1944 B-29 Lethal Lady: a Virtual Cemetery

See all by Greg Campbell

A Virtual Cemetery created by Greg Campbell

1944 B-29 Lethal Lady

COL Ted S Faulkner and crew, and one passenger went MIA on the night bombing mission 4/5 Nov 1944. Declared dead in 1946. While I'm researching this - I am including a few family members as well. Ted Faulkner was married at least twice: First (prior to 1940) - to Betty (from CA or perhaps WA ?). Then divorced in Reno NV while they lived in Utah. After returning from the Pacific, Ted briefly went to Topeka Kansas Air Base, then to Dalhart Air Base (in Hartley County, Texas) in early 1943. By Oct (?) 1943, he married the former "Miss [Neva] Fern Trantham" of Dalhart, Dallam County, Texas. Shortly after that he went to one (?) more stateside location, then returned to the the combat zone. Kharagpur (sp?), West Bengal, India - where he became the commander of the 468th (?) and went missing on Nov 1944. His wife (Fern), stayed with her mother & sister in Tucumcari, NM for a while. She returned to Dalhart to receive a (Legion of Merit?) award circa 1945/1946 while her husband was still missing. This newspaper article http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/16365408/ Newspaper: Amarillo Daily News › 1944 › November › 16 November 1944 › Page 8 has OCR index words of: DALHART, Nov. 15 [1944] -- Col. Ted S. Faulkner, 31 years old, bomb group commander in the 20th Bomber Command, the B-29 organization in the Far Pacific, has been missing in action in the Asiatic theater since Nov. 5, the War Department has announced. His wife, the former Miss Fern Trantham, and step-son, Lynn, live in Dalhart with her mother, Mrs. J. B. Trantham, and sister, Nita. The colonel is the son of Mrs. Frances S. Faulkner, Kirkland, Wash., and a brother of Pvt. Helen P. [Faulkner] [Jordon?] Ycrdcn, at the Santa Ana, Cal., Air Base. Colonel Faulkner, then a first lieutenant, was at Pearl Harbor when the Japs struck Dec. 7, 1941. For a year following he was in the midst of the blazing Pacific action. He flew with the famed 19th Bombardment Group, fought over New Guinea, New Britain, Timor and the North Solomons Islands, in addition to helping evacuate the late President Manuel Quezon, his family and staff from the Philippines. He returned to the states a lieutenant-colonel and was assigned to the Topeka, Kan. Air Base before coming to the Dalhart Air Base in Feb. 1943. He and his wife were married In Oct. 1943. He left the states again last April 12 [1944] for a 20th Bomber Command Base in Italy where last June 24, he was made a full colonel. Colonel Faulkner's group last August won the coveted Gen. Billy Mitchell pennant. This personal banner of the great prophet of air power was given to the 20th Bomber Command which offered it permanently to the group which first won it three times for raiding efficiency against Japan. Showdown Is Near On Kimmel and Short WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (U.PJ-- Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and Maj. Gen. Walter C. Short j either will be cleared of charges in connection with the Pearl Harbor disaster or ordered to face court martial proceedings sometime be- fore Dec. 7, reliable congressional sources said today. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and Secretary of Navy James V. Forrestal already have received de- tailed reports from Army and Navy investigative boards and. according to authoritative information, will be ready to announce a decision in the next few days. Politely War brought a strong sense of responsibility toward fellow-drivers and their cars. And now this fine spirit continues. Folks have been going even beyond the utmost caution in driving 'day or night. They've gone to doing such things as sweeping glass off the pavement. They've made themselves remember that anyoru car is as much worth conserving as their own. And so the best motoring manners are almost the only ones expected. That's been saving lots of car trouble and walking.Here's another newspaper article, but much shorter:http://newspaperarchive.com/san-antonio-express/1944-11-16/page-16?tag=faulkner&rtserp=tags/?pl=faulkner≺=30&&pd=16&ndt=ex&py=1944±=11Fold3 lists the address for the survivors of the crew. I believe in 1946 it listed the wife of Ted Faulkner at Springfield (Illinois?, Missouri? )Also - the B-29 Lethal Lady had a "war correspondent" on board. He's not listed on the MACR, but he is in the reports found on Fold3.com and others.

