The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1945-03-16


country in the world? Towards the
middle of August, as our pilots died
in the old ships that we had, we
had begun to doubt it.
For no, we didn't win all the time.
Sometimes we lost, even when we
traded one for ten. We lost because
the Jap could replace his lost
planes; we could not. It was more
than losing ships-sometimes cur pi-
lots died in the unequal battles.
One day in August, Johnny Alison
was leading six P-40's to intercept
larger number Of Japanese conn
ing in against Hengyang from both
Hankow and Canton. When inter-
ception was made, the Japs had
fifty-three planes. They were. in
three waves, so of course Johnny
didn't get them all together and let
them take shots at his little force.
He circled in the sun, waiting for
the opportunity to strike, and get
away with all his ships. Then it
came. He dove through nine OF
them, and his six planes shot down
four of the enemy. In his second
attack, after diving away and climb
ing back into the sun, he sent four
of his six down against them and
then came on with the other two,
just in case the enemy should follow
the small attacking force out of the
familiar "circling movement" that
the Jap with his ever superior num-
bers always went into.
The little force of fighters knocked
down another Zero. But one of the
P-40s was in trouble. Johnny said
later that he had seen the enemy
ships following the Forty, but
thought the closest one was another
P-40. Too late he realized the error
and went to help the pilot, whom he
knew by then to be boy named
Lee Minor. The Zero rode the
American fighters tail and shot it
down with cannon, and the P-40
burned. Johnny watched for chute
to open, but nothing happened.
AS we drove out along the high
way that Observation-Disclosures and
Alison, Jack Belden of Life maya
zine and I've were hoping by some
fiuke that Minor had bailed out and
that Johnny had failed to see him
do it, but we suspected that we were
merely being optimistic. The far
Their we drove down the road to the
South, towards the battle area of the
morning, the more we expected what
we found. Finally we saw it.
Four Chinese coolies were walking
towards the nearest village, carry
ing an object lashed to poles, and
carrying it in the old way Of the
East, with the poles over their Shout
ders. The thing they were carrying
was wrapped in grass mating, but
saw the bare feet sticking out. We
stopped the jeep and called to the
coolies. Jack Belden spoke to them
in Chinese and took the cover from
the face. 1t was Lieutenant Minor,
and of course he was dead. His ship
in exploding had evidently thrown
him out and opened his chute, but
the explosion had killed him. He
had definitely not crashed with the
ship, for there was hardly mark
on his body.
Wrapping Minor in his parachute,
we took him back in a rickety Chi
nese bus that we Communicated.
We knew we'd miss Minor and men
like him. He'd been one of the up
and-coming younger pilots, and had
already shot down one Japanese
plane.
We took Minors body to the Cath
Ole mission across the river, and
bought one of the old, ancient-look-
ing Chinese collins, made out of
wood about six inches thick, with
corners that turned up like a pagoda
roof; they must weigh two hundred
pounds. We put Minors body in
side and held simple service; for
you have to work fast in tempera-
lures of hundred and eight, when
the humidity is just about hundred.
Then we filed the casket with quick
lime, sealed it up on our brother
officer, covered it with ten layers Of
heavy bricks to protect it from rob-
bers and rats, and left it there to
wait for the next transport to Kun
ming.
The headquarters in Yunnan is the
burial ground for all of our pilots
killed fighting against the Japanese.
There on the plateau in Yulnnan is
the only memorial ground the 23rd
Fighter Group will ever have. Our
pilots lie beneath a gray slate slab
from the earth of Yunnan, under the
wings of the Chinese and the Amer
lean Air Forces. They lie there in
the shadow of little Buddhist tenn
pie which for all practical purposes
is the Christian temple of our God.
Captain A. j. Baumler was the
best operations officer l ever saw.
He could 60 out and shoot down
Japs all day, then come in and read
the combat reports of twenty pilots.
digest them all, and write out a com.
prehensive report.
Ajax" was from New Jersey. He
had fought for nearly two years with
Il -