Martin Marauder, Rinneanna, Co. Clare, February, 1944

The 22nd February 1944 would see one of the shorter visits of a wartime foreign aircraft to Irish shores when an American martin B-26 Marauder bomber landed at Rinneanna aerodrome in County Clare, the modern day Shannon Airport.

At 12:40 hours that day, a unexpected aircraft landed and was met by Irish Army personnel based at the airport.   The captain reported that he was flying from Marrakesh, in French Morocco to the United Kingdom and, having become lost, they ran low on fuel and elected to land in Rinneanna.  The Army recorded that the aircraft had eight machine guns on board. The machine was refueled and after a few hours on the ground, they flew on again at 16:20 hours to Northern Ireland. The aircraft was being flown on a Ferry flight from the United States to the United Kingdom following the South Atlantic route, from the south west United States, through the Bahamas Islands, onto Brazil, then across the Atlantic to Ascension Island, and on up the west coast of Africa to Morrocco and finally, the flight up the Atlantic, skirting Spain and Portugal and onwards to the UK.

Luckily the Irish officers took the names, serial numbers and home state detail for all five men and that allows the researcher to confirm that the crew were:
Capt. William SLADE O-421231 from South Dakota
Capt. Dallas W TAYLOR O-487701 from Texas
1/Lt Robert W WILLIAMS O-794914 from Iowa
S/Sgt Fred MICHAELSON 34404401 from Florida
Cpl Kenneth AYOOB 39104786 from California.

The three officers, denoted by their serial numbers leading with the letter O, could all be traced successfully by the lucky expedient of them having told the Irish Army their home state.  All three members of the crew were it seems permanantly assigned to the USAAF's Air Transport Command (ATC) and as such, did not get assigned to combat duties.

The aircraft, a Martin B-26B-50-MA Marauder was the second aircraft of this type to arrive in Ireland, the previous one having landed in Co Louth the previous year.  The aircraft, carrying serial number, 295944 on its tail indicated it to be a bomber built at the companies Baltimore, Maryland plant with serial number 42-95944.

Dallas Woodrow Taylor hailed from Holland, Texas, born there in 1913 to James T and Emily Cassie Taylor.

San Antonio city directory in 1934 shows him residing with his wife Violet and employed as an elevator operator in the Smith Young Tower in the city.  They had married that year.  They remained resident in San Antonio throughout the war and it was there that he registered for the draft in October 1940.  On his registeration form he records that he is employed by the Mississippi Institute of Aeronautics, and added along with that is AIR CORP TRAINING DET FLIGHT-INSTRUCTOR. 

The Army and Navy Journal dated October 14, 1944, recorded that at the time of General George C Marshall's visit to Paris at the start of the month, the cargo aircraft which accompanied the party was flown by Capt. Dallas W Taylor.  The Air Force Magazine of December that year included the following in within an article:
But exactly 67 days after German resistance ended around the Place de la Concorde, the first regularly scheduled ATC cargo flight from the States to the European Continent was completed at Orly Field just south of the French capital, after stops en route at Newfoundland and the Azores.

The ATC Ferrying Division crew that drew the first hop and sampled French champagne a few hours after drinking American milk shakes was headed by Capt. Dallas Taylor.

The Forth Worth Star-Telegram published the following article in on 24 July 1945:

Capt Dallas Taylor whose wife Mrs Violet Taylor lives here has flown countless miles over land and sea as an Army transport pilot but not until he joined the 'India-China Division of the Air Transport Command In January did his flying time begin to add up for a combat decoration.

Prior to being commissioned at Love Field, Dallas, in 1943 Taylor flew as a civilian pilot with the ferrying division at the Dallas field.

Later he was transferred to Wilmington, Del., where he flew for a year as one of the pilots in the Crescent Caravan, that air transport command organization that has been flying supplies half way around the world to India and China in the huge four-engine C-54 transport aircraft.
While at Wilmington he was selected to head the crew that piloted the then top secret first run of the Air Transport Command regular schedule between New York and Paris on Oct 1 1944. 

In December he was listed as one of the 10 top Air Transport Command pilots who had flown an aggregate of almost 3000000 miles.

