The End of The Wolf Pack

A two-plane ferry flight for Nadzab took off from Biak on September 11, 1944. Pilot 1/Lt. John L. Fabale flew the second plane, B-25D THE WOLF PACK, which carried three other crew members and six passengers. Approximately an hour into the flight, the crew discovered that a problem with the flaps was keeping THE WOLF PACK from catching up to the lead plane. Attempts to contact the plane were futile, as the radio wasn’t working correctly either.

The flight continued, but soon afterwards a series of unnerving whines, roars and groans began to emit from both engines. They soon subsided, but started up again a short time later. Suddenly, the left engine stopped altogether with grey smoke coming out of the exhaust while the right engine sputtered. Fabale feathered the left engine and prepared the B-25 for a single-engine flight. Instead, the plane tilted earthward. Fabale told everyone on…