17TH FIGHTER SQUADRON
(PROVISIONAL),
5TH AIR FORCE, USAAF
IN AUSTRALIA DURING WWII
Under General Orders No. 22, Headquarters Fifth Air Force, dated 14 October 1942, the 17th Fighter Squadron (Provisional), 5th Air Force, USAAF was activated at Amberley in south east Queensland and assigned to the 49th Fighter Group on 14 October 1942 with Major Selman as its initial Commanding Officer. The following Officers were assigned to the 17th Fighter Squadron:-
Major Selman
Captain Manning
Captain Porter
2nd Lt. Planck
2nd Lt. Ralph
2nd Lt. Hyland
2nd Lt. Stanton
2nd Lt. Thomas
2nd Lt. Sibley
2nd Lt. Howard
2nd Lt. Bauhof
2nd Lt. Holze
2nd Lt. Oveson
2nd Lt. Markey
2nd Lt. Bong **
2nd Lt. Price
2nd Lt. Russell
2nd Lt. O'Neill
2nd Lt. Mankin
2nd Lt. Donnell
2nd Lt. Barnes
Copy of General Orders No. 22, Headquarters Fifth Air Force
2nd Lt. Richard Ira Bong had been temporarily transferred to the 17th Fighter Squadron which was equipped with a number of the scarce P-38 Lightnings. 2nd Lt Bong put in six week of flying practice, including some single-engine flying. By 15 November 1942, he was on temporary duty with the 39th Fighter Squadron of the 35th Fighter Group at Laloke 14-Mile Strip at Port Moresby.
P-38 Lightnings parked at Amberley airfield during WWII
Between 15 and 19th October 1942, normal training missions and operations were in progress. On 20 October 1942, pilots S/Sgt Arthur and S/Sgt Gersch received their Commissions as 2nd Lieutenants. 1st Lt. Vodrey was assigned to the 17th Fighter Squadron on 25 October 1942.
370th Service Squadron which was formed at Amberley on 28 October 1942, was involved in the training of 17th Fighter Squadron pilots. Major James C. Selman, formerly Commanding Officer of the 9th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group was assigned and assumed command of the 370th Service Squadron. The 17th Fighter Squadron (Provisional) had embarked on a P-38 training program, and this program was continued under the auspices of the 370th Service Squadron. Nineteen pilots from the 17th Fighter Squadron were assigned to the 370th Service Squadron and pilots came and went in rapid succession for the succeeding few weeks.
The following Officers joined the 17th Fighter Squadron on 1 November 1942:-
Capt. Thorgerson
1st Lt. Erickson
1st Lt. McGee
1st Lt. Douglass
1st Lt. Miller
1st Lt. Rauch
1st Lt. Woodring
The following Officers joined the 17th Fighter Squadron on 3 November 1942:-
1st Lt. Ferner
1st Lt. McHale
1st Lt. Mayo
1st Lt. Sells joined the 17th Fighter Squadron on 4 November 1942. On the same day Captain Porter led an 8 aircraft flight to Port Moresby in New Guinea comprising the following pilots:-
Capt. Porter
1st Lt. Douglas
1st Lt. Rauch
1st Lt Landers
2nd Lt. Ralph
2nd Lt. Planck
2nd Lt. Stanton
2nd Lt. Oveson
Captain Porter's P-38 Lightning was lost after takeoff from Horn Island Airfield on the mission to Port Moresby on 4 November 1942. His right engine cut out at about 150 feet after take-off from Horn Island. If he had dropped his belly tank he may have been able to make an emergency landing. He pancaked into the water and was lucky to only receive a few scratches and bruises. He loosened his clothes and Mae West jacket and swam part of the way to the shore before he was picked up by a life-boat.
On 5 November 1942, Lt. Erickson taxied his P-38 Lightning into an oil drum, damaging his left propeller. It is assume this occurred at Amberley Airfield.
At about 2:30pm on 8 November 1942, 1st Lt. Robert Earl Ferner O-421740 of the 17th Fighter Squadron (Provisional) lost control of his P-38E Lightning #41-2382 during a training flight and nose dived from 5,000 feet into a dense thicket about 1 mile from Amberley Airfield. The following history of the 370th Service Squadron, 35th Service Group described this tragic accident:-
"On the 8th of November, 1942 the squadron suffered its first casualty. 1st Lt. Robert E. Ferner, while carrying out a routine training flight over Amberley Field, was unable to bring his control-locked P-38 out of a spin and crashed to his death in a dense thicket approximately one mile from the airfield. This officer had been assigned to the squadron from a northern area for the purpose of training in P-38 aircraft and prior to his ill-fated flight had logged only four training hours in a P-38."
Photo:- via
Nelda (Find a
Grave)
1st Lt. Robert Earl Ferner O-421740
The following pilots returned to Amberley from Port Moresby on 9 November 1942:-
Captain Porter
1st Lt. Douglas
1st Lt. Rauch
1st Lt Landers
2nd Lt. Ralph
2nd Lt. Planck
2nd Lt. Stanton
2nd Lt. Oveson
The following Officers were assigned to the 17th Fighter Squadron on 13 November 1942:-
1st Lt. Gelatka
1st Lt. Lindstrom
1st Lt. Lutton
2nd Lt. Farrell
On 14 November 1942, Captain Manning led another 8 aircraft flight to Port Moresby comprising the following pilots:-
Capt. Manning
1st Lt. McGee
1st Lt. Sells
2nd Lt. Bong
2nd Lt. Hyland
2nd Lt. Markey
2nd Lt. Planck
2nd Lt. Gallup
Major Sellman was assigned to the Headquarters, 49th Fighter Group on 14 November 1942. Captain John Thorgenson took over as Commanding Officer of the 17th Fighter Squadron on 14 November 1942.
