US Airmen Share a Little Known WWII Survival and Rescue Story

WTOL Toledo ^ | July 4, 2008 | Jennifer Boresz

[Tainan]

It is a very interesting era in Chinese history - 1910 or so thru 1945. I have only recently, the last 3 years or so began looking at it with some in depth interest.
Scott entered the Chinese theater initially via becoming a member of the Assam-Burma-China Ferry Command. Flying c-47's(DC-3s)He was a Colonel, and along with Colonel Caleb Hayes came to Stilwell in Burma with a message from Gen Hap Arnold instructing them to evacuate Stilwell and his staff most urgently. Stilwell declined the invite. He welcomed the planes to take out his staff, but he had other plans and would remain on the ground with the troops.
At the point Stilwell was a 3-star General and he didn't think it worth his time to explain his reasoning to a couple of Air Force Colonels.
Scott later joined up with Claire Chennault, who did not like or pretend to like, Stilwell. Chennault became a favorite of Gen. Chiang and TV Soong because of the supply possibility he offered - 5-10,00 tons a month. All going to Peanuts larder/stockpile. Madame Chiang played in this game heavily also. And she was quick to paint a dashing and daring scenario of the CBI pilots. Who were very brave and dying at a rapid rate to move cargo/supplies into KMY warehouses. Where most of it sat. It was becoming evident that the future contention of the Chennault Cult, "Walking Joe" did not understand air power, had its roots in matters such as this.

I borrowed heavily from the best all around book I have been able to locate on this era and the actors involved - "Stilwell and the American Experience in China - 1911-1945"...by Barbara Tuchman. I highly recommend it for a more complete picture of the situation there during these times.

[wendy1946]

The real second front in WW-II in Europe was in the air.

[Smokin' Joe]

Controlling the air above the battlefield became essential to victory, from a strategic and tactical standpoint during WWII.

The war started in Europe with coordinated armor/air/infantry attacks (the Blitzkreig), and ended with the second Atomic bomb. The era of the battleship was brought to a close by carrier operations. Even U-boats felt the pressure of aerial attacks which helped turn the hunters into the hunted.

While all efforts were essential to positioning the planes where they could do that work, infantry needed to take and occupy the ground, and naval power to supply it, air power became essential to those efforts.

[montyspython]

Yep, I see TratorJoe is nowhere to be had on this thread, maybe the FSB hiding under his wheelchair finally caught up to him.

[montyspython]

"... I believe that the spirit in which you have gathered here to honor the memory of General Mihailovich, the faithful allied commander and the first anti-Nazis leader in Europe, is shared by the great majority of Americans.

The ultimate tragedy of Draza Mihailovic cannot erase the memory of his heroic and often lonely struggle against the twin tyrannies that afflicted his people, Nazism and Communism. He knew that totalitarianism, whatever name it might take, is the death of freedom. He thus became a symbol of resistance to all those across the world who have had to fight a similar heroic and lonely struggle against totalitarianism. Mihailovich belonged to Yugoslavia; his spirit now belongs to all those who are willing to fight for freedom.

I wish that it could be said that this great hero was the last victim of confused and senseless policies of western governments in dealing with Communism. The fact is that others have suffered a fate similar to his by being embraced and then abandoned by western governments in the hope that such abandonment will purchase peace or security.

Thus, the fate of General Mihailovich is not simply of historic significance--it teaches us something today, as well. No western nation, including the United States, can hope to win its own battle for freedom and survival by sacrificing brave comrades to the politics of international expediency.

......... it has been demonstrated beyond doubt that both freedom and honor suffer when firm commitments become sacrificed to false hopes of appeasing aggressors by abandoning friends."

- Ronald Reagan

[Bokababe]

"Thus, the fate of General Mihailovich is not simply of historic significance--it teaches us something today, as well. No western nation, including the United States, can hope to win its own battle for freedom and survival by sacrificing brave comrades to the politics of international expediency.

......... it has been demonstrated beyond doubt that both freedom and honor suffer when firm commitments become sacrificed to false hopes of appeasing aggressors by abandoning friends." - Ronald Reagan"

Couldn't have been more appropriate if it had been written last week! Thanks for that, mp!

BB

[colorado tanker]

The other lesson learned from this is just how riddled the UK and US were with Soviet agents and sympathizers.

You gotta admire the heroism of the rescuers, who I'm sure were told all the crap about the Mihailovich group and went in anyway.

[kronos77]

Josip Broz Tito, was also a mason.
This is his funeral. Year 1980, just watch western representatives on the funeral, including Margaret Tacher

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq8QcrJCqko
clip is from Kusturicas movie “Underground”

P.S. “Lilly Marlaine” was Titos favourite tune.

[yarddog]

That is interesting, actually very interesting.

[kronos77]

Commie dictator with prominent western leaders: Commie with western leaders....

[kronos77]

The Commie and the Pope Tito And Pope Paul 2nd April 1971: Yugoslav statesman and president Marshal Tito (left) and Pope Paul VI during Tito's audience with the Pope at the Vatican. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

[kronos77]

Look at this too:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2041626/posts?page=50#50

[yarddog]

Well Tito certainly got around.

[Diocletian]

No mention on how the Chetniks stopped opposing the Axis and began collaborating with them as early as the winter of 1941. The rescue of the 500 airmen was little more than Chetnik doublegames which resulted in their strategic failure and elimination from the scene.

[Diocletian]

Correct. Most Serbian Chetniks never fought the Axis, especially in the Italian zone, where collaboration with the Axis began from day one. Mihailovic’s group was one of the last to begin collaboration with the Axis, but it collaborated nonetheless.

[SQUID]

Tito was given to the Balkan people via false British intelligence reports. He was basically an invented “leader” kind of like the “royal” Saud family.

He was not Serbian. In fact he fought against the Serbs in WW1.

The Balkans would have been better off if someone had taken him out when he came to power. I'm sure many people know about Goli Otok.

[Diocletian]

I do......the largest population of prisoners on Goli Otok were Croatian nationalists. I know two of them personally.

[ken21]

jimmy looks like he’s going to jump out of his shorts!

[ovrtaxt]

lol “where’s the flood, Jimmah?”

[Diocletian]

Open questions for anyone interested:

Can anyone name any anti-Italian or anti-German actions undertaken by the Serbian Chetniks of Dalmatia, Lika, Hercegovina, or Western Bosnia?

Can anyone tell us who rescued the Serbian Chetniks of the Dinara Division from annihilation by Tito’s Partisans by evacuating them to safe territory?

Can anyone here tell us when open collaboration began between Serbian Chetniks and the Germans?

Can anyone tell us on which side the Serbian Chetniks appeared during the Battles of Neretva (Operation Weiss) and Sutjeska (Operation Schwartz)? (Axis side or anti-Axis side).