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| Lt. Charles Cannon was a B-25 co-pilot in India and China. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44478087 |
Charles Albert Cannon Jr. never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
Charles was born on August 28, 1919 in Concord, North Carolina. His parents Charles Sr. and Ruth were also born in North Carolina. His father was president of Cannon Mills Company, a large textiles manufacturer. Charles had two older sisters, one older brother, and one younger sister. In 1940 Charles had completed four years of college and was living at home and working in the family business. He married the former Mildred White on 21 September 1940 and they had a son, Charles Albert Cannon III.
Charles Jr. volunteered for service in the US Army Air Forces in September 1942 and after completing flight training was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in January 1944. He was assigned to the 2nd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron of the 10th Air Force, based in Gushkara, India, as a co-pilot aboard B-25 Mitchell aircraft. The 2nd Squadron had the unenviable task of flying weather reconnaissance missions over the China-Burma-India hump in support of 10th Air Force operations to resupply the Chinese war effort and US Army Air Forces combat units based in China.
Flying over the Himalayas was extremely dangerous and made more difficult by a lack of reliable charts, an absence of radio navigation aids, and dearth of information about the weather. The air route wound its way into the high mountains and deep gorges between north Burma and west China, where violent turbulence, 125 to 200 mph winds, icing, and inclement weather conditions were a regular occurrence. Typical 2nd Squadron missions were flown over hazardous uncharted terrain in the face of extreme weather conditions and probable enemy interception, without benefit of fighter escort, in heavily loaded B-25 aircraft modified and equipped for long range weather reconnaissance. Weather data provided by the squadron was instrumental in the success of the India–China airlift, which delivered approximately 650,000 tons of materiel to China at great cost in men and aircraft during its 42-month history.
By March 1945, 2nd Lt. Cannon had completed 29 operational missions. On 10 March 1945, he was co-pilot aboard B-25D 43-3671, nicknamed “A Bit of Lace”, which departed Gushkara, India bound for Chengtu, China. The aircraft landed at Myitkyina, Burma for refueling prior to proceeding on to Chengtu, but was never seen or heard from again. Once the aircraft was determined to be missing, a search was conducted along the probable flight path but no trace was found and all seven crew members, including 2nd Lt. Cannon, were presumed dead. Lt. Cannon was awarded the Purple Heart and the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster for meritorious achievement.
Charles Albert Cannon Jr. is memorialized in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines, and in Oakwood Cemetery in Concord, North Carolina. His wife remarried several years after the war and died in 1976.
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This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled Joseph Sullivan of the USS Juneau of the famed five Sullivan brothers. You can read about Joseph here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
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