Recently from headquarters of the India-China Division of the ATC came announcement that Taylor had been awarded the Air Medal on completing 150 hours of operational flight over the air routes between India and China from Feb. 2 to March 20

His mother Mrs Emily Cummins lives in Austin and his father, James Taylor, in Waco.

Post war, Dallas continued to fly as an airline pilot, living in Denver, Colorado.  City directories throughout the 1940's and 1950's show him having flown for Monarch Air Lines and latterly Frontier Airlines.

He died in 1966, at an Air Show in Arizona when his aerobatic aircraft crashed during a display. 

TUCSON - A Phoenix stunt flyer died in the crash of his tiny biplane here yesterday while a crowd of 75,000 watched.

Dallas W. Taylor, of 18037 N. 21st St., had just begun a trick flying exhibition at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base's "Aerospace In Arizona Days" when his plane plunged to the ground after its engine failed.

TAYLOR, a Frontier Airlines pilot, had taken off in a 15-foot- long Pitts Special the "Poco Loco," which in Spanish means "a little crazy." He was flying upside down in the first minute of the show, and had started a backward roll toward the ground.

As the plane sped toward the earth, the engine coughed and apparently quit. The little wood and metal craft, especially built for acrobatics was mangled after plunging straight down.

TAYLOR had been a commercial pilot for 18 years, but had done stunt flying longer than that. He was a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and the Antique Airplane Association.

He had built the plane he was flying in 1965 and did stunt flying as a pastime, according a friend, Jack Geis, of 332 Elm, Phoenix.

A FELLOW pilot, Jim Barr of Cave Creek, said of Taylor: "He's the kind of fellow who built aviation in this country. He was a pilot's pilot."

Taylor is survived by his wife, Jean; a son, Dallas and a daughter, Darlene.

William Slade was born to Tirza and Dwight Slade in Canton, South Dakota in in November 1919.

By 1940, he was attending ROTC in Brookings, South Dakota and was mentioned in his local newspapers for rifle shooting competitions.

In July of the following year, the newspaper, the Argus Leader reported: 

WILLIAM A. SLADE ENDS WORK AT BROOKS FIELD
Brooks Field, Tex, July 15.

As a fitting climax to his seven and one-half months' adventure as a flying cadet in the army air corps, William A. Slade of Canton, S.D. was presented with the coveted silver wings and gold bars of a lieutenant at his graduation from the air corps advanced flying school here the past week.

Slade, son of Mr and Mrs. Dwight Slade, has completed what has been termed a $25,000 scholarship in the world's finest flying school." The final phase of the air corps training program, accomplished at Brook Field under the direction of Major Stanton T. Smith, gives the flier a thorough training in the art of formation flying, instrumental flying, Interception problems, and day and night cross-country besides an intensive ground school program.

He was posted to the panama Canal Zone after his graduation, his movement orders appearing in Arizona newspapers.  William was still on active service as late as 1950, as he had remained in the Air Force reserve and his son, also William, entered West Point in 1980 as a military cadet and later became a US Army officer.

William died in September 2005, with his obituary recording his career:  Colonel Slade spent 30 years as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He ferried aircraft during WWII.

He was a pilot in the Berlin Air Lift operations. The B-47 aircraft in the movie "Strategic Air Command" was piloted by Colonel Slade. After flying for the Strategic Air Command (SAC), he became the Air and Defense attache at the American Embassy in Djakarta. Indonesia. After retirement, he flew charter Learjet's for Executive let in Columbus, Ohio, flying such celebrities as Johnny Carson, Glen Campbell.

Robert W Williams was a 21 year old navigator according to shipping manifests from 1944 where he is found returning to New York on USAAF Ferry Command aircraft after Ferry Missions overseas, on one of these manifests he indicates Dallas, Texs as his address but this likely refers to his service, war time residence.  Since he told the Irish Army that he came from Iowa, it was possible to determine that he was from Des Moines, Iowa and had submitted WWII Bonus Claim form in 1949 which provides a full service history.

