42nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 1941-1946
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11th Bombardment Group, 7th Air Force, 1941-1946
The 42nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), one of the squadrons of the 11th Bombardment Group of the Seventh Air Force, was on duty at Hickam Field, Hawaii, on 7 December 1941 when the Japanese attacked United States forces. Elements of the squadron participated in the Battle of Midway. In July 1942, the squadron was ordered to the South Pacific, flying from Plaines de Gaiac on New Caledonia, Espiritu Santo, and Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. The history of the squadron is mentioned in a variety of resources, most notably in Cleveland, W. M., ed. Grey geese calling : Pacific air war history of the 11th Bombardment Group (H), 1940-1945. Seffner, FL: 11th Bombardment Group (H) Association, 1981. 492 p. and in Salecker, Gene E. Fortress Against the Sun: The B-17 Flying Fortress in the Pacific. New York: Da Capo Press, 2001. 464 p.
This website is a repository of United States Army Air Force documents that are difficult to locate, and of memoirs of the members of one flying crew of the 42nd Bombardment Squadron. Of particular note to all who may be interested in the missions of the 42nd Squadron in World War II are the first several documents in Section 1, containing the daily mission reports of the squadron. Although very brief, they define the activities of the squadron in the South Pacific.
The following outline of contents shows the arrangement of the site. Each listing functions as a link to the document listed.
Section 1: Historical Documents Related to The 42nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy). Original microfilm housed at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
42nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy). History of the 42nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) 1940-1944. Air Force history of the squadron, written April 1944. 45 p.
42nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy). Monthly Squadron Histories and Documents, 18 July 1942-7 February 1943. The mission log of the first echelon of the squadron, from the flight from Hawaii to New Caledonia, and continuing until the first echelon was relieved in February 1943. 43 p.
42nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy). Monthly Squadron Histories and Documents, 1 May 1946 - 31 July 1946. Monthly squadron histories and documents, mission lists, personnel records. 163 p.
42nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy). Monthly Squadron Histories and Documents, 20 May 1943 - 5 March 1944. Personnel lists and mission log of the squadron. 104 p.
42nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy). Monthly Squadron Histories and Documents, 5 March 1944 - 18 August 1944. Mission log of the squadron. 40 p.
42nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy). Monthly Squadron Histories and Documents, April 1944 - November 1944. Monthly history narratives, personnel notes, medal recommendations, and related material. 52 p.
42nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy). Monthly Squadron Histories and Documents, April 1945 -November 1945. Monthly squadron histories and documents, mission lists, personnel records. 118 p.
42nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy). Monthly Squadron Histories and Documents, December 1944 - January 1945. Monthly squadron histories and documents. 73 p.
42nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy). Monthly Squadron Histories and Documents, February 1944 - March 1945. Monthly squadron histories and documents, mission lists, personnel records. 64 p.
Section 2: Biographies and Documents about the Crew of Major Earl Oxford Hall, pilot and Lt. Joaquin Castro, co-pilot.
On 1 February 1943, the bomber crew of aircraft number 41-9151 piloted by Major Earl O. Hall and Lt. Joaquin Castro, flew to the Shortland Island region on a bombing mission. They did not return.
This section of the website records the efforts to learn their fate, starting with the searches conducted by the family of Major Hall, as recorded in the biographical memoir about Major Hall. Those efforts were joined and expanded by the research of Mr. Arnold Guerrero, recorded in his memoir of co-pilot Lt. Joaquin Castro, and the biographical memoirs of Staff Sergeant James C. Stephens, Jr., provided by his family. The remaining crew members remain undocumented.
Major Earl Oxford Hall, Pilot, Crawford, Texas
1st Lieutenant Joaquin Castro, Co-Pilot, Mission, Texas
Staff Sergeant James C. Stephens, Jr.
Technical Sergeant Paul Frederick Adler
2nd Lieutenant Frank N. Stern, Jr., Illinois
Staff Sergeant James Y. Bales, Indiana