George J. Ocavage

Branch: Army Air Force
Service Number: 32077440

Rank: Staff Sergeant

Unit: 14^th Air Force, 308^th Bombardment Group, 425^th Bombardment Squadron

 George John Ocavage was born on March 2, 1919 in New Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was the youngest child of Lithuanian immigrants John and Margaret (Juodzius) Ocavage. His parents had a total of 14 children, but sadly five had perished at a very young age. George had several sisters (Helen, Mary, Margaret, Agnes, Frances, Marcella, and Anna) and a brother, Anthony. The family lived at 6 Wiggan Street in New Philadelphia, located approximately 70 miles northwest of Philadelphia. This was a small coal-mining community located in Schuylkill County. Most of the town residents at that time were also of Lithuanian descent. His father was employed as a miner at the nearby Silver Creek Coal Mine. John passed at the age of 55, due to lung and kidney disease just prior to George's second birthday. 

 The Ocavage children were educated at the Sacred Heart Parochial School in New Philadelphia. Here, Anthony and George participated in a play on September 11th and 12th of 1931. “Corporal Eagen” was a hit show at the time. A spectacle which included a pageant, minstrel show, sailors' chorus, tap dancers, songs and drama; all rolled into one. The Universal Producing Company ran this play between the years 1928 and 1934. They put on 3000 small-town productions of this play all over the country. Each cast was comprised of approximately 150 local townspeople. Anthony had the role of “Private Yehl” and George had a small roll as a paperboy. The local newspaper stated that Anthony's Private Yehl had the job as a cook, "and what a cook!" George was also said to have played his part well. The shows were an overall huge success for the community. George would also participate in another play where he took on the roll of the “Emperor” in a drama entitled, “A Young Hero.” This was presented at the Sacred Heart School (New Philadelphia) on June 17, 1934, during their fourth annual promotional exercises for the students. The act was said to be very well portrayed and enjoyed by the audience. 

 Later that year, George and the family would travel to visit his sister, Mrs. Helen Howell who now lived at 431 West Shunk Street in Philadelphia. George would return to Philly in late July, 1936, attending a double-header baseball game at Baker Bowl on July 26th, where the Phillies played the Chicago Cubs. The Phils took the first game, winning 4-0 and then losing the second by a score of 18-5. After returning home, he ended the summer at Knuckle’s Dam where there was a huge picnic and various outdoor activities for all of the children. George would graduate from Sacred Heart School and move on to Blythe Township High School. He showed interest in the arts programs, trying to help re-organize the New Philadelphia Band in January of 1937 and furthering his thespian chops, performing a scene from “The Last Supper” with his fellow students on May 7, 1937. 

836 Lambert Avenue, Mt. Ephraim

 There must have been some talk about leaving New Philadelphia and moving to the Philadelphia region to be closer to the rest of their family. George’s sister, Helen, Mary and Agnes were already living in the city and sisters Margaret and Anna had moved to the Newark area. Anthony would eventually purchase the property at 836 Lambert Avenue in Mount Ephraim from Clara Grunwald on December 29, 1937 for $1. Margaret Ocavage and her unwed children (Anthony, Frances, Marcella and George) settled into their new surroundings. The older siblings found jobs in the area while George attended Audubon High School until the end of his junior year in 1939. He was said by the Courier Post to be a star athlete. 

 On March 25, 1941, George was among 10 men selected by Camden County Draft Board #3 (Gloucester City) to report to the Gloucester municipal building on Broadway and Monmouth Streets, where they would be taken to Fort Dix for Army induction training on April 1st. George was rejected by the board after a medical examination found that he had a deviated left septum, flat feet, and varicose veins.  His brother, Anthony would also be selected during the draft on April 23, 1942. He was one of 67 men selected by the Gloucester City Draft Board to report on May 8th to Fort Dix for induction into the Army. It is not known if he had served in the military or was rejected. On that same day, other Mount Ephraim men were selected by the board were Willibold Stefan, and Angelo Giordano (brother of Jerry Giordano). Willibold and Jerry were both killed during the war. 

 It may have come as a complete surprise when on July 28, 1942, George would receive a second notice stating that he was one of 70 men selected for active duty by the Gloucester City Draft Board. These selectees were released from active duty and transferred into the Enlisted Reserved Corp. This allowed the draftee about 10 days to get their affairs in order. George and the others were to report to Gloucester's municipal building on the morning of August 11th. The group would depart Gloucester at 9:30 A.M. via Public Service Bus and arrived at the 1229th Reception Center at Fort Dix by 11:30 A.M. The men lined up and reported for duty with the commanding officer. 

 According to his military medical charts, the blue-eyed, blonde haired young man stood at 5 foot, 6 inches and weighed 125 pounds. He had a light complexion and a mole on his right cheek. They stated that he had suffered a concussion back in 1936, but showed no signs of issues relating to this injury. It also noted his deviated septum, varicose veins and flat feet. These were the conditions that had previously resulted in George's rejection to the Army last April. This time, the military had overlooked these dysfunctions and deemed him fit for duty. After taking an IQ test, he scored high enough to qualify for the Army Air Corps. After several days of aptitude testing and induction training at Fort Dix, George received orders to report to the local train depot where he boarded the passenger railcar and set off for an unknown destination.