COL Ted S Faulkner and crew, and one passenger went MIA on the night bombing mission 4/5 Nov 1944.  Declared dead in 1946.  While I'm researching this - I am including a few family members as well.  Ted Faulkner was married at least twice:  First (prior to 1940) - to Betty (from CA or perhaps WA ?).  Then divorced in Reno NV while they lived in Utah.  After returning from the Pacific, Ted briefly went to Topeka Kansas Air Base, then to Dalhart Air Base (in Hartley County, Texas) in early 1943.  By Oct (?) 1943, he married the former "Miss [Neva] Fern Trantham" of Dalhart, Dallam County, Texas.  Shortly after that he went to one (?) more stateside location, then returned to the the combat zone. Kharagpur (sp?), West Bengal, India - where he became the commander of the 468th (?) and went missing on Nov 1944.  His wife (Fern), stayed with her mother & sister in Tucumcari, NM for a while.  She returned to Dalhart to receive a (Legion of Merit?) award circa 1945/1946 while her husband was still missing.  This newspaper article http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/16365408/ Newspaper: Amarillo Daily News › 1944 › November › 16 November 1944 › Page 8  has OCR index words of:  DALHART, Nov. 15 [1944] -- Col. Ted S. Faulkner, 31 years old, bomb group commander in the 20th Bomber Command, the B-29 organization in the Far Pacific, has been missing in action in the Asiatic theater since Nov. 5, the War Department has announced. His wife, the former Miss Fern Trantham, and step-son, Lynn, live in Dalhart with her mother, Mrs. J. B. Trantham, and sister, Nita. The colonel is the son of Mrs. Frances S. Faulkner, Kirkland, Wash., and a brother of Pvt. Helen P. [Faulkner] [Jordon?] Ycrdcn, at the Santa Ana, Cal., Air Base. Colonel Faulkner, then a first lieutenant, was at Pearl Harbor when the Japs struck Dec. 7, 1941. For a year following he was in the midst of the blazing Pacific action. He flew with the famed 19th Bombardment Group, fought over New Guinea, New Britain, Timor and the North Solomons Islands, in addition to helping evacuate the late President Manuel Quezon, his family and staff from the Philippines. He returned to the states a lieutenant-colonel and was assigned to the Topeka, Kan. Air Base before coming to the Dalhart Air Base in Feb. 1943. He and his wife were married In Oct. 1943. He left the states again last April 12 [1944] for a 20th Bomber Command Base in Italy where last June 24, he was made a full colonel. Colonel Faulkner's group last August won the coveted Gen. Billy Mitchell pennant. This personal banner of the great prophet of air power was given to the 20th Bomber Command which offered it permanently to the group which first won it three times for raiding efficiency against Japan. Showdown Is Near On Kimmel and Short WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (U.PJ-- Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and Maj. Gen. Walter C. Short j either will be cleared of charges in connection with the Pearl Harbor disaster or ordered to face court martial proceedings sometime be- fore Dec. 7, reliable congressional sources said today. Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson and Secretary of Navy James V. Forrestal already have received de- tailed reports from Army and Navy investigative boards and. according to authoritative information, will be ready to announce a decision in the next few days. Politely War brought a strong sense of responsibility toward fellow-drivers and their cars. And now this fine spirit continues. Folks have been going even beyond the utmost caution in driving 'day or night. They've gone to doing such things as sweeping glass off the pavement. They've made themselves remember that anyoru car is as much worth conserving as their own. And so the best motoring manners are almost the only ones expected. That's been saving lots of car trouble and walking.Here's another newspaper article, but much shorter:http://newspaperarchive.com/san-antonio-express/1944-11-16/page-16?tag=faulkner&rtserp=tags/?pl=faulkner≺=30&&pd=16&ndt=ex&py=1944±=11Fold3 lists the address for the survivors of the crew.  I believe in 1946 it listed the wife of Ted Faulkner at Springfield (Illinois?, Missouri? )Also - the B-29 Lethal Lady had a "war correspondent" on board.  He's not listed on the MACR, but he is in the reports found on Fold3.com and others.