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"Preserving the memory of their sacrifices!" Activation - Early Development ( September - December 1942 ) Maj. Bayse, Commander, took one ship on armed reconnaissance against Hanoi. The object was to bomb the airport and gather information for further raids, in greater force. Maj. Bailey, Exec. Officer of Bomber Command, acted as co-pilot, navigator and observer. It was necessary to climb to 20,000 feet to get over the weather and the target approach and bombing run were made at that altitude. The weather was broken just enough at the target to permit a run to be made. However, frost had covered the bombardier's windows to the extent that his bombsight was useless. Lt. George A. Stout was up to the occasion, however, for he uncovered his lower, front gun port, which was a ball-and-socket swivel affair, and using his bombing data conjectured his dropping angle. The target came into view through his port and Lt. Stout dropped his bombs squarely across the runways and a line of hangars which were on a line with the interception of the runways....(following some exciting manuevering to dodge fighter attacks - editor).... the bomber completed its return flight to Kunming uneventfully. Lt. Stout's bombing had destroyed nine light bombers on the ground at Hanoi.On September 15, 1942, the 341st Bombardment Group (M), AAF, was activated at Camp Malir, Karachi, India, in accordance with letter A.G. 320.2, date 7/21/42 Mr-M-AF, and with paragraphs II, III, & IV, General Order #22, HQ, 10th United States Air Force, dated September 3, 1942. Lieutenant Colonel Torgils G. 'Torgi' Wold assumed command. Col. Wold arrived at Karachi several months earlier as a pilot in Project Aquilla, a secret plan for early bombardment of Japan by heavy bombers flying from bases in eastern China. Commanded by Colonel Caleb V. Haynes, project planning and preparation was occurring simultaneously with the 'Doolittle Raid' project. However, when the Aquilla aircraft arrived in India, (date?), the East China bases from which the attacks were to launch had been captured by the Japanese. The project was cancelled, and the men and aircraft of Project Aquilla were absorbed by the 10th Air Force. In preparing for the 341st Bomb Group's activation, Wold was assisted by Lt. Col. Clinton D. 'Casey' Vincent, who later served as Chennault's Operations Officer, then was promoted to Colonel and became Commander of the East China Command and, as one of the youngest Brigadier Generals ever, Commander of the 68th Composite Wing. During this time, 'Casey' was to become the inspiration for "Vince Casey" in Milt Caniff's "Terry & the Pirates" comic strip. The headquarters cadre of the 341st, comprising two officers, 1Lt R. O. Nelson (S-1) and 1Lt R. F. Gallaway (S-4) and nine enlisted men were assigned from HQ and HQ Squadron, 7th Bomb Group (H). The 11th and 22nd Bomb Squadrons (M) were removed from attachment to the 7th and assigned to the 341st intact. Cadres of twenty-nine enlisted men, each, were assigned from these Squadrons to the newly activated 490th and 491st Bomb Squadrons (M). The 11th furnished the cadre for the 490th and the 22nd furnished the cadre for the 491st. Maj. William E. Bayse was transferred from the 7th Bm Grp, and remained in command of the 11th Bm Sq Air Echelon already stationed at Kunming, China. Maj. Frank D. Sharp was transferred from the 7th Bm Grp at Allahabad, India, and assumed command of the 22nd Bm Sq, and Capt. Blair M. Sorenson arrived from the 11th at Kunming to assume command of the 491st Bm Sq. The support personnel of the 11th, the entire 22nd and the cadres of the 490th and 491st were quartered in areas "A" and "B" at Malir. All units at Malir moved to area "H" on September 28th. Also on 28 September, the 11th was notified it was to receive five new airplanes, and crews were sent to Karachi, India, to pick them up. When they returned to Kunming with the five planes on 5 October, an even greater surprise was that they brought with them two more planes and crews, thus bringing Squadron strength up to twelve planes, twelve complete six-man crews and about forty ground personnel. The Dinjan detachment of the 11th, with only two aircraft, in September added 15 bombing missions to their 27 missions of the previous two months. They also received five badly needed maintenance men from Karachi. Throughout the latter part of September and three weeks into October, eleven missions were accomplished against northeast Burma by the 11th in China. Most of these raids