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The first convoy from India to China passing through Kunming where thousands of deliriously happy, enthusiastic
spectators cheered the historic procession. (U.S. Army Signal Corps photo).
KUNMING, CHINA - Firecrackers roared like a hundred machine guns down Kunming's jammed streets where hundreds of thousands turned out to greet the arrival of the first overland convoy into China. With Brig. Gen. Lewis A. Pick, Ledo Road Builder, in the lead jeep, the cavalcade of 113 vehicles decked in flags and bunting moved slowly between packed lanes. Children, students, soldiers and the massed common people of Kunming, their faces alight with contagious enthusiastic joy over a spectacle that symbolized with a kind of legitimate exaggeration the end of China's isolation.
They came from the lanes and backways, from surrounding hamlets. They filled the city's cobbled streets. They packed roofs and second story windows. They cheered, waved, laughed. The men of the convoy, deafened by the roar of firecrackers and overcome by the warmth of the welcome were soon shouting themselves hoarse returning the greetings - mostly the universal "ting hao."
You don't often see great mass gatherings in China. You seldom have a chance to see ranged in a great cluster the whole of the lined, brown, crinkly, smiling, ever-enduring faces of lao pai hsing - the common people - of China, the bright-eyed, vivid gleaming faces of its entrancing children. One ancient woman bearing on her back a towering load of hay with a welcoming flag stuck in its top stooped over by the roadside and peered up at the passing parade, a dim smile shining faintly out of eyes almost closed by wrinkles of great age. She was China.
Amid all the atmosphere of celebration and congratulation a single sharp note of reminder was struck by Maj. Gen. Cheves, SOS Chief in China, in a brief speech at the welcoming ceremony where he accepted the convoy from Gen. Pick. Cheves spoke right to the point. "The road is the result of many years work and combat. Our Chinese friends have borne the brunt of the combat. There was a reason for building this road and the reason was to bring China military supplies to defeat the Japanese. We should not lose sight of that and we should let nothing interfere with this original purpose. It is primarily a military road and let us keep faith with those who fought and worked to complete it so that it can bring in additional supplies required for the ultimate victory." He turned to Gov. Lung of Yunnan Province and added, "Gov. Lung we need your help to keep convoys coming in during the war and we hope during times of peace this road may serve China in its peacetime aims." With that he formally turned the convoy over to Gov. Lung as representative of the Chinese government.
G.I. drivers who brought the convoy through intact without a single serious mishap turned the wheels over to Chinese drivers for the entry into Kunming.
These vehicles are the first of many hundreds now waiting at India depots for delivery to China, constituting the principal item coming in over the newly reopened road for the whole next period until this years monsoon tests the notion that the new route is actually an all-weather road. The road has long rough stretches and there is still an immense amount of work needed to maintain it for regular traffic. The China-side section of the Burma Road between Wanting and the Salween is largely blacktopped and except for bridges bombed out with stunning accuracy by 14th Air Force it has shown relatively little wear and tear from the length of Jap occupation.
From the border at Wanting to Hwei Tung Bridge at the Salween, the road curls and winds for a distance of 200 kilometers. It took only a matter of hours to ascend and descend the ridges separating Chefang, Mangshih and Lungling valleys and finally make the steep 5000 foot drop to the river at kilometer mark 759 (measured from Kunming westward). This was the country from river to border that took more than eight months sanguinary fighting to clear so that this convoy and convoys to follow might have free passage. Every kilometer of the road we traveled cost approximately 200 Chinese dead or wounded to win.
Every commanding summit on the bare ridges, every town lying in the flat fertile green valleys showed scars, gunpits, now empty, staggered winding trenches now silent, wrecked houses and makeshift shacks. On our way we passed many columns of troops now done with this campaign, columns that always look more like straggling lines of laden refugees than like soldiers fresh from victory.
