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Ref: One of the last letters received from Walter G. Senf, dtd. 20 Jun. 1943, from Lt. W. G. Senf, 444th Bomb Group, 676 Squad, Ft. Davis Monthan Fld., Tucson, AZ to M/M Howard Senf, 721 5th St., Ft. Madison, IA – Dear Howard and Helen – My time at Tucson is drawing to a close and I have finally been checked out in a B-24 as first pilot, have my crew and will leave for second phase Tue. I am not sure, but think that I'm going to Casper, WY.
This is the hottest place in the world, and my...
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Ref: One of the last letters received from Walter G. Senf, dtd. 20 Jun. 1943, from Lt. W. G. Senf, 444th Bomb Group, 676 Squad, Ft. Davis Monthan Fld., Tucson, AZ to M/M Howard Senf, 721 5th St., Ft. Madison, IA – Dear Howard and Helen – My time at Tucson is drawing to a close and I have finally been checked out in a B-24 as first pilot, have my crew and will leave for second phase Tue. I am not sure, but think that I'm going to Casper, WY.
This is the hottest place in the world, and my only regret in leaving is that I'm very interested in a red headed dentist that I've been going with. She works out at the Dental Clinic at Camp, and I've had my teeth cleaned, polished, and filled so many times in the past month that almost all the enamel is worn off.
My crew is a swell bunch of fellows, although I've let them get too familiar with me. They slap me on the back and call me "Doc" and in general treat me like a yardbird. I don't mind but my commanding officer raises hell with me for not disciplining them
My two gunners are from N. Carolina, my bombardier from New Mexico. My engineer from Mass, Radio Operator from Vermont, Ass't Engineer from Wisconsin. Two of them are married and one has a baby which he has never seen. I still have to pick up a navigator and co-pilot and will probably get them tomorrow. I still don't like this big ship so well but it's impossible to get anything else so ---
Well that's all for now. Write me a line sometime. As ever, Walt
Ref: Certificate In Lieu of Lost or Destroyed, Recorder's Office, North Lee County Court House, Ft. Madison, IA. - Walter Glen Senf, ASN 20614938, an Aviation Cadet, of Aviation Cadet Detachment, Air Force Advanced Flying School, Altus, Oklahoma - who was enlisted on 13 December 1941 at Camp Forrest, Tennessee to serve for the period Provided in Public #783-76 Congress was Honorable Discharged from the service of the United States on 11 April 1943, by reason of desire to accept a commission.
Character: Excellent
Efficiency rating as soldier: Excellent
Given at the WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, D. C. on 12 December 1944 BY Authority of the Secretary of War:
Prior Service: Enlisted in the Illinois National Guard, 2 August 1940; honorably discharged 12 December 1941, to re-enlist in the Regular Army. Signed J. A. Ulio, Major General, The Adjutant General.
This Certificate is given under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved July 1, 1902, "to authorize the Secretary of War to furnish certificates in lieu of lost or destroyed discharges: to honorably discharged officers or enlisted men or their widows, upon evidence that the original discharge certificate has been lost or destroyed, and upon the condition imposed by said Act that this certificate" shall not be accepted as a voucher for the payment of any claim against the Unites States for pay, bounty, or other allowances, or as evidence in any other case."
Ref: Ancestry.com - World War 11 and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas – Walter G. Senf inducted from Iowa as 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, d. 28 Sep. 1943, Monument at Battery Park, New York City, New York, USA – Last known status – Missing.
Ref: National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records, 9700 Page Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63132-5100 (22 Feb. 2004) - National Archives and Records Administration – Walter G. Senf, U. S. Army, 12 614 938 & 0 679 127; served 13 Dec. 1941 to 21 Apr. 1943 as Aviation Cadet, discharged; 22 Apr. 1943 to 28 Sep. 1943, 2nd Lieutenant, death. Death date listed as 27 Sep. 1943, European Area (Atlantic Ocean).
"The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) maintains American cemeteries and memorials located in other countries. The registry compiled by the Commission indicates that the veteran is interred at the Tables of the Missing at East Coast Memorial, New York City, NY. Information about the cemetery, including photos of the gravesite and the placement of floral tributes, can be obtained by contacting the following address: The American Battle Monuments Commission, Court House Plaza 11, Suite 500, 2300 Clarendon Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201.
Army historical records which contain unit histories may be on file at the U.S. Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, PA 17013-5008, and the New York Public Library, Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018. Although unit histories do not normally include information about specific personnel, they will show the unit's activities and participation during the war. We suggest contacting those addresses for possible information pertaining to the veteran's unit activities.
Ref: American Battle Monuments Commission – The World War 11 Honor Roll – Walter G. Senf, 2nd Lieutenant, U. S. Army Air Forces, 0-0679127 – Army Air Corps, Entered the Service from Iowa; Died September 28, 1943, Missing in Action or Buried at Sea. Tablets of the Missing at East Coast Memorial, New York City, USA
Ref: The Star, Newsletter of the American WW11 Orphans Network – Jan. 2004, Issue #32. 5745 Lee Road, Indianapolis, IN 46216; email [email protected]; website WWW.awon.org
"As a member of AWON, I've thought about writing this letter for a long time. I have now decided to try and find out if I could make a connection with someone who has information about my father. Reading "The Star" and hearing about AWON Members visiting crash sites and cemeteries and spending time with former reunion groups of their father's touches my heart deeply. I realize how blessed these individuals are to have been able to experience these events. AWON has guided me in researching my father's records, but my efforts thus far have provided me with very little information.
My father, Second Lt. Harry N. McKain (also know as Gabby), Aurora, IN, was reported missing on September 27, 1943. My mother never lost hope that he had survived and that information would be revealed uncovering the uncertainty surrounding his absence. He was listed as MIA and later, KIA. This desire to know what happened to my father has left a never-ending ache inside that has never stopped for me, or my mother.
