Evening star., 1949-11-18
Death Toll Reaches 18
In Collision Of B-29s
On California Raid
BY The Associdfsd Press

BY The Assoeidfsd Press
STOCKTON, Calf, Nov. 1s.-A
revised list placed the death toll
at 18 today in the collision of two
BIO bombers 5 miles up in q
mock bombing raid.
Only three crewmen survived
the double crash.
One of the bombers crashed In
flames early yesterday on Nc
Donald Island In the rich delta
land 18 miles northwest Of Stock
ton. The other broke to pieces on
muddy Rindge tract, 2 miles away.
It did not burn.
Workers recovered seven Of eight
bodies from the wreckage on
Rindge tract, from which two men
had parachuted to safety. The
eighth body, tightly pinned in the
battered mass of wreckage. will be
removed today.
Only One Escapes.
Only one person escaped the
Mcdonald Island crash. Three
bodies were thrown clear by the
impact. Six remained in the plane
and were reported burned beyond
recovery.
Rescue was hampered in the
early hours by a thick, low fog.
However, skies were clear in the
upper atmosphere where the two
Superfortresses collided.
1t. Warren L. Sharrock of
Jamestown, Calf, pilot of the
Rindge tract plane. was first
reported to have survived and to
have staggered into a fishing re-
sort. i
Later his body was found and
authorities at Hamilton Field
said 1t was S/Sergt. Robert S.
Kluge, Is, Of Spokane, member
of 1t. Sharrock's crew, who had
found his way to the resort.
The other survivor Of 1t.
Sharrock's plane was TiSergt.
Frank D. Schmidt of Negley.
Ohio. engineer.
No Reason Given for Crash.
Pvt. Keith r. Burns, 10, Of
Boise, Idaho, radio operator, was
the lone survivor of the flaming
crash on Mcdonald Island.
The three survivors. who re-
ceived cuts and bruises, were
taken to the Fairfield -Suisun Air
Force Base hospital. None could
give any reason for the disastrous
accident.
The two bombers were from the
Spokane Airbase. They were
part Of q 92d Bombardment Group
flight of 13 and were flying In a |
formation of five planes when
they collided.
The flight was a nonstop mock
bombing over Sacramento. San
Francisco, Stockton, Salt Lake
City and back to Spokane.
Death Lists Announced.
Besides Lieut.. Sharrock, the
dead In the Mcdonald Island
crash were listed as:
First Lieut.. Frank j. Thomesek,
Toledo, Ohio, co-pilot.
Capt. Frank j. Liske, Dearborn,
Mich, navigator.
First 1t. Frederick K. Hees,
Tucson, Ariz., radar operator.
M/Sergt. Isaac Fernandez, Pueb-
10, Colo, bombardier.
S/Sergt. Michael Altamifano,
Los Angeles, radio operator.
S/Sergt. Francisco Dillenbeckk,
Opportunity, Wash, gunner.
S/Sergt. Paul E. Kirby, Gardner,
Mass, rear gunner.
Corpl. Richard A. Davis, Bak-
ersville. N. c., tail gunner.
Victims of the other crash were
listed as:
First 1t. George B. Grider, spo-
kane, Wash, pilot.
Corpl. Stanley M. HORNE, jr., |
Los Angeles, gunner.
S/Sergt. Harold E. Prinkey.
Spokane, Wash, gunner. /
S/Sergt. Donald G. Lawrence,
Medical Lake, Wash, gunner.
TISergt. Jacob M. Nelson, Spo-
kane Air Force Base. engineer.
First 1t. James Young, jr., New
ton, Ohio, radar operator.
Second 1t. Thomas L. Allen,
Spokane, co-pilot.
First 1t. Elias G. Gazell, Chi
eago, ILL.,, navigator.
Mai. Septimus r. Hughes, Spo-
kane, WASH, bombardier.