David K. Hayward to Daniel Jackson, October 8, 2015
#1 I don’t know what the thinking was at 341st BG HQ, but my thought is that the shift was primarily due to the advent of skip bombing. It was a search for the most effective way to bomb targets. But we paid a price for skip bombing and it had its drawbacks. The price we paid was in facing small arms fire from the ground. The drawback was that skip bombing required time delay fuses which, unless the movement of the bomb was stopped and it continued on beyond the target before exploding, the bomb was ineffective.
#2 I presume our orders for low-level attacks came out of 341st Bomb Group HQ but it very likely originated at even higher authority.
#3 While I was in China, January through March 1944, we had no training in skip bombing. Later, I understand from available records, they did. We did have discussions about the procedure during our mission briefings.
#4 Maps were inferior in China. We were told there was a 30 mile section missing between two adjoining maps in the area of Nanning, China. We depended heavily on maps because our navigation was primarily by pilotage along with dead reckoning. Weather conditions were worse in China. In India we could time our missions to be completed early in the day, before major thunderstorms developed. Also we had better weather forecasting in India, and if the weather was not right we cancelled the mission. In China the forecasting was poorer. When flying at lower altitudes as we approached the target areas, we often encountered cloud layers that restricted navigation and hid the targets from view.
#5 Such events did not consciously effect my confidence, but subconsciously it might have. Evidently our Chaplain thought so, because when he counseled us during the period of losses and low morale, he emphasized that we were trained to perform in our particular job and that was what we must concentrate on. He emphasized that we must not dwell on the misfortunes or we would lose our efficiency and become one of the casualties ourselves. I recall that I was troubled when I looked at the empty bed of a friend and wondered if my bed would be empty in another 24 hours. I had some relief by reciting the 23rd Psalm when going to bed at night. But when it came to doing the job of flying, I went ahead and did the job. In later years I was reminded of my grandfather serving nearly the entire Civil War as a Private Soldier. He wrote articles to his home newspaper which we still have. He conveyed having a certain numbness after a while and he just went ahead and followed orders. He always sought to protect himself, say stepping behind a tree or the equivalent, but he went ahead with his job as ordered. I have thought, to some extent, that is the way it was with us. As my grandfather thought of defending himself by stepping behind a tree, I was prepared to pull up into a cloud cover (if available) if attacked by enemy fighter planes.
#6 The B-25 normally flew at about 230 miles per hour, sometimes a little faster. It was not as maneuverable as a fighter plane but more maneuverable than a four engine heavy bomber. That was a disadvantage. Enemy gunners on the ground merely had to aim at an oncoming B-25, fire the gun, and the plane was sure to fly into the spray of bullets. In flight, there was no way for the B-25 crew to fire at an enemy fighter that was approaching from behind and underneath the B-25. #7 The B-25 was designed with safety considered. The pilots had armor plate under their seat and behind their back. The fuel tanks were self-sealing. The radial engines were less vulnerable to damage from enemy fire than the inline engines of other planes. We always had a fire extinguisher standing by at startup, as the Holley carburetors, we were told, were responsible for engines backfiring and catching on fire at startup. The gasoline-fed space heaters were a potential problem, especially with so many crew members smoking. At least one B-25 that I am aware of exploded in midair and I am reasonably sure that is what caused it. As time went on, we became more diligent about aircraft load distribution and reciting lengthy check lists on startup. Early on we seemed to fly more on instinct, but with the passage of time we became more structured. The 75 mm cannon was controversial, as it required much concentration by the pilot while he had other things to concentrate on. The squadron experimented with omitting the copilot on all B-25s, as the H model B-25 had no copilot. That policy did not last long. The squadron tried lashing two bombs together, to put more bombs into the bomb bay with its restricted number of bomb latches. But that didn’t last long. The aerodynamics of the bombs were different, leading to more misses. Looking back on it, I can now see more clearly that, ordinarily, the human being can stay as alert and aggressive as required for only a certain period of time. After that he tends to become lax and prone to accidents. I saw it in myself and with others. A war lasting over 3 years is a long war in that respect. That is further evidence that safety involves both equipment and the humans that operate it.
Hayward, David K. “A CALAMITOUS BEGINNING,” October 12, 2015
Most of you are now aware of the demoralizing first weeks of the 22nd’s operations in China. Do you know of the near total disaster during the first AAF medium bomber mission in China-Burma-India?
As you know, the B-25 cadres for the 11th and 22nd Bombardment Squadrons (Medium) were established at Columbia, South Carolina and directed to China as part of “Project 157.” P 157 also included seven B-17s and crews which formed at and departed Ft. Meyer Army Air Field, Florida and arrived at Karachi, India in April 1942. The B-25 crews departed Morrison Field, on the opposite side of Florida, the first week of May.
Almost immediately after the majority of Project 157 B-25s and crews arrived at Karachi, the 11th cadre was ordered to and airfield in far eastern India. The planes were loaded with all of the change of station equipment, spare parts, tools, etc. plus personal luggage, and flew across the breadth of India to Allahabad, in the upper valley of Assam, an eastern province of India.
On 2 June, 1942, six planes and crews left Allahabad on a secret mission of 15 days duration led by Lt. Col. Leland. Each ship carried on extra crewman to act as relief during the expected two-weeks activity, which included four of the Tokyo Raiders. This was to be the first tactical mission of 11th Bombardment Squadron as a medium outfit. That night saw them at Dinjan, India, the western end of the air ferry route across the Himalayas to China. It was here that Col. Leland was asked to assist in defense of the ferry route, Tenth Air Force’s primary objective, by bombing the airfield at Lashio, Burma, thereby disrupting enemy fighter operations against the transports and airfields used by the air ferry.
Pilot Robert Klemann related, “In the evening we were told that in the morning, on our way to Kunming, we were going to bomb the airfield at Lashio, Burma, which had been occupied by the Japanese. This caused a great deal of excitement, what with the bomb loading, map marking, planning a low level attack in a totally unfamiliar environment. This would require flying two sides of a triangle instead of just one, stretching our range to the limit. The briefing told us that the altitude of mountains between Lashio and Kunming was 9,000 ft. on the available maps. As it turned out that must have been an underestimate. We were up long before dawn, making final preparations for the flight and bombing mission.”
The next morning, shortly after 0600 hours, all six planes were lined up in the parking area, wing tip to wing tip, engines started up and warming up. In spite of experienced “Hump” transport pilots recommending he delay due to weather, Col. Leland led the two flights off Dinjan for Kunming, China by way of Lashio. About 45 minutes out, the already poor weather thickened.
Klemann described the situation, “We headed south through rain and broken clouds which obscured our vision. Believe me it was eerie flying blind in a group, not knowing where the others were, except that they were very close. When we broke out of cloud we would reassemble until we reached the next clouds, where we were literally in the dark again. One of the planes became separated and lost from the group. We found Lashio, and our leader Major Leland went in at low level, and made a steep turn to line up with the air field. I was on his right wing on the inside of the turn, and I had it pulled in so tight I was afraid we were going to spin in.”
Completing the turn, the five planes able to rejoin after breaking out of the weather mad a run on one of the runways at 1500 feet above it and placed bombs for some distance along it. “We dropped our bombs and headed east, and climbed to 11,000 ft. through broken clouds, and again partly instrument partly visual,” related Bob Kleman.
About 45 seconds behind the formation, Lt. Bill Gross piloted his B-25 into the target area, just as the five ship formation was finishing their bombing run. He made his run down the other runway, laying a string of five bombs along the middle, then turned and began climbing toward the mountainous passage to Kunming.