 The train would eventually wind its way to Biloxi, Mississippi where Private Ocavage was whisked off to nearby Keeler Army Air Field. There, George was placed into Flight 458 of the 309th Technical School. Under the tutelage of the Second Air Force, he would spend about four weeks completing his basic training. At this time, the training at Keesler focused much of their courses on aircraft mechanics, particularly for the Consolidated built B-24 “Liberator” bomber. The days in Mississippi at this time of year were sweltering and particularly brutal for the northern boys. Temperatures commonly climbed up above 100 degrees making training practically unbearable. Undeterred, George had settled on becoming a mechanic once boot camp was over. He had received a package of candy from one of his sisters while there. Like the rest of the men in his barracks, whenever goodies got sent to an individual, they were divided up and shared with each of their buddies. He and his comrades thanked her for the candy she had sent along to him. 

 George had finished basic training at the end of August and was waiting for a spot to open at an aircraft mechanic class. Now that he was done with classes (for the time being), he had been constantly rotated doing stints of K.P. (Kitchen Police) and guard duty. Particularly exhausting, guard duty spanned 24 hours with two-hours on and four-hours off. He had written to his sister that he hadn’t gotten any sleep at all. He stated that the temperature was finally cooling down. Instead of 105 degrees, it was only 97! He also realized that his pay was rapidly depleting after having to buy various necessities like soap, shaving kits, shoe shine kits, soda pop, beer, paper and “a million other things.” He had received his first pass and decided he would buy everything he needed after returning home to Mount Ephraim. While still at camp, he was being treated for athlete’s foot. With the heat and humidity coupled with marching, it was bound to happen. He had also made a trip to the base dentist to have a few cavities taken care of. 

 Before leaving for home on furlough, George had taken the test for aerial gunnery school and passed. He grew tired of waiting for the mechanic school to open so instead, he opted to become a gunner. He stated that the course was, "one of the toughest and most rigid of anything else in the Air Corps.” After visiting his family in Mount Ephraim, George took a train to southern Texas, where he began his next phase at the Harlingen Army Gunnery School (HAGS) in early October. He joined the 476th Gunnery School Squadron, where he would spend five weeks learning all the techniques and processes of being a flexible machine gun operator aboard an aircraft. 

 George liked Harlingen much better than Keesler Air Field. He marveled at the new surroundings. There were all kinds of palm, orange and grapefruit trees everywhere. Cactus too! His eyes also noted all of the pretty Mexican girls as well. He was quite impressed with the accommodations at the the base. They ate on regular plates instead of mess trays, had private rooms instead of open barracks. He only had to share his quarters with two other gunner recruits. George got his own desk to write on and bragged that he could leave the lights on in his room all night if he wished. He stated in a letter to his sister that if he doesn’t answer any of her letters, “it will be because I am pitching for all I got.”  

 Gunnery school was known to be a grueling and fast-paced process. As the course began, students were introduced to the equipment used for aerial gunnery. The first weapons they would train with were BB guns at the skeet range. During this time, they were instructed on how to “lead” a target. Aircraft identification, machine gun nomenclature and maintenance were also taught. They were to become so familiarized with the weaponry, that a student would be able to field strip and re-assemble a .50 caliber machine-gun while blindfolded. Along with this knowledge, they would be able to troubleshoot and correct any issues with the gun.

 By week four, the class moved on to the coastal ground range, firing hand-held .30 caliber Browning machine guns and later the larger .50 caliber machine guns mounted in a turret affixed to the back of trucks. Students would train at all hours, firing at both stationary and moving targets. 

 During the final week at HAGS, each man would finally get to have in-air target practice. At first, they would be shooting from the rear cockpit of a SNJ "Texan" trainer plane. Next would be done from a turret aboard a medium bomber. Their target was a sheet which was towed behind another plane. Each person would have a different colored set of bullets, making it easier to tally the score of every shooter. The student would be required to score 20 hits on the target “plane” in order to graduate. This was also the time that many potential gunners washed out due to the fear of flying or a medical induced issue with altitude. More students failed due to this later issue than poor gunnery skills.

 On November 2nd, George had completed the training course, earning his Aerial Gunner Badge and a promotion to Sergeant. While attending school at HAGS, Paramount Picures was filming on and around the premises for a new movie, "Aerial Gunner" starring Chester Morris and Richard Arlen. It is very possible that parts of George's graduation ceremony were used for this film (On a side note, for those interested in watching this film, it is available to watch for free if you have an Amazon Prime account.  I did find a free version for those without Amazon Prime here.)

Sergeant Ocavage’s training was far from complete. Now that gunnery school was over with, his next assignment would take him to the Army Air Base in Salt Lake City, Utah to attend a four-week aerial radio operator course. If he completed this class, he would get a promotion to Staff Sergeant. The next step would be an assignment to an aircraft and another jump in rank (and pay) to Technical Sergeant. “This is the highest achievement that I can make." 

 George arrived in Utah just prior to mid-November 1942. The airbase was built on the site of the present-day Salt Lake City International Airport. He was assigned to the Provisional Replacement Squadron “E” and waiting for the class to begin. In a letter home dated November 15th, he wrote that the temperatures ranged from 14 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit and snowed often. His accommodations were now in a tent and exclaimed that putting his uniform on in the morning felt as if he was wearing icicles. In the meantime, George took on the role as an instructor, drilling the rookie airmen all morning. He told his sister, “they think I’m hard-boiled because I holler at them when they don’t march right.” in the afternoon, he would give lectures on topics of military courtesy, gas mask procedures, court martial offenses, and how to become better soldiers. George had met a girl while back in Texas. He sent a picture to his sister of the two of them posing together. “How do you like my girlfriend?” he asked, “She was crying when I left Texas. She wanted to marry me and go every place I would go. I told her he would consider it once the war was over and he was out of the Army.” 