Most eloquent of battlefields was now quiet, but for whispering ghosts in the memories of men who were there was pocked slopes and summit of Sungshan, massive mountain commanding the approach to the Salween from the west. Here you might pause to remember seeing Chinese Infantrymen storming Jap gunpits with rifles and bayonets and dying by the scores or the young blond American machine gun man who sat exhausted at his post on the summit of neighboring Yingtengshan, shuddering with nausea at the sights before his eyes all that morning. There above you sharp in the brilliant sunshine was the cratered top which the Chinese blew up by burrowing into the mountainside and touching off dynamite under the topmost Jap positions.
It had taken three months to break the fanatical defense of Sungshan. We drove down the steeply graded winding road through that pattern of brown earth and red rock and green river in a few hours.
On one slope Chinese had built a cemetery walling it with gasoline drums filled with earth, each planted with a sprig of green and with simple upright sticks to mark the closely packed graves. Here you might remember the quiet brown faces of the ragged company that passed thru the forward trench on their way to storm a shelf known as "Little Sungshan," going thru walking on bare feet, their rifles carelessly even nonchalantly slung. You might wonder how many lay beneath these sticks or how many found their return to earth on far slopes there in the rubble and scrub trees and bushes, how many were part of the dust now ground under wheels of the first convoy into China.
The convoy snaked down the mountain and rumbled across the planking of the Hwei Tung bridge and resumed climbing on the east bank on and up over the mountains in close ranks.
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Across the intervening flat valleys of bright green, across flashing streams that rush over rocky bottom, down deep ravines to meet each other, thru hundreds of miles of some of the world's most magnificent mountain country. Almost every town enroute had its ceremonial arch. Walls and houses were plastered with signs, many of them in English such as "Welcome American Allies. Your coming speeds our final victory," or "hail coming of munitions over the road to China - cooperation for victory." One particularly enthusiastic placard read "welcome honorable correspondents." At the principal towns enroute there were receptions, speeches and members of the convoy personnel had ample opportunity to sample many varieties of Chinese wine and Jingboa Juice. American units along the way turned out to watch the convoy vehicles roll by. Invariably the question was "Got any beer aboard?" But for many Americans too the convoy symbolized the climax of many months of a difficult ordeal for liaison teams, engineer outfits, supply, and airdropping teams.
"We began sweating this one out a long time ago," said a G.I. on the road. "Do you suppose they will loosen up on our rotation now and let us go home?"
The long battle to open the road was over but the battle to make the road effective was just starting, and in its way it will be no less bitter.
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Wedemeyer Presents Four Medals
At Kunming Ceremony
KUNMING, CHINA - In a colorful retreat ceremony in the Headquarters compound of Services of Supply against a background of a battalion of Supply troops and Himalayan foothills, Lt. Gen. Albert C. Wedemeyer, commanding general of China Theater, decorated a general, a captain, and two G.I.'s here recently.
The China Theater commander pinned on Maj. Gen. Gilbert X. Cheves, commanding general of Services of Supply, the Distinguished Service Medal, awarded for his outstanding record made in the development of the port of Calcutta last year.
Capt. Robert L. Barmes, TC, of Sandy Springs, Md., was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal for his services as Transportation Officer at Kweiyang during the evacuation of Kweilin and Liuchow last summer.
Corp. Forest J. Headley, Clinton, Ala., and Private Jeff B. Fulton, Phoenix, Ariz., were decorated with Air Medals for their participation in hazardous air-dropping missions over the Hump and in mountainous territory in China to aid the Burma Road Engineers driving through a shortcut land route across the Hump connecting the Ledo and Burma roads.
They dropped food, tools, and bedding to Chinese workmen and American G.I.'s toiling to construct a road that had been labeled "impossible" but designed to speed supplies from India to China.
The citations were read by Lt. Col. A. J. Gricius, Chief of Staff of SOS.
Col. Ralph Ownby, area commander, commanded the battalion of SOS Troops representing various units in the area and for the first time making a display of G.I. strength in the Kunming area.
General Wedemeyer said China had "taken it on the chin" for some time but that the outstanding achievements of the Fourteenth Air Force, Air Transport Command, and Air Service Command and 100 percent cooperation from Chinese ground forces are changing the picture today.