Two enemy fighter planes, which had started to follow the formation away from the area, tacked onto Gross’s plane as he departed the airfield boundary. Staff Sergeant James T. Burge, the top gunner, damaged or shot down one of these on its first pass and it was not seen again. However, the other enemy fighter followed for many minutes, making over ten passes on the B-25 as it tried to reach cloud cover. In one of the early attack passes Sgt Wilmer Zeuske, radio operator, was severely wounded while manning the lower turret. Struck in the back by an enemy machine gun bullet or related shrapnel, he died shortly after the plane left the target. In spite of significant damage to the plane, Lt. Gross was able to reach and safely land at Kunming. The plane, however, was written off because neither repair parts nor qualified maintenance personnel were available in China.
Meanwhile, the other five ships were flying formation through a solid overcast at 11,000 feet. Lt. Klemann later reported, “Leland had told us to fly close formation because of the threat of enemy fighters. I was reluctant to fly too close because the constant throttle jockeying was using too much fuel, and the gas gauges were going down at an alarming rate. We were approaching the highest mountains and went into a heavy cloud cover, and I moved over a little more for more maneuvering space. At this time we felt several explosions, not unlike simultaneous thunder and lightning, and felt the turbulence. Within seconds the copilot Stewart Sewall hit my shoulder and pointed out the window at trees and shrubs going by the wing tip. We immediately started up for more altitude.“
Col. Leland, piloting the lead ship in first element had crashed into the side of a mountain, as did his right side wingman and the leader of the second element, to the right and slightly aft of the Leland’s wingman. Pilot of the second element wing plane, on the far right side and slightly behind the formation, reported seeing the flash caused by the leader’s crash and immediately pulling up, being lucky enough to avoid any contact with trees or rock.
Klemann’s statement continued,
“We soon broke out of the clouds and saw one other plane ahead of us. I began to follow him not thinking it might be the plane without a navigator. After a few minutes of this our excellent navigator Alson Peck came to the cockpit and said, “Do you want to go with them or do you want to go to Kunming?” I said, “You got us this far from the States; just tell me where to go.
” We started out on the new heading, again in and out of clouds, and the clouds grew heavier and darker. With the gas gauges showing empty, Peck said, “We should be over Kunming. Find a hole, and if we are not over Kunming it’s up to you.
“We found a hole in the clouds, and there was Kunming right below us. Ignoring any other traffic, I went down and made a straight-in approach to the only runway. We landed, and as we were taxiing to the hangar and buildings, the engines stopped.
“As we were getting out of the plane and onto the ground, another B-25 landed and came over next to us. It was Bill Gross, who had been separated from the flight before Lashio. The crew from the third plane that had taken the wrong route had bailed out when they ran out of fuel, and were brought in by the Chinese several days later.”
At least five of the 22nd cadre crews and planes were reassigned to replace the 11th’s losses. Lacking the anticipated East China bases from which they were planned to operate and with insufficient facilities and supplies at available China bases, the remainder of the 22nd would perform “new arrivals” training at Karachi and combat operations from various airports in and near Calcutta, India, while reporting to 7th Bomb Group. The handful of operational B-25s and crews mostly performed armed reconnaissance missions.
The status quo remained with virtually no change until the 341st Bomb Group was activated in September, and more planes and crews had arrived. It wasn’t until October, when the newcomers from Karachi combined with the “old hands” from Calcutta to support major China Air Task Force attacks on targets in the Canton – Hong Kong area, the 22nd again became a Squadron, but not fully staffed until the December 2nd arrival of desperately needed support personnel.
Hayward, David K. “BOMBING BULLDOGS IN THE SALWEEN CAMPAIGN,” October 2012
PROLOGUE
“What do the Chinese want me to say to them?” I asked Jeff Greene, our tour director, during the return of our group of World War II veterans to China in 2005. Jeff replied, “They want to hear what your outfit did to help the Chinese people during the war.”
I was a pilot of a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber with the 22nd Bomb Squadron of the 341st Bomb Group, 14th Air Force. We were known as the Bombing Bulldogs. I thought about all the things our squadron did, which fell into three main areas. While the squadron was stationed at Chakulia, India, in 1942 and 1943, our mission was to prevent the Imperial Japanese forces from disrupting the flow of Allied materials across the Himalaya Mountains, the Hump, from India to China. To do this, we attacked enemy supply lines throughout Burma, concentrating on bridges, railroad lines, river traffic, warehouses and enemy airfields.
After the squadron’s January 1944 move to Yangkai, China, about 45 miles north of Kunming in Yunnan Province, we did very much the same thing in eastern China, attacking the flow of enemy materials between Japan and their military forces in southeast Asia. This involved not only attacks on railroads, bridges and airfields along the east coast of China and in Indochina (Vietnam), but on enemy shipping in the South China Sea as well.
But the category of operations that came closest to our helping the Chinese people directly was our squadron’s support of Chinese ground troops in China’s Salween River campaign of 1944, which was to drive the Japanese forces out of southwestern Yunnan Province.
Commencing in April of 1944, the squadron turned its attention from attacking enemy supply lines in eastern China to the strategic bombing of Japanese supply lines in Thailand and Burma (Myanmar). By October of 1944, when monsoon conditions allowed it, half of the 22nd Bomb Squadron’s B-25’s and personnel moved to Bei Ting, a satellite of the main Air Force base at Yunnanyi, China, about 150 miles west of Yangkai. It was 35 miles southeast of Dali, along the old Burma Road, now named “320 National Road”. The American Volunteer Group (original Flying Tigers) had flown P-40 fighter planes from Bei Ting in 1941 and 1942. The 22nd Bomb Squadron operated from there until January 1945.
That was, in many respects, an ideal operation. Not only did it give badly needed assistance to Chinese ground troops but the location provided for a most efficient way to do it. B-25 crews would take off from the Bei Ting airstrip, carry out their combat missions in the China-Burma border area, and then fly on to Tingkwak Sakan airfield near Shingbwiyang, Burma, which had been hacked out of the dense jungle by American construction crews. After refueling and restocking with ordnance at Tingkwak Sakan, the planes would fly another mission and return to Bei Ting. The squadron shuttled to Tingkwak Sakan 23 times during that period.
There were several advantages in using Tingkwak Sakan. The aircraft could be refueled from a gasoline pipeline just recently laid from Assam, India, rather than relying on precious gasoline flown over the hump to China. It was the same with ordnance, which was much easier to supply by truck from India. A third advantage, and most important to the airmen, was the opportunity to barter — fresh eggs from China for whiskey, beer, baked beans, cheese, whatever, from India supplies.
Those were exciting but exhausting days and stories have been written about them in the various publications of the 22nd Bomb Squadron. Ultimately most of them were published in the quarterly newsletters of the Association. Chapman Hale, Jr., a pilot with the 22nd offers his recollections, as do George Marcus Jones, Squadron Engineering Officer, Lou Archambault and others. Fortunately, most of the squadron’s original records were preserved and are available on a compact disk obtainable from at Maxwell Air Force base in Alabama.