 On November 15th, George wrote home, asking if anyone saw his picture in the local newspaper and if so, he wanted a copy. Gazing out in the distance, he could see the mountain range where a tragic airplane crash occurred earlier that year, killing everyone aboard. The most notable passenger was famed actress Carol Lombard. He had caught a cold and was restricted to his quarters. This time, he was being billeted in barracks rather than the tent which most likely contributed to his illness. He had described the accommodations as a shack with tar paper covering the outside, “ just like our chicken coop.” He wasn’t far from the truth. The airmen were billeted in converted horse paddocks. George noted that it was snowing there once again. At that point, the snow had accumulated to more than two foot. While he hadn’t been able to attend the radio operator class, he noticed that the other guys were trying to learn Morse Code and having a difficult go at it. Some airmen were so frustrated, they acted out and had to be placed in the custody of the guard house. 

 George finally began to feel better and returned to his schooling. He was learning to take code at sixteen words a minute as well as the fundamentals of electricity and radio theory. In a letter written on November 24th, George requested money from his family. He needed things like pencils, tablets an other necessities but didn’t have any money to purchase these things. Even worse, George didn’t know when he was going to receive his next pay. While he was good physically, Ocavage was clearly miserable. He had been transferred to another squadron (Provisional Replacement Squadron F) and claimed that it was the worst one that he had been in yet. He was responsible for feeding coal into the barrack stove to keep warm and clean out the ashes afterward. To add to the misery, when one needed the latrine or shower, they had to go outdoors. All passes had been restricted and the men were relegated to drilling all day on Sunday. The one bright spot was a card received from his niece, Evelyn Stankus. George was very pleased to hear from her. 

 By the beginning of December, George was knee-deep in learning how radio transmitters and receivers functioned and trying to absorb the tricky radio code. The requirement to graduate the class was to be able to send and receive eighteen words a minute of this. Deciphering all the dits and dots was making him crazy, but George knew though that he had to keep up with his studies. If he could accomplish this, he figured that he could use this skill to go into a line of work after the war was over. George wrote home about how he spent fifteen dollars on a new brown sleeveless sweater, some wool socks, a sweatshirt and a scarf. He must have borrowed money from some of his buddies because he claimed to be flat broke and had yet to receive his pay for six weeks. 

 Only a few days later, George would finally receive money from home. One of his sisters asked in a letter if he had gotten a package from the priest at Sacred Heart Church in Mount Ephraim. She had donated a few dollars to the the collection that was used by the church to purchase gifts for the servicemen and women from parish. He let her know in a letter that this package that she spoke of had not made its way to him yet. He figured it may have been sent to the wrong airfield and would eventually catch up to him. George was getting disgusted with his class. “I hear code any place I go. It’s a great strain on the eardrums. I’ll see how log I can stand it.” Also in his letter home, he spoke of the holidays. George enjoyed Thanksgiving at camp and was practicing for the chair in the chapel for the Christmas services. He said that he knew the chaplain very well. To end his letter, he wrote that he was in a hurry to finish writing because his lieutenant could come by at any moment for barracks inspection. “He sees that everything is in ship-shape.” 

 George would finally get a package from the priest at Sacred Heart Church on December 14th. It had contained a bar of soap, razor blades, shaving cream, hair tonic, tooth powder and a pack of cigarettes. He also received a dollar from Vivian Phillips, courtesy of the Mount Ephraim Women’s Club and a card from the Mount Ephraim P.T.A. For a little while at his post office, there was a mix-up. All of his mail was not being sent to the proper place. After getting the problem resolved, he wrote in a letter home, “I was so disgusted and low until I started to receive packages and mail.” George was hoping for a good Christmas, much as he had for Thanksgiving. “We had about 30 different things at the mess hall. We had a choice of turkey, chicken, duck and ham. We had all kinds of cake, candy, ice cream...we even had caviar! They even put table cloths on the table. I never ate so much in all my life.” He said that he sent his wings and a picture of him to a Spanish girl in New York. “She loves me terribly. She sent me a box of candy and a box of assorted cookies, and today I got a package from her containing a carton of cigarettes.” At the end of his letter, he claimed he heard the whistle, which meant he had to fall out and drill. 

 Just two days prior to Christmas, George got a letter from home containing holy bread. “I’m going to share it with a friend of mine. He thinks that is nice custom that we go through on Christmas Eve.” He had been feeling ill for several days and had to miss class at the radio school. In a letter he said, "I might wash out because I missed out a lot of code. Every time I take code, I cough and miss groups of words.” All hopes of having a good holiday season seemed to evaporate with the realization, “We won’t have any school, but they’ll probably drill us all day. You see, this camp don’t know what a holiday is.” All passes had been restricted and the airmen were not even allowed to leave the confines of the base. Security was so tight, guards were placed around the barracks. 

 On Christmas Eve, George went out on sick call. He had been fighting off something for a several weeks. The doctor would usually give him some cough medicine and send him on his way. This time was different though. He had finally spoken to the proper medical officer. “The major looked at me and took my temperature and gave all the doctors hell for not sending me to the hospital,” George said. He was diagnosed with pneumonia and admitted to Station Hospital Ward 7 at Fort Douglas, about 14 miles from the airbase. The day after Christmas, George wrote home saying that he already felt much better, but that his throat was still sore and was coughing a lot. He also mention possibly having a procedure to correct his deviated septum, so long as the captain performing the surgery had the time in his schedule. 

