Tribute to Robert D. Cookson Sr. and B-29er's of the Marianas
  • Home- Uncle Bob
  • Uncle Bob's Letters
    • Uncle Bob's Letters 1943 >
      • Jan. 1943
      • Feb. 1943
      • March 1943
      • April 1943
      • May 1943
      • October 1943
      • June 1943
      • July 1943
      • August 1943
      • September 1943
      • November 1943
    • Uncle Bob's Letters 1944 & 1945 >
      • January 1944
      • February 1944
      • March 1944
      • April 1944
      • May 1944
      • June 1944
      • August 1944
      • September 1944
      • October 1944
      • November 1944
      • December 1944
      • January 1945
      • February 1945
      • Last letter mailed home- __06 March 1945__
      • Last letter found in his belongings after his death-not mailed
  • Uncle Bob youth images
  • Uncle Bob Training/Becoming Radar Operator
  • Uncle Bob KIA
  • KIA - The Flight and Collision
  • KIA - The Aftermath
  • Returning Uncle Bob's Remains to the U.S. 1948
  • Z Square 8 CRASH SITE PHOTOS
  • POWs in Hyogo Ken eye-witness accounts, crash of the Z Square 8
  • Visit to Crash Site/Memorial. April 2015
  • Osaka Kempeitai Execution of Nelson and Augunas
  • Aircrews/Missions
  • 500th Bomb Group
  • Z-6 "Draggin' Lady"
  • Z-6 "Booze Hound"
  • Z-7 "Hell's Belle"
  • Z-8 "Mission to Albuquerque"
  • Z-9 "Nina Ross"
  • Z-10 "Punchin' Judy"
  • 1st Incendiary Raid report, Tokyo, 9 March 1945
  • Incendiary Raid Reports, Kobe, 17 March 1945. Z-8 crew lost.
  • Unofficial History of the 73rd Wing Book
  • Algy Augunas of Z-8, "Mission to Albuquerque", Radio Operator, POW/Executed
  • Erwin A. Brousek of Z-8 "Mission to Albuquerque", Bombardier
  • Herschel W. Connor of Z-8 "Mission to Albuequerque", Flight Engineer
    • Connor War Diary
  • Robert E. Copeland of Z-8, "Mission to Albuquerque", Pilot/Co-Pilot, KIA
  • George Lucas of Z-8, Crew Chief
  • Richard A. Field of Z-6, "Draggin' Lady", Pilot
  • Richard Dodds of Z-6, of "Draggin' Lady", Pilot-Co/Pilot
  • Douglas F. Bulloch of Z-6, "Draggin' Lady", Left Gunner/Spotter
  • Charles R. Maples of Z-6, "Draggin' Lady", Radio Operator
  • Romeo "Raymond" Rendina of Z-6, "Draggin Lady", Tail Gunner-secondary crew, Engle.
  • Harry Gerson of Z-6, "Booze Hound", Radar Operator-replaced Bob Cookson
  • Francis J. Merrick of Z-6, "Draggin Lady," Navigator
  • Jack L. Heffner of Z-7,and Z-11, "Hell's Belle" and "Holy Joe", Radar Operator
  • Jack Lebid of Z-7, "Hell's Belle", Radio Operator
  • Edwin Lawson of Z-22, "Leading Lady", CFC "Ring" Gunner
  • James R. Farrell of Z-34, "Frisco Nannie", Aircraft Commander
  • Jack V. Arterburn of Z-34, "Frisco Nannie", Flt.Eng.
  • Harold Arbon of Z-36, "Lil Abner," Aircraft Commander
  • Harold Arbon Saipan photo collection
  • Ray "Hap" Halloran of V-27, "Rover Boy Express", Navigator-survived war
  • Billy J. Burgess of E Triangle 27, "Good Deal", CFC Gunner
  • John L. Wright, Circle X 39, "Indiana," CFC Gunner, KIA
  • Nicolas V. Van Ness of Block "O" 15, "Green Hornet", Bombardier
  • Gerald J. Murphy of Aircraft #42-6379, Tail Gunner
  • John R. McNamara Jr., 499th Bomb Group
  • Junichi Ogata of the 56th Sentai, Capt., Fighter pilot
  • Meeting Capt. Ogata's Daughter April 2015
  • Z-8 Scale Tribute Build
  • Tribute Show Car - "Reverence" - Dodge Challenger
  • Misc Mission Reports/Documents of Interest
  • Photo Galleries (5 galleries)
  • Color Photos on Saipan
  • B29 Nose Art - Larry Mire collection
  • Mariana Islands Aircraft Designations
  • WWII Surrender Chaplain Observation
  • The B29 Aircraft
  • WWII War Aircraft Facts
  • Comemorative Air Force's B-29 "FiFi"
  • Links
  • Contact Us
  • Change Log

S/Sgt. Jack L. Heffner of Z-7, Hells Belle's

* all images and documents on this page courtesy M.Heffner unless otherwise noted.

"Major Fitzgerald's crew failed to return.  Bond (our old engineer) was the engineer. 
Cookson was radar and his third baby was just born."
 
Jack Heffner's comment on the loss of our Uncle Bob and his crew on the
mission to Kobe, Japan, 17 March 1945. 