The squadron flew 73 combat missions from Yangkai into the China-Burma border area from April to September 1944 and operated out of Bei Ting at Yunnanyi from September 11, 1944 until January 19, 1945. From there the squadron flew 107 more combat missions against the Japanese, in support of the Chinese offensive on the Salween River front. Our B-25’s struck in formations, usually of three to six airplanes per mission. Most of the targets were strategic, that is, enemy fuel, ammunition and other supply depots, as well as bridges, ferries, trucks and other transportation facilities along the Burma Road, from Mangshih, China to Lashio, Burma, and into Thailand. Some missions were tactical low level attacks on enemy concentrations in full support of Chinese ground forces. The 14th Air Force provided fighter escort of P-40’s, P-51’s, P-38’s or P-47’s on eight of the missions from Yunnanyi.
In full recognition of the human element involved in this account, the author has “sandwiched in” two stories written by Bombardier-Navigator James M. White, who participated in many of the missions that were flown to the Salween River area.
In September of 2012 I was aboard a Boeing 737, making a smooth landing on the concrete runway at Mangshi, in southwest China near the Burmese border. I thought of the years 1942 to 1945 when this town was in the hands of the Imperial Japanese army. It was an enemy stronghold at that time, with fuel and ammunition supplies, barracks and a transportation center. The 22nd Bomb Squadron flew 25 times to this town to attack the enemy. I observed it as a modern, peaceful town, safely in Chinese hands.
Our motor coach took us further southwest to the city of Ruili, known in World War II times as Mengmao. Strangely, the 22nd Bomb Squadron never attacked that town. Evidently nothing was there of military significance. Today the city is booming. We stayed in a four star hotel and saw all the amenities of a modern city.
From there our motor coach continued on to Loi Wing, also under Japanese occupation during the war. The significance of Loi Wing is that it was an important base of the American Volunteer Group, the original Flying Tigers, very early in the war. It was at Loi Wing that an American group set up the CAMCO factory that assembled the P-40 fighter planes that surprised and shot down Japanese bombers who attacked the city of Kunming in December of 1942. That was the first major American aerial victory of World War II, at a time when the country sorely needed some good news. We drove on to the old air strip where the P-40s took off, and were told by Jeff Greene, our guide, that, besides himself, we were the first Americans to set foot on the Loi Wing air strip since the war.
Times were certainly changing. As we drove along the old Burma Road we observed the installation of a 1,000-mile long pipeline system that will carry 440,000 barrels per day of crude oil, along with natural gas, from a Burmese port on the Bay of Bengal, across Burma and on to Kunming, China.
I thought: Before the history of the 22nd Bomb Squadron’s involvement in the Salween Campaign gets further lost in the modern development of China, it is time to set forth some of the facts and recollections of those dramatic days.
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE SALWEEN CAMPAIGN
The status of ground operations
The first combat mission of the 22nd Bomb Squadron into the area of southwest China was flown on April 24, 1944. At that time, friendly ground troops were active in northern Burma and in need of aerial support.
To begin, when the Japanese invaded Burma in 1942, the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Burma, along with other Allied Forces was forced to retreat into China and India. After their arrival in India, two Chinese divisions, plus fragments of others, were placed under the command of American General Joseph Stillwell and retrained and equipped as the X Force. This force formed the majority of front line forces available to Stilwell when he advanced into northern Burma in October 1943. His intention was to recapture northern Burma and reopen land communications with China via a new spur to the Burma Road called the Ledo Road.
The X Force was augmented by General Merrill and his Merrill’s Marauders to commence long range jungle penetration missions behind Japanese lines. In February 1944, three Marauder battalions marched into Burma. In April 1944, Stilwell launched his final offensive to capture the Burmese city of Myitkyina. On May 17 the airfield was taken and Myitkyna fell on August 4.
Concurrently, a Chinese army known as the Y Force was being trained and equipped in Yunnan Province. In support of Stilwell’s offensive, in the second half of April 1944, Y Force mounted an attack on the Yunnan front. Nearly 40,000 troops crossed the Salween River. Soon some twelve Chinese divisions of 72,000 men were attacking the Japanese 56th Division. The Japanese forces in the north were now fighting on two fronts in the northern Burma area.
The 22nd Bomb Squadron enters the conflict
The squadron flew 17 missions to this area from Yangkai from April 24 through the end of May, during which time there were various degrees of success and failure. The following will provide the reader with an idea of the kinds of problems that occurred and the net results obtained.
Mission B-226 on 24 April to the railroad bridge at Dara, Thailand. Three B-25s made the trip. Dara was at the northerly terminus of the railroad system that runs northerly from Bangkok and was an important supply junction for the Japanese. It was also important to the 22nd Bomb Squadron as eventually it was visited at least ten times. Only 25% of the bombs fell on the target, as two bombs malfunctioned and had to be jettisoned. One fire was started.
Mission B-227 on 25 April to the Dara railroad bridge again, this time with the 491st Bomb Squadron. Six B-25s hit the bridge and damaged it.
Mission B-228 on 26 April to the Kenghluang railroad bridge in Thailand. The 491st Bomb Squadron participated in this mission. Six B-25s took part. They started out with a top cover of fighter planes, but for some reason the top cover left and the mission was aborted, as the crews had been instructed to not proceed without fighter protection.
This change in procedure is highly significant. Earlier in the year, the Squadron lost airplanes and crews at Hainan Island where the Japanese maintained a force of fighter planes. With this new policy the 22nd Bomb Squadron was provided fighter escort on eight of its missions from Yunnanyi. (How about from Yangkai?)
The Japanese stationed fighter planes of the 50th Fighter Sentai (Group), 1st Chutai (Squadron) in Burma, Thailand and French Indochina in 1941 to 1945. These planes were code named Oscars and Franks. In addition the Japanese brought in their 204th Fighter Sentai (Group) to Burma in 1944 to 1945, flying Nates.
Wendell Hanson had led a flight of nine B-25s, including planes of the 491st Bomb Squadron, to the Chiangmai air field, Thailand, in March of 1944 and found enemy fighters and bombers parked there, ready for an assault on friendly territory. Hanson’s flight successfully destroyed many of the enemy planes on the ground. Our Intelligence knew that enemy fighters remained in the area and would be a continuous threat to operations.
We continue with the reports of missions flown in May to the Salween area from Yangkai.
Mission B-229 on 11 May to the Dara bridge again. Six planes took off. Again the mission was aborted because the escorting fighter planes failed to rendezvous.
Mission B-230 on 12 May to Lashio, Burma. Lashio was important as the Burmese railroad terminus from Rangoon northerly, an important target, visited at least 142times by the 22nd Bomb Squadron. Six planes were scheduled. One aborted due to engine trouble and others aborted due to bad weather conditions enroute.
Mission B-231 on 12 May to Tengchung, China. Tengchung was a walled city, a Japanese stronghold where their military headquarters was located. The 22nd visited this place at least 12 times, often attempting to break down the walls to allow the Chinese army to enter. Six B-25s took off in two flights of 3 planes each. They bombed from 4,570 feet altitude. One flight missed because of an intervalometer failure. The other flight scored all its bombs on the military headquarters. Some anti-aircraft fire was encountered.
Mission B-232 on 12 May to the Hsenwi highway bridge, north of Lashio in Burma, an alternate target due to bad weather conditions at Lashio. Four B-25s took off. They approached the bridge at 50 feet altitude and scored 70% hits on the target.
Mission B-233 on 13 May to Mangshih, China, along the Burma Road. Mangshih was an important Japanese center of supply and troop concentration. The 22nd visited it at least 25 times. Five B-25s took off. From 5,600 feet over the target they scored 85% hits. They experienced some anti-aircraft fire over Lungling. Crews were instructed to report any additional enemy military installations. They reported at Chefang, China, a warehouse area well defended and pitted with fox holes and trenches, a possible target for future missions.
