Thank-you cards from China pose mystery for WWII vets

HOUSTON CHRONICLE ^ | Thursday, October 13, 2011 | LINDSAY WISE

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks correctthought.

[ken5050]

Of all the many stories about the CBI theater and the exploits and heroics of those who were there, I have always found most fascinating how they cut up bulldozers, tanks, and other heavy equipment with oxyacetylene torches, put the pieces, all carefully numbered aboard the transport planes..flew the Humo, then welded them back together after landing. It boggles the mind thinking about it..

[ken5050]

Of all the many stories about the CBI theater and the exploits and heroics of those who were there, I have always found most fascinating how they cut up bulldozers, tanks, and other heavy equipment with oxyacetylene torches, put the pieces, all carefully numbered aboard the transport planes..flew the Hump, then welded them back together after landing. It boggles the mind thinking about it..

[Karliner]

I remember having built that model airplane and my gramps "Sad Sac( Doc full Bull back when/Colonel)" just stared at the model, choked, misty eyed and said," I met a couple of those men, great men." He never elaborated but I read that book you linked and now, well after this story I have to look through the garage and pull it out for a second read.

Those guys were great. I think there was a documentary also. If anyone knows of the documentary or if I could buy or see it online please post. Thanks for the memories. WWII has volumes of great soldiers and the Flying Tigers is one of the greater war stories of American history.

[razorback-bert]

My flew the Hump for two years and back in the late 70’s China offered a free trip to China for select Hump flyers to receive a medal. My father turned the trip down, he said that he a seen enough of China while he was there. There are very few Hump Pilots left, they held their last reunion this year, many are too sick to make them.

Anyone interested in the Hump, look in your library, they made a two set book of pictures and stories and donated many of them to libraries.

[diji]

An old friend would have loved to hear about this! Thanks! I’ve shared it with his family and friends.

[unkus]

My Dad wasn’t a pilot. He was a Major charged with taking in communication equipment in the very early stages of the war. They were in the jungle for months and at one time had to eat monkey meat. The Japanese were “on their tails”.

All those brave men must never be forgotten.

[unkus]

It is truly amazing. Good old American ingenuity, for sure.

[Fightin Whitey]

Thank you both.

It’s up to us to carry forward on to our proud, glorious history against ever-increasing efforts to the contrary.

[Fightin Whitey]

sorry...

...carry forward our proud, glorious history...

[Candor7]

If anyone knows of the documentary or if I could buy or see it online please post. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.amazon.com/History——Real-Flying-Tigers/dp/B001CU92UG/ref=sr_1_3?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1318707734&sr=1-3

There also was a lot of hanky panky going on with both local and American women and AVG flyers, the more famous of which was Pappy Boyington’s hot affair with Olga Greenlaw.

http://www.amazon.com/Lady-Tigers-Remembering-Flying-World/dp/059522234X

[Candor7]

Olga Greenlaw, Pappy Boyington never really got over her, and that may have even shortened his time with the AVG.

[Candor7]

http://flyingtigersus.ning.com/video

[Karliner]

hank you. I remember watching the old movie, danged good one, thank you very much. Blessings and honor and glory to those great men, can’t think of more to say.

[ozark hilljilly]

Even with a top secret crypto clearance, I knew nothing about the heroes serving with your Dad.

It's one of the greatest stories never told. There's a few books about SACO...mostly out of print, sadly. I'd love to get my hands on one titled "The Rice Paddy Navy", as I understand that is about the most complete recounting of this part of history. Dad was faithful about attending the SACO reunions every summer. Don't know how he'd feel about a Thank You card.

[af_vet_rr]

He wants the students in China to know how much he appreciated their note. "It kind of helped me, in my recovery from a stroke, to remember things I thought I'd forgotten."

Another veteran, Jay Campbell, 86, of New York, also received a postcard. The message was the same as Denzler's, but the picture showed a Chinese boy with his thumbs up.

Campbell was so befuddled that he took the card to the post office to verify it really came from China.

"I couldn't understand it," he said.

Campbell served with the Marauders in Burma, earning three Purple Hearts.

"A lot of these guys don't talk a lot about it," said his daughter, Debbie Campbell Rice. "All he's ever said to me is, 'If I told you what I saw or did or about my nightmares, you'd lock me up in a straightjacket,' so it must have been pretty bad."

When told that the card likely came from a Chinese student, Campbell was delighted.

"I'll be darned," he said. "That is something, isn't it? Boy, oh, boy!"

Very moving story.

[gaijin]

Great story..! I also love this history.

Did anyone know that Pappy Boyington got his start with the AVG? He was also later a POW.

But times change —the old China is the modern Japan. The old Japan is the new China. To say otherwise is like claiming that Uncle Joe is still our ally —he ONCE was, sure...but times change.

Keep a clear head. Is there any reason other than sheer magnanimity that China should now so publicly overflow with gratitude to the USA for our help during WW2..?

BONUS QUESTION: Why did Japan ask that Obama NOT offer a public apology for Hiroshima?

I ask because the answer is EXTREMELY important, and it is relevant here.

EXTRA BONUS: Why did South Korea just donate a bunch of ships to the Philippines?

[correctthought]

Not too sure I follow you Gaijin, especially “the old China is the modern Japan. The old Japan is the new China.”.

While a nice gesture, I think this is a pr move on the prc...; though I was surprised that the AVG’s history was taught in China, most communist countries expunge things like this from their history.

-ct

[rmlew]

One of the things about the Flying Tigers unit was they discovered how to defeat the Mitsubishi A6M "Zero"--just out-dive them. And it was this unit that discovered the "Zero" was extremely vulnerable to gunfire from any well-armed fighter.
1. The AVG flew against few Zeros. They ran up against Oscars all the time. Of course AVG vets like Pappy Boyington later dealt with Zeros all the time.
2. Chennault figured the flaws in Japanese Aircraft designs flying 2 years before. He trained the AVG not to dogfight and to use two-plane formations.
3. The person who really taught the Navy and Marines how to defeat the Zero, or at least match it in Wildcats was Lt. Commander James Thach with his eponymous "Thach Weave". He tested it with Lt. Edward "Butch" O'Hare. Everyone remembers O'Hare because of the airport and his unrelated Medal of Honor. Few remember Thach, but he saved that lives of hundreds of American aviators and sailors with this and with his later work in developing the defenses against Kamikaze attacks. Having an Arleigh Burke flight III air defense destroyer named after him would be fitting.

[RayChuang88]

The biggest problem with both the Ki. 43 "Oscar" and the A6M "Zeke" was the complete lack of armor protection, not to mention even the P-40 could out-dive both planes. That's why once the Grumman F6F Wildcat became widely available the Japanese suffered very heavy combat losses in air combat.