 | The Taj Mahal was beautiful even when seen from the air. The nearby Red Fort was also impressive. |
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3/4 Jul 45 - No. 41--� to Luliang--10:00-Pilot Cairns, Copilot Newcomb, Engineer Ed Carloni 4 Jul 45 - Just came down from three miles up. No sleep for thirty or so hours so don't mind if this is short. I'm lying in bed in my shorts eating a fresh pineapple. Jealous? Five of us had a big feast of stuff sent to us. Included pork and beans, cherry juice, salmon, crackers, cookies, peanuts, pineapple juice and toasted marshmallows (with toothpick and candle flame).--CBI Roundup reporter gave talk on death camps in Germany where he had been with Patton's Third. 6 Jul 45 - I was robbed last night. No money, just my pants and their contents. My pants were found under some trees. All I'm out are two cigarette lighters, one knife and a handkerchief. If I'd ever have wakened, there would have been one Indian not even fit for the hospital. Luckily, I always sleep on my wallet. I wasn't the only victim.--Lt. Weisbruch made Capt.--Berky in hospital--I'm going out as student to check out on new equipment. (probably LORAN). My radishes don't seem to be coming up. Maybe it's the poor earth. It's a wonder anything grows in this country. It's either too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry. 9/10 Jul 45 - No. 42-- � to Luliang--13:20--Pilot Wilson 11 Jul 4 - Have 415 hours in. Must take a rest leave of one or two weeks. Just noticed how these Indian crows hang around the mess halls. Must be "chowbirds." Berky out of hospital. Had dysentery. 13 Jul 45 - Planted flower seeds, some came up. No radishes. Soldier entertainment unit at show. Saw them in China two months before. 14 Jul 45 - Just finished supper, am number two on the alert list, and am just dropping a small note. If they continue to fly me all night, I'll soon turn into an owl. 15 Jul 45 - No. 43--� - A turn around--3:05--Pilot Moomey 16 Jul 45 - Due to climatic conditions, changing temperatures of certain chemicals, camera out of alignment, film sticking and getting scratched in camera, poor subjects and untrained photographers, the negatives you shall receive in the immediate future....stink! I'm stationed at a village called Kurmitola which is only a few miles (maybe 7) from Dacca, the home of the pink pearls. 17 Jul 45 - Sent negatives--feel lazy. 17/18 Jul 45 - No. 44-- � to Luliang--10:0--Pilot Sapp 19 Jul 45 - Night before last I flew all night. Naturally, I slept yesterday, went to show and then slept some more. No doubt I will lose my sleep tonight but who cares as long as I'm piling up hours. I hear they had ice cream at lunch yesterday but I of course slept on and on and on. Fate was totally against me. Joe Mszyco from Pittsburgh whose abode borders mine, supplies an occasional Sun-Telegraph, consisting mostly of Sunday funnies. We keep fairly up-dated on Terry and Prince Valiant. Ten minutes of work accomplished the drilling and filling of two occlusional biters, a dental duet, so to speak. 19/20 Jul 45 - No. 45-- � to Luliang--Pilot Captain James W. Carolan 20 Jul 45 - Having just come in from a dusk to dawn swing shift job,I do not feel extra peppy but I cannot say I feel very tired either. Gotta eat and then get some shuteye. 22 Jul 45 - No. 46-- � to Myitkyina and Bhamo, Burma--4:25--Pilot Col. Cannon 23 Jul 45 - I took a little thousand mile spin yesterday to spend an interesting afternoon. Plan to go to rest camp with Berky in middle of August. Discuss flyers' patches and silk bailout map. Bucky (a neighbor home on leave from Army Air Corps) was partly correct about the Air Medal only his hours were too high. In fact, I was eligible for the AM four months ago, but it just hasn't been presented to me yet. Also if they don't change present rulings, I'll have the DFC in a month. Hump boys were also awarded a battle star for the India-Burma campaign, and one for Central Burma. I'm still sweatin' out the good conduct ribbon. You have heard about the bad weather over here. Well, we have it all right but I'm glad to say I've never been in any of it. (Knocking