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| Captain Henry Sabotka served in the 42nd Bombardment Group. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124372358/henry-j-sabotka https://theamericanwarrior.com/2015/04/01/the-crusaders/ |
Henry J. Sabotka never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on May 8, 1919 in Massachusetts. His parents Joseph and Wladyslava were both born in Polish speaking Russia. They immigrated in 1915 and 1913, respectively. His father worked as a foundry moulder. His mother died in 1932. Henry had an older sister and a younger sister.
Henry enlisted in the army on September 1, 1938. He eventually volunteered for the Army Air Forces and attended officer candidate school. He married Margaret Bright in July 1941, the same month he earned his wings. They had two sons.
He rose to the rank of captain and was commander(?) of the 100th Bombardment Squadron, 42nd Bombardment Group which was equipped with B-25 Mitchells. The 42nd BG arrived in the Pacific in April 1943. Operating out of Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and the Philippines, it attacked Japanese airfields, bases and shipping.
With the war in the Pacific weeks from conclusion, Captain Sabotka was on a C-47 flight carrying 12 officers and men that crashed near Maikisung, New Guinea on June 16, 1945. He was not the only mid-grade officer killed. Also lost on that flight were three other captains, two majors and even a lieutenant colonel.
His grave is at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Westfield, Massachusetts (If anyone reading this could take a photo of the gravesite, we can share it on findagrave.com). It appears that his widow never remarried and died in 2010.
Last year on this date I profiled Wilfred Lewis who served with the 82nd Airborne Division in Normandy. You can read about Wilfred 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
From The Crusaders: A History of the 42nd Bombardment Group:
ReplyDelete100TH BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON. (M)
Commanding Officer, Capt. Henry J. Sabotka.
Executive Officer, Mai'. Joseph J. Stephens.
Adjutant, Capt. Albert W. Rinehart, I/Sgt. Jack D. Monasco.
S-2, Capt. Thelmer A. Smith, T/Sgt. Daniel E. Campbell, Lieut. William P. Hurley.
S-3, Lieut. Ritchie L. Jones, T/Sgt. Horace Gray, Lieut. Ernest R. Matton, Lieut. Edwin S. Winslow.
S-4, CWO John F. Pettigrew, S/Sgt. Floyd Crooks.
Mess, Lieut. Guy Kramer, T/Sgt. Wesley D. Strickland.
Transportation, Lieut. Joseph A. Taylor, T/Sgt. Earl A. Collins.
Ordnance, Lieut. Joseph A. Taylor, T/Sgt. Leo E. Graham.
Engineering, Capt. Richard E. Eliasen, M/Sgt. William Slaughter.
Armament, Capt. George S. Good, M/Sgt. John 0. Spinks, Lieut. Clifford E. Cain.
Communications, Capt. Wesley D. Correll, M/Sgt. William E. Norris, Lieut. Robert M. Croumlich.
Flight Surgeon, Capt. Vaughn A. Aviakian, S/Sgt. John Hodakowski.
On this electrifying day the 69th sent seven over Labuan, Lieut. T. C. Mahl in the lead, to drop centuries on the personnel and supply area west of the strip. The first of two flights had Major Robison of the 75th and four over Kuching to lay centuries on the Jap Headquarters building and start five fires in the morning. Capt. Henry J. Sabotka and four of the 100th duplicated on the afternoon shift.
The log for the 10th shows fifteen of the 69th and 70th back to Mindanao in support of ground activities at Cagayan Town. A total of 178 bombs and 21,600 rounds were left in the target. Lieut. W. H. Mechwart returned to base on one engine, having been accidental target for another plane's bomb which skipped and damaged his prop. Eight each of the 100th and 390th, Lieut. Ritchie I.. Jones, and Lietit. E. E. Rankin leading, flew the same mission with Tagoloan Town as their objective, while the 75th sent 12 to Tarakan with Lieut. H. K. McElroy leading.
On a Borneo shipping search of the 11th, Lieut. E. G. Bearman bagged a 50-foot barge in Brunei Bay. Four others went to Brooketon, where they strafed a 100-foot tower, and got another SD, a 50-foot launch, and a 50 foot barge south of the town.
Sandakan was given a good pasting by the 70th, 75th, and 390th on the 13th, Jesselton on the 14th, Bintulu and Sibu on the 16th and 18th, Seria on the 19th.
Lieut. C. E. Rich, 70th, contributed a new one to the Group's "Ripley's Odditorium" on the 16th's Sibu mission. Coming in at "rhubarb height," this crew literally went "batty". They stirred tip a cloud of vampires and had to fly through, splattering bats and bat parts all over the plane. Part of the mess melted off the plane from the language used by the ground crew who had to clean up this plane.
Six each, led by Major Waddleton, with Colonel Helmick as co-pilot, for the 69th and Capt. H. J. Sabotka for the 100th, got through weather for a shipping strike at Balikpapan May 20th. Two SD's were destroyed.
Thanks for adding these detail about this mission. Would you like to write the stories of these fallen heroes who died with Captain Sabotka for the Stories Behind the Stars project (www.storiesbehindthestars.org) so their stories will also be remembered into perpetuity?
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