Go Remote Adventures

THE SEARCH FOR A MISSING B-25 CREW

Go Remote continues research on the missing bomber crew and for returning to Papua New Guinea to complete a filmed documentary.

In a previous adventure Go Remote assisted the Adventure filming, travel, outfitting, translators and guides of the jungle trek to access the WWII surviving pilot's wrecked fighter plane in ... the wilds of Papua New Guinea. The awards provide strong incentives for the current research efforts on the missing bomber crew in the same general area of "the last wild place," ... New Guinea.

Missing bomber crew research ...
Down Under.

Background:
The crash site of the B-25 in the remote jungles of New Guinea is known. The research concerning the missing crew continues (see below) with plans to return to the site for investigation and filming of the documentary that is under way. Not all research discoveries are being disclosed to prevent contaminating the search. Qualified applicants or corporations wishing to join the search should contact Go Remote Adventures.

The missing crew was known to have survived their crash landing - and were seen by their fellow airmen -- out of the "bomber" immediately following the crash. Many B-25 "Bombers" in New Guinea were often models that did extremely low level strafing runs on Japanese targets including coastal facilities and airfields. Visible in this file photo are four .50 Cal. machine guns in the converted bombardier nose bubble - Plus two forward on each side of the cockpit/fuselage -- Plus one at each waist window, -- Plus two each in the tail gunner position and two in the top turret. In this configuration, the five man crew included a "bombigator" the former bombardier - now primarily navigator. They still often carried smaller frag bombs for max damage on a target at low level - often with all 14 machine guns blazing.

There are “new” clues in the research – another potential lead – with the need to locate records of Catalina/ PBY amphibious rescue planes of the area. PBY’s were often involved in the search and rescue – and even support of downed crews. Although information was not shared with the fellow pilots of those in the losing squadron – due to security concerns – search and rescue assignments were also on PBY mission records. Who flew these follow on support missions for this lost 38th Bomber Group crew in early 1944 on the north coast of New Guinea? What PBY unit was call-sign “Gardenia” ? Did the intelligence net in the Japanese held area learn the fate of the crew? (Send me an email if you have leads.)

Catalina (PBY) amphibian, long range, reconnaissance aircraft played an important role in the Pacific air war. The Royal Australian Air Force even operated them as night raiders in addition to pre-positioned water rescue planes on routes for U.S. bombing missions in New Guinea and throughout the Pacific. The lone, slower aircraft were often easy targets for Japanese fighters and they welcomed friendly fighter cover.
http://www.catalinaflying.org.au/aboutus.htm

B-25's in action in the Pacific

B-25's made the first strike on Japan 4 months after Pearl Harbor. The twin engine bombers often made low level strikes including
this famous one on Simpson Harbor shipping in Northern New Guinea.

"Mitch the Witch II" is a flight-worthy B-25 at the Palm Springs (California) Air Museum. The B-25's in the Pacific bombed and strafed at low level with .50 Cals blazing and rewrote the tactics books on air strikes. Award winning producer Josh Baxter and adventurer Steve Cushman supported the Palm Springs Air Museum - among the largest U.S. war bird museums - with a film showing and a review of their current documentary film effort on the missing bomber crew.

The current search for the missing bomber crew will involve conditions similar to those in the prior award winning "Injury Slight, Please Advise" (see below)

Don't lose sight of your native guide in this stuff. Unlike the search in the archives - the New Guinea "trail" has other hazards... although the sunlight is present and sky is "viewable" in this shot - you need to stay close in this jungle terrain for obvious reasons...When the horizontal view opens up - and the jungle becomes triple canopy - your GPS will not get a signal...again - the message is, stay close.

We crossed several rivers going in to the wreck, not a big deal, until you consider a fall due to the rocks, ruins the video cameras. On the way out, we crossed this same river at another spot, at a higher level after a tropical storm, in total darkness. (Sometimes you get more adventure than you plan on.) To cross a dead water slough on a log 10 feet above the muck – clean your slick, muddy boots, don’t go close to the water, don’t fall in. Splashing attracts “varmints”.

Always be ready for hazards on the trail.

Always travel with good spirits...

