At the risk of thread hi-jack:
Dad was with the 27th Bomb Group that had shipped to Manila in November 1941, their aircraft to follow. Some 25 or so of the more experienced pilots and a very few technicians were ferried to Australia by Dec 24th to retrieve their diverted planes for the defense of the Philippines . It took until February to assemble/modify a squadron of A-24s ( I believe the 91st Sqdn) to assist in the defense of Java.
Dad was in the 8th Sqdn assigned the defense of New Guinea in April '42 with as many similarly decrepit planes. In March, the 27th had been rolled back into the 3rd BG or 3rd Attack Group as it was to be called for the remainder of the war, occupation of Japan, Korea and until recently.
Of the 1100 or so 27th Bomb Group personnel only about 100 escaped the defense of Manila as infantry or subsequent Bataan death march and POW nightmare.
When and where Dad came to hold this Cattleman/USAAF Pilot knife has gone to his grave with him.
My sister has it now but I get to carry it on occasion.
"3rdattackgroup.org" website, if you can wade through it, has a history of the 27th BG on the links page and then to "The 27th Reports" page.
Doug
