Gertrude V. Tompkins Silver - Missing In Service - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Page available since 7/4/99 - last updated 3/13/2006 The following is a summary about the only WASP who disappeared without a trace and was facilitated by Terence Geary who contacted me in April, 1999, about a microfilm he had of the complete Army accident report about Gertrude. Note in this report that she had over 850 hours of flying time, 46 hours of those were in the P-51, and 17 of those were in the D model she was flying at the time of her disappearance. Find out about Gertrude's family's effort to find her. http://www.aircraftwrecks.com/gts/gts.htm
Mission and Flight Plan:
At 12:00 on October 26, 1944, in the Long Beach Control Office, Gertrude and 40 other pilots were briefed on ferrying new P-51s from the North American Aviation factory at Mines Field, Los Angeles Municipal Airport, Inglewood, California, to Coolidge Field, Arizona by the Long Beach briefing officer, Capt. Hershell L. Abbott. The pilots were given current weather conditions for Mines field, but the only information entered on Form 23 was that the weather was O.K. They were also given instructions that if they didn't depart by 15:18, they would have to stop at Palm Springs, California, to avoid flying at night. The pilots departed for Mines Field by bus at 13:00.
A list of these pilots, their plane numbers, and destination, was delivered by Capt. Abbott to the North American Aviation Supervisor for Flight Operations, Mr. Bud Noon, at the North American FLight Operations Office, Mines Field. Mr Noon called this list into the LA Municipal Airport control tower, where operators copied the list and used it to record the time of departure for each plane.
This list became the flight plan normally recorded in section D of Form 23. Standard procedure required that the flight plans be called into the proper traffic control authorities from section D. (More on this below, see Deviation from standard AF regulations.)
Weather Conditions:
Weather conditions at Mines Field, LA Municipal Airport, near the North American factory were clear but with a layer of haze up to 2,300 feet. There was also fog reported over Santa Monica Bay.
Another WASP, Dorothy Hopkins, class of 43-6 , reported in a statement made for the investigation that, "At 2,500 to 3,000 ft., it was impossible to see the ground or water." Other pilots reported that the haze was much thicker over Santa Monica Bay, approximating instrument flying conditions.
Gertrude's Departure - based on statements from the investigation:
Based on a written statement provided by Nelson J. Hass, a fireman for North American who was on duty at the time, Gertrude took off at 15:42 in aircraft number 669. This was based on a log that was kept by the fireman. According to Capt. Troy A. Burris, a copy of the actual log was not provided to the Air Force, "as the Fire Department at North American does not wish to have a copy of that record included in a statement."
Another witness, Merle Dobbings, North American Leadman on Delivery Line, reported that her plane was taken to the side for a minor repair of a "bent door", released by the inspectors, and taxied by Gertrude to the runway "at approximately 4:00 p.m." Gertrude told Merle, before the repair, that she was not in a hurry since she was only going to Palm Springs.
From a recording of tower transmissions kept by the control tower, flight 669 was cleared into postion, cleared for take-off, and given a time check at 15:42. However, this was not documented in the list, flight plan, phoned into the tower by Mr. Noon. Capt. Troy A. Burris also noted after reviewing this recording that this information "cannot be certified as the transmission was not clear and the aircraft number cannot be postively identified."
Discovering Gertrude was missing :
Later that day, a call was made by the Dispatch Office at Long Beach Army Air Field, where the P51 pilots originated from, to the LA Municipal Airport control tower requesting information on the departure time for aircraft number 669. They reported it had not departed. The next day another call was made and this time it was reported the plane departed but that the time was not known.
On October 30, 1944, Gertrude's home station the 5th Ferrying Group, Love Field, Dallas, Texas, requested the where abouts of WASP Tompkins, since no RONs had been received from her. It was finally noticed that her plane, number 669, was not included in the flight plan list of names called into the LA Municipal Airport control tower nor was it reported to any Airway Traffic Control. She was not noticed as being missing until this date.
Search Effort to find Gertrude:
On October 31, 1944, a search effort was initiated. It covered a large section of southern California westward to Arizona and the southwest corner of Arizona. The search effort included several groups from the Air Force, the Coast Guard which searched Santa Monica Bay, and the Civil Air Patrol. Before the search effort was abandoned, 156 aircraft were used and over 1,067 hours of flying time were put in.
Gertrude's father, Vreeland Thompins and her husband, Henry M. Silver, were informed of her disappearance on November 2, 1944.
On November 16, 1944, the Civil Air Patrol reported possible wreckage near Toro Peak in the Santa Rosa mountans and a land search group was organized by the 21st Ferrying Group from Palm Springs. As reported in a telex to the Chief of Flying Safety, the search party reached the site on November 18, but found only "a rock that that appeared to be an aircraft from the air." At that point, the search was abandoned. No trace of Gertrude or her plane have ever been found.
Notification of Next of Kin:
The death of Gertrude Vreeland (Tompkins) Silver was reported to her father, Mr. Vreeland Tompkins at 174 Summit Ave., Summit, New Jersey, on November 22, 1944.
