Lieutenant Eugene F. McGurl

Eugene F. McGurl's father was Owen James McGurl and his mother named Ellen McCurl (Gilgun) If the genealogy websites are correct I found out that they had 14 children!. Eugene had 4 brothers and 9 sisters.  Eugene F. McGurl was born in Belmont, Massachusetts. On the picture below you see some of his younger brothers and his mother and his father.

Chunking, China, May 2, 1942.

NAVIGATION REPORT ON TOKYO BOMBING RAID TO: Chief of Army Air Forces.

MISSION: To depart from carrier off the coast of Japan, proceed to Tokyo, bomb assigned targets, head directly south out to sea (to confuse the enemy), parallel coast of Japan to the Osumi Strait, and at the navigator's discretion proceed to the final destination at Chuhsien. To land, refuel and proceed directly to Chunking with minimum delay.

SOLUTION: Observed time, position, wind direction and velocity given by U.S.S. Hornet navigator. Checked compass by flying over carrier, noting its course and correcting for drift. Proceeded on direct course to Choshi point using dead reckoning, checked by several celestial shots which at the observed time gave excellent course lines. Ground speed was computed from given wind, time and fuel shortage preventing double draft. Estimated time of arrival by computed ground speed. Sun lines disclosed our position north of intended course and necessitated south westerly course to target. Low flying and inaccuracies in representation of topography by Japanese Naval Air Charts made pilotage extremely difficult. Arrived at targets through pilotage and released bombs on Tokyo.

Altered course to approximately 180° and flew five miles abeam of Oshinia Island for a distance of 90 miles. Altered course to parallel Japanese coast line and checked ground speed by sun lines, double drift and check points. Maintained same course to Osumi Strait where we altered course to hit 29th parallel of latitude on 123° of longitude or about 100 miles from China coast. Direct westerly course taken on 29th parallel. No landfall possible due to overcast. Computed E.T.A. at coast and checked same on arrival. Checked ground speed and figured E.T.A. at Chuchow (Chuhsien). Overcast and zero visibility made visual location impossible. Computation alone gave the position and the ruggedness of surrounding country made knowledge of exact position of paramount importance. After parachuting and subsequently locating our place of arrival, our position was checked. Loss of our planes prevented the last leg of the flight to Chunking and therefore required no further navigation.

Adequate equipment and information, aided by the fine teamwork made our eventual arrival at above destination possible.

/signed/ EUGENE F. McGURL 2nd Lt. - 0-431648 95th Squad. 17th Gp.

I think the 9th person is Waldo Bithner - Crew 12 - 

Eugene McCurl stayed in the Pacific War theatre after the Doolittle Raid. McGurl later served as the bombardier of a B-25C bomber assigned to the 11th Bombardment Squadron. On June 3, 1942 he took part in a flight of six B-25s from Dinjan, India to attack Lashio, Burma and then proceed over the Himalayas to a base in Kunming, China.

The raid on Lashio was successful and the flight withdrew on course to Kunming at 10,000 feet in a thick overcast. Suddenly, McGurl's and two other planes crashed into the side of a mountain. The others barely missed hitting the ground after pulling up sharply. Needs to be checked but from my point of view, Duquette (Crew 12) Gardner (Crew 11) and McCurl (Crew 05) died on the same day in the same accident on the same spot.

MIA – on the same spot and in the same accident as Omer Duquette (crew 12) and Melvin Gardner (crew 11).

On 3 June 1942 he took part in a flight of six B-25s from Dinjan, India to attack Lashio, Burma. McCurl's and two other planes crashed into the side of a mountain.

His name is on the tablets of the missing in Manilla, Philippines at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial,Manila Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines, Plot: Tablets of the Missing. See picture below. 

At Mount Pleasant cemetery at Arlington, Massachusetts is a remebrance stone for Eugene McGurl

A plaque at the intersection of Brattle and Summer Streets in Arlington, Mssachusetts, remembers Eugene F. McGurl,  see picture below.

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