On this date, during the Korean War…

Saturday, January 10, 1953, 3:54 PM: A U.S. Air Force Boeing B-29 Superfortress (#44-61802), departed Kadena Air Base on the island of Okinawa, carrying a crew of 12 men, under the command of Capt. Arthur “Art” Heise. With her belly full of explosives, ‘Stardust 39’ was part of a nighttime SHORAN mission to bomb the Anju marshalling yards, about 40 miles north of Pyongyang, the capitol of North Korea.

Approaching the target area just after 8:35 PM, at an altitude of 22,500 ft, the crescent moon was still almost 4 hours from rising when the aircraft was suddenly illuminated against the clear, black winter sky by about two dozen massive, radar guided searchlights on the ground.

Just prior to ‘bombs away’, and unable to shake off the blinding searchlights with either chaff or ECM, Stardust 39 was hit from the rear by enemy gunfire from a pair of Russian piloted MiG-15s, critically damaging the rudder, right elevator, right wing and #3 engine, while ripping through the right gunner’s Plexiglas bubble, severely wounding the right gunner, A/1C Robert “Shorty” Storkson, as well as wounding the top (CFC) gunner, S/Sgt Rex Gary and left gunner, A/1C Bill Hansen. Capt. Heise, a seasoned WWII bomber pilot, mustered his combat experience, stayed on course and completed the mission. Then, immediately following bombs away and while still under attack, the aircraft started losing altitude.

Left gunner Storkson later wrote to Capt. Heise’s wife saying, “Art called back and asked if anyone had been hit, and when Hansen said I had, Art said, “Oh my God, no”, and then asked how bad. When Hansen hesitated, to learn from me the extent of my injury, Art became impatient because of his concern for me and said, “Let’s have it boy, let’s have it!” Hansen then told him I was alive but bleeding badly from my face. Several times after that Art called back and asked about me, some of the conversation of which I heard myself after I got back on interphone. I’ll never forget that during those few precious moments, when he had so much to do, he still found time to ask about his crew.”

A “Mayday” call was broadcast from Stardust 39 at 8:48 PM. At 8:53 PM, Capt. Heise reported in again, saying, “Hit Bad, have wounded men, will try to get to K-13.” (a friendly air base near Suwon, South Korea, about 20 miles south of Seoul). After crossing the Chinnampo River at 9:06 PM, Capt. Heise reported, “We are bailing out, number-three engine on fire.” Although still over enemy territory, Capt. Heise knew that it was only a matter of time before the aircraft would either explode or crash, so getting his crew out of the airplane would give them their best chances for survival.

Upon receiving Capt. Heise’s orders, all twelve members of the crew bailed out, while Capt. Heise stayed at the controls and attempted to fly the crippled, burning bomber toward friendly lines. But the aircraft continued to descend until it hit the side of a mountain and exploded. A nearby reconnaissance pilot who witnessed the crash, reported that poor visibility and darkness prevented him from being able to spot any parachutes, while only one of the twelve crewmen reported seeing enough chutes to suggest that Capt. Heise may have been able to bail out before the crash. However, when friendly forces got to the wreckage, there was no trace of Capt. Heise and he was never seen or heard from again.

Thanks to Capt. Arthur “Art” Heise’s heroic, selfless leadership and his exemplary airmanship, all twelve members of his crew were able to safely exit the flaming aircraft. All twelve were captured and imprisoned by the Communist North Koreans and Chinese and were reported to their families as ‘Missing In Action’ (MIA). As POWs, the crewmen endured torture, neglect, inhumane living conditions, malnourishment, brutal interrogations and untold abuses at the hands of their captors, until being released and repatriated during “Operation Big Switch”, in early September 1953, several weeks after the signing of the cease fire.

The Air Force declared Capt. Heise as “presumed dead” on February 11, 1954, although his fate and whereabouts remain a mystery to this day.

#KoreanWar #POWMIA #HERO #TheGreatestGeneration