Air Force conclusion:
From the report by Capt. Troy A. Burris, "It is possible the aircraft was lost in Santa Monica Bay, as visibility was poor.... Engine failure could have occurred shortly after take-off, causing the aircraft to crash into the bay."
Deviations from Army Air Force Regulations:
As can be seen from the above, several SNAFUs were revealed during the investigation of the disappearance of Gertrude Tompkins. Basically, Form 23 was not used in complete compliance with Army Air Force regulaltions. The weather section was filled out at Long Beach well before departure and sections D, E, and F, were not properly used since departure was not at an Army controlled base.
The origianl list of pilots prepared at Long Beach and delivered to North American was never found during the investigation. What was found were notes made by the control tower. These notes were used to create a list that became a substitute for Section D, Flight Plan, of Form 23. Note that pilot Tompkins is shown flying aircraft number 692. Also, according to Lt. Col. Earl E. Myers, aircraft number 692 was orinially listed for WASP Dorothy Hopkins, mentioned above. Neither aircraft number 669 or WASP Hopkins are listed on the control tower list.
According to the report by Major Charles I. Longacre, the deviations from Air Force regulations grew out of procedural changes over the preceeding months. Originally, North American Aircraft pilots delivered the P-51s to Long Beach where the Air Force adhered to regulations via Form 23 for flying of any aircraft. Over time, the production of the P-51 was increased and North American requested that they be relieved of delivering the planes to Long Beach and that instead the pilots be brought to the factory to pick up the planes. Initially, the request was for just a few pilots. As production grew even more, the number of Air Force pilots coming to Mines Field also grew.
What evolved was a system where a list was prepared and phoned into the North American control tower in lieu of using section D of form 23 to call in the flight plan to the control tower. The weather section, Section C, was completed at Long Beach rather that at Mines Field just prior to departure, and sections E and F were not used since the appropriate Air Force personnel were not located at North Americans facitlities.
After this investigation was completed, procedures at Mines Field were changed and Army personnel were added to comply with regulations and proper use of Form 23.
Recent Information on Gertrudes' Disappearance:
From a 1996 document, "In Memoriam - Thirty-eight American Women Pilots" published by the Texas Woman's University Press, the four WASP authors stated in the section on Gertrude, "HQ Air Force Safety Agency reported, June 8, 1994, that no wreckage of this mishap has been located." Also, on July 21, 1998, I received a message from Walter Witherspoon that a "prominent 'wreckchaser' in the So. Cal. area is interested" in locating the wreckage of the P-51D.
Form 23 - Aircraft Clearance:
Form 23 documented all relavent events for the flight of every Army aircraft. Section A was filled in by Operations at the base of departure. Section B, the names of the pilot and any passengers, and part of Section D, listing intended destination, were filled out by the pilot. Section C was filled in by the Weather Office and given back to the pilot. In this case, Section C was filled out hours before the actual flight. The pilot then completed section D, which became the flight plan. Section D was reviewed by an Army clearing authority, not available in this case, who then signs in Section E, Clearance Authorization. The pilot then fills in Section F, indicating departure conditions, and hands the original to an Army line crewman, also not available at Mines Field. The pilot keeps the yellow copy to complete section G upon arrival and hands it to a line crewman.
Return to Mission .
RONs - Remain Over Night:
All ferrying pilots were required to report in each day to their home station with a RON while they were delivering an aircraft.
http://wwii-women-pilots.org/WASP_KIA/GVTompkins.html
But this flygirl has not been forgotten
Monday, May 31, 2004
BY JUDY PEET
Star-Ledger Staff
Late in the afternoon of Oct. 26, 1944, a small, extraordinary, 32-year-old newlywed from Jersey City climbed into the cockpit of a brand new P-51D Mustang at Mines Field in southern California, wrestled the hulking fighter plane into take-off in heavy fog and disappeared.
She was Gertrude Tompkins Silver, the other Amelia Earhart; one of 1,074 women Air Force pilots in World War II and the only one still missing.
For decades, what ever happened to Silver has been a tantalizing mystery.
Did she stall and spin right after take-off? Crash into the San Bernardino Mountains? Commit suicide or just head off into the horizon in search of a new life.
Sixty years later, the mystery finally may be solved, if enough money can be raised to investigate the wreckage.
Silvers remaining family, working with a small, dedicated band of aviation archeologists (plane wreck buffs) think they have found the remains of her aircraft buried under 15 feet of silt in Santa Monica Bay, not far from the back end of Los Angeles International Airport (the former Mines Field). The family has no intention of raising the lost plane. They just want closure, said her grand-niece, Laura Whittall-Scherfee of Sacramento, Calif.
They want a place to scatter some flowers and say a few words of good-bye to the stuttering girl with beautiful hair from Kent Place School who traveled the world visiting gardens and goats, before she found her real passion, flying,
Our goal is just to try to find out what happened to my great-aunt before my grandmother dies, said Whittall-Scherfee, referring to Silvers older sister, Elizabeth. It's not like we sit around all the time wondering what happened to Gertrude, but it's frustrating that it's been in limbo for so long.
Elizabeth Whittall, 95, another extraordinary woman, actually doesn’t care that much if the identified wreck turns out to be her sister.
