|
|
|
|
|
Robert Muse Brigman (8/20/1920-10/22/2009), First Lieutenant, U.S. Army Air Force, served in the China-Burma-India Theater during World War II as a C-47 pilot from March 2, 1943 until he was demobilized on August 4, 1945 in Texas. He later served in the reserves where he was promoted and continued to fly.
Robert was very proud of serving his country as an Army pilot but modest about his role in the War. He continued to love flying; after retirement he volunteered at an Air Museum near his home in Santa Maria, California until his death at age 89. Awarded: Distinguished Flying Cross with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters Presidential Unit Citation Badge Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 1 Bronze Service Star SCROLL DOWN OR CLICK ANY IMAGE TO CONTINUE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NAZIRA, ASSAM.
SUBJECT: Commendation of duty performed by 2nd Lieut. R. M. Brigman and his crew. TO: Capt. Dickey, Commanding Officer, Second Troop Carrier Squadron, Dinjan, Assam. 1. I should like to call your attention to what I consider an outstanding performance of duty by 2nd Lieut. Brigman and his crew of your command. 2. On March 31, 1944 I was observer aboard a C-47 of your command, piloted by Lieut. Brigman with 2nd Lieut. D. J. Hill, co-pilot, 1st Lieut. Hoyt E. Hager Jr., navigator, and Corporaal J. W. Meek, radio operator. The cargo was vital supplies and equipment for our party at Warang, Burma. The ship took off from Dinjan, Assam at 1635. In the Hukawng Valley extremely unfavorable weather was encountered. It was necessary to fly close to a broad thunderhead to cross the valley. After thirty minutes flying the heavi;y loaded transport plane through extreme tubulence, the valley had been crossed. Ahead conditions of weather appeared to be similar to those just experienced. Heavy, dark clouds hung over a ridge which was to be crossed. In my judgement the situation justified turning back but when I told him the equipment was needed badly the same day, Lieut. Brigman stated he would take a chance. By a circuitous route across a 6000-foot ridge and through turbulent air Lieut. Brigman flew to our destinstion in a valley partially covered by broken clouds. He let down over the dropping grounds in most trying air turbulance, then under these unfavorable conditions delivered the cargo. The return trip, though with an empty ship, was arduous because of the night instrument flying in stormy weather. 3. Several days later our representative at Warang reported the needed supplies and equipment were received in good condition. 4. This successful mission was carried out in the face of obstacles which appeared to me justifiable cause for turning back. I am calling this to your attention in order that you may know of an important job well done.
|
|
|
|
|
A.P.O. 687
SUBJECT: Accident Report. TO: Whom it may concern, On Thursday, 20 April 1944, I took off from Dinjam Field, India in a Douglas C-47 type transport plane number 41-19497, at 0910 hours on a Gallahad mission. We arrived over the target at approximately 1030 hours and proceeded to drop our load of supplies. The air was very rough and we were also getting a strong blast of prop wash from a plane in front of us. On the next to last approach to the target, we were letting down for our drop when we hit very hard prop wash which threw us into a very steep turn towards the left. In trying to correct for this, some or all of the parapacks were thrown out by the motion of the plane and at least one lodged itself on our tail section. The left stabilizer and elevator were jammed causing the tail of the plane into a gradually steepening turn towards the left which I was at first unable to control. After telling the co-pilot, 2nd Lt. Ralph L. Harmon to have the crew bail out, I realized that we were too low for jumping and tried to get them to brace themselves for a crash. However, no one could hear me, and since the motion of the plane was so violent that the crew could not put their chutes on, Lt. Harmon succeeded in grabbing two men and pulling them down to the floor of the cargo compartment with him. While all this was going on, I tried to recover from the turn. Succeeding in part, I put on full power causing the nose of the ship to rise. I brought it back to cruising power and headed as best I could for the trip to the target. We kept losing altitude steadily and our air speed kept falling off to 105 mph with full power to approximately 60 mph before we crashed. When we were about 10 feet from the ground, the snared chute let go and pulled the wheel back into my lap to stall the plane in. I relaxed as was possible in preparation for the crash. We hit the ground at approximately 1045 hours.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six months prior to the end of my tour in the CBI, I was assigned to aid an OCS agent named Lazarski. Our job was to determine the type and manufacture of armament, and navigation/communications equipment on board crashed Japanese aircraft, in Burma. Many times these aircraft would remain in the tops of the trees of the jungle. The procedure was for one of us to climb to the aircraft if it were still fairly well intact and call down to the other waht we observed. We would then compare notes upion descent. On one occasion, I had climbed down from an aircraft in very good condition in a very small clearing. Lazarski and I were discussing our findings, when suddenly someone said, "Here is my gun!" We whirled around and found a Japanese pilot in flight suit offering his pistol, butt first. On the rest of our trip this pilot remained with us. We learned that his name was Matsumoto, and we called him Mat. He was born and raised in San Francisco and had gone to Japan before the war to visit relatives. While there, he was conscripted into the Japanese military. Because of his U.S. association he had not been able to leave Japan until the assignment to Burma in 1944. The mission on which he crashed was his first in Burma. The crash was deliberate and only a days walk from the American hospital at Ledo, Assam. The procedure for returning to American lines for anyone on a mission such as ours since we had no identification, was as follows: First you walk past the guard at Ledo and give your name, rank and serial number, organization and name of your commanding officer. Second, you continue walking and are not supposed to look back. Third, you proceed to the hospital registration office and check in for a physical exam. When approaching the gate, we lined up with Lazarski first, me second and Mat, dressed in his Japanese flight suit. Upon passing the guard, we followed procedure, except that I had to look back to see what happened when Mat came thru. To say the least the guard was not quite sure, but let us on thru. Mat turned himself in as our prisoner at the registration desk. |
|
|
|