The Next Adventure Search for a Missing American Bomber Crew in the Jungles of Papua New Guinea
Pacific Prowler, a B-25 J Model configured with many .50 machine guns as in the Pacific. Go Remote interviews with some of the vets who flew them and kept them flying were very informative and will aid in the search information. B-25, J model with added .50 Cal Machine Guns for low level runs. Click for more B-25 Photos See the Papua New Guinea page for more information
MIA SEARCH Efforts to solve the mystery of a missing WWII B-25 aircrew lost in New Guinea, but known to have survived their remote crash landing are updated by recently locating and interviewing a fellow pilot who had flown 12 missions with the missing pilot.


Thanks to the veteran pilot, with 50 combat missions, standing right with pistol belt for this photo of his original crew. (Two of the five pictured are also MIA presumed KIA in another lost New Guinea B-25.) The former bomber pilot provided valuable insight for the continuing search with his flight logs, photos and memory during a recent video interview. Additional search updates and photos will be added to the Go Remote page as information continues to develop.

National Film Award
See News/Views for more

Curved Glass EMMY ® award

Arion Pictures, LLC. and Go Remote, Inc. Adventures …Not Vacations, have been recognized with a national film award for their production of "Injury Slight, Please Advise". The film is the accurate account and reenactment of a WWII fighter pilot’s survival in the wilds of New Guinea. The plane wreck is largely in tact in a very remote swamp and has been seen by fewer than 10 non natives since WWII. Steve Cushman, of Go Remote Adventures, was featured in the film and served as guide and the logistics coordinator for the filming that included hiking miles into the jungles of New Guinea to film the rediscovered P-38 fighter.

The feature length film, produced and directed by Josh Baxter, was among those recognized with a Telly Award. The Telly Award recognizes creative excellence in film and video production, television programming and commercials, and material produced for the internet. It is the largest and most prestigious award of its kind, receiving entries from all 50 states and 30 countries around the world.

"Injury Slight, Please Advise" was among the top films selected from more than 13,000 world wide production reviews and was shown at the Carnegie Institute in Washington D.C. for the GI Film Festival honoring American service members. A private showing was previously donated in Huntsville, AL with assistance from the Boeing Company and Monaco Theater in support of Tennessee Valley Honor Flight. (The Honor Fight program provides free charter flights to WWII vets to visit the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C.)

Video Link of Recovery

Here’s a YouTube video clip of a past DoD recovery mission that demonstrates the potential for a successful return of the remains of WWII servicemen left behind. Although the odds for the bomber crew are somewhat daunting, the potential for success is there, as this prior effort demonstrates. The years of research and effort on this crew will, at minimum, document all that is known about a “cold case” lost crew despite limited, if any, official comprehensive search and attention to the hundreds for lost crews in the years past. At minimum, our mission is to accurately document all that can be learned about the fate and loss circumstances of this crew and to pay tribute to them and the hundreds of similar crew losses that have often not been thoroughly investigated. It is the least we can do to honor their service.

Click this link for a 7 minute U Tube video, opens in a new screen: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=C6f_FvZpm3g

Injury Slight, Please Advise "unique" for
GI Film Festival at the Carnegie Institute Showing,
Washington, DC

Previous New Guinea Adventures included the remote filming of the P-38 fighter plane wreck site – and natives, in the award winning film about a fighter pilot’s survival following his escape from natives in the wilds of New Guinea during WWII. That film, produced by Josh Baxter, is now available from Amazon on DVD. Click here to view the trailer and purchase.

To view the original one minute "Stone Age" trailer -- Click here:
http://www.injuryslight.com/trailer2.htm

To view the "new 30 second "Fly By" trailer" -- Click here:
http://www.injuryslight.com/trailer3.htm

To Purchase your full length feature DVD in HD of "Injury Slight, Please Advise" today, Click here:
http://www.injuryslight.com/trailer.html then "buy now"
It is also available on Amazon.

Injury Slight, Please Advise is titled for the brief radio message sent ending the 30 escape days in the jungle. It is an amazing, true account.

The accurately detailed WWII account of the New Guinea jungle survival of fighter ace Capt. Charles O’Sullivan was among the more unique of the nationally selected military related films honored by the selection and showing of Injury Slight, Please Advise, at a prior GI Film Festival in Washington, D.C.