were in support of Chinese ground troops fighting along the Salween River. Among these targets were the sub-depots for Lashio, the concentration points for Jap men, supplies and equipment directly at the front. The most important of these points were Tengchang, Manchih, Paoling and Lungling. These were small towns surrounded by walls and the area within these walls was soon littered with rubbish from repeated bombings. On several occasions fires and explosions were observed out of all proportion to the results which could be obtained were mud brick houses the only fuel.In October the 22nd was ordered to Chakulia in southern Bihar, about 70 miles from Calcutta. About this time, B-25s and crews began to arrive from the U.S., and a few more Tokyo Raiders joined the Squadrons. Additional ground crew personnel soon joined the Squadron, having sailed from Indiantown Gap, Penn. on October 7, 1942. For a short time Maj. Berg, who had been in China, assumed command of the 22nd, however, this was only a temporary assignment until Maj. Berg returned to the States. Supplies from the Hump airlift began to accumulate in the CATF's depots in late September. Reinforcements of both men and aircraft also arrived. In addition to the B-25s for the 11th Bombardment Squadron, were P-40K Warhawks for the 23rd Fighter Group and 20 fighter pilots from the 6th Fighter Command in Panama. With the arrival of the Panama pilots, the CATF "smacked less of a primary training school and more of a combat group," Chennault wrote. "The Japanese soon felt the difference." The monsoon season ended in early October, and the CATF detected signs that the Japanese were moving bomber squadrons into Burma for attacks against the Hump bases in India. There were also signs of a renewed ground offensive on the Salween River, where the AVG had repelled a Japanese offensive in May 1942. On October 3, Chennault radioed an urgent warning to Bissell in Delhi: "Possibility enemy air attack on Dijan [and] other bases supporting ferry route in India...Kunming and western Yunnan bases as well as ferry route itself in making...." Chennault, however, did not intend to wait for the Japanese to attack. Fighters from the 74th and 16th squadrons at Kunming, along with the 76th and 75th squadrons based at western Yunnan, began attacking the Japanese-held Burma Road and its network of mountain trails. P-40s, operating in groups of two or six, dive-bombed supply dumps and strafed Japanese truck convoys. Meanwhile, B-25 bombers from the 11th Squadron hit supply dumps, airfields and bridges as far south as Lashio, Burma. These missions were short in duration, which helped the CATF maintain the pressure despite increasing gasoline shortages at the Yunnan fields. "With a relatively small effort, the CATF was able to keep the enemy supply system sufficiently disjointed to make it impossible to accumulate enough materiel in advance positions for a major offensive," Chennault recalled. "The air as far south as Lashio belonged to us." "As the CATF grew strong enough to venture east again," Chennault said, "Hong Kong seemed to be our best bet." With its huge harbor and well-equipped docks, Hong Kong was a staging area for Japanese convoys, as well as a major Japanese navy repair yard. Chennault and Colonel Merian Cooper, his chief of staff, planned a series of swift, sharp blows at Hong Kong, mixed with feints toward nearby Canton to keep the Japanese guessing. By October 15, the planning for the attack was completed, but the raid was delayed for nine days because of bad weather. Late in October several planes and crews of the 22nd Bombardment flew into Kunming to work with the 11th. On the night of 24 October, the first joint mission by Squadrons of the 341st Bomb Group departed Kunming for Kweilin. At dawn on October 25, 12 B-25s from the 11th and 22nd Bomb Squadrons, led by Caleb Haynes, and 12 P-40s from the 75th Fighter Squadron, led by Robert L. Scott, took off from Kunming for the 500-mile flight to Kweilin. There they would refuel before proceeding to their target. Five P-40s turned back because of engine trouble; the rest reached Kweilin at 0800 hours. Chennault briefed the pilots while their planes were being refueled. The Hong Kong strike took off from Kweilin at 1145 for the 350-mile flight to its target. Haynes led his 12 B-25s to 18,000 feet, while Scott took his seven P-40s to 20,000 feet, waiting for Japanese fighters. Once over the South China Sea, the formation flew up the coast to Macao, across Hong Kong's west channel, and came to its turning