World War II Honoree

Jack M. Danowitz

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Bronx, New York

Honored By

Sam E. Pennartz

AFTER 3 YEARS OF COLLEGE, HE ENLISTED AS A PRIVATE IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS ON 22 OCTOBER 1941 AT FORT DIX, NEW JERSEY. HE WAS SELECTED FOR AVIATION CADET TRAINING, COMPLETING PRE-FLIGHT GROUND SCHOOL, PRIMARY FLIGHT TRAINING, AND WAS COMMISSIONED A SECOND LIEUTENANT IN THE U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES. PER 22ND BASE HEADQUARTERS, SPECIAL ORDER #66, DATED 6 MARCH 1944, HE GRADUATED FROM FLIGHT ENGINEER SCHOOL (FES) AT LOWRY FIELD NEAR DENVER, COLORADO AND WAS ATTACHED TO 17TH BOMBARDMENT OPERATIONAL TRAINING WING AT CLOVIS ARMY AIR BASE, NEW MEXICO. SUBSEQUENTLY, HE UNDERWENT B-29 AIRCRAFT OPERATIONAL COMBAT CREW TRAINING AT SMOKY HILL ARMY AIR FIELD NEAR SALINA, KANSAS. IN SEPTEMBER 1944, HE DEPLOYED FROM MATHER FIELD, CALIFORNIA (WITH RE-FUELING STOPS AT HAWAII AND KWAJALEIN ATOLL IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS) TO THE CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATRE OF OPERATIONS AND WAS ASSIGNED TO 20TH AIR FORCE, XXI BOMBER COMMAND, 73RD BOMB WING, 499TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (VH), 877TH BOMB SQUADRON STATIONED AT ISLEY FIELD ON SAIPAN IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS. ON 2 APRIL 1945, HE FLEW IN THE FLIGHT ENGINEER POSITION ABOARD A BOEING B-29 SUPER FORTRESS (NICKNAMED JUG HAID II) TAIL CODE V-SQUARE-2 (SERIAL #42-24650) OF THE 877TH BOMB SQUADRON. IT WAS ONE OF 115 AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED IN A MULTI-GROUP FORMATION TO BOMBARD THE NAKAJIMA AIRCRAFT PLANT NEAR TOKYO, JAPAN. AFTER A FLIGHT OF APPROXIMATELY SIX HOURS AND SOME 1,200 NAUTICAL MILES, HIS AIRCRAFT REACHED THEIR CHECK-POINT ABOVE MOUNT FUJI ON THE MAIN ISLAND OF HONSHU, AND BEGAN THEIR BOMB-RUN NORTH-EAST TOWARDS TOKYO. HIS AIRCRAFT WAS HIT WITH FLAK FROM ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARTILLERY WHILE OVER THE TARGET AREA, AND CRASHED IN ITUKA, NEAR KAWASAKI CITY IN THE KANAGAWA PREFECTURE OF JAPAN. HE WAS INITIALLY LISTED AS MISSING IN ACTION, AND DECLARED KILLED IN ACTION AFTER THE WAR ENDED.