 The first week of 1943 still saw Sergeant Ocavage in the hospital ward at Ft. Douglas. His condition improved and expected to be discharged any day. The fact of the matter was though, he would not be allowed to return to radio school until he was fully recovered and his temperature was normal for a 24-hour period. Little did he know, but this would be an extended stay for the young airman. He wrote home, “This was one the best vacations I ever had here in the hospital since I joined the Army. I sleep all day and night. They bring me my food on trays and anything I need, they get me.” The Red Cross made daily rounds to each soldier convalescing in the hospital. “Every day, they give us oranges, matches, cigarettes, stationary or anything you need. It don’t cost us a cent.” 

 Days turned into weeks. By January 15, he was waiting to get clear of his cold so the nose operation could proceed. George figured it would happen within the next week. In fact, he was still battling this illness well into the next month. In a letter home on February 6, he told his family that he remained in the hospital, but felt better. The major told George that he had contracted tonsillitis as well as the cold. Once he was released from the hospital, George believed that he would get a furlough. He had saved eighty dollars so far and should have enough money collected to come home. He asks his sister to write to a childhood friend back in New Philadelphia by the name of Joseph A Skripko. Joseph was now a Private First Class, serving in the Army Air Force as a typist for the medical department at the Avon Bombing Range in Florida. The two boys used to live right around the block from each other. 

 George would eventually get discharged from the hospital on February 18, 1943. It is unknown if he got his furlough to come home or not. He must have returned at some point to finish his schooling at the radio operator school and obtain the rank of Staff Sergeant. The next portion of his journey took him to replacement combat crew training for heavy bombers. The Second Air Force specified training in a three-phase plan to ready all airmen (pilots, navigators, bombardiers, radiomen, engineers, and gunners) into a cohesive combat team. This process took several months to achieve before they would be deployed overseas. 

 This part of George’s military training gets a little unclear. It is known where he was stationed, but not the order and timeline as of yet. Here is how I believe it played out. This is only my best guess at this point. The story will get updated as soon as I discover more. 

Lt. Robinson crew training stateside

 The first phase took George to Davis-Monthan Army Airfield in Tucson, Arizona. He was assigned to a crew of a B-24 bomber piloted by 1st Lieutenant Clarence J. Robinson - a University of Kansas law school graduate from Newton, Kansas. The other members of this crew consisted of (Co-Pilot) 2nd Lieutenant Paul E. Bitner - an amateur boxer and long-time Army man from Shiremanstown, Pennsylvania, (Navigator) 2nd Lieutenant Wesley M. Green - a star football player from Wellington, Texas, (Bombardier) 2nd Lieutenant John R. Boetcher - a newspaper worker from Menomonie, Wisconsin who joined the National Guard prior to the war and transferred to the Air Corp after a need for bombardiers, (Radio Operator/Gunner) Technichal Sergeant Harry E. Wade - a construction worker from Allentown, Pennsylvania who saw previous action with the Air Corps in Africa, (Engineer/Gunner) Technical Sergeant Oneal R. Linford - a farmer from St. Charles, Idaho, (Assistant Engineer/Gunner) Staff Sergeant Cloyd D. Brown - a former boy scout from Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, (Gunner) Staff Sergeant Arthur “Abe” L. Bartlett - a high school track and football star from Topsham, Maine, and (Gunner) Staff Sergeant Felix Grochocki - an inspector for Bausch and Lomb from Rochester, New York who previously served with the Coastal Artillery Corps in the Philippines. 

B-24 Liberator

 During this time period, George revisited instruction on gunnery but more focused on those used on heavy bombers like the Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress” and the Consolidated B-24 “Liberator.” Aerial gunner’s training varied, depending on whether he was a specialist gunner and what gun position in the aircraft he manned. In George’s case, he was an assistant radio operator as well as a gunner. This meant he was primarily a gunner but could handle either role as needed. He would need to know how to send, receive and decipher audio and visual code, operate, adjust and maintain all radio equipment and locate the aircraft’s position by radio fixes. As a gunner, he would have to properly identify and track targets, load, aim and shoot the .50 caliber machine guns -- don’t forget troubleshoot any problems that come with a misfire or jam. Little of the time spent in this part of crew training would involve flying in any type of aircraft. 

 By April 4th, George had competed the hurdle of first phase and was transferred to Alamogordo Army Airfield in New Mexico to begin phase two of crew training. Where first phase was more oriented towards individual members honing their specialty, crews were beginning to work together on team tasks. This next part was the most intensive training the airmen had endured yet. Their exercises included dead reckoning navigation, various formation flying, high-altitude bombing, and gunnery on both air-to-air and air-to-ground targets. These crews operated on a 24-hour basis, performing both day and night flying. 

 Second phase training was completed in early May. George and the crew would be sent off to Biggs Army Airfield in El Paso, Texas. The third phase of training involved considerable long distance practice bombing missions made to mimic real combat conditions as much as possible. Each mission was planned out, crews were briefed beforehand and debriefed by intelligence officers upon their return. Practically all of these missions were flown in formations with each crew taking a turn as the lead ship. Exercises were conducted night and day, testing the performance skills each airman aboard the bomber. 

 By mid May, Lt. Robinson’s crew was sent off for a couple of weeks of training to Blythe Airfield in California, near the border of Arizona. Here, the airmen rehearsed long-range navigation, camera bombing against “industrial installations,” instrument flying, and more gunnery practice with air and ground targets. Approaching the last week in May, George and the crew would be sent to Salinas Field, near Monterey, California for a week. Training there included overwater navigational flight and perhaps some patrolling off the coast for enemy submarines. This was a buildup to complete all of the requirements for being sent to a bombardment group overseas. 