point north of the Kowloon Peninsula. Then they turned south onto their bomb run, Scott's P-40s weaving above Haynes' B-25s. Up front, Lt. Col. Harold "Butch" Morgan, the 11th Squadron's lead bombardier, lined up the waterfront in his Norden bombsight. The B-25s dropped their 500-pound bombs onto the Hong Kong docks. Haynes led his B-25s across Victoria Harbor, then turned on a course back to Kweilin. While fighters from the Japanese airstrip on Sanchau Island tangled with Scott's P-40s, other Ki.43s attacked the B-25s. Haynes put his planes into a steep, diving turn, concentrating the fire from the Mitchells' gun turrets on the attacking fighters. The Japanese were unable to penetrate the bomber formation and lost two fighters to Haynes' gunners. One B-25 lagged behind and was attacked by six Oscars. The plane had been severely damaged during an attack by a Japanese ME-109, and continued to be attacked by other fighters. With the left engine out and the right engine stuttering, two of the crew bailed out following the order to do so. However, the remainder were unable to bail prior to the pilot, Capt. Allers, skidding the plane to a stop in a rice paddy. Lts. Marich and Cunnignham were able to escape, but the other four crew members became POWs. Immediately after landing at Kweilin, each of the eleven returning bombers taxied up to a pile of bombs and the crew went to work loading up the bomb bay. Then followed a quick trip by truck for fifteen bumpy miles to the hotel, where the downed a hasty meal and climbed back into the truck for the return trip to the air base. Six crews were briefed and took off at 2100 hours and, led by Maj. Basye, again headed for Hongkong. They again enjoyed success in hitting their targets while under anti-aircraft fire, however, they did not encounter the enemy fighter onslaught of the first trip. Next day, the aircraft and crews from the 22nd would begin their journey back to India. The Hong Kong raid was a great success for the CATF. They had bombed the docks and downed 19 Japanese fighters, for the loss of the one B-25 that crash-landed. Chennault was happy, but it was only the beginning. He planned to attack ships and docks around Hong Kong the following afternoon, and to continue until the CATF's gas and bombs were exhausted. That night, at 0100, an urgent message arrived from Bissell. "Bomb Lashio and Myitkyina airdromes until further notice beginning at dawn," it said. Bissell's order was brought on by a surprise Japanese attack on the Tenth Air Force's base at Dijan, India. Timing of this order was extremely awkward for the CATF. Half of Chennault's bombers were in the air and the rest were fueled and ready for another attack on Hong Kong. "I was so angry I could barely contain myself," Chennault recalled. "My staff later told me they expected me to bounce off the ceiling in my rage." CATF reconnaissance had shown that Lashio and Myitkyina airfields were empty. "I could readily understand Bissell's chagrin at being caught flatfooted by the attack," Chennault remembered. "But the logic of his decision to bomb empty airfields still escapes me." Chennault ordered the lone B-25 still at Kunming to attack Lashio at dawn, while the rest of the squadron made their way to Kunming so they might join in later. Chennault still wanted to attack Japanese facilities and shipping at Hong Kong. So before the B-25s of the 11th could complete their missions in Burma, on October 26, he ordered every P-40 at Kweilin loaded with a 500-pound bomb and sent to attack Japanese ships in Victoria Harbor. Despite heavy flak and Japanese fighter attacks, they sank one tanker and damaged several freighters with the loss of only oe aircraft. The futile attacks on Lashio and Myitkyina ended in late November, and Chennault moved the entire CATF back to Kweilin for another series of attacks against targets in eastern China. The P-40s and B-25s took off from Kweilin on November 23 and attacked Japanese ships in the Gulf of Tonkin. They destroyed a transport, strafed a barracks in Haiphong, and set fire to coal piles at Hongay, China. The following day 11th Squadron bombers attacked Tien So airfield near Canton on November 24, destroying 42 Japanese fighters and bombers on the ground. After another attack on Canton, Chennault moved CATF north to Hengyang. By shifting his tiny air force from one airfield to anther, Chennault kept the Japanese guessing where he might strike next. The 75th Fighter Squadron joined the 11th Bomb Squadron in attacks from Hengyang against Japanese bases at