The records that I have found state that Harry was a co-pilot of a B-24 liberator. The liberator was one of nine planes that took flight from Goose Bay, Labrador on a ferry mission to Prestwick, Scotland. Eight of the planes arrived at Prestwick. My father's plane was the one that did not make it. A search was conducted between Goose Bay Field and the coastline of Labrador. Special attention was given to the Mealay Mountain area. The last contact the B-24 made was with a radio tower operator by the name of Frederick S. Garlick, Jr.
My father enlisted December 30, 1941. Between 1941 and 1943, he trained at Mabry Airfield, Tallahassee, FL, Lemoore, CA Airbase, Rankin Aeronautical Academy, Tulare, CA and Squadron 14 of the Air Corp Advanced Flying School in Phoenix, AZ. He was one of eighty men selected to train as bomber pilots in Pueblo, CO. Soon after, he would leave the country with the North Atlantic Wing Transport Group.
From the time he enlisted, my father wrote letters daily to my mother. Sometimes she would even get two letters at a time. It was terribly difficult for my mother when the letters stopped coming and news of the missing plane reached home. The search that was conducted revealed no trace of either the plane or the crew.
I learned about my father from pictures and stories told by my mother and relatives. I learned that at the time of his death, he knew he was going to be a father. I was born March 23, 1944, 6 months after his plane was reported missing.
I have always wished that I had a memory or special moment with him – one memory just for myself. AWON has been such a blessing as I enjoy reading the special moments and reunions that the other members have experienced. But it has been bittersweet for me as I am yet to find any closure. I have only unanswered questions. I often wondered: Who were he men on the other eight planes that made it to Prestwick? Did they know my father? Was anyone else of the crew on his plane also a father? Could there possibly be AWON members connected to my father?
The following is a list of men who were on the B-24 liberator with my father when it was lost on September 27, 1943:
Pilot: 2nd Lt. Walter Senf, Montrose, Iowa
Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. Harry N. McKain, Jr., Aurora, IN
Navigator: 2nd Lt. Robert B. Cooper, Fairmont, WV
Bombardier: 2nd Lt. David Radosevich, Raton, NM
Assistant Engineer: Sgt. Eugene Gnabasik, Milwaukee, WI
Radio Operator: Sgt. Roy Hutcherson, Alexander City, AL
Tail Gunner: Sgt. Lee Apple, Reidsville, NC
Belly Gunner: Morris Abeyounis, Greenville, NC
Engineer: Sgt. Joseph Karpovich, Shenandoah, PA
Thanks you to anyone who might have information of any kind regarding Harry McKain.
Peggy McKain Lockwood
[email protected]
13236 N Wilmington Hills
Aurora, IN 47001
Included in the article is apparently a picture of a B-24 with a crew. The picture doesn't indicate whether or not it was the crew that didn't make it to Scotland.
Ref: USAF.com – Missing Relatives/Lost Friends (M-O) pg. 1 - Anyone who knew Harry N. McKain Jr. – Missing in Action, 1943 – I'm trying to locate someone who knew my father Harry N. McKain Jr. I know that he was with 807 Bomb Squad-471 Bomb Group and was on a ferry mission leaving Goose Bay, Labrador on September 27, 1943 and was to arrive in Prestwick, Scotland but never arrived. He was to be assigned to another group or squadron when he arrived. He trained at Luke Field Class 43-F, was part of the North Atlantic Wing Air Transport Command and also attend Rankin Academy. There were other planes that left the same night but his was the only one lost. On the plane were Walter Senf, Robert Cooper, David Radosevich, Eugene Gnasbasik, Roy Hutcherson, Lee Apple, Morris Abeyounis, Joseph Karpovich and the last contact was with radio operator Frederick S. Garlick Jr. He knew my mom was expecting and I never got to see him. If anyone has any information please contact me. [email protected] Peggy McKain Lockwood.
Ref: The Evening Democrat, Ft. Madison, IA, 4 Oct. 1943, pg. 1 – Missing – Mr. and Mrs. E. O. Senf of Montrose were advised by the War Department that their son, Lt. Walter G. Senf, pilot of a bomber, was missing.
Lt. Senf had completed his flight training at Pueblo, CO only a few weeks ago and was assigned to a bomber crew. Last week his parents were advised that he was in a hospital somewhere in Canada but no details were given.
The telegram Saturday reported merely that he was missing and did not indicate whether he had reached a combat zone or had been lost enroute.
Lt. Senf had been in the Army about two years. (picture)
Ref: The Evening Democrat, Ft. Madison, IA, Fri., 15 Oct. 1943, pg. 1 – Abandon Hunt For Missing Local Flier – Search has been abandoned for Lt. Walter G. Senf, missing since Sep. 27, in a flight over the North Atlantic, according to a letter received by his mother, Mrs. Charlotte Senf, Montrose, from headquarters of the North Atlantic Wings, Air Transport Command, at Presque, Isle, Maine.
Lt. Senf had completed his training only a few weeks before at Pueblo, CO and was assigned as pilot of a bomber.
The letter from headquarters follow:
Dear Mrs. Senf,
We wish to advise you that search for your son, 2nd Lt. Walter G. Senf, has been abandoned. The area covered was roughly a perimeter of 200 miles around the point of disappearance in the North Atlantic. We assure you that any future reports will be investigated.
Please accept my sincere sympathy. His absence is a source of real regret and a loss to us all, and although the organized search for your son has been abandoned, the Armed forces are ever vigilant for the discovery of missing aircraft personnel. It is our sincere hope that your son is alive, in good health and that he will rejoin his organization.
Yours sincerely,
Paul F. Grove, Jr.,
Captain, A. C.
Casualty Officer
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