The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1945-02-15


the average soldier gripes about the
native food. The stringy buffalo
meat was fairly tough; the mouth
ful used to get bigger and bigger
as you chewed it.
Even with the hardships we en-
joyed the assignment-for after all,
Burma was just over the Naga Hills
and they said war was going on
over there. Down in his heart, each
man really wanted to do something
to stop the Japs from their rapid
movement to the North through Bur-
ma. But we had no fighters and no
bombers. I often heard of plots
among the crewnen for going back
to Karachi and stealing the thirteen
four-engined bombers, but of course
they were just soldier rumors. The
small amount of good that we fig
ured we were doing by flying ammu-
milton, aviation gasoline, and bombs
to the AVG was barely enough to
keep our morale above the sinking
point. Personally made trip al
most every day over into Lashio and
Lowing, and some days went on
farther East to Running, China.
One day, during the last of April,
two Chinese pilots landed with two
P-43A's. These were good, fast
climbing little fighter ships, the
forerunner of the Thunderbolts.
But their fuel tanks had developed
leaks, and when you added to that
the fact that the turbo was under
meath the rear of the fuselage, the
greatest fire hazard in the world
was born. So far had their i'll fame
spread that the ships were ground
ed until the faults could be rene
died. So the Chinese left the P-43A's
with US and went on back to China.
Colonel Haynes and | fell heir to
the two little fighters.
Sergeant Bonner worked diligent-
ly with everything from chewing
gum to cement and finally repaired
the leaks, at least to point where
| they didn't catch fire right away
on the take-off, as some of them
had done. / took one of these ships
and decided to use 1t to protect the
ferry route. Even one lone fighter
that could fire back at the Japs
would be a good morale element
for the crews of the unarmed trans
ports.
The job of being a ferry pilot had
to 60 on nevertheless. AS the leaks
developed again in the tanks of the
P-43's, went back to flying the Doug
las transports into Burma and Chi
ma. One day while / was acting as
co-pilot for Colonel Haynes, we load
ed two disassembled Ryan Trainers
in the CAT and headed for Kun
ming. Besides this cargo we had
some ammunition and food for the
AVG at Lowing, especially bottle
Of Scotch whiskey to be left as a
present for General Chennault.
We landed at Lowing and deliv-
cred the designated cargo. The air
raid alert came just as we were
talking with the General He didn't
even change expression, but calmly
said, Guess we're going to have
some Japs-you-an had better get
those transports off the field"
The Flying Tigers were already TAX
ing off, their shark-painted noses
| cleaning In the sun. Lord, but my
mouth watered as | saw them-Pd
have given anything to trade my
| Colonel's eagles and that delivery
wagon" that I few for the gold bars
of second Lieutenant and one of
those shark-nosed pieces of dyna-
nnitel
But we started the Douglas up
and took off for China with the cargo
of trainers. Even as we cleared
the field and climbed towards the
Salween, / heard the call Tally
Ho" from the AVG, and then others
more like Here come the sons of
bitches" A few seconds later the
Jap bombers arrived over the field
at Lowing and we knew all the
transports couldn't have gotten off.
The AVG radio man, "Micky" Mi
halko, called, They're bombing hell
out of the field" Then, in lighter
vein, he said the Japs were falling
like leaves-or he hoped they were
Japs, for he could see many smokes
from burning planes. Every now
and then we could hear one Of the
AVG say to some unlucky Jap,
Your mother was turtle-your IA
ther was a snake, and then the
rattle of fifty-caliber guns over the
radio.
We stayed low in the gorge OF the
Salween until we got to the old
bridge near Paoshan, then turned
East for Yunnanyi. Behind us the
Japs damaged the tail of one of our
transports with a bomb, and also
had brought General Chennault-it
had been left in one of the jeeps
that was hit. But they had paid
heavily for the transport tail and the
quart OF whiskey. I believe that
even the Woman's Christian Tenn
perance Union would have approved
of the trade-for the AVG had shot
down thirteen of the Zeros and bomb
ers, while as usual they lost none.
At Running, with the surprised
Chinese looking on, we unloaded the
two small training planes from the
fuselage of the big Douglas. Then,
after something to eat, when had
just about arranged with the AVG
squadron commander to 60 along
with them on the morning raid into
Indo-China, we received a radio
gram that changed all plans.
Colonel Haynes and I were or
dered to leave Immediately for
Shwebo, Burma, down on the Man.
dalay-Rangoon Railway, and evacu-
ate the staff of General Stilweu. It
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