Robert Wayne Williams was born in March 1923, to James and Margaret Williams in Albia, Iowa.  He entered the services in February 1941 and initially was with the US Army infantry, serving with Company B, 168th Infantry Regiment.  His first posting in the USAAF is listed as the 5th Ferry Group, 16th Squadron, Dallas, Texas, followed by postings to 1503rd Army Air Force Base Unit (AAFBU) at Hamilton Field, California, then 1571st AAFBU in Manila in the Phillipines and with an AAF Training Detachment at Coral Gables in Florida.  The later posting appears to have been where he did his navigator training as his graduation from Coral Gables Navigation school was reported on by the Des Moines Tribune in December 1942 along with a small photo.  He was due to be posted to St Joseph, Missouri at that stage in 1942/1943.  His local newspaper in January 1944, reported his promotion to 1st Lieutenant at Love Field, Texas.  His claim form indicates his first overseas posting was in February 1945, which seems to have been distinct from overseas ferrying operations in 1944.  He returned from this service, presumably the Philippines posting in November 1945 and left the services in January of the following year.  The Des Moines Tribune of 4 April 1945 reported that Robert had been able to meet his brother Lt David Williams on Leyte Island.  Robert is described in that news article as:  Robert, navigator in the army air forces, recently was transferred to Biak Island.  David had served as an infantry officer in the 34th Division in the US and 7th Infantry Division in the Pacific theatre.

Robert married in Des Moines in 1943 and

Robert died on the 17 October 1970 in a tragic sky diving accident in Fairfield, Iowa.  The Des Moines register published the following obituary and funeral notice.

ROBERT WILLIAMS
FAIRFIELD. IA . — Service for Robert Williams, 48, vice president for business and finance at Parsons College, will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Barhydt Chapel here.
Mr. Williams, who died Saturday when his parachute failed to open during a sky diving practice session here, was also vice-president for planning and development at the college.
He received his bachelor's and master's degrees at Drake University and taught in Des Moines public schools before, joining the Parsons staff in 1956. In 1964, he became comptroller of the University of Nebraska, returning to Parsons in 1966.
He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

Fred W Michaelsen, a 34 year old Radio Operator who was born in 1910 in Illinois to Wilhelm and Julie Michaelsen.  At the time of his draft registration in October 1940, he was married, to Catherine, and living in Miami Beach, Florida and working for that city.  Earlier the same year, he appears to be found on the 1940 US Census as ill in a hospital in Hot Springs, Arkansas and giving his occupation as a salesman for an Ice plant.

Miami newspapers mention him a few times including on 16 November 1943 in the Miami Herald: 
Promotion of Fred Michaelsen, son of Mr and Mrs William Michaelsen, 1420 Maple ave., Miami Beach, to sergeant has been announced at Love field Tex., by the commanding officer of the Fifth Ferrying Group. Sgt Michaelsen entered the service in October 1912 and attended the school for aircraft mechanics.

In the latter part of 1945, he too is found to be posted to the pacific theatre, in this case the China-Burma-India theatre, where he was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross and an Air Medal.

He passed away Chicago in April 1969, leaving his wife Helen and a daughter and son.

Kenneth C Ayoob was born in August 1920 to Waddy T and Martha Ayoob.

He enlisted in the the army in September 1942 in San Francisco

he flew extensively across the Atlantic during 1943 and 1944, appearing on many archive manifests.  Early 1944 finds him arriving in Washington from Prestwick on a TWA flight on his way to Love Field, Dallas, Texas.

Kenneth would find himself a victim of a much worse aircraft accident in November 1944 when Douglas C-54B Skymaster 43-17146 of the 3rd Transport Group, ATC crashed on Eniwetok Island in the mid pacific.  His aircraft was coming into land on the island, enroute from Kwajalein to Saipan when its landing gear impacted an indistinguishable embankment at the end of the runway, tearing the gear off and causing the aircraft to break apart.  Luckily, there were no fatalities among the thirty two passengers and six crew members, though, as mentioned below by his family, Kenneth suffered broken legs in his escape. 

His family said if Kenneth:  He was injured in a crash (he broke his legs jumping off the wing of a burning plane).  Subsequently he opened Ayoob Brothers Radio and TV store in San Francisco with his older brother (he installed the first TV antenna in SF).  Later, he went back to his first love  and bought a grocery store in Burlingame, California  called King’s Market (he worked for the Safeway grocery chain in SF before the war).  He later sold that business and opened a delicatessen in San Bruno, CA before retiring.  He died of lung cancer in 1987 at the age of 66.

Kenneth passed away in May 1987 in his native California.

Compiled by Dennis Burke, 2024.