2nd Lt. Francis Michael
Iriarte Y Rila - 1919-1944
USAAF Bombardier B-24 - China Burma Campaign
On the 15 April 1944 while
participating on a combat mission at Port Blair in the Indian Ocean, Mike
Iriarte’s B-24 was flying in the number one position when it was attacked by
enemy fighters. The first pass knocked out number two engine. Lt. Stanley
M. Allison, pilot, feathered that engine. The second pass started number
one engine on fire. All passes from then on were concentrated on the
crippled ship.
Eye witnesses flying to the right of
Allison’s aircraft could see the right waist gun, the tail turret gun and the
left gun on the nose turret were not firing, indicating probable catastrophic
damage to the aircraft and ten man crew.
Lt. Allison pulled out of formation and
was flying at approximately 300 feet when four parachutes were seen to open,
three landing in the water and the other in some trees on the island.
Losing altitude rapidly it appeared Lt. Allison was attempting a landing in the
water. Due to the loss of both engines the pilot could not complete his
attempt and crashed into the water about 100 yards from shore where, upon
impact, the ship exploded and burst into flames which died out immediately.
Through the smoke the departing eye
witnesses could still see the tail of the plane protruding above the water.
It was initially not known if Mike
Iriarte was killed by enemy fire onboard or perished in the crash. However,
one crewman, Navigator Richard Kaufman, survived to tell the story of Mike
bailing out just before he left the plane.
Except for the sole survivor, neither the remaining crew nor wreckage
has ever been recovered and all were eventually declared KIA and unrecoverable.
Mike had just celebrated his twenty-fifth
birthday.