FRANK HOHMANN
EX 19TH BOMB GROUP
AND 43RD BOMB GROUP

Subject:     WW 2
Date:              Sat, 20 Feb 1999 21:13:10 -0500 (EST)
From:             FPHohmann@webtv.net  (Frank Hohmann)

I was in the 19th Bomb Group & the 43rd Bomb Group. Have been back to your wonderful Australia 4 times after I retired in 1980. Printed your url so I would get it right but no luck. help!! The best to you,

Frank

Subject:      Plane crashes
Date:               Sun, 21 Feb 1999 18:59:48 -0500 (EST)
From:             FPHohmann@webtv.net (Frank Hohmann)

Peter,

Your site was easy to find with help.  Try Mr Bruce D. Hoy P.O.Box 249 Aspley, Qld. 4034 Australia. He is listed as an assoc.of the 43rd. Bomb Group.  Has researched and been to some crashes in Queensland and New Guinea. I am putting together a list of planes by # that I flew in and their names and what happened to them. If you're interested I have a map and pictures of remains of the B-17-F "Taxpayers Pride" crash site in New Briton that I flew in to Australia.  I would gladly mail to you along with the above list if you will give me your home address.

You have the B-17-F # 41-24428 crash at Mareeba Sept.14, 1942. I flew in that on three missions but don't have the name?

Keep in touch,

Frank

Subject:   WW2 crashes
Date:           Mon, 22 Feb 1999 10:53:30 -0500 (EST)
From:          FPHohmann@webtv.net (Frank Hohmann)

In looking through my stuff last night I came across a letter from Ms. Vanessa Crowdey P.O. Box 6 Horn Island, Qld. 4875 She reports 8 crash sites on or in water off Horn Island.

B-17-E # 41?497 "Tojo's Nightmare", 19th Bomb Group given to 43rd Bomb Group. DOC 24 March 44

B-17-E # 41-2636 19th. Bomb Group, DOC. 13 July 42

B-17-E #41-2655 19th Bomb Group, DOC. 13 July 42

B-17-E #41-2421 19th Bomb Group, DOC. 16 July 42

B-17-E #41-2640 19th Bomb Group, "TOJO'S PHYSIC" DOC.27 July 42

B-17-F #41-12633 19th Bomb Group, " SALLY"DOC. (4 July 1942, became Gen, Kenney's personal plane.

P-47 Thunderbolt DOC.19 March 1944

P-38 Lightning no records available, wreckage found on Horn Island.

Ms. Crowdey has put together the Torres Strait Heritage Museum with a now planned reunion for July 24th & 25th 1999.

Thanks for your address will get copies off to you asap.

Frank

Subject:     Re: Snail Mail
Date:              Mon, 1 Mar 1999 12:09:54 -0500 (EST)
From:            FPHohmann@webtv.net (Frank Hohmann)

Glad the snail arrived Janice Olson's E-mail is B17Project@aol.com. I have not been able to get an answer from her for a month, She maybe in New Guinea looking for other crash sites at this time. haven't talked to her in person in about a year.

Frank

List of B-17's #'s and Nick-names taken from the
Flight Log of Frank Hohmann July 1942, 1943

**  This B-24D may have been named "Rio Rito" after it was sent to Port Moresby.

B-17 returns to Garbutt airfield with something new. Bullet holes.
This is probably B-17E #41-2638 "I'm Willing" of the 19th Bomb Group.
Frank Hohmann flew 7 missions in this aircraft. The aircraft was returned to the USA.

Subject:    Joe E Brown
Date:             Tue, 16 Nov 1999 20:53:51 -0500 (EST)
From:            FPHohmann@webtv.net (Frank Hohmann)

Gidday Peter;

Its me again checking out your site. Don't know about M/Sgt Helton, but I can tell you about Mr Joe E. Brown. My crew picked him and his entourage up at Cairns and flew him to Mareeba on or about 5/4/43. He put on a show for the 403rd Sqdn and a show for an Australian outfit that night and the next.

In my flight log on 5/8/43 my crew in a B-24-D s/n 124127 flew Brown and his group to Port Moresby where he put on his show for the troops twice (don't know the outfits) the next day we flew them all to Darwin area, ( trying to find out which airdrome (maybe Fenton) I am talking to a man in Darwin now about that information.

On the flight in a B-17-E s/n ? from Mareeba to Carins to pick this group up # 3 engine started to give us trouble so we shut it down ad landed on three. I looked at it until the Brown group arrived and we took off on all four engines to climb up to Mareeba and the engine started to give us trouble so we again shut it down. Brown wanted to come on the flight deck, when he got there he saw the engine stopped and in a straight face said to me " what are we doing, saving gas"?

Ee are enjoying good health, hope this finds you in good health. Will talk to you again.

Best Regards Frank

Subject:    Joe E Brown
Date:             Fri, 19 Nov 1999 09:04:33 -0500 (EST)
From:           FPHohmann@webtv.net (Frank Hohmann)

Gidday Peter;

I met and played cards with some Australian Army men who were at a training camp near Mareeba when I was there the first time. (Aug.1942-Nov. 1942) We may have met or seen each other, I really liked those men, "tough but O so gentle"

I forgot to put in the first E-Mail that Mr Brown had just lost his Son in a training accident at Hamilton Field CA. when I first met him. His son was learning to fly P-38s and while landing, another plane landed on top of his plane,

Good health Frank

Subject:   Joe E Brown
Date:           Sat, 20 Nov 1999 10:22:51 -0500 (EST)
From:           FPHohmann@webtv.net (Frank Hohmann)

Gidday Peter;

Mr Brown was a famous comedian who started out as a stand up comic on the stage in what was called Vaudeville. Browns main attraction was what was percived as a large mouth, but actualy, he had normal features, He just knew how to contort his face to seem like his mouth was unusal when he smiled or laughed, and he poked fun at himself all the time. I would say Brown was pretty smart, kind, and his show was clean, not like todays socalled comedians. I think the loss of his son brought him to relize that war was not a subject to poke fun at as a comedian. We talked about his son's accident, Brown wanted to talk about it to try to understand. He may have made a movie or two I don't know.

After the war there was no more Vaudeville and I think he finished out his life doing one nighters in night clubs. Mr Brown was the only public person to come into the war zone while I was there, Mr Bob Hope put on a show for the troops while I was in Pyote, Texas were I had returned to the 19th Bomb Group only in the 93rd Sqdn. In the SWPA I was in the 28th.

This is not much information sorry.

Stay in good health Frank

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 27 February 1999

This page last updated 21 February 2020