Sioux City Man In Heroic Feat
Lieut. Weyrauch Diverts Jap Fire to Protect Rescue Work
Lieut. Jack S. Weyrauch, former Sioux City high school pupil who reported high school sports news for The Journal, in one of the most daring exploits of the northern Solomons campaign deliberately exposed himself as a target to divert enemy fire while a “Dumbo” rescue plane picked up survivors of a navy plane shot down off a Japanese-held island.
The story of the deed was received from headquarters of the 13th A. A. F. Headquarters in the south Pacific.
Lieut. Weyrauch and his fellow pilots were sent on the morning of April 14 as escorts for a “Dumbo” (PYB rescue plane) to pick up survivors of a navy plane that had gone down off Ballale Island at the south end of Bougainville.
“While the Dumbo landed under heavy fire from enemy shore batteries,” Lieut. Weyrauch is quoted in the dispatch. “We strafed the east coast of Ballale, destroying several enemy positions The Dumbo picked up three survivors of the crash but had to take off under fire leaving two of its crew and a fourth survivor on the raft. Heavy attack bursts were breaking over the Dumbo.
“We escorted the Dumbo to safety and then led a second Dumbo into the area, showing it the location of the life raft. We again strafed the shore line to protect the Dumbo’s landing. We used all our remaining ammunition.
The report then records that with empty guns the Lightning pilots flew to 3,000 feet over the Jap positions in an effort to divert the fire from the Dumbo. Three of the Lightnings were badly damaged but airmen stayed in the area until the Dumbo took off and headed for the home base.
Born in Sioux City, July 14, 1921, Lieut. Weyrauch attended grade school here and when his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Weyrauch, moved to Alhambra, California he made his home temporarily with his aunt, Mrs. Michael Crowley, 816 19th Street. He joined his parents in California in 1940. He has 50 combat missions over Jap-held territory to his credit.
Source: Sioux City Journal, July 13, 1944
