SSGT Roscoe A Wilson (1922-1945) - Find A Grave Memorial

Aerial Gunner: 35694187Roscoe Allison Wilson SSgt INDIANA

Ref: C.C. McPherson aircrew - MACR 15781

COL Clarence Charles McPherson (1914-2001) - Find A Grave Memorial

Tail Gunner, B-29 #42-24494 “Mary Ann” tail code: Two Diagonal Yellow Rudder Stripes, 792nd Bomb Squadron, 468th Bombardment Group (VH), 58th Bomb Wing, XX Bomber Command, 20th Air Force deployed to Kharagpur, India in the CBI Theatre of Operations.

As part of "Operation Matterhorn" four runways were built around Chengdu, China as forward staging bases for B-29 Superfortress bombers. The four runways were named A-1, A-3, A-5, and A-7. Runway A-7, located at Pengshan, was the forward base for the 468th Bombardment Group.

17 January 1945: Mission #29

After taking off at an altitude of 6500 feet, the #3 engine oil cooler shutter would not work. B-29 “Mary Ann” returned to base and circled Pengshan Air Field (A-7) losing altitude, they dropped their bombs at 300 feet. The blast was terrific, fire flashed all around, the front bomb bay bulkhead door was blown in and shrapnel splattered the airplane. They bailed out, 7 survived, 4 killed; due to low altitude some of the chutes didn't open in time.