Letters Home - 1945

The sketch is of the tent at Warazup, Burma where I lived for 4 months (March -June, 1945). The cots in the rear of the tent are mine,

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Roy's (LeRoy Johannsen) in the front, Bill's (William Borsman) on the left, and Jimmie's (James Stewart III) on the right. The furniture and cabinetry were either constructed on site or "found" somewhere else. Aside from the jungle heat, it wasn't too uncomfortable. Until the middle of May, 1945, we flew most of our combat missions into southern Burma to drop supplies to the British and Chinese Troops fighting the Japanese. Subsequently, most of our missions were flying the Hump to Kunming, China in our C47A aircraft (until June when we started to obtain C46 Commandos for our Hump trips).

EXCERPTS FROM MY LETTERS HOME IN 1945

WARAZUP, BURMA 1945

30 April 1945 - "The animals stay in the jungles except the monkeys that hang on the tent ropes and beg food. We have one that we named Oscar. There are few cases of malaria however we wear long sleeves, repellent and boots when the mosquitoes come out at night. We take Atabrine tablets every day and take on our skin the characteristic yellowish hue."

17 May 1945 - "128 degrees F today. The Monsoons are just about here. We are starting to fly the Hump"

26 May 1945 - "The Monsoons are very bad now. Many inches of rain each day."

7 June 1945 -"Change my APO 689 to 218. Here is what took place to date in 1945:

Up until today, I've been overseas 3 months and 3 days. I now have 3 decorations 1. The Asiatic Pacific Theater Ribbon 2. One Bronze Battle Star for the Central Burma Campaign 3, The Air Medal. There is the complete story, Mom"

13 June 1945 -Was 135 degrees F today.

MYITKYINA, BURMA

2 July 1945 - Moved here in the past week. The layout of our "home" is on the next page. It looks like the sketch attached.

I'll close for now and answer your Letter #41 next time. I'll have to fly soon. God bless you both. As ever, All My Love, Your Son Bob

PS Here is a Jap 10 Rupee Burma Note. It would be worth $3 if the Japs were here but they have joined their ancestors.

6 July 1945 - China has lots of eggs, Burma, none. No milk in either place.

12 July 1945 - Myitkyina has now been declared a non-combat zone. Airmail from NJ takes 10 days--3 Cent and V-Mail, 14 days. Temperature is averaging about 108F.

1 August 1945 - Turned down commission as 2nd Lt. We have to string up our envelopes because of dampness. The Monsoons will be over soon. My tent mates are Roy Johannsen, my former Co-Pilot; Bill Borsman from Long Island and Jimmy Stewart from Kansas City, MO. One of the Sons of the Pioneers is in our Squadron.


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10 August 1945 - We have an Officers Mess now. The Army buys some food fresh from the natives. Chicken, corn, peaches and potatoes. We were formerly in the 10th Air Force but now we are in the North Burma Air Task Force. Our Commanding General is George S. Wedenmeyer. The India-Burma Theater Commander is General Wheeler. We are still 3rd Combat Cargo Group, 9th Combat Cargo Squadron.

25 August 1945 - The armistice has been taken calmly. We have a contract with the Air Transport Command to haul 7,000 gallons of gasoline over the Hump to China. There is reluctance on the part of air crews to fly after the armistice. We received our C46 Curtiss Commandos this past June, and flew the Chinese 6th Army over the Hump. We have flown to these Chinese locations: Kunming, Nanking, Chengkung, Chanyi, Yankai, Loping and Luliang.

4 September 1945 - I now have 53 points but need 36 more to go home. I went to the Combat Cargo College and took Algebra and Law.

13 September 1945 - You get my letters home in about a week. It takes 12 to 15 days for yours to get here. Myitkyina has its own Radio Station called "Halfway House"

24 September 1945 - CNAC (Chinese National Airways Corporation) offered me about $900 per month to stay and fly for them. I was offered 2nd Lt again but the catch is that I must sign an agreement to stay a year.

We are moving to China where there is a Revolution. We are going to fly supplies to the Nationalist Armies. We are no longer designated Combat Cargo. We are now the 330th Troop Carrier Squadron of the 513th Troop Carrier Group. Rest leave has been cancelled as we are on alert.

26 September 1945 - A meeting of the Group was called and we were told we would move to Shanghai, China, 1600 miles away. We are to start work there by October 15. We have to move the Chinese Nationalist 94th Army to Tientsein, 560 miles from Shanghai. 30,000 are to be moved. Papers went to Washington for my commission as 2nd Lt. today.

SHANGHAI, CHINA

5 October 1945 - Shanghai Kiangwan Airdrome. We are part of the Advanced Party. The field is about 3 miles from the city. Japs are still armed and free. The weather is very cold here about 2,000 miles North East of Myitkyina. We are to fly some 30,000 Chinese to Peiping and Manchuria. I have sufficient Combat and Operational hours to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. I don't know if the paperwork has been submitted.

26 October 1945 -We completed the job of hauling 30,000 Chinese troops to Peiping. Today is Navy Day in Shanghai. Planes are flying in formation and there is a searchlight display from the ships anchored in the Whangpoo and Yangtze Rivers. The population of Shanghai is about 5,000,000. You can buy anything from a new Buick to an Electric Razor.

8 November 1945 - Our job for Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek is finished. We are waiting for a Navy ship to bring us home.

15 December 1945 - Telegram came from Pearl Harbor. We can expect our ship, the USS Kadashan Bay, an Escort Carrier to dock on Saturday and board us.

23 December 1945 - Sent telegram from Honolulu that we will leave Los Angeles, CA Tuesday or Wednesday via American Airlines to report to Fort Monmouth. The actual orders placed me on Commercial Air to report to Fort Dix, NJ from LAPOE at Wilmington, CA.

Some censored information which was omitted at the time the letters were written has been added.

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