The citation for the award of the DSM to General Cheves follows:
"For exceptionally meritorious service to the government, in a duty of great responsibility as commanding general Base Section No. 2, Services of Supply, United States Army Forces in China, Burma and India, from June to November 1944.
"Combining extraordinary leadership with a marked capacity for cooperation with the Government of India and Allied interests in solving the many problems involved in joint operations, General Cheves, constantly improving the efficiency of operations in his command, raised the port of Calcutta to first rank among all overseas areas in the discharge of cargo and he contributed materially to the prosecution of the war in the China, Burma and India Theater."
General Cheves was awarded the Legion of Merit for his part in handling the administrative details of the Cairo Conference when President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek met in November, 1943. He also has received the Order of the White Eagle, Third Degree, from Yugoslavia for his cooperation with Yugoslavs in the Middle East.
Among the guests of honor were Maj. gen. C. L. Chennault, commanding general, and Brig. Gen. Edgar E. Glenn, chief of staff, 14th Air Force; Mr. Francis M. Taylor and Mrs. Alma B. Kerr, American Red Cross; Mr. R. E. McCann, FEA; Mr. James Stewart, OWI; Mr. William Russell Langdon, American Consul General; Col. Norman McNeill, Rear Echelon; Col. A. H. Stackpole, C.C.C.; Col. John W. Middleton, C.T.C.; Lt. Col. Alexsei A. Leonidoff, Station Hospital; Commander Samuel S. Savage, USN; Col. Francis M. Coates, ATC; Mr. Gordon Tweedy, CNAC.
JAPS MOVE INTO KANCHOW BASE
KUNMING, CHINA - Fourteenth Air Force disclosed Tuesday that the Japanese offensive from the Canton area has forced abandonment of another American Fighter Base at Kanchow, 50 miles southeast of Suichwan. Two others have already been given up at Suichwan, and at Anamyung. Troop carrier planes evacuated most of the personnel and equipment and fighter pilots flew their own planes away.
BLACK-BONED PIG SETS OFF $100,000 FESTIVAL
CHUNGKING - The slaughtering of a hog with black bones was the cause of much celebration in Chungking butcher shops, recently.
A black-boned pig is a rarity, so much so, Chinese butchers say, that one is found once in about a hundred years. When such a hog is found, it is considered a good omen for the country, and so the discovery was greeted with shouts of jubilation and the setting off of $100,000 worth of firecrackers around butcher shops.
Incidentally, the discovery took place on the day the China-India road was cleared of Japanese. The butchers see ahead also final victory for China in her long war of resistance against the Japanese.
A black-boned pig, according to a Chinese saying, is the king of pigs. The bones are said to turn black as a result of the pig's eating "ling chih tsao," a grass that is supposed to give long life, not to the pig but to the eater of the pig's flesh. The bones too are used; they are dried and pounded into powder and served as medicine to the aged and sick.
ATC Wings 44,000 Tons Over Hump In January For Record
Winging some 44,000 tons of war materials over the "Rock Pile" into China last month, the India-China Division of the Air Transport Command chalked up a new all-time record over one of the most hazardous routes in the entire command, it was announced this week by Brig. Gen. William H. Tunner, commanding general of the India-China Division.
The January tonnage was more than twice the tonnage for July 1944, 18,975 tons; and more than three times that of January 1944, 13,383 tons. The greatest single daily record established last November was broken several times during January, finally totaling one and a half times the tonnage moved in the entire first month of operations, December, 1942.
In a single week in January the India-China Division delivered 12,000 tons of cargo over the Hump. This was almost as much tonnage as delivered in December 1943 for which month's operation the Division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.
More significant, however, is the fact that the tonnage carried that week was greater than that transported in any one of the first 12 months of operation and greater than the total tonnage of the entire six months.
Long haul deliveries, non-stop from airports close to Indian seaports, was a revolutionary advancement which contributed greatly to the new record. Other contributing factors include more routes over the Hump; more navigational aids; improved loading, unloading and servicing techniques which result in a minimum grounding of aircraft at turn points; new production line maintenance and the use of modern cargo loading facilities.
