1Lt William F Beyhan (unknown-1946) - Find A Grave Memorial

2-year student of petroleum engineering at the University of Texas.

ENLISTED (ASN: 38077171) IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS ON 4 DECEMBER 1941 AT FORT BLISS NEAR EL PASO, TEXAS.

Primary flight training at the Sikeston Contract Flying School in Missouri.

Basic flight training at Coffeyville Army Air Field, Kansas.

June 1943: 2nd Lt commission (O-682772) and "wings" at the Altus AAF Advanced Flying School in Oklahoma.

July 1943: assigned a tour as Flight Instructor at Altus, Okla.

27 Sept 1943: reassigned to Pratt AAF, Kansas.

17 Feb 1944: completed pilot specialized four-engine transition training at Hobbs AAF, New Mexico.

UNDERWENT B-29 AIRCRAFT OPERATIONAL TRAINING AT GREAT BEND ARMY AIR FIELD, KANSAS.

OOA September 1944: DEPLOYED TO THE CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATRE OF OPERATIONS AND WAS ASSIGNED TO 20TH AIR FORCE, XXI BOMBER COMMAND, 73RD BOMB WING, 498TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP, 873RD BOMB SQUADRON STATIONED AT ISLEY FIELD ON SAIPAN IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS.

ON 27 JANUARY 1945, HE FLEW IN THE LEFT SEAT AS THE AIRPLANE COMMAND PILOT ABOARD A BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS, TAIL CODE T-SQUARE-10 (SERIAL # 42-24767).

IT WAS ONE OF 76 AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED IN A MULTI-GROUP FORMATION TO BOMBARD THE MUSASHINO ENGINE WORKS OF THE NAKAJIMA AIRCRAFT COMPANY NEAR TOKYO, JAPAN. ENEMY FIGHTER AIRCRAFT ATTACKS WERE THE HEAVIEST TO DATE, WITH 984 PASSES REPORTED. ON THE RETURN ROUTE HOME, WITH THE #1 AND #2 ENGINES FEATHERED AND LOSING ALTITUDE; HIS AIRCRAFT WAS FORCED TO DITCH IN ROUGH SEAS ABOUT 100 MILES NORTH OF IWO JIMA. THE AIRPLANE BROKE IN TWO AFTER IMPACT, AND THE TAIL END SANK ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.

LAST VISUAL CONTACT WAS FROM ANOTHER B-29 AIRCRAFT, T-SQUARE-37; GIVING GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF THE CRASH AS 29 DEGREES-20 MINUTES NORTH AND 143 DEGREES-20 MINUTES EAST. ALTHOUGH SEVERAL AIRCREW MEMBERS WERE SIGHTED IN LIFE RAFTS, SUBSEQUENT SEARCHES BY AIR AND SEA RESCUE TEAMS FAILED TO LOCATE ANY OF THE CRASH SURVIVORS.

World War II Honoree (wwiimemorial.com)