On March 15, 1945, one of World War Two's most famous B-25 Mitchell bombers crashed into a ridge during a mission targeting Japanese freighters anchored in Hong Kong's harbor. The plane, "Bold Venture", B-25J-II #43-36171 was part of the renowned 500th Bomber Squadron, of the 345th Bomb Group, of the US Fifth Air Force. The men of the 345th Bomb Group were arguably the best low-level strafing and bombing group of any conflict and their exploits and heroism have never been forgotten. Lost in this crash were:

2nd Lt Robert W. Jensen, Pilot

2nd Lt Orville L. Garrison, Co-Pilot

Sgt Henry M. Worley, Jr. Engineer

Sgt Robert H. Waggy, Armorer

Cpl Frank M. Tubb, Radio Operator

Our Mission

In June 2008, a group of American amateur archeologists and historians conducted a series of interviews with villagers in several areas in Hong Kong to gather details on American air operations during the Second World War.  As an outgrowth of this endeavor, after over sixty years, the remote exact crash-site of "Bold Venture" has been located. Several Americans (and a sympathetic and warm hearted Brit), both in Hong Kong and in the US, began a project to locate all of the surviving squadron-mates of the crew, and their closest surviving next-of-kin.

The purpose of this project is to perpetuate both the memory of the crew and to ensure that the human element of the tremendous sacrifice that so many made during the Second World War is not forgotten as this amazing generation falls victim to the relentless passage of time. This website will be a repository of pictures of the crew, the plane, and of artifacts uncovered during the excavation of the crash-site. A final step in the project will be the construction and consecration of a small memorial on the crash-site itself to honor those that were lost.

The Bold Venture B-25 initiative would like to acknowledge the great assistance provided to the initiative by Hong Kong based businessman, pilot, and aviation enthusiast Sir Michael Kadoorie. The group has learned that Sir Michael located the site of the Bold Venture crash while flying his own helicopter in the pre-internet era of the late 1970’s. After spotting the site from the air, Sir Michael carried his own ground surveys of the crash site and carefully catalogued and preserved what he found. Recently he contacted us and allowed the group to photograph and review the artifacts that he found. He also most graciously has taken members of the excavation team on several low-level flights over the crash site to help the team better understand the dynamics of the wreckage field.

We welcome questions or comments. Please contact us at: BoldVentureB25 at gmail.com

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