User:Rammpage7/Charlton Hugh Cupernell

Charlton Hugh Cupernell

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1st Lt USAAF WWII S/N O-662752 (see also 39170781) 11th Bombardment Group, 42nd Bomber Squadron

Lt. Cupernell was born in 1914 to Charlton H. and Mary L. Cupernell. His father worked in drilling oil wells. He had a sister Mary K. Cupernell and a brother Eugene Cupernell. His hometown was Long Beach, California and he enlisted there in the Army Air Corps on December 4, 1941. He attended college for three years and was a student in pre-law, and his civil occupation at the time of his enlistment was listed as one of ‘Skilled occupations in building of aircraft. He was a former football player from UCLA and had a large build, and was known to be cheerful and got along with everyone. Cupernell and Louie Zamperini made a valiant effort on the previous mission of their B-24 ‘Superman' that was struck by flak during an attack by Japanese Zerosduring a bombing run of Nauru and helped to try to save their fellow crewmen Stanley Pillsbury and Harry Brooks, who were both hit. Unfortunately Brooks died later.

The Green Hornet

After the Japanese attacked Funafuti, the crew returned to Hawaii for some rest. On May 27, 1943, the remaining superman crew Mac, Phil, Louie, and Cupernell were "volunteered" for a search and rescue mission with 6 new crew members to help find Clarence Corpening 's B-24, which had left for Canton the day before and never returned. They agreed to take another passenger - an officer who just wanted to visit Palmyra - and expected to be home for dinner (after refueling at the atoll). Since Superman was unable to fly again, the crew were assigned to a new plane, a B24 called The Green Hornet s/n 41-24097. It was a "musher" which meant that it flew with its tail down, and couldnt get off the ground with a bomb load, it was also used for parts for other planes because it was unsuitable for bomb runs. Also Noted: That Morning, Cupernell asked Phil to switch seats before the rescue mission, and Phil was seated in the Right Seat, Cupernell to his Left. (In the 2015 film Unbrokenduring the Green Hornet Scene, the 2 pilots are reversed.

They teamed up with Joe Deasy and his crew in the B-24 Daisy Mae and set out at 18:30 on a search mission bound for Palmyra Airfield. Their plan was to land there and refuel after the search. Over the search area, there was cloud cover down to 1,000 feet and the bomber dove to 800' to search. The No. 1 engine experienced problems and died. The new and inexperienced engineer accidentally feathered the No. 2 engine, the bomber quickly angled to the left. B-24s were hard to fly, but they were even worse to land on water. Inching closer to the ocean, with power only on the right side of his plane, Phil did the best he could to keep Green Hornet stable. It was no use, Phil then shouted "Get to your stations and prepare to crash!"

Veering left, the nose and left wing hit the water at the same time. The plane did a cartwheel, then blew up. Everyone on the left side died. Their B-24 was reported missing when it failed to arrive at Palmyra Airfield. Cupernell did not survive the crash of the ‘Green Hornet' and was lost at sea in the Pacific. ...

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