THE DEATH AND KILLING OF US NAVY AVIATORS LT. NAMOSKI AND ARM1c EUGENE GRAHAM – OCTOBER 29, 1944

A DAY TO REMEMBER
October 29 is such one events; it might not be a national consciousness but it had left a mark in the memory of those who lived during WWII. Such is the case in the town of Concepcion, Tarlac, where, on a sunny Sunday morning of October 29, 1944, at the height of the air war over Clark-Bamban area, two American naval aviators would pay the extreme sacrifice, the pilot; Lt. Elmer Namoski, and his rear gunner, ARM1c Sterling Graham. The date was also marked in the history of air campaign as one of the fiercest air intercept battles in the Philippines in the closing months of 1944.

CLARK FIELD, OCTOBER 1944
In October 1944, the air war had been reached in the Luzon Islands, following the series of air attacks over Japanese facilities and assets since September 21, 1944 by American naval air forces. The Japanese had Clark Field turned into a formidable vast complex air center, the biggest at the time and most important operational air facility that was Clark Field, with its satellite air strips scattered in the vicinity, in areas of Bamban (Tarlac), Mabalacat, Angeles, Porac, and Clark proper. The vicinity of these airfields was fortified with the installation of anti-aircraft batteries, while Japanese fighter, air interceptors and bombers were assigned by tactical units of the Japanese 4th Air Army under Lt. General Kyoji Tominaga and the 5th Base Air Force (1st Air Fleet) commanded by Vice-Admiral Ohnishi Takijiro. When VA Ohnishi replaced VA Kimpei Teraoka for the 5th Base Air Force command, the 1st Kamikaze Special Attack Corps was founded and organized at Mabalacat, in the house of the Santos Family near the public market on October 19, 1944. Many of these Kamikaze tokko tai airplanes, mostly A6M Zero fighters, took off from the Clark and satellite airfields since then, with the first successful Kamikaze attack on October 25, 1944 led by Lt. Yukio Seki of the Shikishima-tai. At first, it was the Imperial Japanese Navy’s conventional and later with Kamikaze special attack sorties coming from Clark Field air center who provided the air support and operations against American naval forces in Leyte Gulf. The Japanese Navy’s Sixth Base Air Force (2nd Air Fleet) under VA Shigeru Fukudome mobilized to the Philippine Operation in October 22-23, 1944, in support of the Shogo (Victory Operation) to augment the few remaining air assets of VA Ohnishi. American naval forces for Leyte Gulf included the 7th Fleet and the 3rd Fleet; with the Escort Carrier Group (TG 77.4) and the Fast Carrier Force (Task Force 38) providing air assets.

AMERICAN TASK FORCE 38, WITH USS INTREPID
Among the carriers from the Task Force 38 was USS Intrepid of the Task Group 2, with its fighter (VF-18), bomber (VB-18), and torpedo-bomber (VT-18). American naval planners had determined that the main Japanese air attacks were coming from Clark Field, including Kamikaze sorties that led to the sinking of St. Lo on October 25. It was decided that a major fighter and bombe sweeps be conducted on the airfields of Clark Center to neutralize the capability of the Japanese forces that had been harassing and attacking American ships in Leyte. The Bombing Squadron 18 (VT-18) from the carrier Intrepid was tasked to commence bombing sweeps at Clark, with its 2-seater navy bomber Curtiss SB2C Helldiver.

One of the pilots of the bombing squadron was Lt. Elmer C. Namoski, a veteran of Midway and his rear gunner; Aviation Radioman, 1st Class ARM1c Sterling E. Graham who saw action on operations in Palau, Wake Island, and Formosa. Prior the assigned mission, Task Force 38.2, USS Intrepid, along with her sister carriers Bunker Hill, Hancock, Cabot, and Independence was located east of Luzon for the mission of pursuing operations on Japanese air assets located north of Manila. Their target was Clark Field, the vast air complex fortified with anti-aircraft guns and most notably, Japanese army and navy pilots where brought to the area to counter American air attacks.

TARGET: CLARK FIELD NO. 3
On the early Sunday morning of the 29th, there were 2 strikes at Clark Field by the USS Intrepid’s Air Group 18. Lt. Namoski and his bomber squadron, was given the tasked of conducting second strike and bomber sweeps at Clark Field, along with other units from the carrier Intrepid. With the arrival of the 2nd Air Fleet units at Clark Air Center on October 22-23, 1944 and scattered on the airfields from Bamban, Mabalacat, Clark and Angeles, it was the Japanese army and navy air services’ hornet nest, full of Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa, Nakajima Ki-44 Shōki and Mitsubishi A6M5 Zeke.

