, he wished me luck and then jumped through the nose wheel well. He was not heard of after he jumped. Our group sent a platoon of infantry and some medical personnel to Agrihand to search for him. They stayed for about a week and thoroughly searched the island with no results. The natives of the island cooperated in the search and they could not offer any additional information. The search party returned to Saipan with little of no hopes for his survival
Consensus is he was washed into the reefs and surf by very strong onshore current swells, running at about 15 to 20 feet, which were pounding the sheer cliffs with tremendous force, he is thought to have been battered to death
Photographs of the wrecked plane were obtained from the slopes of the island (not located by Sedona Legend)
The USS Cook Inlet attempted rescue of Lt. Cmd. Northrop but was not successful
Col. Northrop was thought to be close to the crashed bomber on the island (per one source). However, per B-29 crew member, in discussion with USS Cook Inlet crew member, “one of the Naval Rescue units found a body floating in the water near the island of Agrihand, in the process of trying to retrieve the body, it sank and did not surface again.”
Agrihand Island was searched again in 1950, no trace of bomber, or World War II remains were located’
B-29 ‘A-Broad With Eleven Yanks’ 42-24698 (Crashed on April 27th 1945)
Deaths: 1, Missing In Action: Base Commander Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Clinton Northrop
Born:
July 02 1913 (Glenbrook, Connecticut)
Parents:
Louis Leroy Northrop & Jennie Anna Nowak (Austria heritage)
Brother:
Arthur Leroy Northrop
Father Occupation:
(United States Post Office, Stamford)
Primary Education:
Stamford/King High Schools (1927-1931)
Achievements:
Scholar of the Second Rank (Junior)
Oration Appointment (Senior)
Freshman Track Team
Freshman Football Team
Basketball Squad
Secondary Education:
Saybrook College, Yale College (1931-1936), Class of ‘36
Achievements:
150-Pound Football team (Junior & Senior years) Co-Captain Senior Year
Saybrook College Basketball Team (Junior & Senior) years
Graduated 1936 (B.A.) Bachelor of Arts (2nd Rank Dean’s List)
Employment:
Manager Deliveries at Western Union Telegraph Company (Stamford) 1936-1937
Somerset Hills Preparatory School (Far Hills, New Jersey)
Teacher & Athletic Coach (1938-1939)
(Noted as coach of the famous Connecticut boys' basketball team, ‘the Deuces’ which regularly won championship honors)
Faith:
Episcopal Church (St John’s) Stamford, Connecticut
Military/Aviation Career:
Enlisted:
Aviation Cadet (U.S. Army Air Corps) August 14, 1939
Primary Training at Parks Air College
Basic & Advanced Training at Randolph Field & Kelly Field
Promotion:
Second Lieutenant, U.S. Air Cops Reserve (May 14, 1940)
First Assignment:
49th Bombardment Squadron, Langley Field, Washington D.C. (May 1940 – August 1941)
Assignment:
41st Reconnaissance Squadron, Newfoundland, (August 1941 – November 1942)
Promotion:
First Lieutenant (U.S.A.A.F.) November 01, 1941
Captain (U.S.A.A.F.) March 01, 1942
Assignment:
England (Anti-Submarine Patrol) November 1942 – March 1943)
Promotion:
Major (U.S.A.A.F.) January 07, 1943
Assignment:
Africa (March 1943 – June 1943)
Promotion:
Commander (January 22 ,1944)
Assignment:
877th Bomber Squadron, Smoky Hill Army Airfield (Spring 1944)
Citation:
Air Medal (May 1944)
Assignment:
Saipan (Marianas) Isley Field Pacific Theater (September 1944)
877th Bomber Squadron, 499th Bomb Group, (September 1944)
Commanders of the Saipan Operations: (Dates of Commander promotions notated)
Major Douglas C. Northrop (01/22/1944)
Colonel Thomas C. Musgrave (02/01/1944)
Colonel Samuel R. Harris (04/04/1944)
Colonel Morris J. Lee (03/17/1945)
Lieutenant Colonel Walter E. Chambers (08/13/1945)
Promotion:
Lieutenant Colonel (November 06 1944)
Historical Notation:
Pilot of the first B-29 Superfortress Bomber to bomb Tokyo Japan (November 1944)
Died April 27th 1945 (it is not thought he was married or had children)
Rank at time of death:
Lieutenant Colonel (and one of five Commanders of Saipan Air Operations)
Possibly served on last flight as an observer (co-pilot)
