The Last Flight of Lt. Thomas L. Philbrick
868th
Bomber Squadron
By Robert W. Philbrook
September 21, 1944
Noemfoor Island; South Pacific
By late 1944, the Americans had been beating back the Japanese since their victory at Midway in June of 1942. Lt. Thomas Lombard Philbrick*, a native of Raleigh, N.C., was no novice to the air war being fought all over the South Pacific. He had over 25 missions as a Navigator with the B-24 “Liberator” bomber that he and his crew flew. Thomas and his men were members of the 868th Bomber Squadron, part of the 13th Army Air Corp, and the 868th was known as the “Snoopers.”
*THOMAS LOMBARD11 PHILBRICK (CLARENCE LEWIS10, ETHAN9, MAYO HAZELTINE8, EPHRAIM7, WILLIAM6, MICHAEL5, ZECHARIAH4, JOSEPH3, JAMES2, THOMAS1)
Click on photographs for larger view.
(Right to Left) Thomas L. Philbrick, prior to shipping out for the South Pacific. Thomas and his wife, Willie B. Andrews-Philbrick.
For Philbrick and the other men in the bomber squadron, their B-24’s carried (what was at that time) a top-secret technology designed to help win the war – on board radar. Flying at night, the bombers of the 868th would take off alone to attack Japanese ships and land-based targets in the Pacific. In September of 1944, Philbrick and his crew were on the front lines of the Pacific campaign to retake the Philippines.
As navigator, it was Thomas’ job to plot the course that would take the plane to the target and back to base safely. On board his plane, radar operator Technical Sergeant Harold Bowers would use the radar to pin point possible targets for their B-24 to bomb. Each B-24 had several gunners to protect the craft from Japanese fighters. Manning two of those .50 caliber machine guns, were Gunners S/Sgt. Edward Brinke and S/Sgt Leslie Crocker. T/Sgt. Floyd Fleming (Engineer) would man the top turret guns. 1st Lt. Issac H. Hanff, the B-24’s pilot, was working on getting his star above his wings that were pinned on his chest. Receiving the coveted Senior Pilot Wings required completion of 20 bomb runs with a Instructor Pilot on board. That P.I. would be 1st Lt. Peter S. Colt. Co-Pilot for the night was 2nd Lt. Damon E. Brown. The remainder of the crew of Thomas’ B-24 was Bombardier 1st Lt. Morris M. Zeiler; Staff Sergeant Kenneth N. Arvin Assistant Engineer and Radio Operator Tech. Sergeant Donnell R. Walker.
Lt. Philbrick (second from left, standing) poses with other crew members of B-24 A/C #277
It had been almost a month since the 868th had moved from their base in Los Negros to Noemfoor Island in the Irian Jaya area of Indonesia. American paratroopers had only recently taken the island from the Japanese. The 868th’s planes were stationed at Kornasoren (now known as Yebrurro) airfield that had been built by the Japanese prior to the allied invasion in July. On September 21, 1944 Philbrick & his crew’s mission was to fly a bombing run on Menado in the northern Celebes islands. There lone bomber would strike the Japanese in the dead of night and being just four days past “new moon” the sky would be near pitch black. Thomas’ plane was A/C #277. She was one of 32 original bombers that had arrived began in the squadron in January of 1944. A year later only 13 would remain.
Philbrick and his crew were scheduled to take off at 2200 hours (10 o’clock pm) and fly north-east to bomb Menado that night. The crew donned their flight uniforms and boarded the craft. A/C #277, here four engines roaring taxied down the runway and prepared to take off. Lt. Donovan, the Tower Officer on duty that night, signaled radio Operator Walker that A/C #277 was clear to begin their mission. Lt. Hanff, being watched by Lt. Colt his instructor, guided the plane down the runway and she lifted off into the dark Pacific night sky. Lt. Thomas Philbrick was busy ensuring that navigation data was being plotted while the gunners watched for any signs of Japanese fighters attempting to ambush the lone aircraft as she took off.
Trouble began to arise shortly after the B-24 was airborne. Lt. Donovan, watching from the tower, observed A/C #277 lose altitude then climb again. That wasn’t normal, so he called A/C #277 and asked if anything was wrong. T/Sgt. Walker radioed back that his pilots had indicated they had lost one of their engines and were returning to the airfield. The B-24 already, miles out to sea began to bank around to come back to the island. At one point A/C #277 requested searchlights be turned on and directed towards their position. Lt. Donovan, called his men and the lights were activated.
Out at sea, a Royal Australian Navy Corvette crew watched as the search light lit up the night sky. So did her commander, W. G. Whitting, who demanded to know what was going on and worried that the search lights would also illuminate his ship to Japanese subs known to patrol in the area.
Walker acknowledged the lights and indicated that Hanff and crew were heading for it. Precious minutes passed and Donovan called A/C #277 at 2220 hours again asking for a status. The reply was that one of the engines was “feathering” (propeller spinning but engine not running) and that they were losing a lot of altitude and intended to ditch the craft in the ocean. Airspeed was 130 mph, not enough to keep them airborne. The crew quickly scrambled to prepare for a “swim.”
By this time, the Australian Corvette was at battle stations and watched as Philbrick’s B-24 plunge into the sea. The commander directed the crew to take the corvette towards the crash location and look for survivors. At about the same time, an L-5 “Sentinel” took off from Kornasoren and flew to the crash site and began illuminating the area with flares. Regretfully neither the Corvette or the little “Sentinel” flying high above spotted any survivors. A/C #277 was lost that night with Lt. Philbrick and 10 other men on board.
Click on photograph for larger view of the L-5
"Sentinel"
Epilogue
Lt. Thomas L. Philbrick and the other 10 men who gave their lives that night in 1944 were officially listed as missing, presumed dead. Their plane sank in over 600 feet of water, based on recent research, so any recovery of remains continues to be impractical. Philbrick and his comrades’ names are inscribed on the “Tablets of the Missing” at Manila American Cemetery in the Philippines. After the war, Thomas’ parents created a memorial park near their home in North Carolina which was maintained for about 40 years. In the park was a plaque mounted on a flag pole that listed the crew members’ names who had died while serving their country. The plaque is now in the possession of the family.
Click on photograph for larger view.
Sources:
Russell & Jean Philbrick - State College Pennsylvania
Island Fighting. Rafael Steinberg. Time Life Books 1978.
American Batte Monuments Commission - www.abmc.gov
Raiders in the Night. Steve Fry. November 9, 2002.
Special thanks to Dick Phelps, President of the 868th Bomber Squadron Association for use of their photographs of the Thomas L. Philbrick and his bomber crew. www.5thbomberbarons.com/html/868thbs.html
I'm also especially grateful to Russell & Jean Philbrick of State College, PA for their contribution of photographs and information on Thomas L. Philbrick and their blessing on writing this article.