The Virgin Queen
On December 5, 1941, Captain Ron Black and Sergeant James Humphries departed Clark Air Base, Philippines for Baguio Air Base in northern Luzon on a routine flight. Their Martin B-10 bomber, “Manila Momma,” never reached Baguio. Rescue forces mounted a search but World War II cut short their efforts. “Manila Momma’s” disappearance remained a mysterious footnote until last year when an archeology team found the wrecked bomber in the jungle northeast of Baguio. The archeologists recovered James Humphries’ diary and returned it to his family who graciously allowed us to publish this excerpt. We edited some personal comments; we did not alter the narrative of events. ...