Entered the service from Texas.
He was assigned to the 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, U.S. Army and sent to Australia and on to New Guinea in May of 1944.
Private Francis J. Benson was a passenger on a U.S. troop carrier plane (a Douglas C-47A-DK Skytrain with S/N 42-92062) that took off from Cyclops Drome near Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea (now part of Indonesia) at 0547 hours on 01 October 1944 on a flight bound for Finschafen Airfield, Territory of New Guinea (now Papua, New Guinea). Although the weather conditions were clear, with occasional scattered thunderstorms, visibility was good, the plane failed to arrive at its destination. Nothing is known of what happened to it and no trace of the plane has ever been found. Private Benson (along with the 4 crew and 22 other passengers including 5 others from the 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion) were listed as missing in action. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery.
Listed as missing-in-action from that flight:
Crew:
Pilot 1st Lt. (posthumously promoted to Captain) Russell Andrew Morrison, (S/ N 0-740880), De Leon, Texas.
Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Kenneth E. Wirth, (S/ N 0-772242), Lincoln, Nebraska.
Aerial Engineer T/Sgt. John F. Semmens, (S/ N 12123113), Harrington Park, New Jersey.
Radio Operator S/Sgt. Frank M. Staker, (S/ N 39529923), California.
Passengers:
Lt. (jg) John Hartwell "Jack" Fezler, D-V (G), USNR (S/ N 0-228365), Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit One (MEIU #1), Navy 134, Oklahoma.
COM(AA) V-6 William Cecil Meadville, USNR (S/N 6048993), Aviation Chief Ordnanceman (AA), Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit One (MEIU #1), Navy 134, Pennsylvania.
Col. Oscar D. McNeely, S/ N O7325, Headquarters, 25th Anti-aircraft Artillery Group, Oklahoma.
Cpt. (posthumously promoted to Major) Hal Sayre, III, S/ N O355966, 821st Engineer Battalion, Aviation, Denver, Colorado.
Cpt. Boothe C. Haltom, S/ N O366455, 146th Anti-aircraft Artillery Operations Detachment, Mississippi.
2nd Lt. (posthumously promoted to 1st LT) John R. Riisoe, S/ N O2036215, Headquarters, Far East Air Force, Kansas.
1st Lt. Harry E. Petersen, S/ N O1640812, 93rd Signal Battalion, Minnesota.
1st Lt. William L. Pilgrim, S/ N O1289620, 151st Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division, South Carolina.
1st Lt Claude "Alvin" Reese, Jr. , S/ N O1288619, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, Fort Worth, Texas.
1st Lt. George D. Steel Jr. , S/ N O2036224, Headquarters, Far East Air Service Command, Wyoming.
Pfc. Paul E. Almon, S/ N 39197973, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Washington.
Pvt. Francis J. Benson, S/ N 38363676, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Texas.
T/5 Alfred G. Daigneau, S/ N 15376994, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Ohio.
Pfc. William Hardaway Hatch, Jr. , S/ N 34466193, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Pfc. Irvin H. Miller, S/ N 33489435, Battalion Headquarters Company, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Pennsylvania.
T/5 John L. Zajicek, S/ N 37181290, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Mississippi.
Cpt. Clement Loughlin Schrader, S/ N SX9339, 2/7th Field Regiment Royal Australian Artillery, Cowandilla, Australia.
Lt. Peter Ogilvie Graham, S/ N QX26597, 2nd Marine Logistic Group, attached to 1st Australian Corps Headquarters, Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia.
Joseph Engel, S/ N TC 10622, Australia.
Arthur Hawley, S/ N TC 7041, Australia.
Roland Ince, S/ N TC 2405, Australia.
John Mignot, S/ N TC 10720, Australia.
Dennis Rawson, S/ N TC 9730, Australia.
Entered the service from Texas.
He was assigned to the 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, U.S. Army and sent to Australia and on to New Guinea in May of 1944.
Private Francis J. Benson was a passenger on a U.S. troop carrier plane (a Douglas C-47A-DK Skytrain with S/N 42-92062) that took off from Cyclops Drome near Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea (now part of Indonesia) at 0547 hours on 01 October 1944 on a flight bound for Finschafen Airfield, Territory of New Guinea (now Papua, New Guinea). Although the weather conditions were clear, with occasional scattered thunderstorms, visibility was good, the plane failed to arrive at its destination. Nothing is known of what happened to it and no trace of the plane has ever been found. Private Benson (along with the 4 crew and 22 other passengers including 5 others from the 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion) were listed as missing in action. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery.
Listed as missing-in-action from that flight:
Crew:
Pilot 1st Lt. (posthumously promoted to Captain) Russell Andrew Morrison, (S/ N 0-740880), De Leon, Texas.
Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. Kenneth E. Wirth, (S/ N 0-772242), Lincoln, Nebraska.
Aerial Engineer T/Sgt. John F. Semmens, (S/ N 12123113), Harrington Park, New Jersey.
Radio Operator S/Sgt. Frank M. Staker, (S/ N 39529923), California.
Passengers:
Lt. (jg) John Hartwell "Jack" Fezler, D-V (G), USNR (S/ N 0-228365), Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit One (MEIU #1), Navy 134, Oklahoma.
COM(AA) V-6 William Cecil Meadville, USNR (S/N 6048993), Aviation Chief Ordnanceman (AA), Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit One (MEIU #1), Navy 134, Pennsylvania.
Col. Oscar D. McNeely, S/ N O7325, Headquarters, 25th Anti-aircraft Artillery Group, Oklahoma.
Cpt. (posthumously promoted to Major) Hal Sayre, III, S/ N O355966, 821st Engineer Battalion, Aviation, Denver, Colorado.
Cpt. Boothe C. Haltom, S/ N O366455, 146th Anti-aircraft Artillery Operations Detachment, Mississippi.
2nd Lt. (posthumously promoted to 1st LT) John R. Riisoe, S/ N O2036215, Headquarters, Far East Air Force, Kansas.
1st Lt. Harry E. Petersen, S/ N O1640812, 93rd Signal Battalion, Minnesota.
1st Lt. William L. Pilgrim, S/ N O1289620, 151st Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division, South Carolina.
1st Lt Claude "Alvin" Reese, Jr. , S/ N O1288619, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, Fort Worth, Texas.
1st Lt. George D. Steel Jr. , S/ N O2036224, Headquarters, Far East Air Service Command, Wyoming.
Pfc. Paul E. Almon, S/ N 39197973, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Washington.
Pvt. Francis J. Benson, S/ N 38363676, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Texas.
T/5 Alfred G. Daigneau, S/ N 15376994, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Ohio.
Pfc. William Hardaway Hatch, Jr. , S/ N 34466193, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Raleigh, North Carolina.
Pfc. Irvin H. Miller, S/ N 33489435, Battalion Headquarters Company, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Pennsylvania.
T/5 John L. Zajicek, S/ N 37181290, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Mississippi.
Cpt. Clement Loughlin Schrader, S/ N SX9339, 2/7th Field Regiment Royal Australian Artillery, Cowandilla, Australia.
Lt. Peter Ogilvie Graham, S/ N QX26597, 2nd Marine Logistic Group, attached to 1st Australian Corps Headquarters, Kingaroy, Queensland, Australia.
Joseph Engel, S/ N TC 10622, Australia.
Arthur Hawley, S/ N TC 7041, Australia.
Roland Ince, S/ N TC 2405, Australia.
John Mignot, S/ N TC 10720, Australia.
Dennis Rawson, S/ N TC 9730, Australia.
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