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Upper Left: The first convoy from India to China crosses a Bailey Bridge south of Bhamo, Burma, on its way to China.
Upper Right: The convoy passing over Hweitung Bridge across the Salween River.
Center Left: Irrawaddy River crossing via a pontoon bridge, south of Myitkyina in North Burma.
Center Right: Passing the 18-mile mark before Lungling.
Lower Left: Lead truck of the convoy crossing the Burma-China border - Wanting, China.
Lower Right: Triumphant drive through the streets of Kunming. (U.S. Army Signal Corps photos.)
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Major Achievement Wrought By Burma Road Engineers
KUNMING, CHINA - Opening of the Stilwell Highway, made possible through the new Ledo Road from Upper Assam in India to a connection with the Yunnan-Burma Highway in northern Burma brings to light also a new shortcut to connect the two famous roads - the Tengchung Cutoff.
The Cutoff which is now open for one-way, emergency truck traffic may play an important part in the future military supply system for Free China, in the belief of high-ranking American officers.
A report has been received from Col. Robert F. Seedlock, Lakewood, Ohio, commanding officer of the Burma Road Engineers, showing how 10,000 Chinese laborers and a handful of Burma Road Engineers - American G.I.'s manning a few pieces of equipment, battered through the shortcut on the China-India land route in 80 days.
The Chinese laborers, supervised by the Yunnan-Burma Highway Engineering Administration, and aided by Burma Road Engineers, did the amazing feat of building 90 miles of roadway through the rugged Himalayas in 60 days.
The construction records for the Tengchung Cutoff disclose that first survey parties of Chinese engineers were in the field between Myitkyina and Tengchung last autumn when Japs still held cities at either end of the route.
The Tengchung Cutoff is a route which follows some ancient trails through the mountains from Myitkyina eastward to Tengchung then connects at present with the old Burma Road via Lungling, but eventually may cut almost due east from Tengchung to Paoshan.
During October, 1944, bypass was built around Lungling when that city was still held by the Japs. This enabled machinery and workers to get into the Tengchung area.
By the end of that month the road had been improved to the Shweli River.
The record of achievement of the Chinese workers and the Burma Road Engineers reads like this:
1 November - Work started at Myitkyina in Burma to push the road eastward to China border.
9 November - Shweli River bridge completed.
10 November - Trucks could negotiate the road from Lungling northeastward to Tengchung and jeeps could make Kaotien.
30 November - More than 3,000 Chinese workers reported for duty between Tengchung and Kuyung and the road was able to carry jeeps 19 miles northwest of Tengchung. Meanwhile workers had pushed 37 miles eastward from Myitkyina to a point near Htiyi.
28 December - First jeep was able to push across the China-Burma border.
31 December - Road eastward from Myitkyina was jeepable for 49 miles to point near Wuga. Six thousand Chinese laborers were on this job.
20 January - Col. Robert F. Seedlock, commanding Burma Road Engineers, reported that road was ready for one-way truck traffic.
22 January - Test trucks arrived at Kunming after traversing the road from Myitkyina.
"That date will mark a high point in China's 8-year struggle," said Col. Seedlock.
"Before the Japanese had been driven out of Tengchung, Chinese and American engineers had worked behind the enemy's lines surveying the new route. Once the enemy had been driven below the planned cutoff, Chinese coolies thronged the site and began construction. Their entire equipment consisted of hand hoes and bamboo baskets. As fast as they made an impression in the dirt, the Burma Road Engineers, a unit of approximately 40 men and sixteen pieces of equipment, followed up their work. Mountains were graded, huge rocks were blasted away.
"Their fortitude and perseverance is evidenced in the job done. Ninety miles of new road was built through the mountains and jungles in 60 days."
Col. Seedlock, who spoke for the Burma Road Engineers, emphasized the fact that this Tengchung Cutoff is a "military road."
Win! Hundred Dollar War Bond For Theater Paper Name
The China Command Post is offering a $100.00 War Bond for a new name and any member of the United States Forces in the China Theater is eligible to submit the winning nomenclature for the new China publication.