Mission B-234 on 14 May to Wan Pa Hsa, Thailand. With the 491st Bomb Squadron participation they put 16 planes in the air. The targets were the bridge, warehouses, a motor pool, repair shops, barracks, fuel stores and bomb and ammunition dumps. Four planes attacked the target at 50 feet altitude and fired the 75 mm cannon along with the 50 caliber machine guns. They received anti-aircraft fire in return. The other 12 planes dropped their bombs from 7,000 to 8,000 feet. Black smoke rose to 6,000 feet. 80% hits were recorded.
Mission B-235 on 15 May to the Kenghluang railroad bridge in Thailand. Six B-25s flew over the target at 1,000 feet altitude but scored no hits. A repair train had moved just before their arrival, indicating the enemy had some warning. A machine gunner on the repair train made four hits on two of the planes. The crews reported that attacking this bridge is very difficult because it is low in a gorge and the surrounding hills are very high.
Mission B-236 on 16 May to the Kutkai bridge in Burma. Four B-25s took off. One returned due to radio compass failure. The others skip bombed the bridge from 250 feet altitude. Five bombs hit directly beneath the bridge but skipped ashore before exploding harmlessly. Anti-aircraft fire was encountered. One plane had a bullet hole in its wing. It was observed that the enemy has built alternate bridges and has camouflaged them. No hits on the target were claimed.
Mission B-237 on 20 May to the Dara railroad bridge. The 491st Bomb Squadron participated. The planes encountered bad weather and returned to base.
Mission B-238 on 29 May to the Hsenwi bridge in Burma, The 491st participated. Due to bad weather no bombs were dropped and the planes aborted the mission.
Mission B-240 on 25 May to the Dara railroad bridge again with the 491st participating. Six B-25s flew in at 100 feet over the target and made 40% hits. Some of the bombs skipped over the targets and exploded harmlessly, but the bridge and approaches were damaged overall.
Mission B-241 on 29 May to Tengchung. Nine planes flew in at 4,850 over the target. 50% of the bombs fell on the military headquarters. Some bombs had to be salvoed due to intervalometer problems.
Mission B-242 on 30 May to enemy warehouses at Lungling, China. Nine planes participated. They flew over the target at 4,800 feet and made 90% hits, starting five fires. Anti-aircraft fire was encountered.
Mission B-243 on 31 May to the Kenghluang railroad bridge in Thailand. Six planes attacked the bridge at 2,700 feet and scored 25% hits. The crew reported a tunnel nearby which they said should be easier to destroy than the bridge.
Monthly reports on the Squadron History
Each month the Intelligence Section of the Squadron published a Squadron History, reporting on its activities such as flight operations, promotions, inter-squadron athletic games, visits by Hollywood dignitaries and any news on “going home”. Listed below are portions of those monthly reports commencing with:
April, 1944
24th day of April, 1944. A motor convoy composed of Jeeps, weapons carriers and Squadron personnel departed for an advanced base in western China. This was the first of the movement to come that is to take ¾ of the squadron’s strength of planes and twelve combat crews.
30th day of April, 1944. The final quota of planes was to leave today for the advance base, but one plane remained behind so that it might take the pay roll up to the men that have already gone ahead. We now have eight planes at the advance base, with one more to go.
May, 1944
The first of May saw the Squadron still divided. Eleven combat crews and the necessary ground men were at Yunnanyi, while the rest of the outfit stayed at Yangkai. The mission to Yunnanyi can be written off as a fortune of war and quietly forgotten. Due to miscalculation somewhere along the line, the entire detachment arrived at the advance base before it was discovered that the length of the runway and the height of the surrounding hills made it quite inadvisable to use the field for tactical operations. On May 6th Major Weatherly led the formation of planes with skeleton crews back home, and the rest of the detachment followed by ATC and motor convoy. The latter had the opportunity to travel for a considerable distance along the famous Burma Road, and got some ideas of the difficulties of constructing and maintaining it. Meanwhile, the men left behind led a leisurely existence with plenty of sack time, interrupted only by the drill so dear to the heart of the enlisted men overseas. The Squadron Organization Day was May 3rd, but there was no celebration due to the split up of the Squadron.
CHAPTER TWO: GETTING ON WITH THE WORK
In the months that followed, June through September 1944, the squadron flew 59 more combat missions from Yangkai to the following destinations.
Destination Missions
Mangshih, China 15
Lungling, China 9
Tengchung, China 11
Dara, Thailand 4
Tingka, Burma 3
Lashio, Burma 2
Kutkai, Burma 2
Chiangrai, Thailand 1
Weather recon 2
Kenghluang, Thailand 1
Namhkam, China 1
Wanling, China 1
Chefang, China 1
Hsenwi, Burma 1
Loi Wing, China recon 1
Kunlong Ferry, Burma 1
The Squadron flew 10 missions to the Salween area in June and 22 missions in July. These missions are particularly significant:
July, 1944
On July 6th the Squadron flew to Tengchungand bombed successfully. Several fires with black smoke were observed. Tengchung was to become an oft-visited target in the next few weeks, and the crews were to be well acquainted with the walled city.
After nine days of bad weather and long planning, the largest formation ever to take off from Yangkai in a combined operation left the field on the morning of July 26th. Eighteen of the 491st and eight of ours again assaulted Old faithful – Tengchung. Our ships, along with nine of the 491st carried 100 pound demos and frags to provide cover for the other ships which came in at a low, tree-top levelin an effort to breach the wall. It was a highly successful mission, and the wall is believed to be breached in several places.
August, 1944
Ten missions were flown to the Salween area in August.
On August 2nd Lt. Hillenmeyer led six planes to attack the southeast wall of Tengchung with thousand pounders. Two bombs blew out a ten foot section on either side of the south corner, while the others skipped over the wall or through breaches into the town. This was to be our last mission to the walled city, as later in the month Chinese ground troops stormed the city walls and by September 1st had occupied one-third of the city.
This mission is especially significant because it is an example of how the 22nd Bomb Squadron was able to help the Chinese in close ground support:
On August 14th twelve more planes attacked Lungling, this time hitting fortified hill tops at the edge of town. The first flight did an excellent job of laying all their bombs within the small area, but the second flight had difficulty picking up the correct hill and achieved only fair results.
It seems that Mission B-283 on August 14th, along with later mission B-395 on January 10, 1945, gave inspiration to Bombardier-Navigator James M. White to write the following story, years later. He named this story “Take This Job and Shove It”.
It was at Yangkai, the summer of ’44. Because of inclement weather, the 22nd Bomb Squadron had been standing down for a week or so. While sitting in the mess hall, several of us were bitching, “At this rate we will never get in our 50 missions and that beautiful ticket back to the good old you ess of aye.” On hearing this, Lt. “Mac” McCue, our feisty, bantam rooster Communications officer, became almost apoplectic.
“You G.D. fly boys give me a royal pain in the …,” he roared, “You’re a spoiled bunch of prima donnas. You sit around on your keister all day, pickle your brains, small as they are, in Jing Bao juice, fly 50 lousy missions and then it’s back home with a chest full of medals, while we’re stuck here for three stinking years”.
He was particularly critical of bombardiers. “My heart really bleeds for you buttholes. You sit up in front with the best seat in the house while someone else chauffeurs you to the target area. The copilot has to damn near knock you off your seat to wake you on arrival. You fiddle with your lousy knobs for a couple of minutes, come out with that corny, ‘Bomb’s away, bomb bay doors closed’ bullshit and then sit back and snooze on the ride home. Tough damned duty, ain’t it?”
