B-26 Story Summations of Arland DuVall (Engineer/Turret Gunner), Andy 'Chappy' Chapman (Radio Operator), & Bill Hess (Tail Gunner)

All three men served in the 322 Bombardment Group, 449th Bomb Squadron - Home squadron of Flak Bait.

1. Returning home from a bomb run, it was noticed by DuVall that there was a bomb rolling around on top of bomb bay doors. B-26 doors fold open and bomb would just 'pinch' in and not roll out to channel. Pilot attempted banking the plane to roll the bomb out, but the centrifigal forces held the bomb in place. DuVall devised a plan and used the walkway rope, reach down and clipped onto the bomb, layed flat on belly on the walkway and held on, pulling the bomb out the doors as the pilot opened them; releasing the bomb and rope into the channel.

2. During a bomb run, DuVall was manning his turret. The group released their bombs on target. Co-Pilot noticed something shimmer and fly past the cockpit. DuVall began screaming on the radio that his turret had been hit by enemy fire, but pilot insisted they were not taking any enemy fire. Radio operator went to turret and indeed DuValls turret plexiglass had exploded and DuVall's face was pierced with plastic shrapnel. DuVall was releived and attended to and Radio operator turned turret and patrolled the rear of the plane for the rest of flight. It was determined that an arming wire had come lose from electromagnetic arming device in forward plane and dropped into DuVall's turret.

3. DuVall was awarded Soldiers Medal for saving his plane and crew, and his ingenuity became standard procedure for handling nose landing gear problems. Upon return to landing field the nose gear of the plane would not come down and lock. Several crewman attempted standing on the gear and jumping up and down, trying to push it into 'lock' without any success and putting themselves in severe danger. DuVall took the crash axe, chopped a hole forward of the gear. Then the crew spooled out the bomb hoist and DuVall reached out through axe hole and attached the cable to the gear. The crew began winching on the cable, nervous it would snap and take someone with it. DuVall encouraged them on, understanding they didn't have a choice, the cable would either break or it would work; either way they were no worse off. The cable was as tight as could be, the gear finally locked, and the cable snapped. The plane and crew were saved and three men were awarded Soldiers Medals. Two for attempting to save the plane by removing their parachutes and jumping on the gear, putting their lives in danger to save it, and DuVall for ingenuity that ultimately saved the plane. After minor repairs the plane was back in service.

4. Feb 22, 1945 - A plane piloted by Evan Bruner crashed on takeoff. DuVall, Chapman (radio), and Hess(tail) were all aboard. DuVall and group bombadier Capt Buk were sitting side by side on the floor between radio and navigator. The plane experienced wash or other forces on the runway. The right wing dipped and hit the ground just as the plane was beginning to lift. The speed was interrupted and the plane came down, sheering the right gear and wing off. The plane slide off the end of the runway and into an A-26 on the hardstand. The top hatch is open for takeoff and DuVall found himself on top of radio racks and other debri, shoulders out of the hatch. Radio operator Chapman's seat and head were pressed up against the roof of the plane. DuVall's legs were pinned in and his lung was punchered. He began calling for Buk, but kept passing out each time he yelled. Chapman and navigator Pinkus, along with pilots, exited the plane. Chapman and Pinkus locked under DuValls arms and began tugging desperately. The plane began to burn. DuVall recommended they use the crash axe to chop his legs off, but they continued to pull until they pulled DuVall out of his flight boots. The heavy tugging and pulling was so intense it damaged DuVall's legs and required months of rehabilitation to correct. DuVall slid off the plane but couln't walk, so he began crawling. Chapman and Pinkus returned again, to lift him up and run him away from the plane. Both men began returning to the plane again, to find Buk and Hess. Fire had engulfed the rear of the plane by now and Chapman, a long time friend of Tail Gunner Hess, couldn't find his friend anywhere. Crews were yelling at them to run, and finally they began running away from the plane. A single 500 lb bomb exploded, knocking rescue crews and all others to the ground. Unknown to Chapman, Hess had made his own escape by kicking his own plexiglass window out. Capt Ross H. Buk was the only crew, flight or rescue, to be killed in the explosion.
a. Related Story - Ross Buk had just returned to the Bomb Group as a capt and group bombadier, it was his 73rd bombing mission. On an early mission, Buk's plane had taken flak up behind the co-pilots seat. The flak had ignited the flares that were stored there and wounded the co-pilots arm. The plane was filled with smoke. Buk gathered the burning flares up in his helmet and released them out a hole in the fuselage then took over co-pilot duties for the return trip. This story links to DuVall's story of the crash and illustrates a smaller piece of that story. DuVall's regular co-pilot had a fear of taking a flak shot in the rear and had fashioned a piece of armor metal he would put in his seat when he flew. When he wasn't flying, they would throw it on the floor. DuVall was sitting on this piece of metal on the floor during the crash. It is thought that his may have been the cause of a hip fracture DuVall sustained in the crash.
b. Related Story - Hess has survived a previous aircraft explosion. Hess and Chapman had already served in the African and Italy campaigns in B-24's before thier second 'tour' with the 322 BG, 449th sq. and were helping bomb over Axis territories in Europe before D-Day. At a date sometime after Allied forces were in Europe, Hess was flying on a mission and his plane had been hit by flak. Hess was unaware they were hit, but did notice their plane was descending. Hess was suddenly knocked out. When he woke he was in a snow bank. His plane had exploded mid-air and he had plummeted through trees and into the snow, breaking both legs. An Allied patrol discovered him, but thought him a potential spy attempting to infultrate their forces, having seen the plane explode themselves and not believing him a surviving crewman; the good German name 'Hess' didn't help. The Feb 22, 1945 crash was his second escape from and exploding plane.