The Command Post is published for G.I.'s and it is only fitting that the name for the paper should come from its soldier readers, and before another month rolls around some G.I. with an idea is going to be richer to the tune of a $100.00 War Bond.
The rules are simple. Each contestant may submit as many names as he is ingenious enough to conjure up. Each suggested name for the paper must be written on a separate sheet of paper with the sender's name, organization and address. All entries should be mailed to the China Command Post, Hqrs., SOS, Kunming. The contest closes February 25 and all entries postmarked up till midnight that date will be considered.
The paper will bear the new and winning name on the issue of March 2, 1945.
Here's an easy opportunity to swell the old bank account with one hundred good, solid American greenbacks in the form of a War Bond. So, get out those pencils, writing tablets and put on the proverbial thinking cap and start the entries rolling in.
You may be the lucky winner.
New Theater Shoulder Patch Designer Will Win $100 Bond
A contest to select an official Theater Shoulder Patch was announced this week in Chungking by Lt. Gen. Albert C. Wedemeyer, Commanding General of the recently created China Theater.
The competition will be open to all U.S. military personnel now serving in China, and entries must be postmarked not later than March 1, it was announced. The prize for the patch selected will be a $100 War Bond.
Entries should be sent to the Public Relations Officer, Headquarters, United States Forces, China Theater, APO 879, where a board appointed by the Commanding General will make the final decision, and choose the most suitable entry.
Complete and accurate explanations should accompany all entries, it was pointed out. Colors, symbols, and heraldic references, if any, should be clearly shown. There is no limit on the number of entries any man may make. Entries will not be returned after the contest closes.
Individuals submitting entries should be sure to give their full name, grade, serial number, unit and APO number.
As a caution it was stated that neither a dragon nor the color of yellow will be used - however gold is permissible.
Thomsen Awarded Legion Of Merit
HQ., 14TH AF, CHINA - Winning honors is nothing new to Lt. Col. Fred C. Thomsen, Special Service Officer on the staff of Gen. C. L. Chennault, commanding the Fourteenth Air Force, but the one he prizes most is the Legion of Merit recently awarded him here.
Col. Thomsen has for years been accustomed to peacetime awards in the field of athletics. As head coach
Lt. Col. Thomsen
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Col. Thomsen received the Legion of Merit from Brig. Gen. Edwin E. Glenn, chief of staff of the Fourteenth Air Force. He was cited for meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding services from 20 October 1942 to 18 January 1945 as Special Services officer, first for a Fighter Group and then for the Fourteenth Air Force.
When Col. Thomsen first came to China in the autumn of 1942, entertainment, recreation and sports were in a primitive state. Due to his leadership, tact and strong personality, combined with long hours of work, he has organized a highly successful Special Services program that has done much to maintain high morale in the Fourteenth Air Force.
Through his efforts a motion picture circuit was established that reached outlying bases. Sports and recreational facilities have been greatly expanded, as have libraries, soldier talent and touring shows.
Born in Minden, Neb., where his father, Claus Thomsen, retired rancher, resides, Col. Thomsen now makes his home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His wife Mrs. Sunbeam Thomsen, children Marnelle, 15, and Burton, 12, are there.
In World War I Col. Thomsen served 18 months overseas with the Infantry and Ambulance Corps. He was also a member of the Army of Occupation in Germany.
Entering the Service again in August 1942, as a Captain, Col. Thomsen was promoted to Major in June 1943, and to his present rank in April 1944.
GI Hand Grenades Used To Fight Fire
HQ., 14TH AF, CHINA - Army engineers serving with the Chinese troops in China know how to put such highly explosive substances as dynamite, TNT and hand grenades to use to save property as well as to destroy enemy positions. This was demonstrated a few nights ago when fire was sweeping through a Chinese village on the Salween Front and the villagers appealed to the U.S. Engineers quartered near the town, to help them save the town and the U.S. Army supply storage buildings nearby.