Somewhat abashed by this totally unexpected tirade, I asked if he would care to join me in the greenhouse on our next mission. “You bet your … I would,” he spit out, “It’ll be the easiest three or four hours of my life.” That evening I told the Old Man of Mac’s feelings and asked if I could take him along on our next trip. “By all means,” he replied, “I think it’s a great idea.”
As luck would have it, that next mission was the most action-filled I was to experience during my entire tour of duty, close air support for ground troops, not particularly dangerous but a hell of a lot more exciting than bombing from eight to ten thousand feet.
Operating in the mountains about 100 miles or so west of Yunnanyi, a sizable force of Chinese infantry had been pinned down by a small band of Japanese troops. Although fewer than 200 Japs occupied the hill top, they were wreaking havoc with the friendlies. With deadly cross fire from machine guns, they cut the Chinese down like so much wheat on each of their attempts to storm the hill. After each retreat of the Chinese, the Japs would lob mortar shells down on their position. The Chinese were being cut to ribbons – decimated and with little hope for changing the situation. An urgent call was sent out for close air support.
Six B-25s of the 22nd Bomb Squadron were quickly loaded with frag bombs and dispatched to the scene. Half of the aircraft were “J” models with the conventional greenhouse. The others were the single-pilot “H” model with its 75 mm nose cannon and 4 fixed fifties, ideally suited for close air support.
I was riding in the lead plane, a “J” model. Mac climbed into the greenhouse with me. He sat on a small wooden box as I assumed my usual position on the ammo canister. There would be no bombing for me today, as this was going to be skip-bombing at tree-top level. My role this day was simply that of nose gunner using the single, flexible, fifty caliber machine gun which was mounted in the greenhouse.
As we neared Yunnanyi, two P-40s joined up and led us to the target area. Once there, they peeled off and marked the hill top with smoke rockets, firing as they did so. At this point, the fun began. Diving in single file, the B-25s screamed toward the hill top at about 300 per. As the ground rushed toward us, mac’s color began to fade a bit. Once in range, all hell broke loose. The pilot began firing the four pod-mounted fifties. The twin fifties in the top turret cut loose with a vengeance and I was blasting away with the flex fifty. The din was unbelievable. Within seconds, the greenhouse was filled with acrid smoke and the stench of cordite. At this point, the pilot punched out the frags and immediately put the plane into a gut-wrenching, screaming chandelle to the left.
By the time we leveled off, Mac was positively green. Looking back at the target area as the second ’25 made its pass, we saw Jap troops stand and fire at him as he passed overhead. The decision was made to launch two strafing passes following the frag bombing.
When the last plane cleared the target area we commenced our first strafing run. With earphones clamped tight over my 100-mission hat and a butt dangling out of my mouth as I stood hosing the area with my 50, I was the typical WWII “B” movie character personified. By now the remaining Japs were desperate enough that they were sporadically returning our machine gun fire as we approached their position. As I was firing, Mac asked what those white balls zipping through the air might be. “Tracers, old buddy,” I replied, “They’re shooting back.” Dead silence from Mac.
On our third and final pass, although there was no longer any firing from the ground, I felt a pressure on my shoulders and spine but was too busy firing to investigate. After we cleared the area, I looked back. Mac, with both hands on my shoulders and eyes tightly closed, had his head buried against my back. Perhaps he thought I might be able to deflect any slugs headed our way.
I could fully appreciate his trepidation, probably thinking, “Here I am in the nose of a goddamn airplane, with nothing but glass all around me, zipping over the tree tops at 300 mph; some mean-minded little sumbitch on the ground is trying to part my skull with a machine gun slug, and me without even a rock in my hand to chuck back at the bastard.”
On our return to Yangkai, mac leaped from the plane, threw himself to his knees and kissed the ground several times. When I asked if he would care to do it again he said, “Screw you guys and your stinking airplanes, I’ll stick to my radios.”
We later learned the Chinese were able to amble up the hill without a shot being fired at them. There were no Jap survivors. Never again did we hear a single word about the idyllic life of the fly-boy. Nor, I must add, did I ever admit to Mac that much of what he had said about bombardiers was right on the money.
CHAPTER THREE: SQUADRON OPERATIONS AT YUNNANYI
In September the Squadron began moving a few planes and crews to the Yunnanyi area. The Squadron History describes the first mission flown by the 22nd Bomb Squadron from that location, on September 11:
September, 1944
Two planes which were on detached service at Yunnanyi bombed the ammo dump at Mangshih. The first run was Boo-Hao with all bombs missing, but the second fared better with all bombs 100% in the target. Four cannon shells were fired into the area and both ships strafed it aggressively.
From September 11 to 26, the Squadron flew seven missions from Yunnanyi, including four to Lungling, China, one each to Mangshih, China, Chiangrai, Thailand and Dara, Thailand. They continued operations from Yangkai by also flying twelve missions to the Salween area from that location.
The Squadron History reports continued with the comment:
October, 1944
October was a low month in many ways. With the exception of nine missions flown by a small number of planes on detached service at Yunnanyi, the Squadron flew only two missions the entire month out of its home base at Yangkai.
The nine missions flown from Yunnanyi were to Mangshih, China, Chefang, China, and Tingka bridge, Burma. Three other destinations were not recorded. The two missions flown from Yangkai went to Dara, Thailand and the Kunlong Ferry.
In November, the headquarters staff of the 341st Bomb Group announced the major move of 22nd personnel to Yunnanyi as follows:
A detachment of approximately 100 officers and men moved to Yunnanyi from which base operations are being carried on against the Japs in support of Chinese ground forces on the Salween front.
The monthly Squadron History reports continued with:
November, 1944
After a relatively inactive period during the rainy months, the Squadron began to fight a war when a large detachment of personnel and planes moved to Yunnanyi early in the month. They set up headquarters at Bei Ting, the old A.V.G. field a few miles west of the main ATC base and started operations immediately.
One of the changes was the use of Tingkwak Sakan in Burma for shuttle bombing, which made possible greater bomb loads, and it saved on demand for precious China gasoline. Tingkwak, some 60 miles north of Myitkyina, is a new field on the Ledo Road and is supplied by the gasoline pipeline. With flawless weather, the place was ideal for supporting the Chinese ground offensive west from the Salween front, and harassing the Japs along the Burma Road to Lashio. With those favorable circumstances, the Squadron broke all records for its ten months in China, dropping 138 tons of bombs in 172 sorties.
Although living conditions were a little mixed – living in tents and washing in helmets – there were certain advantages. By this constant contact with the outside world, our planes were able occasionally to bring back more, and almost forgotten, food from “civilization” – white sugar, white salt, white bread, beer and even turkey for Thanksgiving. Morale was better. It didn’t seem like the same rotten luck that hit a lot in October. Food was better; it was a change of air with new living conditions; and above all everyone was busy at his job and had the feeling that there really was a point to being in China.
One small factor was the common practice in which the officers and enlisted men were to work together. This proved typical of the general attitude that we were there for the purpose of getting the job done as efficiently and quickly as possible, and that the caste system so necessary in the long run for a good army, but with its limitations, could be temporarily forgotten.
In spite of the many missions flown, we were extremely lucky in experiencing no enemy fighter opposition. However, the one instance of enemy ack ack was a near tragedy. On a low level mission to a bridge, one of our planes was hit by ground fire – believed to be an explosive shell, and the bombardier, Lt. Walter Stecko, was seriously injured in the left elbow. The radio operator, S/Sgt Roy Bongard, was also hit – a minor leg wound.