 

George home on furlough

Crew training was over by June 8th and the men were given a furlough. George was eager to see his family. His return to Mount Ephraim was a joyous one. He spent some quality time with his mother, siblings, nieces and nephews before having to head back to his next assignment at Herington Army Airfield in Topeka, Kansas. 

 George arrived at the field just fifteen minutes before being listed as AWOL on June 21st. He had taken the train from home and eventually arrived in Kansas City. From there, he boarded another train which had to be re-routed all around the state. Major flooding had occurred throughout May and June 1943 and the high waters washed out various roads and railways. Things were happening at a quick pace in his training and he was keeping very busy. At Herington, he had been given additional items. “I’ve been issued a tent, mosquito net, Arctic clothes and boots. I don’t know where I’m going.” With this new bounty he was concerned about how to take it all with him as he jumped from place to place. An individual crew member had an allowance of one-hundred pounds of personal effects onboard the bomber. If he were to transport his belongings by ship, they would only allow seventy-five pounds. Writing home on June 22nd, George had mentioned sending a pillow case to his mother and sister, Agnes as well as a few photographs of he and the crew. Ending his letter, he stated, “I remain anxiously awaiting a return for Christmas." 

 This was to be a processing place for the men before being sent overseas for duty. All the records of the crews were checked for accuracy and up to date. Each man was given a physical examination, clothing and equipment inspection, lecture about prisoners of war, communication instructions and issued any critical items deemed necessary. The officers were briefed on the route of travel to their final destination. Most importantly, Lt. Robinson was assigned a B-24 of his own to fly to their next assignment. The crew decided to name their new aircraft, “Yankee Jayhawk.” This was no doubt paying homage to their pilot’s home state. 

 On June 23, 1943, the Yankee Jayhawk departed Kansas to be deployed overseas. They flew to Homestead Airfield, located south of Miami, Florida to refuel. The aircraft left the next day for Borinquen Army Airfield in Aquadilla, Puerto Rico. Once in Puerto Rico, George penned a quick letter home letting the family know he had a 3-day pass and was writing from the largest city on the island (San Juan). He mentioned, “the señoritas are plentiful here.” Soon, it was time to leave for the next airfield. The airmen loading up into the Liberator and set off. While en route, Lt. Robinson opened up an envelope containing their orders. He revealed to the crew that their ultimate destination was Kunming, China.

 On June 23, 1943, the Yankee Jayhawk departed Kansas to be deployed overseas.  They flew to Homestead Airfield, located south of Miami, Florida.  The aircraft left the next day for Borinquen Army Airfield in Aquadilla, Puerto Rico.  While en route, Lt. Robinson opened up an envelope containing their orders.  He revealed to the crew that their destination was China. 

 The Jayhawk traversed the globe, making stops at Waller Army Airfield in Trinadad, Atkinson Army Airfield in Guyana, Val de Caesura Field in Belem and Parnamirim Field in Natal, Brazil. They then crossed the Atlantic Ocean, to Wideawake Field on Ascension Island and onto Accra Airport in the Gold Coast of Africa (now Ghana). Continuing their journey, the crew headed to Maiduguri Airport in Nigeria, Khartoum Airport in Sudan, and RAF Khormaksar in the British Colony of Aden (now in Yemen). The next leg took them into India; making stops in Karachi Airport (then a part of India), Agra Airfield and Chabua Airfield by early August. During the layover in Agra, George took a trip to see the Taj Mahal. He had sent a picture home with him posing in front of it and noted, “It is one of the prettiest architecture I ever seen." The stay in India took a little bit longer than expected as the bomber experienced engine trouble in Chabua and needed time for the ground crew to make necessary repairs. 

 The Yankee Jayhawk took to the skies a few days later, bound for China via a treacherous flight over the Himalayan Mountain range (nicknamed “The Hump”). They touched down at the 14th Air Force Headquarters base in Kunming, China by August 12th. That same day, Lt. Robinson and his crew were assigned to the 425th Bombardment Squadron of the 308th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and issued a new B-24D model Liberator. The 308th Bomb Group was part of the 14th Air Force, more commonly known as the "Flying Tigers.” Their fighter aircraft were the ones famously painted up the eyes and a mouth full of shark teeth. The Yankee Jayhawk had not yet been adorned with any type of nose art. It was simply painted in the standard olive drab color and stenciled with the serial number, 42-40930. 

 Taking some time to write home on August 15th, George told his family that he was under the command of General Chennault. “Just watch the papers for results." He said it was autumn, and right in the middle of monsoon season -- describing simply, “the rain comes down in buckets.” Things were certainly different in Kunming. George talked about having a house boy, a local teenager who would clean his room, make the bed, bring water, and shine his shoes, “I’m living like a king!” 

 He wanted to let them know that he had arrived safely and sent his regards to everyone back home, especially to a woman named Edna. George was apologetic for acting so shy with her. The trip overseas had been quite an experience, he said, “the tales I could tell could fill a book.” Along with the letter there was a photograph of George along with some officers he met at one of the stops. They had all enjoyed a few cocktails and decided to get their picture taken. “That’s the last drink I’ll have until I get back” Ocavage exclaimed, “because there isn’t any here.” He had mentioned some pictures previously sent home with his crew were mailed from Lt. Robinson’s wife. 