Sienning, Yochow and Hankow on November 25. The next night, five P-40s attacked Hankow's airfield and docks. The CATF shifted its aircraft back to Kweilin field after the Hankow raid. The largest striking force in the CATF's history, 14 B-25s and 21 P-40s, took off from Kweilin before noon on November 27. The force feinted toward Hong Kong, then swung south toward Canton, catching the Japanese flat-footed. While the B-25 bombers hit Canton's docks, sinking two freighters, the P-40s attacked 45 Oscars taking off from Tien So airfield. "Flaming Jap fighters fell back onto their airdromes as fast as they reached the P-40s' altitude," Chennault wrote. "Fights raged all over the sky, but the conflict was one sided...." The final score was 27 to 0. "It was one of the worst lickings the Japs took over China," Chennault recalled. The CATF finished its sweep on November 28, with another strike at shipping in the Gulf of Tonkin. In six days, the unit had flown 11 missions, struck targets 800 miles apart, destroyed 71 Japanese aircraft, sunk three ships, and damaged docks, coal piles, supply depots and airfields without losing a single man, P-40 or B-25. Chennault later said, "It was a striking example of what could be done with a few airplanes, a little gas, some bombs, and determined air crews." After the November strikes, the CATF was deployed back to the airfield at Kunming. The fighter squadrons were sent to airfields at Chanyi and Yunanyi to cover the supply line. On the personnel side, the cadres of the 490th and 491st Bomb Squadrons were augmented through October and November by transfer of officers and enlisted men from inactivated units at Karachi Air Base. And, the compliment was filled out by a shipload of personnel arriving from the 'States', a few of which were assgigned to the 11th and 22nd to bring all squadrons to strength. Soon after their arrival 11th Squadron personnel were transported directly from New Malir to Kweilin, China, to join the remainder of the Squadron which had been operating with the China Air Task Force under command of Gen. Claire Chennault. Major James A. Philpott assumed command of the 490th Squadron. Soon after the 1st of December, the fillers for these Squadrons arrived and were assigned. As both Squadrons were then over strength in ground personnel, much of this overage was absorbed by the detachment of the 11th Sq. and 22nd Sq. at Malir. On December 3rd, the 22nd Bomb Sq. moved forward to a now established station at Chakulia, India. On 1 December the 491st achieved virtually full strength with the arrival of the support contingent, the officers and men had departed the USofA on the SS Maretania in October, then transferred to the SS City of Paris for the fianl push to the port at Karachi. The squadron also received six new B-25s, as they straggled in individually during the month. On December 30th, the ground echelons of the HQ. 341st, 490th, and 491st Sq.’s entrained for forward bases, the 490th going to Ondal, and the other units joining the 22nd at Chakulia. By Jan 11th, 1943, all echelons had moved forward except the air echelon of the 490th and the detachment of the 11th, which remained behind to provide administration and maintenance for the newly arrived combat crews. The number of personnel assigned to the 341st Bomb Group at the end of 1942 were:
In his book, "Diary of A Bomb Squadron," Mckay Nelson reports what the 491st Bomb Squadron history report had to say of the Christmas 1942 happenings: Preparations for Christmas were underway many weeks before the great annual Christmas holiday. For most of the men it was to be their first Christmas spent away from America. Captain Thomas H. Claire, group chaplain, as well as many of the officers and enlisted men of the wquaron worked tirelessly to make ready a program and superb Christmas dinner.Although a worthy hope, Gen. Brady's would not come to be, most of the men who heard his words would be in the CBI for many more months and, unfortunately, some would never again celebrate Christmas at home! 
William DeVries (then Lt., Engineering Officer) provided us with the invitation and menu for a Christmas hosted by the officers of the 491st Bomb Squadron. On his invitation, Bill, acquired the signatures of many men who would be key players in the 491st and in the Group. Among the other attendees were Togils G. Wold (341st C.O.), Richard Knobloch (Doolittle Raider, recently assigned to 491st), Blair M. Sorenson (491st C.O.) and Edward M. Garret (future 491st C.O.) |
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