More about conditions at Yunnanyi
Pilot Chapman M. Hale, Jr., reported his experience at Yunnanyi (Bei Ting) as follows:
My first time at Yunnanyi, in the summer of 1944, was when our flight, led by Al Sieck, landed at the main base there. Later in the year, the squadron moved our operations to the old AVG strip, a short distance from the main Air Force base at Yunnanyi. The air field was built for P-40s. It was grass only, but rock hard, since we were there during the dry season. We lived in tents. I believe there was one building there, which served as a mess hall. When we flew from the air field we had to pull up and turn on takeoff to avoid the hill ahead of us. We were shuttle bombing with a Burma base at Tingwak Sakan. Our return gas load was minimum, so the short field worked well.
I flew in to the base on November 1, 1944 and returned to Yangkai on December 15. We had an old Dodge weapons carrier and trailer. Our vehicles were fueled with wood alcohol, “methanol”, and they would barely run. We loaded our plane to the “gills”. I was suspicious that the nose wheel on my plane was barely on the ground. We had to reload to get somewhat better load balance.
We “hit the ground running” and put up our tents in a haphazard fashion. Col. Main made us tear them down and rebuilt properly, with the tent pegs aligned in a military fashion. This was the last of the military manner at that base for the duration of our stay.
Our base was not far by the line of sight from the main Air force base at Yunnanyi. One night a Jap plane bombed the main base and the noise was so great that we thought they were hitting us. As it was, they hit a gasoline truck and there was a large fire lighting up the sky. We heard the only casualty was a C-46 pilot who jumped out of the window of his plane and broke a leg. We scrambled from our tent and dived into a drainage ditch for shelter. It seems that the Chinese were using that ditch as a latrine.
Flying was comfortable, with the missions being conducted usually at medium altitude, and very little of that difficult low altitude stuff. One casualty was when Wally Stecko had his elbow shot out. He was immediately evacuated to the States.
The Burma base that was used for shuttle runs presented a small problem. It was a fighter plane base carved from the jungle. When flying overhead it looked like a match stick in the jungle. It consisted of a narrow macadam strip 2,500 feet long with the trees cut down for another 2,000 feet so the ships could climb out. Our pilots by this time were well trained. We landed from the cut-trees end and took off in that direction, too. That’s the only time I used “war-emergency” power to go. But I still remember struggling to get over those 200 foot trees at the end of the air strip. We got off as well as the P-47 fighters.
Back at Yunnanyi, George Stowe and I borrowed the Squadron’s two shotguns and ammunition. We hunted ducks around the rice paddies. They were wintering there and were nice and fat. We had some success, even if the shot pellets were for skeet shooting rather than hunting.
We had a lot of failures, resulting that I was on two sol missions. On one occasion I was flying with operations Officer Francis Fensel and on takeoff the gas tank cover came off the main tank and we had a stream of fuel behind us. We came back and landed. I thought that we would just cancel and stay home, but Fensel was determined to go, saying that we could catch up. You can’t make up 15 minutes, so we followed and found the target at Lashio, Burma, was still smoking from the planes before us. We dropped our bombs there and proceeded to the Burma base.
Another time at the base in Burma, with bombs loaded, I had a flat tire. Of course the rest of the flight would not wait and I decided to spend the night. However, the Commanding Officer of the fighter squadron said, “No”, they couldn’t spare the space. So a half hour later we proceeded on to Lashio and dropped our bombs without incident and returned home to Yunnanyi.
Incidentally, we didn’t have the luxury of having our bombs loaded and ready to go. We had to load our own bombs manually. We couldn’t handle 500 pounders, so we didn’t use them, but four men could handle the 250 pounders. Two men straddling the bomb bay and pushing the bomb to the racks was about all any of us young and strong men could handle.
John W. “Jack” Gordon, sent us this story as well.
The one I remember best was with a B-25H, with the cannon in the nose, attacking a bridge down in Burma. We got three holes in the wing on that mission. Among the things I remember were our moving cots around in leaky tents during the rainy season and the Chinese nourishing the Carp in the big pond as they sat on benches above. I didn’t see any Board of Health there.
Lou Archambault, a Radio Operator-Gunner, told of his recollections.
On November 6, 1944, I went to Yunnanyi in one hour and 25 minutes. Major Main was the pilot. On December 15 I returned to Yangkai. Lee Horton was the pilot. We stayed in tents, about a mile from the field. We had a Japanese Betty bomber fly over and drop four bombs, off target.
I made eleven shuttle bomb runs between Yunnanyi and Tingkwak Sakan. The targets we bombed were Mangshih, Hsenwi, Kutkai Wan Lai Kam, Lashio and Tingka. I remember Tingkwak Sakan was about 120 degrees in the shade, and if you left too early on your mission the air strip would be in ground fog.
On one of our missions from Tingkwak Sakan we were given incorrect altimeter settings for a bridge. We had 250 pound bombs and we were hit by some of our own bomb fragments. Our right inboard wing tank was ruptured and gasoline was flowing from the ailerons, then from the radio compartment.
Unfortunately we were loaded with15 cases of beer and two cases of Australian powdered milk. This was the result of barter for fresh eggs from China. We were ordered to toss all cartons overboard. We had a cameraman, Cliff Lefferts, on board. He was about to jettison the rear hatch but I caught him just in time. Instead we used the round hatch on the right side of the plane for jettisoning. That was a close call. It’s a wonder we didn’t explode.
G. Marcus Jones, Squadron Engineering Officer, was at Yunnanyi late in 1944 and recalled this.
Personnel lived in tents but there was a fairly nice building used as a mess hall. About eight B-25s were located there. They were parked in the open, as there were no protective revetments. The air field was shared with a detachment of P-38s, used as reconnaissance aircraft. I recall driving a jeep, pulling a trailer, to Tali about 35 miles northwest of Yunnanyi.
Back to flight operations in the month of November
November was a busy month, as the squadron flew 48 missions from Yunnanyi (Bei Ting). This is the Report of Missions for that month:
Date Mission No. Target Results
7 Nov B-315 Mangshih 2 planes hit storage area causing one wide, white
smoke column 1,500 feet high
8 Nov B-316 Mangshih 3 planes hit storage with 100% bombing. Direct hits
on at least ten buildings left blazing.
8 Nov B-317 Mangshih 4 planes destroyed or damaged 6 bldgs in storage
area in first half of shuttle.
8 Nov B-318 Mangshih 4 planes. Four more hits.
9 Nov B-319 Mangshih 4 planes. Bombs short. No damage.
9 Nov B-320 Mangshih 4 planes. Three large fires and several small ones.
10 Nov B-321 Wanling 4 planes. 100% in target. One fire with smoke 2,500
feet high visible 30 miles.
10 Nov B-322 Wanling 3 planes hit storage with 2 buildings receiving direct
hits with 4 or 5 more smoking or burning.
10 Nov B-323 Wanling 3 planes. Secondary explosion from reveted bldg.
11 Nov B-324 Wanling 4 planes. Storage bombed with one direct hit and
smoke 2,900 feet high seen 20 miles away.
11 Nov B-324 Wanling 4 planes. Storage bombed with one direct hit and
smoke 2,900 feet high seen 20 miles away.
11 Nov B-325 Wan Lai Kam 4 planes. Highway bridge. Using 500 pound bombs
the formation knocked a 75 by 40 foot gap in the
1,100 foot wooden structure.