 George was excited to hear all the news from home. He told his sister that by the time he arrived in China, there were already 30 letters waiting for him. It was going to take some time before he got settled in at the airfield and then he’d have time to write more letters home. He even urged his niece and nephew (Evelyn and Buddy Stankus) to write to him. “And when I come back, I’ll bring home some souvenirs.” Ocavage also claimed, “I can’t promise any Japs, but the results will show themselves.” George’s thoughts had once again turned Christmas, stating that if anyone wanted to send him anything for the holidays, his top gift idea would be cigarettes — “they’re worth their weight in gold.” He also requested brushless shaving cream and double-edged razor blades. 

 One sentence written in his letter would be particularly haunting. George told his mother not to worry -- “I am safe and sound; I hope.” His bold and confident words telling family to “watch the papers for results” had seemingly wavered, perhaps just for a moment, being conscious to the fact that this was now the real deal. He hoped his faith would carry him through this war and be home by next Christmas.

 On the evening of August 23, 1943, Lt. Robinson and the fellow pilots of the squadron were told to be ready to fly a mission by daylight. The pilots assembled in the briefing tent early the next morning.  Lt John T. Foster, pilot of Belle Starr recounted in his book, "China Up and Down," “The awakening was at 4:30 A.M. I remember dressing, pocketing the benzedrine inhaler for my head cold, and going into the briefing tent. It was no time for nostalgia. I had been in training for more than 18 moths. I had, without a mishap, flown an Army Air Corps B-24 and my crew some 12,000 miles to get here for this. I was scared to the bone, and cold, but there was anticipation as well as apprehension.”

 Just three days prior, the 308th Bomb Group flew a disastrous mission to Hankow. Of the fourteen bomber that left from their airbases, only seven returned with badly wounded airmen. After hearing the details of this mission, General Chennault decided that another Hankow raid was necessary in order to reduce the large contingent of enemy fighter aircraft stationed in the area. Lt. Foster continued, “We knew the raid by the two other squadrons had been bloody, but so had the accidents throughout our training, and there was always some ready explanation to help one rationalize his own invulnerability. There was that convenient, 'I’m as bright as he and I can do it if he can' crutch that had carried me into and through my flying struggles. There was companionship of all the others around one. There was the instilled confidence in the plane itself and the knowledge that i had brought a newer model than the ones already here.”

 Major William Ellsworth entered the tent to begin the briefing. Things got very quiet as the Major exclaimed, “They clobbered our friends over Hankow the other day, and we’re going back to show they can’t do that to us!” The plane commanders were informed that seven B-24s from the 425th Bombardment Squadron were to rendezvous with seven B-24s from the 373rd Bombardment Squad to bomb the airdrome at Hankow, China (now part of Wuhan). Additionally, they would have six B-25 “Mitchell” bombers from the 11th Bombardment Squadron (341st Bombardment Group) in Kweilin go ahead of the Liberators to act as a diversion. Eight P-38 “Lightnings" of the 449th Fighter Squadron and fourteen P-40 “Warhawks” fighter planes from the 23rd Fighter Group would join the group when they rendezvoused over Hengyang to escort the formation to their target. "The words were good, but my growing chill came less from words and more from growing recognition that this was a different Major Ellsworth than I had briefly known,” remarked John Foster. "This was a very frightened man, who suddenly had aged and whose voice was shaking. That discovery was central; all the rest of the presentations seem unimportant."

 The flight and ground crews had prepared for the mission, loading up every squadron aircraft with nearly 2800 gallons of aviation fuel, cases of .50 caliber ammunition belts, ordinance and supplies. By early morning, the Liberators set off for Hankow — each bomb bay loaded with 15 clusters of 6x20 fragmentation bombs.  This was the 15th mission for the 425th Bombardment Squadron.  For some of the crews involved, especially Lt. Robinson’s men, this was to be their very first official combat mission.

 The crew's regular bombardier, John Boetcher was not able to fly this mission due to being ill. Lt. Robinson was assigned a replacement bombardier, 1st Lieutenant Emmett B. Van Deventer. Lt. Van Deventer was the bombardier for another Liberator named "Five By Five.”  This aircraft was wrecked after a hard landing at Kunming back in July 1943.  Having no bomber to fly, the crew was relegated to be replacements for other crews.

Bomber formation for Aug 24 1943

 The Yankee Jayhawk would fly in formation just to the left of the lead plane, “Sherazade." The other aircraft from the 425th assigned to the mission included “Chug-a-Lug,” “Belle Starr,” “Cabin In The Sky,” “Glamour Girl,” and “Stardust.” The bombers were heading to Hengyang to amass with the rest of the raiding party. While en route,word came over the radio that the Liberators from the 373rd Squadron would not be joining up. While the 425th experienced mostly clear skies at Kunming, the area surrounding the 373rd's airfield in Yangkai, China was said to be too foggy for their aircraft to fly. The decision was made by lead flight officer Captain Horace Foster for the 425th bombers to continue the mission without them. 

 As the formation reached the rendezvous point at Hengyang, where the  fighters were based, the bombers banked north towards Hankow. The P-40s and P-38s which had joined the group, soon went off ahead of the bombers. The heavy Liberators just could not keep up the pace of their quick moving escorts. Lt. Foster in "Belle Starr" recalled, "The flight of P-40s that snaked by us on my side were reassuring but flew on and disappeared ahead. We were alone again, and those clouds were now towering.” The P-38s were supposed to provide "high-cover" above the B-24s but arrived at the target and found no enemy aircraft and returned home. This left the Liberators of the 425th to fend mostly for themselves. According to Colonel Bruce Holloway of the 23rd Fighter Group, the P-40s went in with the B-25s and attacked an airfield at Wuchang. “The bombing was good. There were several Zeros still over the town, but all were working singly.” Holloway said they stuck with the Mitchells for 75 to 100 miles to protect them.