I made my peace with Gertrude’s disappearance long, long ago, and think any money spent trying to get to her plane would be better spent on poor people or feeding children, said Whittall, who after living in far-flung parts of the world for most of her life, settled in Vero Beach, Fla.
But my grandchildren have gotten so wrapped up in the excitement of finding Gertrude, I don’t want to disappoint them, Whittall added. They have made it an adventure and I definitely approve of adventure.
Adventure, Whittall said, was held in high esteem by the Tompkins family.
They were among the early settlers of Jersey City, although upper middle-class comforts didn’t arrive until Gertrude and Elizabeth’s father, Freeland Tompkins opened the Smooth-On iron cement factory in 1895.
Iron cement was used to repair water and steam leaks in cast iron products, such as boilers. Smooth-On was an instant success in those expansionist times and Silver was able to send his three daughters, Margaret, Elizabeth and Gertrude, to private schools.
Their mother had wanted to be a missionary in China, Elizabeth said, but was in too poor health, so she passed her dreams onto her children.
Margaret, the eldest, followed a more traditional path, going to Vassar and marrying a banker. Elizabeth took the leap, however, moving to Damascus after graduating Wellesley in the 1930s to teach at a Muslim school. She later lived in South Africa, Madagascar and Egypt.
Gertrude, the baby, had a rough start. She was shy, somewhat withdrawn, and plagued by a heavy stutter. She did poorly at Kent Place, and was sent to the country for a year, where she didn’t loose her stutter but did gain a strong fascination for goats.
She graduated from college with a degree in horticulture and returned to Summit, where her family had moved, and raised goats. She visited the great gardens of the world, traveling alone. She tried to convince the Australian government to invest in goats, not cows, because they were ecologically and nutritionally superior.
Then she met a young pilot, who taught her to fly. That was it Whittall said. She loved it. She didn’t stutter when she was in a plane, or the whole time she was in the WASP.
WASP, Womens Air force Service Pilots, was an experimental program that hired licensed women pilots to fly all military aircraft stateside, freeing up male pilots for combat. After Silvers flyer beau and fiancée (whom her family will not identify) was killed in combat, Gertrude was among the 25,000 women who applied to the WASP, and among the 1,074 who were accepted and passed basic training.
Some of the women were too small to handle the big fighter planes. Although slender, Silver, at 5-foot-5, became certified on every type of military plane. She also got married -- to Henry M. Silver, an accountant -- in September 1944, although her superior officers didn’t find out until she disappeared.
Some friends and family say she married on the rebound and regretted the decision. Others say she may have been despondent, possibly suicidal.
Whittall and her granddaughter say that is hogwash.
Gertrude wouldn’t have killed herself, and even if she did, she was too proud of being a WASP to take the plane with her, Whittall said. And we joked that she might have taken off, but she was too close to her family to ever do that without telling us. I don’t know what happened, but it wasn’t that.
What they do know is that three planes fresh from the factory were to leave Mines Airfield on the morning of Oct. 26 and head east for delivery to the European front.
The flight was delayed because of mechanical difficulties with Silvers plane. Among the problems was a malfunctioning canopy, which would have made it impossible for her to eject.
By the time the three planes left in the late afternoon, conditions had deteriorated. Fog had moved in and a nasty wind had whipped up. The pilots took off anyway, circled around and headed for Palm Springs, the first leg of their journey, said Pat Macha, a widely recognized aviation buff who has helped find more than 1,000 downed planes.
Macha has been helping the family search for Silver remains since he met her grand-nieces husband at an air show more than a decade ago. Fascinated by the story, he agreed to pick up were Whittall-Scherfees father left off on in his search in the 1970s.
I looked at the clips and the reports and talked to a guy who flew with her. She was good and she was gung ho. There where no crybabies or ninnies in the WASP, said Macha, a retired high school history teacher who helps families locate missing planes.
At first we thought she had made it to the mountains, and checked there, but all the wrecks were accounted for, Macha said. But I knew that the day she took off, three planes took off, but only two were seen circling back over the field.
Macha's theory is that Silver crashed almost immediately after take-off. The fighter plane was heavy, he said, and had a nasty tendency to stall and spin, which means that if airspeed wasn’t achieved, the plane would go into an immediate dive, giving Silver no chance to eject, or even react.
Using expensive equipment that detects metal and mass on the ocean floor, Macha has found lots of planes. But not the right one. Part of the problem is that the plane probably would have broken up on impact and doesn’t look like a plane any more.
Another problem is that the area was used to deposit silt when the harbor was dredged several years ago, which means the wreckage is buried under a small mountain of sand.
Now, Macha thinks he has found the right mound of metal, but we can't be sure until we get in there and find out if it’s a P-51D, he said.
If it is, it is almost undoubtedly Silvers plane, since hers was the only Mustang lost in that region during the war. To find out will cost between $15,000 and $25,000, that we really don’t have right now, said Whittall-Scherfee.
So we wait, and try to raise more money and maybe get more tests that will better our odds, Whittall-Scherfee said. Were looking for a sponsor, but people aren’t all that interested in a women pilot who disappeared 60 years ago.
But we won’t forget. Well never forget Gertrude.