12 Nov B-236 Wanling 3 planes. Storage. One direct hit. 3 others severely
damaged.
12 Nov B-237 Man Pwe 4 planes. Only near misses on bridge without
observable damage to the 125 foot steel span.
13 Nov B-238 Wanling 4 planes. Storage. One direct hit. 3 or more others
damaged. One large secondary explosion.
13 Nov B-329 Man Pwe 4 planes. Bridge. Accurately dropped 1,000 pound
bombs spreading north on road doing little damage.
14 Nov B-330 Wanling 4 planes. Bombs wide and long but black smoke
billowed from several hits in field.
14 Nov B-331 Hsenwi 4 planes. 4 bridges completely destroyed. 6 more
severely damaged.
15 Nov B-332 Wanling 4 planes. Storage. Several bldgs. Rec’d direct hits.
Smoke 1,500 feet high from 40 miles away.
15 Nov B-333 Man Pwe 4 planes. Bombs generally long. Some trackage torn
and 4 buildings destroyed.
16 Nov B-334 Wanling 4 planes. Storage. 4 large fires. One with black
smoke 2,500 high for 50 miles.
17 Nov B-335 Npase 3 planes. Countless fires. 2 black columns 5,000
visible for 50 miles. Flames 50-75 feet high.
17 Nov B-336 Tingka 3 planes. Bridge, Bombing at 50-200 feet. Blew out
entire bridge except for approaches.
18 Nov B-337 Chefang 100% in target area with a huge flash explosion
(ammunition?) in center of pattern.
18 Nov B-338 ——– All planes returned due to bad weather.
19 Nov B-339 Chefang 4 planes with incendiaries set at least 4 storage
buildings afire.
19 Nov B-340 Wan Lai Kam Blasted bridge. 2 medium size breaks 15-20 feet
long.
19 Nov B-341 Tingka 4 planes bombed bridge from 50 feet with no luck.
20 Nov B-342 New Lashio 4 planes. Barracks area. 2 buildings.
20 Nov B-343 New Lashio 4 planes. Bombs short. 3 buildings. One small fire.
22 Nov B-344 Wanling 4 planes. Storage. 2 buildings demolished.
22 Nov B-345 Kutkai 4 planes. Bombs wide. Bridge destroyed. 2 damaged.
23 Nov B-346 Wanling 4 planes. 3 bldgs afire. 2 more probably damaged
severely.
23 Nov B-347 Kutkai 4 planes. Bombs wide. 2 or 3 small buildings. Little
damage.
24 Nov B-348 Wanling 4 planes. Direct hits on 3 or 4 buildings.
24 Nov B-349 Wan Lai Kam Bridge. Pattern within 15 feet. No hits.
25 Nov B-350 Wanling 6 planes. Direct hits on 10-12 buildings. Smoke
column 2,000 feet for 40 miles.
25 Nov B-351 Lashio 6 planes. 3 large warehouses destroyed and hits on
others. One secondary explosion.
27 Nov B-352 New Lashio 4 planes. 8 or 10 buildings destroyed or damaged in
planned target. 2 or 3 outside.
27 Nov B-353 New Lashio 4 planes. 4 more buildings plus one large warehouse
which disintegrated in a secondary explosion.
28 Nov B-354 Wanling 4 planes. 2 bldgs rec’d direct hits. Smoke was visible
1,000 feet high 40 miles away.
28 Nov B-355 Wan Kai Lam 3 planes. (One bombed Kutkai). Low level. Enemy
fire and their own bombs damaged all planes. Two
wounded, one seriously. Bridge not damaged.
28 Nov B-356 Hsenwi 4 planes.3 distinct fires were visible before smoke
blanketed the area and rose to 2,500 feet, seen 50
miles away.
29 Nov B-357 New Lashio 4 planes. Bombs wide but 2 or 3 but 2 or 3 buildings
north of target destroyed.
29 Nov B-358 Hsenwi 3 planes. 6 to 8 large fires with one in flames 75 feet
high. Much white smoke. Two towers of black oil
smoke rising to 5,000 feet visible for 50 miles.
29 Nov B-359 New Lashio 3 planes. Bombs long. 3 buildings.
30 Nov B-360 Lashio 4 planes. 4 long warehouse-type buildings
completely demolished.
30 Nov B-361 Wanling 4 planes. Bombs short. No damage.
30 Nov B-362 Lashio 4 planes. Direct hits on at least five 100 foot long
warehouses and numerous smaller ones. Excellent
bombing.
Returning to the Squadron History, as reported by the Intelligence section:
December, 1944
A large detachment of personnel and planes of the squadron at Yunnanyi continued effective operations but on a smaller scale than last month. The discontinuance of the use of Tingkwak Sakan for shuttle bombing eliminated the opportunity for greater bomb loads as well as the gasoline from the Ledo pipe line, Weather conditions, although favorable as a whole, accounted for some inactivity. Despite these unfavorable turns, the Squadron in 140 sorties dropped 103 tons of bombs which contributed substantially to the Chinese ground offensive west of the Salween River and hampered the Japanese operations along the Burma Road to Lashio.
The detachment continues to support the Salween Campaign and operate from Bei Ting, an old AVG field a few miles from the main Yunnanyi air base. Good Fortune attended all of our missions in that we met no fighter opposition nor ack ack. The planes all returned safe and sound.
The squadron flew 27 combat missions from Yunnanyi in the month of December, as the Chinese offensive continued.
Destination Missions
Wanling 5
Kengtung 5
Lashio 4
Kunlong 4
Hsenwi 3
Kutkai 3
Wan Pa Has 3
Life at Tent City continued on. The men were tired, flying long hours, finding relaxation any way they could, and sometimes having wild ideas. James M. White tells a story that illustrates this. He called it “The Man Who Dreamed of Tower Power”.
It was the fall of 1944. The 22nd Bomb Squadron was staging out of an abandoned fighter strip located a mile or so from the Air Transport Command (ATC) base at Yunnanyi. Takeoff and landing instructions were handled by the ATC tower personnel. Lt. McCue, our Communications Officer, was chafing at the bit.
Life in “Tent City” was bad enough under the best of circumstances, but to be forced to so live while having no real job to perform is intolerable. Sitting in his tent one day, he was deep in thought. Suddenly, leaping to his feet, he shouted, “Eureka, I have found the answer! I shall build my own tower and it shall be a wondrous thing to behold.”
Within an hour, aided and abetted by several hammer-swinging, saw-wielding assistants, Mac was at it. Picking a spot immediately next to the runway, they created indeed a thing of beauty. Soaring some ten feet above the ground, it was crowned by a wooden platform with an area of at least 20 square feet. A ladder built of the finest used two by fours provided Mac with real access to his throne. Next came the equipment, a transmitter with a peak output of at least two watts and receiver with sensitivity to match any of today’s $5.95 portables. As I recall the antenna, it was an engineering marvel. Fashioned from two straightened clothes hangers and secured to the tower. With a triumphant look on this face, Mac mounted the tower and stood erect, head on high, chest out. He was without question Hannibal reincarnated, straddling the highest Alp.
During the next mission briefing, Mac addressed the pilots. In his finest Lincolnesque manner he proclaimed, “Men, you are now free. No more shall you be forced to take orders from the landed gentry of ATC, for I had a dream and that dream is now a reality. As of today, we have our own tower.” Citing the appropriate frequencies, he directed all pilots to contact him on return from a mission.