on hard teakwood). I have been lost three or four times but only once very lost. It is a strange feeling. We are still getting just about the best food in India outside of the rest camps. Of course our share of Spam finds its way on the menu, disguised or otherwise, but we don't have to eat it. One officer told me he'd rather eat in our mess hall. I'm getting a gut but it's too hot to exercise so on it stays. Here's a story they tell: An ATC plane was hauling a batch of Chinese soldiers over the rugged China countryside. Only the American crew had parachutes. As fate would have it, the engines started to sputter and miss, as the pilot ordered the engineer to bail out. The engineer strapped on his parachute, went through the cargo compartment, stepping over the Chinese soldiers and bailed out the back door. Next came the radio operator and, with all the Chinese looking on, he proceeded to jump out the door. A couple minutes later, when the copilot came through, there was considerable attention given him as he dived down. Finally, putting the plane on automatic pilot, the skipper himself started back, and just as he got to the door, the Chinese interpreter asked, "And where do you think you are going?" The pilot answered, "Oh, I'm just going for help. I'll be right back,"...and stepped outside.---going to Karachi tomorrow. 1345th news July 27,45 Hump Express ������������������������������� Mobile Tent of Tomorrow Built by 4 Men and Dummy 1345 BU, Kurmitola, India - The "tent of tomorrow" that can be moved anytime, anywhere, with or without reason, has been invented by four men and a dummy at this base. Experiencing the roughness of the war-time housing situation in India, this band of enterprising GIs decided to make sure they have at all times, a roof over their heads. Now, when the weather acts up, the CO rearranges the housing plan, or rents get too high, they can move their Handy-Dandy Weatherproof, Leakproof, Warp-proof, Wind-proof Home Shelter (one each) to a new and better location. That is, they can move if 11 other guys will help. It takes 15 strong-armed workers (and a dummy) to carry the tent to its new locations. Sometimes the bearers are talked into lending a helping hand. The domicile is inhabited by M/Sgt. D. R. Fisher, Lafayette, Ind.; S/Sgt. Pete Badrich and Sub-Pvt. Oscar O'Connor (the dummy), both of Hagerstown, Md.; S/Sgt. Sol Sincoff, St. Louis, Mo., and S/Sgt. A. S. Kruger, Amsterdam, N.Y. Next to their complaint that Sub-Pvt. O'Connor refuses to do any work, the men worry most about the fact that someday they will have to leave India. They hate to think of their "Old Soldiers' Home, Mobile" being used for a shanty in the middle of some desolate rice paddy.
30 Jul 45 - I just got back from Karachi last night. It
is almost like coming overseas again. For the past week I have been
cramming bottled cokes down my gullet, ruining my appetite. We went in
town one day and I got shrimp cocktail, sirloin steak and T-bone steak.
Also apple pie a la mode. Another added attraction on that side of
India are a hundred or so WACs which we enjoyed gazing at. On the way
back here I took eight aerial shots including two of the Taj. Oh yes, I
had corn on the cob also. I brought back three boxes of DUZ (soap) with
me and gave them to my boy who washes all our clothes. He never saw any
before. He thinks it is quite all right and has tagged it with his own
name...sugar soap, 'cause it looks like Indian sugar. Note: Indian
sugar has granules about five times as large as our refined stuff and
is gray colored. May the people responsible for the war be lowered to
the depths of hell quickly and ungently. My latest reading material is
Shakespeare and his comedies. He's on the ball. A quote: "Do you not
know I am a woman? When I think, I must speak." (Ain't that the truth?) 30 Jul 45 - No. 47-- � to Barrackpore-9:05--Pilot Ferguson, Copilot Maj. Butters, Engineer Burkitt |
The B-25 Mitchell 2-engine bomber |
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| An all-purpose attack bomber, the same used for the Doolittle raid on Tokyo. |
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