Capt. Peter S. Hopkins of Boston, Mass., who gained some fame by showing the Chinese how to blow up the top of one of the Sungshan mountain peaks last summer by detonating 6,000 pounds of TNT in tunnels driven under the enemy positions, was one of the volunteer fire brigade. Accompanied by Lt. E. J. Casey, Jr., Los Angeles, Cal.; Sgt. P. A. Smith, Princeton, W. Va.; Sgt. James W. Scorr, Philadelphia, Pa. and Sgt. John J. Sefcik, Keansburg, N.J., he rushed to the scene of the fire.
The engineers quickly surveyed the situation, planted charges of dynamite at strategic spots and attacked the adobe buildings with hand grenades. It sounded like a full-fledged battle as the dynamite charges and grenades exploded and brought down the buildings surrounding the center of the fire. The demolition work held the fire in check and saved the major part of the town and the U.S. Army warehouse.
The villagers overwhelmed the Army fire brigade with a flood of "Ting Hai!" as the smoke cleared away.
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Providing a couple of pointers on the war effort, Linda Darnell assures that "everything will come out all right."
Linda is currently providing the heart in something called "Summer Storm."
CHINA'S MILITARY EFFICIENCY
CHUNGKING - Sweeping reforms to clear unnecessary personnel out of China's Ministry of War and to improve the treatment of Chinese troops will become effective this month, according to a reliable Chinese Ministry source.
The Ministry has ordered the elimination of all superfluous organizations, and department heads have been told to weed out all who are not contributing towards the war effort. It is estimated that the number of personnel who will be removed will be as high as 1,500,000. It is the aim of the reformers to improve the working and efficiency of the Ministry to save money, and to increase the pay and rations of the combat troops.
China's "Lao Ping" ("Private" of "G.I.") now gets 50 yuan (Chinese dollars) a month and a bowl of rice twice a day. Under the reforms he will get 300 yuan a month and meat, vegetables, oil, sugar and rice. Pay increases to officers and men range from 25 to 500 percent.
The Lao Ping's basic 50 yuan a month in China's inflated currency is roughly the equivalent of 10 cents in purchasing power.
These measures are in line with the Government's current streamlining program after President Chiang Kai-shek's appointment of a new Cabinet last November.
The youthful General Chen Cheng then stepped into General Hoying Chin's shoes as War Minister. General Chen Cheng was a commander of a Chinese force on the Salween.
FLYING U.S. TANKER FOR ROCK PILE CROSSING
NEW YORK - Twenty-four bombers converted into flying tankers are ferrying high octane gasoline across the "Hump" to China for China-based Fortresses.
Gun turrets and bombing equipment are removed and the weight given up to fuel tanks in the fuselage, nose, wings and bomb bays, enabling each aircraft to carry several thousand gallons.
Built-in pumps discharge the fuel at a rate of 2,000 gallons an hour.
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American military advisors and instructors of the Y-Forces have spared no efforts to instruct the members of the
Chinese Expeditionary Forces in American combat methods, weapons and supply techniques. Above Left: Chinese soldiers
learn how to use the bayonet on the offensive and how to protect oneself on the defensive. Above Center: Members of
the Chinese Infantry class crawl through barbed wire as dynamite explodes on the infiltration course at the Infantry
Training Center in Southwest China, often referred to as "Little Fort Benning." Above right: Sgt. Steve Torre (left)
and Sgt. Fred W. Harringbon demonstrate the proper method of loading a mule to carry supplies of ammunition to a
training class at the school. Below left: Lt. Gen. Chung Bing, Commanding General of a Chinese company, firing a
.50 caliber water-cooled machine gun under the instruction of American personnel. Below center: S/Sgt. Jena Corslip,
Weston, W.Va., points out to a group of Chinese interpreters the fine points of a 37mm anti-tank gun. Below right:
Capt. Hiu Yu Kun, commanding officer of a demonstration company, presents a banner to Capt. Herman Friedburg, Malden,
Mass., instructor associated with the Y-Forces, on the completion of the training cycles.
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A necessary preliminary to any air-dropping mission is the preparation of the parachutes for the mission.