Several hours later the three B-25s neared Yunnanyi. Acting on Mac’s orders, each pilot in turn attempted contact with Mac, now positioned on his tower. No joy. The return airwaves were silent. Following several attempts, the pilots assumed that Mac had given up and they turned their thoughts to their landings.
For several weeks the pilots had been demonstrating that tactical approaches were not the sole domain of the fighter jocks. With each succeeding mission, the flight would overfly the runway at an even lower altitude. The left wing man would then pull up in a sharp chandelle to the left, dropping his landing gear as he did so. Within seconds the lead ship would emulate the formation maneuver.
On this particular day, the formation was not much more than five feet off the ground on approach. Standing atop his tower, arms frantically waving, Mac was terrified, and with good cause. With eyes glued to the man on their left, the pilots were totally oblivious to Mac. With the right wing man zeroed in on him, Mac leaped from the tower seconds before the right wing passed over his tower with about four feet to spare.
By morning, the “tower” was gone and once again we were returned to the warm embrace of ATC.
CHAPTER FOUR: THE FINAL MONTH
The squadron flew 15 missions in January, ending their support of the Salween Campaign on January 19, 1945. Five of those missions were flown to Kengtung, Burma, four to Wanling, China and three to Wan Pa Has. Eight of the 15 were bridge targets, aimed at stopping enemy supplies from getting through. Three were ground support tactical missions designed to help the Chinese army advance on Japanese strongpoints.
The monthly Squadron History reads:
January, 1945
An ironic phase of the Squadron’s entire combat history, both in India and China, is that the majority of its targets have been a part of a long range strategy, and except for the destruction of the immediate objective, results have often been hard to see. However, in the recently concluded period of Detached Service, we were able to participate in a highly successful campaign and were rewarded by prompt and tangible proof that our efforts have been valuable.
Our missions covered a variety of targets, including military installations, storage areas, and highway bridges. In the latter stage of the operation we gave direct support to the Chinese ground offensive which received special commendation from the field commander. Within two weeks after our last sortie, the Burma-Ledo Road was declared officially open and the first convoy reached the Chinese terminus.
In our two and a half months of operations, we flew 385 sorties and dropped 285.6 tons of frags, incendiaries and demolition bombs, with but one serious injury. The detachment broke camp in the last days of the month and returned to base by plane and truck convoy. After living in tents, it seemed good to come back to civilization and the pleasure of hot water.
The Squadron had experienced many changes in the months apart. In addition to many combat crews, ground men were pouring in. Rotation was in high gear. Of the entire outfit there were now only thirty five men who could remember the days at Chakulia.
Morale had risen considerably since the low of October, but as usual, it varied directly with the amount of missions flown. For the first time in three months, we passed through a full moon without a Jing-Bao (air raid or alert). Nobody minded at all. With the opening of the Burma-Ledo Road and the landings on Luzon, the picture for China began to look brighter.
The Fourteenth Air Force has lost many important bases in the year since the squadron moved across the Hump, but the year to come looks promising despite our reverses. We might not play as important a role in the final battle for China as we once had hoped, but Chennault’s flyers had held the fort valiantly for more than two years and the last word was still to be said.
The headquarters staff of the 341st Bomb Group reported in January:
The 22nd Bomb Squadron detachment returned to home base from Yunnanyi on 31 January, upon completion of the campaign against the Japs. The Squadron had operated from the old AVG field near Yunnanyi for approximately three months.
Thus, General Stilwell’s goal had been met, to recapture northern Burma and reopen land communications with China via the Burma-Ledo Road. Unfortunately, General Stilwell was not there to witness the occasion. He was recalled from his command on October 19, 1944. But they named the road after him, the Stilwell Road. The first truck convoy from India arrived in Kunming on February 4.
The recapture of northern Burma had other benefits as well. The gasoline pipeline was completed from India to Kunming. Air Transport Command was able to route their Hump flights more southerly, resulting in far more tonnage carried each month.
EPILOGUE
The 22nd Bomb Squadron’s participation in the Salween Campaign ended in January 1945 after completion of 180 combat missions. The crews experienced many close shaves but, miraculously, not a single plane was lost in all that ten month period, nor were any airmen lost. Two men suffered injuries and were awarded the Purple Heart and sent home. 1st Lt. Walter J. Stecko, a Navigator-Bombardier, was wounded in the elbow. T/Sgt. Roy A. Bongard, a Radio Operator-Gunner, was wounded in the leg.
The record indicates that this was a well-run operation, particularly as compared to the first three months of 22nd Bomb Squadron operations in China, when the squadron lost 12 of its normal 18 plane complement. The squadron was obviously doing something wrong. Morale was at a low point. Some of us were asked to stay on after our normal tour and be promoted to Captain, with titles such as Flight Leader, Lead Bombardier, Lead Navigator or Operations Officer. There were few takers. It looked like suicide to stay on at that time. Little did we know that, for the next ten months that followed, the squadron would lose no more airplanes. What was the lesson to be learned?
Our losses in Indochina were largely due to (1) Low level attacks that were vulnerable to small arms fire from the ground; (2) Attacks in areas where there were concentrations of enemy fighter planes, with no fighter escort of our own; (3) We had not been trained in low level attacks; (4) There was very bad weather in the mountainous terrain, and we were unable to fly above most of the weather. (5) There was a lack of satisfactory navigational aids; and (6) The B-25 was not fast or maneuverable enough for the low level work we were doing. (This was corrected later with an influx of A-26 light bombers, but they arrived too late to enter combat.)
Operations in SW China were different. Most of the missions were carried out from high altitudes of 6,000 to 9,000 feet, thus reducing the hazard of anti-aircraft fire. In addition, fighter escort was provided when deemed necessary. The weather and navigational problems remained, but bombing from higher altitudes brought its own problems. The accuracy of bombing runs was seriously reduced, requiring many return trips to the targets. Mangshih was hit at least 25 times and Tengchung 12 times by the 22nd Bomb Squadron. This brought about a supply problem, as it took so much ordnance and fuel to accomplish the goals. The Headquarters staff had to weigh the various components to determine the most efficient combination that would accomplish the task at the least cost in equipment, supplies and men.
If we had known, back in March and April of 1944, that the squadron would be going back to high altitude bombing with fighter support, there might have been more people willing to stay on for the promotions that were offered.
It should be mentioned that many of the names of places have changed since World War II. Tengchung is now Tengchong. Mangshih is Mangshi. Wanling is Wanding. Kengtung is Keng Tung. Some places are no longer on the map.
The 22nd Bomb Squadron was not alone in supporting the Chinese ground offensive. Our sister squadron, the 491st Bomb Squadron, joined together with the 22nd in many of its missions in the Salween Campaign. Fighter and recon squadrons of the 14th Air Force performed an extraordinary service that we could not have done without. The B-24 heavy bombers of the 308th Bomb Group did not participate, as they had their hands full in the eastern part of China and Indochina. All who contributed deserve the ultimate of respect. Along with the Korean War came a TV series called M.A.S.H. It highlighted the humorous, light-sided, human element of the war. That perspective is more pleasant to remember, as exemplified by the short stories written by James M. White, a Bombardier-Navigator with the 22nd Bomb Squadron. His stories were based on actual events at Yunnanyi. A search of the records indicates that Jim’s story about bombing the Japanese hill top and allowing the Chinese army to recapture the hill was based on Mission B-283 on August 14, 1944 and Mission B-395 on January 10, 1945. He was present in the squadron when both missions were run.