LTC John Harris Griffith Sr. (1915-1945) - Find A Grave Memorial

Class of 1933 Upper Darby High School in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Class of 1937 Penn State College, and received 2nd Lt reserve commission on 30 May 1937.

23 March 1940: 2nd Lt regular commission Advanced Pilot Class 40-A at Kelly Field, Texas.

Transfer of 2nd Lt. John H. Griffith, from Infantry Corps to Air Corps, Lawson Field, Fort Benning, Georgia for duty with Flight C, 16th Observation Squadron.

Deployed to RAF Grafton Underwood in the United Kingdom; 15th Bombardment Squadron (L) Commander; later assistant A-3 of 12th Bomber Command. Flew combat missions out of England and Africa while assigned to the ETO.

Subsequently assigned to 20th AF, XXI BC, 73rd BW, 498th BG (VH), 875th BS Cmdr; before assignment as the 497th Deputy Group Commander on 26 Feb 1945.

During the night and early morning hours of 3-4 July 1945, (Mission #248) one hundred twenty-five 73rd Bomb Wing B-29 aircraft launch from Isley Field on Saipan in the Mariana Islands to incendiary bomb the Kochi urban area of Japan; (…..setting approximately 1 square mile of the city ablaze).

According to MACR #14923; 497th Bombardment Group (VH) B-29-50-BW serial #42-24774, call sign A-Square-37, nicknamed "Miss HAP" of the 870th Bomber Squadron is lost (hit with AAA flak and crashes), along with the Merrill aircrew:

Airplane Command Pilot: O-404374 Keith Nelson Merrill, Major, Pima, Graham County, AZ

Pilot (right seat): O-777635Walter Harvey Fike, Jr. 1Lt, Wilmington in Long Beach, California

497th Deputy Group Cmdr (Msn Obsvr): O-021365John Harris Griffith, Lt.Col, Plymouth, PA

LTC John Harris Griffith Sr. (1915-1945) - Find A Grave Memorial

497th Radar Counter Measure Officer: O-861203Joseph Vincent LaMoglia 1Lt, Oakland, CA

Navigator: O-438244Buford Paul Johnson, Jr. 1Lt, Hennepin County, Minnesota

Flight Engineer: O-868591Patrick Benjamin Quinn 1Lt, Cadiz, Bee County, Texas

Bombardier: O-706327William D. Wilson 1Lt, Memphis, Tennessee

Aerial Gunner, CFC: 32855468Edward F. Gawron TSgt, Amsterdam, NY

Aerial Gunner, Tail: 12128248Kurt J. Hermann, II TSgt, Babylon, Suffolk County, NY

Radio: 16122677Harry R. Hill SSgt, Peoria, Illinois

Aerial Gunner, Right: 33696149John T. Jenkins Sgt, Clairton, Pennsylvania

Radar: 31431859James E. Keenan SSgt, Quincy, Massachusetts

Aerial Gunner, Left: 14016111John L. Powell SSgt, Andalusia, Alabama