My great uncle PBJ-1D plane crash

Wendy · Oct 26, 2018

mgdriver said: ↑

Hello Billy,

I just happened across this page and joined so that I could respond to this post. I was on the Sierra Club clean up crew and have many pictures from that trip (actually two trips). We set up a base camp in Bear Basin and worked on bagging up the wreckage every day for, I think, two weeks. The National Guard could not get us chopper support while we were there, so a second trip was planned in the fall to load the chopper. When the fall came there were only two of us that went back (with my parents to help and drive since I was only in high school at the time). The last time I was back there was probably twenty years ago and one wing, the landing gear and engines were still there. I wrote a story in high school about the experience and have vivid memmories of it to this day. Let me know if you want any more information about the clean up trip.

Best regards,
Brian
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Hi
My grandfather was George Vogel whose plane crashed. My father (George too) never got to meet him. I’ve been looking for any and all info. on this. Thanks!
Wendy (Vogel)

R Leonard · Oct 26, 2018

Wendy said: ↑

There is a Leonard & a Carlson who post regarding this crash, I believe one of them mentioned (post: my great uncle...”) having items that had been passed down wanting to give them to my dad
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Wendy, it was not I. My post was just the extract from the COMWestSeaFront war diary; I've no artifacts.

Saavy Suzy · Jul 2, 2021

I was just back up in Bear Basin two days ago, June 30th, 2021. I first heard about this crash site from Alan Hill, a fellow member of BackCountry Horsemen of CA-Shasta Trinity Unit. He told me he and his brother used to ride up there to the site when they were kids. He gave me directions as my girlfriend and I were planning a pack trip to Mumford Meadows and would ride into Bear Basin as a side trip. We found the crash site in 2014. There was a memorial plaque that appeared to have been recently mounted on a tree, honoring the men who died there. We took many pictures and hung around the site for about an hour. I felt very much in awe of the place. We were most respectful of the site. I have an interest in WW11 as my Uncle Jack was shot down in his bomber over Germany in the second world war and my dad was in the Airforce as well. My other Uncle was a Navy man and spent 3 days in the water waiting for help after their ship was bombed. I still have family in the military to this day. The three of us, bestie horse riding girlfriends decided to take a 5 day riding vacation into the Trinity Alps, and Bear Basin was one place we wanted to share with our other friend who had not been there. We finally found the crash site June 30th, 2021. The terrain had changed a little, some marker snags were down, manzanita bushes thicker and pine trees taller. This time we took coordinates. I stayed back with the horses about 100 yards, while my two friends hiked on up. They took pictures. The memorial plaque was on the ground this time. They had no way to nail it back up. There is still one small part of the glacier left to see. Guessing about 2000 square feet. Alan Hill told me the glaciers were quite big back in the early 40's when he was growing up. If anyone wants to see pics, I have them in a fb album and would be happy to share the 2014 pics. I will be receiving the new pics from my friend after she processes them.

inspectorrgadget · Sep 10, 2026 at 2:19 AM

It appears 3 out the the 5 Marines had their names wrongly listed here and there. In doing more research, I have uncovered the correct and full names for the casualties from USMC crash on 26 April 1944; My source is the August 7th 1944 issue of the Record Searchlight newspaper, as well as the names listed at the USMC casualty list (US Marine Corps killed and died, including Peleliu and Gilberts)

Herewith is a corrected version of those names of those tragically killed on 26 August 1944.

First Lieutenant George Ellsworth Vogel – Pilot
30 June 1920 Service Number 23081(?)

Second Lieutenant Robert Joseph Meiele (not "Maicly" <sic>)
B 11 April 1919 Service Number 513277

Sergeant Edward Spencer Lenker (not "N. F. Lisker" <sic>)
B. 15 July 1922 Service Number 513277

Sergeant Irvin Terrell Cobb Jr
b. 12 July 1924 Service Number: 865471

Corporal Wallace Benjamin Juliot: (not "Juliet" <sic.)
b. 11 January 1924 Service Number: 521915

R Leonard said: ↑

FWIW - From: War Diary – VAdm S W Bagley, USN, COMWestSeaFront, COMTF116

The Commander, Northern California Sector, today asked the Chief of Naval Operations to assign five PBY5A’s to the Coast Guard Air Station, South San Francisco, for use in connection with Air-Sea Rescue operations.

Establishment of Air-Sea Rescue Service in the Northern California Sector of the Frontier was reported in the War Diary for 20 April.

A PBJ-1 (same as a B-25), on a flight from Fairfield to Hickman Field, is believed to have crashed after instructions were given to return to Fairfield, because of bad flying weather. The pilot of the PBJ-1, which left Fairfield yesterday, gave his 0001 position as 35°24’N, 133°00’W, which is believed to be erroneous. A fragmentary report was picked up by KFS, indicating radio trouble, when the distressed plane requested a Fairfield weather report at 0216. [Ed. The reported 0001 coordinates are about 610 miles out in the Pacific, bearing 251° WSW of San Francisco. KFS was the USN radio communications station in San Francisco.]

The Oceanic Air Transport Control Center declared an emergency on the PBJ-1, at 0500, and requested that Frontier surface vessels be dispatched to search position 37°30’N, 123°30’W. The USS PC-788, the USS PC-572, the USS SC-1010, the USS KING and the USS JUANITA, the last-named enroute to Plane Guard Station No. 1, were instructed to conduct a search. In addition, a PBM from Alameda and a blimp from Moffett Field were instructed to assist.

The Northern California Sector’s Air-Sea Rescue Unit again swung into action, dispatching on PBM3S, two OS2U’s, and two J4F’s to aid in the search. The PBM-3S, however, was recalled less than one hour after take-off. The PBJ-1, at first believed to down 100 to 150 miles off shore, was later tracked to a position 25 miles north of Fairfield and gave his estimated arrival at Fairfield as 0142. [Ed. The at-sea coordinates, above, to which units were dispatched to begin their search was bearing 251° WSW and about 61 miles off shore.]

In the meantime, the surface vessels previously dispatched to search for the PBJ-1 were recalled when an inland investigation was decided upon. Poor visibility, caused by low ceilings, however, forced the ASRU to recall airborne units, with the fate of the PBJ-1 still undetermined. The search will continue.

Personnel aboard the imperiled plane includes First Lieutenant George VOGEL, Second Lieutenant Robert J. MAICLY, Sergeant Irwin T COBB, Sergeant N. F. LISKER, and Corporal Wallace B. JULIET.

A P-38, attached to the 443rd Fighter Squadron, Ontario, crashed and burned one and one-half miles on a bearing of 246° from Newport Beach (33°37’N) at 0720. Two Army crash boats, an Air-Sea Rescue boat, a plane and one crash boat, and two PBY’s from the Naval Air Station, San Pedro, participated in the search. Salvage operations, to be conducted by the Army, will begin tomorrow. Second Lieutenant Robert J. JAMES, pilot, went down with the plane and his body is still missing.

Fog, rain and overcast forced the cancellation of all scheduled inshore and off shore patrol flights in the Northern California Sector.

THOMAS C HOWE
War Diary Officer

26 April 1944
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