Jack L. “Red” Heffner was born on August 7, 1923 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in December 1942  with his best friend LaVerne Deatrich. During early training Jack came down with pneumonia and was hospitalized briefly, just long enough to hold him back in class.Verne was assigned to B-17's, The 100th Bomb Group, "The Bloody Hundredth" and was shot down over Germany. He evaded capture aided by the French Underground for six weeks before returning to his unit. Jack went on to be assigned to B-29s. 

His training included Radio School, Scott Field, IL. January 1943, Radar School,  Boca Raton, FL, Gunnery School Tyndall Field, FL September 1942, Air- to- Air Gunnery School, Apalachicola,  FL October 1943.  Phase training on the B-29 was at Walker AAF, Kansas,  May 1944. Training was in B-17s as there were not enough B-29s in service yet.

Assigned to the 73 Bomb Group, 500th Bomb Group, 881st Squadron, he flew 35 missions, 523 combat hours, as radar operator and gunner beginning with the first raid on Tokyo since the Doolittle Raiders, on November 24 1944 led by Col.
Robert Morgan of Memphis Belle fame. Jack survived two catastrophic crash landings pictures of which are in many military history books.

Military honors include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters. He was discharged on Oct 27 1945 with rank of Staff Sergeant.  Jack passed away on November 15, 2007.

Jack during stateside training...
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Jack Heffner, bottom row-far right, with the Hugh McNamer crew of the Z Square 7, "Hells Bells."
Pearson 2 Crew
Jack Heffner, bottom row-far left #7, and the James M. Pearson crew of Z Square 11, "Holy Joe." SSgt Heffner replaced Salvador Delgado on this aircraft after Sgt Delgado was seriously injured in both legs by a 20mm cannon shell.

Picture
From Jack Hefner’s address book. His son Mike told me his dad had each man write his own address in this book, so this is Robert Cookson’s signature. We believe these two boys were pretty good friends.
Picture
Jack Heffner and Robert Cookson were both Radar Operators as well as very close in age. Their wartime chronology also mirrored one another’s.
Picture
Picture
Jack’s handwritten notes on mission targets and hour durations.
Picture
Jack’s miscellaneous notes on May 23rd and June 5th, 1945 missions.

Z-11 Holy Joe
S/Sgt. Jack Heffner of Z-11, "Holy Joe". Standing far left
A "Must-Read" is SSgt Heffner's account of the crew's brush with death in the "Holy Joe" after being extensively damaged on the bomb run over Tokyo on 19 February 1945.  They were assisted home by our uncle's plane the Z Square 8.......the round trip flight taking 17 hours and 45 minutes, one of the longest on record.
See the Mission to Albuquerque page for the story and link.

Dauntless Dotty
Authographed photo from Col. Robert Morgan of "Dauntless Dotty" to Mike Heffner. Morgan was the Pilot of the infamous "Memphis Belle." (courtesy M.Heffner)
B-29 Bomb load
B-29 Bomb load

Z-7 Helles' Belle's Crew-McNamer
Z-7 Hells Belle Crew-McNamer
Written by Jack Heffner
Written by Jack Heffner

B-29 Egress
B-29 Egress...Jack Heffner exiting down the rope from the fatally damaged "Holy Joe" after crash landing on Saipan after the 19 February 1945 mission. This plane broke in two upon landing

Picture
Picture
Jack’s notes on his fellow Radar Operators KIA or missing. Robert D. Cookson is #24.

Picture
Picture
Jack’s notes on Col. Richard King. King flew as Pilot beside A/C Major Robert Goldsworthy on the ZSquare1 on a mission to Tokyo 3December1944. They were shot down and only King, Goldsworthy and another man survived and became POWs. At the time, King was the Commanding Officer of the 500th BG.

Fire Bombing picture
Fire Bombing...Radar picture of the bombed out city of Toyama taken by Jack Heffner
Bomb Run
Bomb Run...Radar bomb run photos taken by Jack Heffner
From the scrapbook of Jack Heffner (courtesy Mike Heffner)
Pulling props thru...From the scrapbook of Jack Heffner (courtesy Mike Heffner)
From the scrapbook of Jack Heffner (courtesy Mike Heffner)
From the scrapbook of Jack Heffner (courtesy Mike Heffner)
Rest Leave-Heffner
Rest Leave-Heffner
Heffner Scrapbook page
Heffner Scrapbook page
Original, famous image later used on leaflets. From Jack Heffner's album. (courtesy M.Heffner)
Original, famous image later used on leaflets. From Jack Heffner's album. (courtesy M.Heffner)
From Jack Heffner's album. (courtesy M.Heffner)
From Jack Heffner's album. (courtesy M.Heffner)
Jack Heffner Himself on R-n-R
Jack Heffner Himself on R-n-R
What every mother wants to see...
What every mother wants to see...
Photograph of Z-7, McNamer crew including Jack Heffner and James Bond. (Courtesy Mike Heffner)
Photograph of Z-7, McNamer crew including Jack Heffner and James Bond. (Courtesy Mike Heffner)
Back of photograph of Z-7. See signature Heffner, Bond. (Courtesy Mike Heffner)
Back of photograph of Z-7. See signature Heffner, Bond. (Courtesy Mike Heffner)

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture


Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.