World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Benjamin L. Harris
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Queens County, New York
Honored By
Sam E. Pennartz
HE ENLISTED AS A PRIVATE IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS ON 2 OCTOBER 1940 AT NEW YORK CITY. HE WAS SELECTED FOR AVIATION CADET TRAINING, COMPLETING PRE-FLIGHT GROUND SCHOOL, AND WAS COMMISSIONED A SECOND LIEUTENANT IN THE U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES. PER 22ND AIR BASE HEADQUARTERS, SPECIAL ORDERS #66, DATED 6 MARCH 1944, HE GRADUATED WITH CLASS #25-44 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 AND WAS ASSIGNED TO AIRCREW A-52 AT PRATT ARMY AIR FIELD, KANSAS. IN NOVEMBER 1944, HE OUT-PROCESSED THROUGH HERINGTON FIELD, KANSAS AND 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, 497TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (VH), 871ST BOMB SQUADRON STATIONED AT ISLEY FIELD ON SAIPAN IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS. ON 24-25 MARCH 1945, HE FLEW AS THE FLIGHT ENGINEER ABOARD A BOEING B-29 SUPER FORTRESS NICKNAMED 'TEASER' TAIL CODE A-SQUARE-52 (SERIAL #42-63526). IT WAS ONE OF 248 AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED IN A MULTI-GROUP FORMATION TO BOMBARD THE MITSUBISHI AIRCRAFT ENGINE FACTORY NEAR NAGOYA, 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 SOUTHWEST TOWARDS THE NAGOYA AREA. WHILE STARTING THE BOMB-RUN AT APPROXIMATELY 0030HRS ON THE 25TH, HIS B-29 ENCOUNTERED SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF FLAK FROM ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARTILLERY. EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS FROM JAPANESE WITNESSES INDICATE A DIRECT HIT ON THE TAIL BY FLAK. NONE OF THE AIRCREW MEMBERS WERE SEEN TO PARACHUTE FROM THE PLANE, AS IT LOST ALTITUDE AND CRASHED IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA OF NAGOYA. HIS REMAINS AND THOSE OF THE OTHER AIRCREW MEMBERS WERE BURIED IN A COMMON GRAVE ON THE GROUNDS OF JOGEN-JI TEMPLE ON GOKISO HILL.