The Downing of the B-24 over Manila (Recollection by Alberto Montilla) Source: E-mail message between Alberto Montilla and Roderick Hall, 05/05/2017
INTRODUCTION Early in the war I “inherited” from my elder brother Luis (age 16 at that time) some late 1930s/early 1940s “WING CIGARETTE” aircraft recognition cards which would come enclosed in every pack of the cigarette. So, when the first American air raids over Manila started third week September, I already could recognize the Grumman fighter. While Japanese aircraft I could distinguish them from the sound of the engine/s. It sort of sounded more like when you shake a tin can full of stones (sonido de lata), while the American aircraft engines had a low solid rumbling sound. -see Illustration no. 1 Since the 3rd week of September we were regularly “visited” by single engine navy fighters and dive bombers but by late November the naval aircraft appearances waned and Army fighters and bombers started to appear (that meant they were closer). We started seeing silver-colored aircraft and one particular aircraft the kids in our neighborhood would call the “double body” – the P-38 “Lightning” fighter would appear quite often but would fly high over the city. On some occasions, while flying very high, these “double body” aircrafts would even form USA high in the sky (exhaust fumes freezing at a high altitude). Also, two and four engine bombers would occasionally appear in formation mostly flying high and northward, possibly to bomb targets in the Clark Field area or beyond. -see Illustration no. 2
The Downing of the B-24 Over Manila By late December and early January, we regularly would be “visited” by these Army bombers and one day (January 8th ), I heard distant bomb explosions and then the drone of bombers and so I ran to the window of my grandmother’s house in Pedro Guevarra St., near the Manila Jockey Club/San Lazaro Race Track in Santa Cruz to take a look at what was happening. I was watching a formation of 4-engine B-24 bombers from a window facing eastward, and therefore had a clear view of the formation of the bombers when I noticed one aircraft emitting a long thin white smoke and as seconds passed the smoke got darker and larger and larger and now flames could be seen. Fire seemed to be coming from one side of the aircraft (between the wing and the fuselage) when I saw three black dots falling one after another and the aircraft started to bank towards the right, eastward, and eventually two chutes opened while the third just dropped like a stone. By now the plane seemed to be going into a steep descent when a violent explosion occurred (my opinion – the fire may have reached the gas tanks) and parts of the aircraft wings and fuselage were on fire and spiraling down while the lighter parts just drifted down to earth like leaves falling from a tree. The explosion and eventual concussion was so loud and strong that I somehow found myself on the floor. When I got up and looked again I just saw one parachute drifting southward with the wind and towards the Pasay area. I 1
The Downing of the B-24 over Manila (Recollection by Alberto Montilla) Source: E-mail message between Alberto Montilla and Roderick Hall, 05/05/2017
watched it till it got to the level of the houses. When the horrific explosion occurred I heard loud cries of anguish from people watching in our vicinity. It was so tragic and we were all visibly moved by what had just happened – the perished crew and the one still drifting and to what faith was it awaiting him? The next day (Jan. 9, 1944) I learned from my parents that an article with a photo came out in the Tribune. Nothing was mentioned about the flier that parachuted. -see Illustration nos. 3, 4, 5, & 6 Some days after, my brother appeared one afternoon with two small parts picked up in the vicinity of the San Juan market by his friends living around the area. One was a 1 ½ inch in diameter steel drive gear and a twisted aluminum nameplate of a part of the aircraft. And according to his friends, one of the propeller blades impaled in to the pavement near the market. The day after, January 9th, the heavy bombers appeared again in their usual formation, but this time they went passed us and bombed Grace Park Airfield. It was quite scary as the target is much nearer to us and so the explosions were much much louder and on occasions the earth would shake! At that time, I felt as if they were taking revenge of the incident of the day before. -see Illustration no. 7 For many years I would wonder from what unit did this aircraft belong to. Then, in 1990, I came across a book published in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on the activities of the “Long Rangers”, the 307th Bombardment Group (Heavy) of the 13th Air Force and eventually found out that this particular B-24 belonged to this Bombardment Group.
-see Illustration nos. 8 & 9 I have taken the liberty of attaching material that I have collected over the years just to illustrate this experience of many many years ago.
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Illustration No. 1
Small aircraft cards which I “Inherited” from my brother Luis.
Illustration No. 2
Coca-Cola playing cards issued during the war. Types of Navy and Army aircraft. Note: The B-17 illustrated here is the type that was in Clark when the Japanese bombed it on Dec. 8, 1941.
Illustration No. 3
War-time map showing the configuration of Nielson Field.
Illustration No. 4
Aerial Recon Photo of Nielson Field.
Bombing of Nielson Field (don’t know the date).
See hangar and aircraft damage.
Illustration No. 5
Just to illustrate what I saw – Anti-aircraft fire hit on B-24.
This formation was not the actual, this bomber formation was actually over Mariveles, some time after.
Illustration No. 6a
The Tribune photo (Jan. 8, 1944)
Illustration No. 6b
The Tribune article (Jan. 8, 1944)
Illustration No. 7
A later 1944 reconnaissance photo of Grace Park Airfield.
Illustration No. 8 – Pertinent pages of book on the 307th Bombardment Squadron.
Illustration No. 9
Newspaper article by Antonio C. Abaya, Jan. 8, 1995.