 Aboard one of the six B-25s from the 11th Bomb Squadron on this raid was tail-gunner Alvin Stainker, of Gloucester City. Here were two young men from neighboring towns, flying in separate aircraft, on the other side of the globe -- Small world! Positioned next to Stainker aboard the medium bomber was waist gunner Robert Appleby. He recalled, "The tension was great and the air seemed charged to the bursting point, as the Jap interception should be on us at any time.” 

 Several hours had elapsed since take-off in Kunming. The bombers were quickly approaching Hankow and its twin city of Wuchang along the Yangtze River. The sky was clear of clouds. Robert Appleby recalled, "We still had a one minute run to make, before our bombs would be released. I was covering the area from six o’ clock to twelve o’clock, left side, and had full vision of the seven B-24’s making their bombing run. They were a quarter of mile to our left and were to hit a target along side of ours.” Suddenly, bursts of anti-aircraft fire started popping all around them. The lead navigator lined up on their target. "The inter-phone chatter confirmed our course” said Lt. Foster. A little red light flickered on the pilots’ instrument panels, indicating bombs away. Some of the planes bombed the airdrome at Wuchang by mistake since the route took them directly over this location before reaching Hankow. The rest of the formation released their payload over Hankow with devastating affect and turned for home.

 As the Liberators departed the target area, "an urgent cry came over the inter-phone,” said Foster. “I see fighters taking off!” Lt. Joe Hart, pilot of “Glamour Girl” remembered, “We could see Japanese fighters taking off from a base 18,000 feet below us. In a few minutes, there were 45 Zeros in the air against seven B-24s and a handful of P-40s.” All hell was about to break loose. 

 

Artist rendering of Hankow Raid. Yankee
 Jayhawk is situated below Sherazade.

 The Americans were attacked by approximately 40 Japanese Ki-43 Hayabusas “Oscar" fighters of the 25th Sentai. Major Toshio Sakagawa, leader of this group, kept the bombers of the 425th engaged in combat for 45 minutes with little assistance from the American fighter planes. Lt. Foster quickly realized the gr
avity of the situation. "None of the pulp novels, none of the gun games, none of the training, none of my internalized worrying and rationalizing, none had braved me for this moment when someone out there was shooting at me.” He said. "I closed my eyes, and my stomach muscles tied themselves into dry-heave knots. The airplane shook as various guns opened up at that first and then at other planes. There was a smell of gunpowder. The inter phone was loud with many voices. I straightened up and opened my eyes, only to see another Zero boring in, and again closed my eyes and fought my stomach muscles. Again, however, it passed and I was intact. And then I was all right and everything was exciting as war is supposed to be, and I could join the shouting over the inter phone ('Get that...!' and so on), and could cheer when flames came from the passing Zero and, yes, could even sense admiration with those Zeros coming at the formation and diving through it."

   

 The combination of the highly aggressive Japanese fighter planes and flak soon took a heavy toll on the Liberators. Yankee Jayhawk became the very first casualty of the mission as it was hit by Japanese anti-aircraft gunfire in the area of Fong Shu Dong. Gray smoke began streaming from the right wing as one of the engines had been damaged. The plane quickly began to lose airspeed and altitude. Morton Salk, bombardier aboard “Sherazade” recalls the event, "At the very first pass, we were flying in B formations, two B’s, one behind the other, one on our left started (to go) down. He had an engine out and we could see three or four parachutes come out. Then they slipped underneath us and fell back. We slowed down our air speed as much as possible to see if we could try to get him to stay in formation, but he couldn’t.” The Yankee Jayhawk was last seen spinning out of control. Another witness was Robert Appleby, although he thought it was another in the group: "I saw a large red and black blossom spurt-up in front of them and it took a moment for me to realize that it was their lead ship, “Cabin in the Clouds,” (Cabin in the Sky) exploding. That was the first American plane I had seen hit by the enemy and somehow, it seemed like a dream. Then, two more B-24’s exploded, closely followed by two more, which began settling over the target. Several parachutes opened, but not enough to account for all the crew members." According to Ruby Bitner Alsbury, wife of Co-pilot Paul Bitner, Japanese fighter planes had strafed the parachuting airmen as they descended to the ground. It is unknown if any of Lt. Robinson’s crew suffered from this particular tactic, however, Technical Sergeant William Gieseke, Belle Starr’s engineer was confirmed to have been a victim of Japanese strafing after jumping from his aircraft. 

 Yankee Jayhawk crashed in the area of Pan Pei, approximately 15km South of Haieng-Ning (now Xianning), China. Three other planes from the 425th were lost on this mission as a result of enemy action on August 24th; Cabin In The Sky, Belle Starr, and Glamour Girl. The remaining three Liberators were so badly crippled, they had to land at the airfield in Kweilin. The following day, Stardust crashed near Milo while returning to Kunming killing all but two airmen. In the end, only two of the seven planes from the 425th made it back to Kunming. Of the seventy airmen from the 425th that flew on this mission, fifty were either dead or wounded.  

