Latest news with #HerbertG.Tennyson
Washington Post
26-02-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Remains of WWII bomber pilot, lost in the Pacific in '44, are identified
The remains of the pilot of a downed World War II Army bomber that was the subject of a pioneering recovery project in the Pacific Ocean have been identified, the Defense Department said Tuesday. First Lt. Herbert G. Tennyson, 24, of Wichita, was the fourth member of the plane's 11-man crew to be accounted for, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) said.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Wichita pilot shot down in WWII will finally come home
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The remains of a Wichita airman have been recovered and identified almost 81 years after he and his crew were shot down in World War II. U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Herbert G. Tennyson was 24 when he flew a B-24 Liberator named Heaven Can Wait on a mission to bomb enemy positions in Papua, New Guinea. Witnesses on other aircraft in the formation saw flames erupt from the bomb bay of Tennyson's plane. It is believed that anti-aircraft fire struck the plane, causing its bombs to explode. The B-24 crashed into the water. The other planes circled the area, searching for survivors, but found none. How could the halt on pennies affect collectors? After the war, searchers tried to find the wreckage but eventually gave up. In 1950, the Heaven Can Wait crew was designated as non-recoverable. Starting in 2013, the family of a Heaven Can Wait crewmember began a years-long search for more details about the crash. The effort paid off. In 2017, Project Recover found what appeared to be the plane by using sonars and underwater robotic technology. In 2019, an underwater investigation team surveyed the wreckage and made sure there were no active bombs. And in 2023, a team recovered some remains and material evidence, including identification tags. Scientists with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency used dental and anthropological analysis, material, and circumstantial evidence to identify Tennyson's remains. The Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis. Tennyson's family was recently told that his remains were identified. He will be buried in Wichita, but a date has not been set yet. There is no information yet on whether any of the other crew members' remains have been recovered and identified. The military lists gunner Staff Sgt. Walter W. Graves as also being from Kansas. Some reports indicate that the co-pilot, 2nd Lt. Michael J. McFadden Jr., was from Clay Center. The military lists his home of record as Nebraska. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
U.S. pilot of crashed WWII bomber "Heaven Can Wait" is accounted for
An American pilot killed in World War II has been accounted for 80 years after his bomber — dubbed "Heaven Can Wait" — crashed off the coast of New Guinea, U.S. officials revealed Monday. U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Herbert G. Tennyson, 24, of Wichita, Kansas, was officially accounted for on Sept. 25, 2024, and Tennyson's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) said in a news release. On March 11, 1944, Tennyson was the pilot onboard a B-24D Liberator bomber called "Heaven Can Wait" during a bombing mission in Hansa Bay, located along the northern coast of New Guinea. Officials said crew members from other aircraft in the formation reported seeing flames shooting out from the bomb bay and tail of Tennyson's plane. Military officials believe anti-aircraft fire had hit the plane, causing one of the bombs it was carrying to explode. Airmen from other planes in the formation reported seeing "Heaven Can Wait" pitching up violently before banking left and plummeting into the Pacific Ocean. Several aircraft circled the crash site to search for signs of life. "After the bombing run the formation circled to the right and endeavored with binoculars to see signs of survivors," Sgt. Arnold S. Smith, a waist gunner aboard another plane in the formation, reported at the time. "I could see no evidence that bodies remained at the surface." After the war, a special unit of the U.S. military conducted extensive searches of crash sites in New Guinea. In 1950, officials concluded the remains of Tennyson and the 10 other "Heaven Can Wait" crew members killed in the crash were non-recoverable. In October 2017, an organization called Project Recover located the wreckage of a B-24 aircraft in Hansa Bay while making sonar scans during a survey, and it was eventually confirmed to be the final resting place of "Heaven Can Wait." Two years later, a DPAA underwater investigation team conducted multiple surveys of the wreckage, clearing the site of any undetonated explosives. Finally, in 2023, an underwater recovery team excavated the crash site. The recovered evidence, which included life support equipment and identification tags, was sent to a DPAA laboratory for analysis. Scientists were finally able to identify Tennyson's remains, using dental and anthropological analysis and mitochondrial DNA analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence. Tennyson will be buried in Wichita, Kansas, on a date yet to be determined. Tennyson is at least the fourth crewmember of "Heaven Can Wait" to be positively identified by the U.S. military. Just last month, DPAA announced that Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Eugene J. Darrigan, 26, of Wappinger's Falls, New York, was accounted for. Darrigan was the radio operator on board the bomber. In November, DPAA announced that Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr., 21, of Livermore, California, was accounted for. Kelly was the bombardier onboard "Heaven Can Wait." Two months before that, DPAA announced that Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Donald W. Sheppick, was accounted for. Sheppick was the navigator on the plane. Latest news on Pope Francis' health after lung infection, kidney failure Vatican releases update on Pope Francis' health "Taking on the Eiger" | 60 Minutes Archive
CBS News
25-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
U.S. pilot killed in WWII is accounted for 80 years after bomber named "Heaven Can Wait" crashed into ocean
An American pilot killed in World War II has been accounted for 80 years after his bomber — dubbed "Heaven Can Wait" — crashed off the coast of New Guinea, U.S. officials revealed Monday. U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Herbert G. Tennyson, 24, of Wichita, Kansas, was officially accounted for on Sept. 25, 2024, and Tennyson's family recently received their full briefing on his identification, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) said in a news release. On March 11, 1944, Tennyson was the pilot onboard a B-24D Liberator bomber called "Heaven Can Wait" during a bombing mission in Hansa Bay, located along the northern coast of New Guinea. Officials said crew members from other aircraft in the formation reported seeing flames shooting out from the bomb bay and tail of Tennyson's plane. Military officials believe anti-aircraft fire had hit the plane, causing one of the bombs it was carrying to explode. Airmen from other planes in the formation reported seeing "Heaven Can Wait" pitching up violently before banking left and plummeting into the Pacific Ocean. Several aircraft circled the crash site to search for signs of life. "After the bombing run the formation circled to the right and endeavored with binoculars to see signs of survivors," Sgt. Arnold S. Smith, a waist gunner aboard another plane in the formation, reported at the time. "I could see no evidence that bodies remained at the surface." After the war, a special unit of the U.S. military conducted extensive searches of crash sites in New Guinea. In 1950, officials concluded the remains of Tennyson and the 10 other "Heaven Can Wait" crew members killed in the crash were non-recoverable. In October 2017, an organization called Project Recover located the wreckage of a B-24 aircraft in Hansa Bay while making sonar scans during a survey, and it was eventually confirmed to be the final resting place of "Heaven Can Wait." Two years later, a DPAA underwater investigation team conducted multiple surveys of the wreckage, clearing the site of any undetonated explosives. Finally, in 2023, an underwater recovery team excavated the crash site. The recovered evidence, which included life support equipment and identification tags, was sent to a DPAA laboratory for analysis. Scientists were finally able to identify Tennyson's remains, using dental and anthropological analysis and mitochondrial DNA analysis, as well as material and circumstantial evidence. Tennyson will be buried in Wichita, Kansas, on a date yet to be determined. Tennyson is at least the fourth crewmember of "Heaven Can Wait" to be positively identified by the U.S. military. Just last month, DPAA announced that Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Eugene J. Darrigan, 26, of Wappinger's Falls, New York, was accounted for. Darrigan was the radio operator on board the bomber. In November, DPAA announced that Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Thomas V. Kelly Jr., 21, of Livermore, California, was accounted for. Kelly was the bombardier onboard "Heaven Can Wait." Two months before that, DPAA announced that Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Donald W. Sheppick, was accounted for. Sheppick was the navigator on the plane.