The Air Group 18 of the carrier Intrepid where also to conduct fighter sweeps on Japanese shipping in Manila Bay while the other aircraft undertook operations north of Manila, in the heart of the Japanese main air base at Clark. Lt. Namoski and ARM1c Graham’s naval bomber was given the mission to bomb Clark Runway No. 3, that air strip near Lilly Hill. Air strip number 3 was also known as Clark North. Several hangars, repair shops, supply dumps and barracks were also located on the vicinity of Runway No. 3. On the vicinity of the air strip, there were 63 anti-aircraft guns of various caliber that were deployed and established. The small promontory Lilly Hill (Granite Hill to the Japanese) was used as taxiways on its base slopes with patches of trees used to hide the airplanes.

At Clark Field, many of the tactical units from the 5th and 6th Air Base were mobilized to provide air support for the Leyte operations as well as for the defense of the airfields through air interception with its A6M5 Zeke and N1K1 Shiden fighter-interceptors, while the Japanese army had the Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (Oscars) and Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki (Tojo) for air intercept missions on marauding American aircraft. The Japanese Air Army 4th Air Army led by Lt. General Tominaga had its best fighters and interceptors mobilized from among these airfields, including Hayate, Hayabusa, Shoki, and Hien fighters.

BOMBING SWEEPS OF THE BOMBING SQUADRON EIGHTEEN
After the first strike, the second strike took-off, after a Japanese Ki-44 Shoki (Tojo) dived into the port deck-side elevator, perhaps on a Kamikaze suicide mission. Lt. Namoski’s Curtiss SB2C navy bomber was nicknamed “The Beast”, armed with 1,000-pound, took off around 11 a.m. for Clark Field operation. Lt. Namoski’s mission for the day with the second air assault from Intrepid was accompanied by 35 Grumman F6F fighters and TBF/TBM Avenger torpedo-bombers. The target at Clark North airfield consisted of barracks, revetments, and parked aircrafts on the sprawling air strip. At mid-day over Clark No.3 and to include Clark No. 6 air strip located northwest, Lt. Namoski’s The Beast delivered the bombs on targets and executed almost perfect bombing sweeps on Japanese facilities.

DOGFIGHT WITH JAPANESE AIR INTERCEPTOR
After conducting the bombing sweep, Lt. Namoski saw a lone Japanese fighter, a Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki (Tojo) on an airstrip at Clark proper, or the Runway No. 1, ready for take-off. With no apparent fighter escort at the time, he decided to shoot down the Japanese fighter, now on flight sortie, for a kill. His navy bomber would not be a match for the slow and plodding aircraft for the agile Ki-44 Shoki. On a sweep over the airfield, Lt. Namoski’s “The Best” missed the Shoki, now the Japanese fighter got airborne and ready to engage in air interception or “dogfight” with his slow bomber. The speed performance and maneuverability of the Shoki was able to out-turn the American navy bomber, as bullets from 7.7mm Type 89 MG and 12.7mm (.50 caliber) machine guns pierced the underneath of the cockpit. On that fateful day, many of the cream of Japanese Imperial Navy pilots assigned at Clark Field were mobilized with the 6th Base Air Force with some at nearby Bamban Airfield with the Air Group 203 and 653. As the SB2C reeling over the skies of Clark, the navy bomber piloted by Lt. Namoski was out of control and heading northeast in the direction of Bamban Airfield that is bordered to the east by the town of Concepcion, Tarlac.

OUT OF CLARK FIELD, UNDER ATTACK
Lt. Namoski’s bomber was hit during the air intercept battle with the Japanese Ki-44 Shoki; he was able to make radio contact to advise of his situation. With the many bullets that hit the cockpit area of the navy bomber, Lt. Namoski died during the dogfight, and that the aircraft veered towards the barrio of San Francisco of the town. It might be possible that the skies between Clark and Bamban was the dog fight area between Lt. Namoski’s navy bomber and the Japanese interceptor. Bamban Airfield, located east of the town, was a primary Japanese airfield used by both the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy air units located more than 10 kilometers northeast of Clark, with facilities and military structures comprising of 2 air strips (first runway was 250 x 3,700 feet and the second runway was 200 x 3,600 feet); covering the barrios of Pacalcal (Virgen Delos Remedios), Culubasa while another smaller runway to the south in the barrio of Bical was under construction in late 1944 but was not completed. Numerous anti-aircraft batteries, from machine guns, automatic cannons to heavy anti-aircraft artillery such as the Type 10 dual purpose naval guns, were scattered around the air strips. Further to the east of Bamban Airfield, about 6.5 kilometers, was the barrio of San Francisco, a typical settlement surrounded by rice fields. The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver might had passed over the Bamban Airfield during the dogfight with Japanese interceptor. As the American navy bomber struggled but almost destroyed during interception, it veered towards the grounds over the skies of Concepcion, Tarlac. Just barely 150 feet from the ground, ARM1c Graham managed to bail-out of the crippling navy bomber while The Beast crashed on a rice paddy.

