Crew #11

Crew of 11th Aircraft Plane # 40-2249 - "Hari Kari-er" - Crew from 89th Reconnaissance Squadron - (Bail Out)

Upon reaching Japan Captain Greening's bomber inadvertently flew over an active enemy air base, and ten minutes later came under attack from four fighters. The gunner believed he shot down one of the enemy fighters and damaged another before the B25 reached its targets to bomb a large oil refinery and storage area. The crew also fired on three enemy patrol boats at the mouth of Tokyo Harbor before heading west to China. The crew bailed out 200 miles inland from the coast. Lt. Reedy broke his kneecap and suffered a scalp wound and Sergeant Gardner sprained both ankles. The entire crew made it safely to Chuhsien where the two men received treatment.

No.11 bomber crashed in a mountainous area on the border of Zhejiang and Anhui provinces. Five US crew were escorted to Shexian County in Anhui Province. When Zeng Jianpei, an interpreter, asked them about their needs, S/Sgt. William L. Birch said he wanted a bottle of beer. Beer was rarely found then. To his surprise, however, Zeng found him a Shanghai brand bottle of beer. Recalling this segment of history, S/Sgt. Birch later said that bottle of beer was "the tastiest beer I have ever tasted in my life."

Pilot Capt. C.R. Greening
Co-Pilot Lt. K.E. Reddy
Navigator Lt. F.A. Kappeler
Bombardier SSgt. W.L. Birch
Engineer Gunner Sgt. M.J. Gardner