The film’s account of Capt. O’Sullivan’s survival including his escape from natives and the filming of his rediscovered P-38 in the remote jungles of New Guinea was bolstered by the presence of the Greatest Generation pilot himself. The audience was impressed with O’Sullivan’s incredible survival account as well as his quick wit in response to questions after the showing. Our filming of an elderly native who recalled the incident almost EXACTLY as told by “Sully” near the remote crash site was also much talked about. The film is a solid reminder they are not called the Greatest Generation for nothing.

The GI Film Festival, in Washington D.C. is dedicated to the honoring the successes and sacrifices of the American GI. Past films have included the military themed movies “Brothers at War” and featured the recent HBO movie “Taking Chance”. Well known actors involved with the GI Film Festival included Kevin Bacon, Tom Cruise and Robert Duvall. Various Washington officials and dignitaries attended.

Cushman and Baxter are also continuing their filming efforts to research and document the MIA story of a missing B-25 bomber crew known to have survived their crash landing in Japanese held New Guinea. Their ultimate objective is to potentially verify enough new evidence to cause the remains identification and recovery of the missing American B-25 crew. Their research has already uncovered new information and their efforts are the only comprehensive effort ever performed to solve the mystery. Prior research has included visits to Australian archives, areas of Papua New Guinea, DoD records in Hawaii, veteran witness interviews and various other sources. Search plans include returning to visit the wreck site in the wilds of New Guinea. They are being assisted by the veteran pilot of the crew until days before the loss in Japanese held New Guinea.

A video trailer of “Injury Slight, Please Advise” may be viewed from the link below.

To view the short trailers of "Injury Slight" select a link below:

The original one minute "Stone Age" trailer -- Click here:
http://www.injuryslight.com/trailer2.htm

The "new 30 second "Fly By" trailer" -- Click here:
http://www.injuryslight.com/trailer3.htm

Purchase your full length feature DVD in HD of "Injury Slight, Please Advise" today, Click here:
http://www.injuryslight.com/trailer.html then "buy now"
It is also available on Amazon.

P-38 Wreck Site Footage included in
Injury Slight, Please Advise

Sitting on the P38's right wing tip with guides...and leaches...

“Injury Slight…please advise” is the filmed reenactment of a W.W.II P-38 fighter pilot’s incredible survival story after being shot up and crash landing in the wilds of New Guinea . A recent Go Remote, Inc. effort returned from a three week adventure that included a 14 hour jungle hike with native guides to reach the Remote crash site in the wilds of New Guinea.

We filmed the aircraft crash-landing site after it was rediscovered a few years ago in order to include the P-38 twin engine fighter wreck footage with this historic production of actor segments that had already been completed in the jungle setting of Honduras. The eerie jungle footage of the wrecked P-38, still in remarkable condition, will add to the film’s documentation of the amazing W.W.II account. In addition, we filmed the elderly native account of the pilot killing the village chief with a .45 to avoid being turned over to the Japanese (and likely execution) as it was told and translated, from the detailed account of a village elder who was a boy at the time.

The planning and difficulty of our efforts and adventures in reaching the jungle/swamp site pale in comparison to the account of this fighter pilot’s escape and 28 day jungle survival – after leaving his boots behind.

The title of “Injury Slight” was selected from the text of the pilots first brief radio message “home” after reaching the Australian outpost… The film is a remarkable, but accurate, account of WWII pilot who survived to later become an ace.

If you have further interest in this awesome account :

www.injuryslight.com or

View the Injury Slight Trailer here, requires Quicktime 10-9-2007

If you are interested in a similar Go Remote, Inc. Adventure - contact me to now begin planning. Adventure@GoRemote.net - with "Go Remote plans" in the subject line.

The Go Remote Adventure Concept

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in small groups for Qualified applicants.
Check the area and activity tabs for
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If your interest is Adventures:

Have you ---
Been shark riding lately?
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Located a wrecked WWII Fighter plane
crashed in the wilds of New Guinea?
Photographed Kangaroos from a hot air balloon?
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Announced a $50 bet to all the "boys" in the honky tonk they can't whip your buddy's butt?