Rank and Name, Master Sergeant Leo Carlton Blough
Unit/Placed in, 869th Bomber Squadron, 497th Bomber Group (Very Heavy)
Leo was born approx. on 1920 in La Grange County, Indiana.
Parents and Siblings, no record.
Leo enlisted in the service in Michigan with serial number: 16010138.
Leo C. Blough was a Flight Engineer in the 869th Bomber Squadron.
Leo‘s Crew-members and their position on-board the plane a B-29 were,
1st Lt. Erwin F. Dietzel Airplane Commander (pilot)
2nd Lt. Edward B. Collins Co Pilot
2nd Lt. Jules Levy Navigator
2nd Lt. Harold E. Stambaugh Bombardier
MSgt. Leo C. Blough Flight Engineer
TSgt. Leo F. Williams Central Fire Control/Top Side Gunner
Sgt. Chester P. Krysiak Radio Operator
Sgt. Anthony W. Cornejo Left Side Gunner
Sgt. Willis J. Comer Right Side Gunner
Sgt. William H. Gray Tail Gunner
Sgt. Willis R. Audinwood Asst. Radio Operator
Leo was K.I.A. when after take-off, nothing was seen of heard by the plane on April 2, 1945. he is honored with an Air Medal, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.
Leo is buried at the Honolulu l Memorial, Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, U.S.A.
Courts of the Missing.
He also has a Memorial Grave at Greenwood Cemetery, Lagrange, Lagrange County, Indiana, USA.
Thanks to
Jean Louis Vijgen, ww2-Pacific.com and ww2-europe.com.
Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.
ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov
Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker
Seabees History Bob Smith https://seabeehf.org/
Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org
POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.
Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/ Robert Capistrano
National Historian
Navy Seal Memorial, http://www.navysealmemorials.com
Family Info, https://www.familysearch.org
Info, https://www.pacificwrecks.com/
Medals Info, https://www.honorstates.org
Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com
Tank Destroyers, http://www.bensavelkoul.nl/
West Field was a base for Twentieth Air Force B-29 Superfortress operations against the Japanese Home Islands in 1944–5, and the base for the B-29 Superfortress 58th Bombardment Wing.
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States toward the end of World War II on West-Field airfield.
- Range: 9,000 km
- Wingspan: 43 m
- Length: 30 m
- First flight: September 21, 1942
- Top speed: 574 km/h
- Engine type: Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone
Honored by Sam E. Pennartz
ENLISTED IN THE ARMY AIR FORCES ON 27 AUGUST 1943 AT WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA. UNDERWENT B-29 AIRCRAFT TRANSITION AND COMBAT CREW TRAINING AT PRATT ARMY AIR FIELD, KANSAS. DEPLOYED TO THE CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATRE OF OPERATIONS AND WAS ASSIGNED TO 20TH AIR FORCE, XXI BOMBER COMMAND, 73RD BOMB WING, 497TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP, 869TH BOMB SQUADRON STATIONED AT ISLEY FIELD ON SAIPAN IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS. ON 1 APRIL 1945, HE FLEW AS THE FLIGHT ENGINEER ABOARD A BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS (SERIAL #42-93883). IT WAS ONE OF 121 AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED IN A MULTI-GROUP FORMATION TO BOMBARD THE MUSASHINO AIRCRAFT ENGINE FACTORY NEAR TOKYO, JAPAN. WEATHER OVER THE TARGET AREA WAS CLEAR WITH SOME HAZE. FLAK FROM ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARTILLERY WAS MEAGER, BUT ACCURATE. JAPANESE FIGHTER AIRCRAFT ATTACKS WERE DESCRIBED AS MODERATE, WITH 33 PASSES REPORTED. HIS AIRCRAFT TOOK-OFF AT 2100 HOURS LOCAL WITH A COURSE HEADING OF 350 DEGREES ON THE PLANNED 15-HOUR ROUND-TRIP MISSION, BUT NEVER RETURNED TO SAIPAN.
