18 MAY 1945
First Lieutenant Archie A. Yelvington, pilot of "Playmate Four Seven", departed Zamboanga at 0710 hours and proceeded to toward his orbit point off the west coast of Borneo. When West of Palabac Strait at 1010, he received a radio message stating that a B-24 crew was down in the vicinity of Cagayen Sulu Island. Lieutenant Yelvington altered his course and contacted the B-24 which was circling the survivors, took a radar bearing on it and went directly to the south of Carayaen Sulu Island at 6°50'N, 118°00'E. Lieutenant Yelvington landed his rescue ship on five to six foot swells and took eight survivors aboard. During the landing procedure his shipped dropped into a hollow between the swells, striking with such force that the nose was wrinkled and the entire hull just forward of the leading edge of the wing buckled. In spite of the damage to his ship, Lieutenant Yelvington took off at 1410 and headed for Zamboanga, landing at 1630. The ship, 44-33880 was so badly damaged that is was declared a total loss and salvaged. (Per INIDIVIDUAL AIRCRAFT RECORD CARD she was salvaged 27 June 1945) Today there is an OA-10A CC-CDT with contract number CV-332 flying as a water bomber in Paraguay. Could this be her?

The survivors, all members of the 72nd Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Group were as follows: 1Lt William R. Silvers, 2Lt Gordon A. Schmidt, 2Lt Robert J. Thebault, 2Lt Norbert Perl, 2Lt Edward F. Winthers, S/Sgt Kenneth L. Moles, Sgt Robert M. Henry, Pfc Donald L. Dipnoye. The following men went down with the ship: S/Sgt Robert M. Shannon, S/Sgt J.A. Golmon Jr., and S/Sgt Edward J. Tebbets. The pilot stated that while on a bombing run over the target, jis engines were badly damaged. One engine went out almost immediately, and on his way home, two more engines went out and he crash-landed on the sea. The ship exploded soon after hitting the water, eight men miraculously escaping. None of the survivors was injured. The lost airmen were killed in the crash and went down with the ship.