Because of Lt. Col. Northrop’s rank my conclusion is he served on this flight as an observer or filled in at the last moment on this bombing mission. He was a captain and would not normally fill a co-pilot position (he was a Commander in Charge of Air Operations at Saipan). At the time of his death he was said to have flown 70 missions (many with his own crew and plane as captain). This man is a true hero, not only a leader of men, but a man who was revered and admired by all he served under him at his side. He was a Yale graduate (class of 1936). He joined the Air Corp in 1939 as he was alarmed at the escalation of the war in Europe and desired to serve his country (he was not drafted). His loss was devastating to his family, the town of Stamford, and Yale College
In conclusion, I will continue to document the men and the last moments of this plane. But my heart rests with Douglas Northrop, the only man lost on this mission. As I tabulated the accomplishments of life, my heart was heavy with each assignment and promotion, as I saw the clock unwind on his life, the days less and less, until at the young age of 31-years old, with so much to offer, he died on a bombing mission. Sobering, to say the least, however, this is the story duplicated so many times over and over with American servicemen. When will it ever end, when will we ever achieve peace on earth? I know in my heart that Douglas would want his life to have meaning and that it would contribute to that end. Prayers for you Douglas Northrop and your soul path
Credit for this article would not have been possible if not for the obituary archives of graduates of Yale University. As well special thanks to aviation author and historian John Bybee
Douglas C. Northrop
ID: 0-393187
Entered the Service From: Connecticut
Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
Service: U.S. Army Air Forces, 877th Bomber Squadron, 499th Bomber Group, Very Heavy
Died: Friday, April 27, 1945
Memorialized at: Honolulu Memorial
Location: Honolulu, HI, USA
Awards: Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
Douglas Clinton Northrop, B.A. 1936, born July 2, 1913, Glenbrook, Conn. Missing in action, April 27, 1945, in the Northern Marianas Islands. Presumptive date of death, April 28, 1945. Father, Louis Leroy Northrop, associated with United States Post Office, Stamford Connecticut; son of George Washington and Mary (Lockwood) Northrop of Stamford. Mother, Jennie Anna (Nowak) Northrop; daughter of John and Thekla (Lucas) Nowak of Norwalk, Conn. Stamford High School and King School, Stamford. Scholar of the second rank Junior year; oration appointment Senior year; Freshman Track Team, Freshman Football and Basketball squads; University 150-pound Football Team Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years (co-captain Senior year), member Saybrook College (basketball team Junior and Senior years). Delivery manager Western Union Telegraph Company, Stamford, 1936-37, teacher and athletic coach Somerset Hills Preparatory School, Far Hills, N.J, 1938-39; member St. John's Church (Episcopal), Stamford, Unmarried, Enlisted as aviation cadet, U S Army Air Corps, August 14 1939; primary training Parks Air College, basic and advanced training at Randolph and Kelly fields; commissioned Second Lieutenant, Air Corps Reserve, May 14 1940; assigned to 49th Bombardment Squadron, Langley Field, May 1940. August 1941; stationed with 41st Reconnaissance Squadron in Newfoundland, August 1941. November 1942; promoted First Lieutenant November 1 1941, and Captain, March 1 1942; stationed in England with anti-submarine patrol November 1942. March 1943, promoted Major, January 7 1943; transferred to Africa, March 1943, and returned to the United States, June 1943; assigned to 877th Bomber Squadron, Smoky Hill Army Air Field, in May 1944; awarded Air Medal; went overseas in September 1944; commanding officer 877th Bomber Squadron, 499th Bomb Group, Saipan. About September 1944 until April 1945; promoted, Lieutenant Colonel, November 6, 1944; pilot of the first B-29 Superfortress to drop a bomb on Tokyo. November 1944, Lieutenant Colonel Northrop was on a mission to Kyushu Japan, April 27 1945, when his plane developed engine trouble and caught fire. The crew bailed out and all were picked up except Colonel Northrop who was not found. The presumptive date of death was fixed as April 28 1945. Survived by parents, and a brother, Arthur Leroy Northrop, of Stamford
Santa Fe New Mexico
Sedona Arizona
USA