October 22, 1920
Formal Inquiry: Summary (1)
Subject: Company C, 33rd Battalion, Infantry

Presiding: Colonel Francis Dondorff
Testimony: Major Paul Brice (Battalion Commander, 33rd Battalion)
           Lieutenant George Dawson (Airborne Intelligence)
           Specialist Norman Pierce
           Specialist Tyler Grant
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(Major Brice: summary)
On August 12, reports were received from spotter planes of activity in
the Il Faqar area.  Groups of men and unidentified equipment were
noted.  Companies from two battalions were at that time stationed in
Il Faquar - Company C of the 33rd, and Companies A and B of the
18th (2).  The companies of the 18th were placed on alert, with full
perimeter patrols, and Company C was ordered to the area indicated by
the spotter planes.  On August 13, the entire Il Faqar area was
blanketed by a particularly severe sandstorm, and all radio contact
with Company C was lost.  On the morning of August 15th, the weather
cleared but radio contact was not resumed.  Company A of the 18th was
directed to the area that the missing company was last located, but no
sign was found.  Spotter planes showed no further sign of either
Company C or the unknown men and equipment.

(George Dawson: summary)
The coverage of the Il Faqar area by spotter planes was fairly
thorough during August, except when contraindicted by weather.  During
the summer of 1920, six enemy incursions were located and described by
spotter planes and then targeted by Allied forces.  In five out of six
cases, the number of men was within 20% of that reported.  In the
sixth case, the unknowns proved to be local inhabitants and were in
excess of the number reported by 80%.  On August 12, the estimate
provided by the pilots was approximately 50 men and three or four
pieces of equipment (3).  Subsequent air missions from August 15 through
August 18 were unable to find either the original unknown men or the
equipment, within the believed marching range of the company.

(Norman Pierce: summary)
The sandstorm experienced in the Il Faqar area was a particularly
severe weather phenomenon (4).  Electrical discharges are especially
anomalous, though they are not completely unknown in such storms.  For
a fixed camp or an active group of men, such storms are a danger and a
hazard, but not a fatal problem, and fixtures which are covered can be
dug out when the weather clears.  However, in the case of injured men
or unattended equipment, a storm of this magnitude could easily
blanket the subjects under many tens of feet of sand.  

(Tyler Grant: summary)
The offensive of August 29, 1920, took the town of Maadi in the Il
Faqar area.  Intelligence had considered Maadi to be a possible
location for enemy agents and forward observers.  Three questionable
locals and one German prisoner were questioned, among other things,
about the events of August 12-15 (5), but none of those interrogated knew
anything about Company C or about the unknown men sighted by the
spotter planes. 

 


1 A transcript of the testimony is attached as Document 1/54-A (54
pages)

2 A roster of all three companies is attached as Document 1/54-B (6
pages)

3 Three photographs from the spotter missions of August 12 are
attached as Document 1/54-C (3 photos)

4 A terrain map of the Il Faqar area, indicating the area affected by
the sandstorm and the distance Company C might have traveled in three
days, is attached as Document 1/54-D (1 page, oversized)

5 An excerpt of the transcript of the interrogation of D. Asaqua,
M. ibn Fazar, S. Sharif, and J. Schreber is attached as Document
1/54-E