 

The crew of the Yankee Jayhawk were officially listed as MIA on August 29th as no one was heard from and their whereabouts were unknown. The War Department sent a telegram to George’s mother, Margaret in early September 1943 reporting that he was listed as missing in action. Original crew member John Boetcher was made a Summary Court Officer. He was responsible for making sure his crew’s personal property and effects were gathered and returned to their family. Lt. Boetcher would go on to fly 27 missions as bombardier with other crews and 11 missions as a gunner while shuttling bombs, fuel and materiel from India to China over “The Hump.” In the summer of 1945, he earned his wings as a pilot and was discharged from the service in October 1945.

 A U.S. Army search team visited the crash site at Pan Pei on November 30, 1945.  They found and exhumed 5 graves which contained 7 remains. Wesley Green and Oneal Linford's remains were positively identified by means of dog tags. The remaining unidentified crew members were given designations of Unknowns X-11 thru X-15 and interred in Section A, Grave 364 at American Military Cemetery in Shanghai, China on December 6, 1945.  One statement from a local resident claimed that one crew member died in the aircraft (burned) and the rest were shot and killed by Japanese who surrounded the crash site. The War Department believed the entire crew had perished and listed them as presumed dead instead of missing on January 25, 1946. 

 Upon reprocessing, X-12 was actually found to be 2 separate bodies, not one. The Army amended the designations as Unknowns X-12A and X-12B.  In June 1947, the crash scene was revisited and additional remains (a very meager collection of bone fragments) were recovered. These remains were then designated as Unknown X-885. In 1948, the remains of Unknown X-12A were more intensely examined using military dental records and other physical characteristics of the crew. The results of the examination compared highly favorably with those of Staff Sergeant George J. Ocavage. On September 9, 1947, a Report of Death was finally issued. About the same time, the remains of Staff Sergeant Felix Grochocki were also positively identified. 

 In late 1948, the graves were disinterred from Shanghai and transported to the Schofield Barracks in Hawaii where the Unknown remains were stored in the U.S. Army Mausoleum. The Army sent a letter to Margaret Ocavage informing her that her son's remains had been positively identified at the Schofield Barracks.
  

Wesley Green gravesite

Oneal Linford gravesite

Crew member Oneal Linford was returned to his hometown of St. Charles, Idaho for burial. Wesley Green was buried as well in his home town of Wellington, Texas. 

Remaining crew gravesite

Felix Grochocki gravesite

Felix Grochocki was buried in the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. The unidentified remains of the Yankee Jayhawk crew were buried together in a plot at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky.  

 Now that George was identified, the Army sought the desire of Mrs. Ocavage for the final disposition of her son's remains. With help from her family, Margaret filled out the paperwork requesting George to come back home to be buried.

 In early April 1949, George was returned to the mainland United States by Army transport ship, USAT Sinnett. The ship arrived in San Francisco, where he was placed onto a rail car headed for the Graves Registration Depot in Brooklyn, New York. Here a final preparation and detailing of the burial casket would be taken care of before sending George home. 

George's gravesite, 2021

 At 6 A.M. on May 5th, the casket departed the depot headed for Penn Station in New York City. Escorting George's remains was Staff Sergeant Edward I. Jarosiewicz of Philadelphia. Pennsylvania Railroad train #205 departed Penn Station at 8 A.M. and arrived at Broad Street Station in Philadelphia by 9:42 A.M. At the train station, Jarosiewicz turned the casket over to Murphy Funeral Home (3rd and Wolfe Streets) and at 11 A.M. proceeded to the Ocavage residence (who had moved into the city at 2535 South 2nd Street) to meet with George's mother. The family had decided that they would prefer to have a private service for George and requested that no military honors be performed. They did ask that Sergeant Jarosiewicz be present at the funeral however.  

 On Monday May 9, 1949, the funeral was held 9:30 A.M., at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church located at 3rd and Wolf Streets in South Philadelphia. Afterwards, George was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon, PA. Sergeant Jarosiewicz presented Mrs. Ocavage with a folded American flag.

Ocavage Family

 He was survived by his mother Margaret, sisters Mary Ibbettson, Helen Howell, Margaret Stankus, Agnes Stankus, Marcella Ocavage, Frances Ocavage, Anna Norton, and brother Anthony. 

 George received a Citation of Honor from Army Air Force General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold on January 25, 1946. On July 24, 1947, he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.

Monument to Aviation Martyrs
Kunming, China

 You can find George J. Ocavage’s name inscribed on the monument at Veterans Triangle in Mount Ephraim, as well as the Monument to Aviation Martyrs in War of Resistance Against Japan, located in Kunming, China.

Dedication A.H.S. 11-11-19

 On May 22, 2019, George’s niece, Dolores Gonzales and her husband, Dennis traveled from their home in northern New Jersey to the Project Memorial services at Audubon High School. One of the honorees for that evening was Staff Sergeant George J. Ocavage. During that fall, she donated a portrait of George, his service medals - including the Purple Heart, and the flag that was draped over his casket during the funeral to Audubon High School. The unveiling of the display took place at noon on November 11, 2019 (Veterans Day) in the rotunda of the high school. The students and advisors from the Project Memorial committee as well as members of Mount Ephraim American Legion Post #150 were all in attendance for this brief but memorable ceremony.

 According to John Boetcher's son Greg, he stated that his father often told him the story of becoming ill, which kept him from flying the mission where the rest of his crew never returned. He was quite sure that his father never really learned what happened to his buddies. A single moment back in 1943 led him to a long life and fruitful life. John passed away July 23, 2016.

 I have had the great fortune to hear from a few other relatives of the Yankee Jayhawk crew over the past few years. Some had no idea what happened. Others are presently working to send along some information which will certainly enrich this story in the future.

May their sacrifice never be forgotten.