On 24 November 1942 Lt. Donnell, flying P-38 Lightning "The Mad Russian" whilst coming into land at Amberley Airfield, ran out of fuel and made a forced landing in a field. The P-38 went through four fields and fences, bordering Amberley Airfield. The right wheel hit a log and was torn off. The aircraft came to a stop a few feet from a B-24 Liberator. The accident was caused due to the reserve and main fuel tanks being reversed.
On 25 November 1942, Lt. Rauch was piloting P-38 Lightning #42-12646 "Synchronized Sal" when the right prop ran away during take-off. The P-38 did not leave the ground. When the P-38 was three quarters of the way down the runway, Lt. Rauch cut the throttles and tried to stop the aircraft. Workmen working on the runway extension jumped out of their rolling-machines and scrambled for safety. The P-38 ran among the equipment without hitting any of it. It crossed the road and Lt. Rauch stopped the aircraft at the end of the extension. Lt. Rauch was the first pilot to try out the new runway! One of the workmen ended up quitting his job of constructing the runway. He decided he would rather be minus a job than have an aircraft land on top of him. Both brakes on the P-38 Lightning were burnt out.
The men of the 17th Fighter Squadron "got happy and high" on 26 November 1942, Thanksgiving Day.
The following pilots flew to Port Moresby in General Kenney's B-17 Flying Fortress "Sally" on 27 November 1942:-
Capt. Porter
1st Lt. Gelatka
1st Lt. Landers
1st Lt. McHale
1st Lt. Lutton
1st Lt. Vodrey
1st Lt. Benner
2nd Lt. Mayo
2nd Lt. Arthur
2nd Lt Donnell
On the morning of 27 November 1942, Lt. Harbour, while on a gunnery mission in his P-38 Lightning out of Amberley Airfield, hit a cable with his left wing tip causing some damage. The information available on this incident does not state what sort of cable it was. Perhaps it was the tow target cable - see a similar incident below on the same day.
On the afternoon of 27 November 1942, Lt. Haney, while on a gunnery mission in his P-38 Lightning out of Amberley Airfield, hit the tow target cable between the cockpit gondola and the left engine tearing a hole in the wing.
At 10.50 am on 4 December 1942, a flight of four USAAF P-38 Lightnings from the 17th Fighter Squadron, piloted by Lts. Douglas, Morgan, O'Neill and Rowsey were performing combat manoeuvres in the Purga area in southern Queensland. Two of the P-38's collided while performing a crossover manoeuvre. Lt. Charles F. Rowsey flying P-38 #42-12646, "Synchronished Sal", was forced to exit his aircraft after it was seen to go into a left-handed spiral dive from 5,000 feet. He was tragically killed when his parachute became entangled around the tail boom of his P-38 and his aircraft plummeted into Coolamon Creek near Flinders Peak near Peaks Crossing. The other P-38, #42-12642, piloted by Lt. John G. O'Neill, was able to trim his P-38 and limp back to nearby Amberley airfield (20 miles away) on one engine to make an emergency landing.
On Sunday 6 December 1942, the Officers of the 17th Fighter Squadron held an Officer's party, which comprised a BBQ, with food being catered for by Lts Price, Rauch, O'Neill and Turick. Lt. Price did an excellent job supervising the BBQ. Lt. Planck supplied 50 gallons of beer and also some rum, gin and brandy. Captain Thorgensen found a nice location near a river with plenty of trees and shade for the Officer's BBQ party.
On Monday 7 December 1942, a guard of honour, comprising eight P-38 Lightnings, which was flown over the USAF Cemetery at Ipswich for the funeral of Lt. Rowsey, who had been killed in the P-38 Lightning collision over Purga on 4 December 1942. The following Officers took part in the Guard of Honour flypast:-
Lt. Douglas
Lt. Rauch
Lt. Woodring
Lt. Holz
Lt. Barnes
Lt. Price
Lt. Oveson
Lt. O'Neill
USAF Military Cemetery at Ipswich, November 1945
On 10 December 1942, the Squadron received word that the Squadron was being disbanded. The eight remaining P-38 Lightnings were made ready to fly to Charters Towers in north Queensland to join the 39th Fighter Squadron, 35th Fighter Group. Seven flying Officers and ground Officers and enlisted personnel were sent to Antil Plains Airfield and the remainder of the flying Officers were sent to V Fighter Command in Port Moresby in New Guinea to join 9th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group. On page 84 of the book "Protect & Avenge", it indicates that sixteen P-38 Lightnings (and pilots) of the 17 Fighter Squadron (Provisional) joined the 9th Fighter Squadron of the 49th Fighter Group.
A memo from Headquarters Fifth Air Force dated 3 December 1942 detailed the following proposed plans for the inactivation of the 17th Fighter Squadron (Provisional):-
REFERENCES
"The Missions and P-38 Lightnings of Richard I. Bong" by L. Johnson and T. C. Hill
"Protect & Avenge - The 49th Fighter Group in World War II" by S. W Ferguson & William K. Pascalis
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I'd like to thank Gordon Birkett for his assistance with this web page.
Can anyone help me with more information?
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This page first produced 19 June 2024
This page last updated 21 June 2024