28 DECEMBER 1944
First Lieutenant Robert L. "Bob" Rohlfing, pilot of "Playmate Four Two", departed Morotai at 0635 with orders to cover strikes on Tarakan, Borneo, and pick up Dutch prisoners of War. At 1033, he received an urgent message to investigate report of two rafts with survivors off Natanel Point on the Island of Basilan located at 06°10'N, 122°45'E. He sighted empty life rafts and proceeded with search. At 1335 mirror flashes and two flares were sighted. Lieutenant Rohlfing proceeded to the survivors, landed in a rough sea and took five survivors aboard. All were members of the 822nd Bomb Squadron, 38th Bomb Group and are listed as follows: Second Lieutenant Alfred Sqingel, Second Lieutenant John C. Mealks, Second Lieutenant Howard Holton, Staff Sergeant Clarence Landry, Sergeant Dillison J. Holton. Lieutenant Sqingel had a deep laceration of his left leg. Lieutenant Holton's lip was cut, and Sgt Landry had a badly sprained back. The pilot stated that while on a bombing and strafing mission over Zamboanga, Southern tip of Mindanao, one engine quit and they crashed into the sea, killing the tail gunner and injuring three. The ship went down in 25 minutes. They had ditched their ship at 1430 on 27 December 1944. Lieutenant Rohlfing returned to Morotai at 1745 and transferred the injured to the 155th Station Hospital.

AIRCRAFT TYPE: OA-10A*  
USAAF SERNO: 44-33879  (CV-330)**
CALLSIGN:  "Playmate 42" 
CREW: (Pilot) 1st Lt. Robert L. Rohlfing; (Co-Pilot) 2nd Lt. Richard A. Costine; (Navigator) 2nd Lt. Wayne K. Warner; (Engineer) Private First Class Mark M. Rose; (Radio) Staff Sergeant Arthur J. Zewart; (Radar) Staff Sergeant Albert A. Kurto; (Surgical Technician) Private First Class Murphy