In the photos above Left: Sgt. Ernest Barnes, Baltimore, Md., (left) and Pvt. David S. Soloway, Baltimore, Md., prepare
to stretch the shroud lines to speed the drying of the chutes. Center: Pvt. Frank A. Spenko, Cleveland, Ohio,
supervises the Chinese workmen sewing parachutes which have suffered damage in landing on small rugged targets in
the mountains where the Chinese were operating. Right: Pictured here is a long view of the drying racks for the chutes.
On warm windy days, ideal for drying, these racks sometimes accommodate 3,000 chutes.
Left: Sgt. Frederick S. Sherman, Shelton, Conn., (center foreground) instructs Chinese workers on how to fill and tie
the rice sacks that are about to be dropped to the Chinese troops at the Salween Front lines. Center: Shows men of the
14th Air Force dropping rice on target near the Salween River. The kicker on the floor is Corp. Albert A. Bancroft,
Chesterton, Ind., in the background is Corp. Milton Chapman, Horse Cave, Ky. In the foreground ready to dump the 100
lb. bags are Pvt. Robert Minnins, Weirton, W.Va., and T/Sgt. Clifford E. Spiegelbert, Oahkash, Wisconsin. Right:
Dropping right on the target, parachutes land on the right side of a mountain in the Kali Range of the sub-Himalayas.
country. These mingled with the Chinese and American soldiers seen on the streets make a very colorful, if congested
scene.
G.I.'s and officers meet the Pons-Kostalanetz troupe at the Kunming Airport, as they stepped out of their plane on
their arrival from India. In the group (left to right) are: Sgt. Alex Goodman, Detroit, Mich.; Andre Kostalanetz,
Theodore Paxson, flutist; Lily Pons, Frank Versaci and Corp. Forrest Scott, Phila., Pa. In the back row are:
Capt. Frank Wright, who is accompanying the troupe, and T/Sgt. George Montgomery, Spartenburg, N.C.
A medium bombardment group of the famed Chinese-American Wing of the 14th Air Force has adopted the nickname of the
"Gambay Group." In Chinese that means "Bottoms Up." In front (left to right) are Lt. Col. David J. M. Muson, New haven,
Conn.; Major Archie Gray, Bismarck, N.D., wielding the traditional bottle, and Major Y. K. Wang, vice-commander of the
group. In the rear (left to right) are Sgt. Ted Brown, Roseville, Ohio; M/Sgt.
Joseph D. Stahl, Milwaukee, Wis.,
and Corp. James W. Fitzgerald, Jersey City, N.J.
This luscious young beauty is the sweetheart of U.S. military personnel in the Antilles Department. The work of
Sgt. Charles R. Flory, she is a regular feature of Sentry Box, Army News Magazine published in that department.
1339TH AAFBU CHINA: As the sun sets over another far-flung Air Transport Command Base, Pfc. Eugene Swanson, Los
Angeles, Calif., stands guard against Japanese air raids over this advanced airfield in China. Giant Air Transport
Command cargo carriers land at this India-China Division station after flying the treacherous "Hump" with vital
war supplies for the fighting forces in China.
Now on their way to the U.S., Constance, Sylvia and Loretta Ying, daughters of the Chinese Consul General at San
Francisco, Cal., were found on this refugee-packed train at a siding in China after the flight from Kweilin, where
they were attending school. SOS officers, searching the train at the request of Maj. Gen. Claire Chennault, discovered
the girls.
Stripped to the waist under the tropical sun, an American mortar crew of the Mars Task Force, which blocked the
Burma Road and cut off the Japanese escape route to Lashio, continues to pound the enemy
troops and supply columns.
Sgt. Powell I. Richards, Scranton, Pa., an infantryman pinch-hitting as motor sergeant at TIG 2, takes time out for
a little talk with Peggy Pfenning, Columbus, Ohio, as the ABC girl visits one of the outposts of the Y-Forces.
Aerial view of the old walled city in Manila. In the foreground is the Philippine Legislative Building. At the
top is the Pasig River which winds through the heart of the city and flows into Manila Bay.
Pre-war Koenigsberg, capital of East Prussia, where the Russian forces engaged the Germans in fierce house to house
fighting. Of great importance politically, Koenigsberg is also important for its industry.