THE KILLING OF ARM1c GRAHAM IN CONCEPCION, TARLAC
The town of Concepcion was a typical town in the Philippines during the Japanese Occupation. Unlike the nearby Bamban where a major airfield was established, the town had only the Japanese garrison. These Japanese garrison troops were also tasked to capture any downed American pilot in the area. Japanese patrols were already in the barrio of San Francisco, carefully watching the dogfight over Clark-Bamban, ready to conduct punitive actions on American bailed pilots that might survive. Lt. Namoski’s mingled body was still in the cockpit of the SB2C when it crashed in the rice field of San Francisco. A platoon of Japanese Imperial Army was led by Sgt. Shiyomitzu to kill any American pilot that might crash-land in their sector. Some civilians from the town were brave enough to get to the area, to try to save the American downed aviator. As ARM1c Graham descended on the ground, he was fired upon by the Japanese patrol of Sgt. Shiyomitzu, hitting him in the back. The young American aviator died in the aftermath of the Japanese gunfire while Lt. Namoski’s body was still in the cockpit of the navy bomber located nearby.

BURIAL AT THE CONCEPCION PRIMARY SCHOOL
One of the most unforgettable but tragic event in the history of WWII in the town of Concepcion that had become common to the memory of the elders happened on the mid-day of October 29, 1944, when the two American naval aviators were killed. An act to sow fear to the Filipinos and to discourage the civilians from helping any American either as a guerrilla or a fallen aviator, the Japanese decided to put the body in the carabao cart and traversed the streets of the main town center. One of the eyewitnesses was Resty Vivencio Farmer, who was just 16 years old at the time, and saw the body of ARM1c Graham on the carabao cart on the way to the primary school. Finally, in the late afternoon of the October 11th, the corps of the American gunner was brought to the school. The remains of Lt. Namoski were also brought in later, and the two were buried at the back of the school premises. Civilians were tasked to dig for the grave of both the American naval aviators. Before the sun sets, both the bodies of Lt. Namoski and ARM1c Graham were laid to rest on a shallow grave, an ultimate sacrifice for the young American naval aviators who had done their duty and were reported as “Missing-In-Action”.

FINAL RESTING PLACE
When the American 37th Division reached the outskirts of the town center of Concepcion on January 23, 1945, the news of the dead and killing of Lt. Namoski and ARM1c Graham reached the American military who had established headquarters in the town. Soon, after Liberation, US Army Grave Registration Unit in charge of collection the remains of the two American aviators from the Concepcion Elementary School removed the corpses to the Clark Cemetery. On April 22, 1945, a memorial rite was held at the Methodist Church in his hometown Ashland, in his honor and memory. The remains were finally brought home to Ashland in August 1948 for final burial at the local cemetery. After the war, there were numerous processes for the transfer of remains of Lt. Namoski, from Clark Field cemetery to that in the American Cemetery in Manila. Finally, the remains of Lt. Namoski were brought for final burial at the Manila American Cemetery (Plot D Row 8 Grave 233) where the gallant naval aviator now rests with his fellow fallen sailors, aircrews and soldiers who died in foreign land that is the Philippines. In Concepcion, Tarlac where Sterling and Nemo met their death, old timers and elders still recall the heroism and fate of the two American naval aviators who gave their lives during the darkest years of WWII in the Philippines.

IN MEMORIAM

In the final closure of the war’s end in the Philippines 75 years ago, there are thousands of forgotten heroes, who paid the ultimate price, and that their stories tell unconditional commitment to duty to Country, and heroism beyond courage. To this day, those stories of heroism remain unknown. May this simple writing be a reminder of the forgotten sacrifices of the unsung heroes of the Philippine Campaign, with Lt. Namoski and ARM1c Graham, that they may be remembered as young American naval aviators who died in Concepcion, Tarlac on the tragic day of October 1944.

Copyright 2025 Rhonie Dela Cruz
Bamban Historical Society
Bamban WWII Museum
Center for Pacific War Studies
Provincial Government of Tarlac –
Tarlac Provincial Tourism Office

CITATIONS
(1) Forsyth, John F. Hell Divers – US Navy Dive-Bombers at War.
(2) Morison, Samuel Eliot. History of the United States Naval Operations in WWII Volume XII.
(3) Hata, Ikuhiko and Yasuho Izawa. Japanese Naval Aces and Fighter Units in WWII.
(4) Report on the Chain of Command of Present Anti-Japanese Citizens Army of Central Luzon. ADVATIS Translation No. 22, December 23, 1944.
(5) Report No. 315: Killing of Eugene Sterling Graham – An American Flier at Concepcion, Tarlac PI sometime in October 1944. Manila: GHQ Supreme Commander for the Allied Forces – Legal Section.
(6) History of the Air Group Eighteen. US National Archives NARA, Maryland 1945.