Volume 23,
Number 2
Volume 23,
|
|
December 1998 |
| MILITARY AIR TRANSPORT It is on Veterans Day that we honor and remember the people that served their country in the armed forces. It is an unpleasant fact that in every war or military conflict there are casualties. During World War II, Sherman county participated in the war effort by sending its brave and honorable young people to help assist our country. Some of these servicemen returned, and some did not. World War II ended as the autumn season of 1945 began. Families anxiously waited for word regarding returning family and friends and anticipated homecomings. War weary servicemen returned home while new volunteers were being trained as a military presence was still needed in Europe and the Mediterranean. July 1946 arrived and for the people of Sherman County, Kansas, life went on. The cattle needed checked, the fieldwork was never ending and wheat harvest 1946 was about done. For the citizens of Sherman County, things were almost back to normal. But soon, fourteen military personnel were to loose their lives on Sherman County soil. Topeka Army Air Base, Topeka, Kansas and Lowry Field, Denver, Colorado were the two closest army bases to Goodland, Kansas in 1946. Goodland had a weather service reporting station used by local pilots as well as military personnel. It was on July 18, 1946 orders were given from the Topeka AAB that two C-47 planes were to fly to Kearns, Utah. Crews for both airplanes arrived at Hanger #4. A pre-flight inspection was done on each aircraft. Weather reports were checked and the navigators checked their maps and instruments. Orders were checked only to find out that the orders had been changed and the luggage and parachutes had to be put on the proper planes. The Military Air Transport (MAT) #1 was to carry eleven passengers and three crew members; MAT #5 was to carry cargo and some passengers. The flight plan made arrangements for a refueling at Lowry Field in Denver before continuing. MAT #1 was taxied and ready for takeoff when MAT #5 realized they did not have sufficient parachutes for the passengers. As MAT #5 waited for parachutes to be loaded on the plane, MAT #1 tookoff. By the time the mix up was corrected the original take off time was delayed by 45 minutes. It was then 7:15 P.M. (Mountain Time). After takeoff and climb, both planes were to cruise at 6,000 ft. Once a check point north of Salina was reached the planes changed altitude to 8,000 ft. The weather was good until sunset. Once it was dark, the pilot of MAT #5 reported a long line of lightning from as far north and as far south as he could see. The pilot of MAT #5 later reported that as he neared Goodland, they were without radio reception due to electrical activity and static caused by the thunderstorms. As MAT #5 reached the thunderstorms, the crew decided to fly above the storms and climbed to 8,300 ft. The airplane ran into some mild turbulence and as the crew put down the gear, the airplane hit a terrific downdraft. Co-pilot Captain Judson Mitchell, Jr. later recalled that "we hit a terrific downdraft, sufficient to cause the pen and pencil clipped inside my pocket to fly past my head. I looked up to see the hand "mike" standing straight up as though it were rigid, also the clip board from the floor was on the ceiling. This is the downdraft that broke our cargo loose." The aircraft was again at 8,000 ft. and there was slight precipitation. In a split second the aircraft had reversed directions and was going up at approximately 3,000 feet a minute. Mitchell reported that sometimes the rate of climb would go all the way to the peg. This turbulence was so violent that the airplane controls were useless. The crew decided to try to fly above the storms. As the craft passed through 10,000 feet, they encountered hail of rather large size that was damaging the airplane. Upon reaching 15,000 feet, the outside temperature was 0 degrees centigrade and the violent snow storm caused the plane to take on a load of ice. The crew was able to hold the airplane at a little over 15,000 feet as they remained in the storm for about 30 to 40 minutes. Once through the worst of the storm the airplane descended to 8,000 feet and tried to contact the nearest radio tower. Radio contact in western Kansas and eastern Colorado was difficult even under normal conditions. No tower could be reached but contact was made with MAT #2, an aircraft heading east. The crew warned MAT #2 of the serious weather ahead. MAT #5 was informed of the weather from Denver to MAT #2's present position. Some time passed before MAT #5 was able to reach Lowry Field by radio. It was shortly after this that the aircraft broke through the clouds and the city of Denver could be seen straight ahead. Upon landing in Denver the crew inspected the aircraft and found 18 holes in the elevators. The heating system that runs along the top of the passenger cabin was smashed as a result of the cargo as it came loose. No damage was sustained by the crew or passengers of MAT # but upon arrival at Denver, the passengers refused to fly any further. The ship was grounded until the next day. It was at this time that the crew of MAT #5 realized that MAT #1 had not reported in. Residents of Sherman County recalled the violent thunderstorms the night of July 18, 1946. Around 9:10 P.M. many would recall the sound of a low flying airplane and then a red flash or pink glow west of town. The visibility was so poor because of the clouds and rain that no one actually saw the aircraft. The next morning, after hearing the report of the missing airplane, Goodland airport personnel searched the surrounding area for any sign of wreckage. The exact location of the crash was four miles due west of Goodland. The time of the crash was fixed at 2208 CST (9:08 P.M. mountain time) since watches were found at the scene of the crash with their hands stopped at this time. The accident report indicates that the plane was headed in a northeast direction when the left wing made contact with the ground, dug in, the left engine struck followed by the nose of the craft, the right engine and then the plane exploded as it scattered wreckage over an area 2,300 feet long and 340 feet wide. Experts determined there was no malfunction of either engine prior to the crash. The army determined that the crew of MAT #1 was trying to fly through or around the line of thunderstorms not realizing the danger they were in. The burnt and broken remains of the crew and
passengers of MAT #1 were retrieved by Lester F. Sage the owner of the local funeral home.
James Smith, an employee of the funeral home recalls bringing the bodies to town in
an open trailer. They prepared the bodies as best they could before the army
officials arrived. As soon as the army personnel arrived, they took over
identification procedures and notified family members. The casualties of this crash
were: Fred P. and Lucy K. Gatshall, owned the land on which the crash occurred. Later that year they erected a marker honoring the crash victims. Special Thanks to:
Please keep the Historical Society in mind when purchasing Christmas Gifts this year. Our memberships will make a great gift for the person who is hard to buy for. We will have a $50 special for our 3 volume Sherman County Historical Society Books, "They Came to Stay." This offer is good thru January 15, 1999. These books can be purchased locally at the High Plains museum or the Family Bookstore. The Historical Society would be happy to mail the set to you as well. If you're interested in each newsletter published since 1975, the "Bulletin Book" is a perfect gift for just $20. You may purchase this book at the High Plains museum or directly through the Historical Society. Please see the attached membership information form for more details. To view web version. Click Here Many thanks goes to the Sherman County Historical Society Board of Directors. I have had a wonderful 2 years presiding over the organization. We have accomplished many tasks and started even more. And, we are looking forward to creating a downtown district, indexing pictures and family records and creating driving tours throughout the county. The school house had a successful summer with 685 visitors. We appreciated you all stopping in to visit. Many thanks to Evelyn Ward who coordinated the volunteers and workers for the summer. Congratulations to Isabelle Morgan, she was the winner of the Quilt Raffle that the Historical Society sponsored this summer. We made $500 on our project. Thanks to each one who purchased the tickets!! Sincerely, |
