Horace S. Carswell, Jr.

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Horace S. Carswell, Jr. photo circa 1940

Major Horace Seaver "Stump" Carswell, Jr. (July 18, 1916 - October 26, 1944) born in Fort Worth, Texas as the son of Horace S. and Bertha Carswell a middle class Texas family that lived at 1614 Denver Avenue on Fort Worth’s northside.

1 Education
2 Military career
3 Death
4 Military awards
5 References

[edit] Education

Horace attended North Side High School, where he played football, with his high school highlight being the winning touchdown he scored on Armistice Day in a game against the Wichita Falls team in 1933. After graduation from North Side, Horace attended college at Texas A&M for a year (would have been Class of '38), and then began attending Texas Christian University (since four of his uncles were Methodist preachers) where he graduated in August 1939 with a bachelors degree in business administration.

On a double date while still at TCU, Horace met a co-ed featured in one of the yearbook's beauty pages, by the name of Virginia Ede. Virginia was from a ranching family from the west Texas town of San Angelo.

[edit] Military career

After the German invasion of Poland, he decided to join the United States Army Air Forces. He was appointed a flying cadet in San Angelo, Texas on March 26, 1940. While stationed at Goodfellow Field in San Angelo, Texas during flight training, Horace married Virginia Ede. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and gained his pilot's wings after completing flight training in November 1940.

He attended the Army Air Force Combat Crew School at Hendricks Field, Florida. He was an instructor and flight commander with bomb squadrons at Davis Monthan Field, Arizona; Biggs Field, Texas; and in December 1942, was promoted to Captain.

In January 1943, he was assigned to the 356th Bomb Squadron at Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico, where he was promoted to Major in April. The next month he was transferred to Headquarters 302nd Bombardment Group at Clovis, during this period Virginia gave birth to their only child, Robert Ede Carswell who was born at Clovis Army Air Field in September 1943.

Shortly thereafter he was transferred to Langley Field, Virginia, in operations and group command assignments. Major Carswell went to the Pacific Theater of Operations in April 1944, as pilot and operations officer of the 374th Bomb Squadron in the 308th Bombardment Group of the 14th Air Force.

[edit] Death

He was flying a B-24 Liberator on the night of October 26, 1944, on a single-aircraft night mission against a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea. He elected to make a second low-level run over a thoroughly alerted convoy and scored two direct hits on a large tanker. His copilot was wounded, and his aircraft had two engines knocked out, a third damaged, the hydraulic system damaged, and a fuel tank punctured. He managed to gain enough altitude to reach land, where he ordered the crew to bail out. Finding the bombardier's parachute too badly damaged to use, Carswell stayed with the aircraft and attempted a crash landing. The badly damaged aircraft crashed against a mountain, and both Carswell and the co-pilot were killed.

Carswell was buried at a Catholic mission in Tungchen, China. He was survived by his wife and one son. Carswell Memorial Park – where his remains now rest – in Oakwood Cemetery, Fort Worth is named in his honor.

[edit] Military awards

He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Air Medal, and the Purple Heart. These medals were presented to his wife, Virginia, on December 20, 1944, and July 21, 1945. Major Carswell was also awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously on February 4, 1946.

He medal of honor citation states:

He piloted a B-24 bomber in a one-plane strike against a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea on the night of 26 October 1944. Taking the enemy force of 12 ships escorted by at least 2 destroyers by surprise, he made 1 bombing run at 600 feet, scoring a near miss on 1 warship and escaping without drawing fire. He circled. and fully realizing that the convoy was thoroughly alerted and would meet his next attack with a barrage of antiaircraft fire, began a second low-level run which culminated in 2 direct hits on a large tanker. A hail of steel from Japanese guns, riddled the bomber, knocking out 2 engines, damaging a third, crippling the hydraulic system, puncturing 1 gasoline tank, ripping uncounted holes in the aircraft, and wounding the copilot; but by magnificent display of flying skill, Maj. Carswell controlled the plane's plunge toward the sea and carefully forced it into a halting climb in the direction of the China shore. On reaching land, where it would have been possible to abandon the staggering bomber, one of the crew discovered that his parachute had been ripped by flak and rendered useless; the pilot, hoping to cross mountainous terrain and reach a base. continued onward until the third engine failed. He ordered the crew to bail out while he struggled to maintain altitude. and, refusing to save himself, chose to remain with his comrade and attempt a crash landing. He died when the airplane struck a mountainside and burned.

With consummate gallantry and intrepidity, Maj. Carswell gave his life in a supreme effort to save all members of his crew. His sacrifice, far beyond that required of him, was in keeping with the traditional bravery of America's war heroes.^[1]

On February 27, 1948, Fort Worth Army Airfield was renamed Carswell Air Force Base in his honor. There is also a Carswell Avenue at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska named in his honor.