To The 14th Air Force In The~China ~Burma ~India~ Theatre ~1944 and 1945 ~

This web site is dedicated to all the members of the 396th Air Service Squadron of the 12th Air Service Group that served with the 14th Air Force in the China Theatre of operations during World War Two. These men came together from all walks of life to form a group that did a job under the most adverse conditions in the world. Supplies and equipment were hard to come by since everything had to be flown over the Hump from India into Kunming, China. These guys salvaged everything they could and when they couldn't do that they improvised to keep them flying.

This page is also made in memory fifteen men from the 396th Air Service Squadron that never made it home from China. They made the supreme sacrifice on a routine flight from Kanchapara.India to Chabua.India in preperation to flying the Hump into Kunming,China. We never did know what really happened but all fifteen men and the crew of the converted B-24 perished and it was a full year before the wreckage was found and the bodies identified. Thanks to the records kept by James E. Sherman,who worked in the 396th orderly room, we have the following list of names for the men on that fatal flight. Baldi,Albert M...Bischoff,Arthur R...Butler,Warren Brenner,R.C...Litton,Willie R...Norwood,Evan W.Jr O'Brien,Willis...Ray,Patrick R...Rush,Frank J Sutton,William H.....Troy,Frank C.....Ursillo,Alfred Watts,James....Wheatley,James....Zobb,Elmer

Our Home Away From Home NAVY TROOP CARRIER THE USS~HERMITAGE This Was Our Home For Fifty Two Days After Leaving Camp Anza, Cailifornia On November 10th,1943 Bound For The CBI Theatre. We Spent Both Thanksgiving And Christmas Day Aboard The U.S.S. Hermitage With A Seven Day Lay-Over In Bora Bora With Engine Trouble. When We Left Perth Australia We Were Escorted By Two British Destroyers All The Way To Bombay ,India. We Arrived In Bombay,India On December 26th,1943.

These are my Crew-chief Wings and the shoulder patches for the CBI Theatre and the 14th Air Force Flying Tigers.

Elmer Bukey and Bob Houser in our hostel area at Kwelin,China standing by the air raid siren. I guarntee you that siren had a lot of use because the Japs paid us a lot of nightime visits. We spent a lot of nights in the caves around our hostel area.

A Mighty White Hunter Ralph O'Connor Taking Dead Aim At His Target While A Chinese By Looks On Hoping To Maybe Get Whatever He May Shoot

Some Of The 396th Troops This Is A Photo Of Dale Souder~Marlin Reese And Joe Wiley Probably At Our Base In Kwelln,China

Yang Tong Air Base, Kwelin,China,1944. This is the 396th Air Service Squadron logo wih Joe Goodman the guy that designed and built it. This was just one of many items that Joe designed and built.

Elmer Bukey and Chester Rush in the doorway of our engineering office at Liangshan,China. The holes and the damage seen are the results of nightly air raids by the Japanese. Our engineering area left a lot to be desired but it was amazing the amount of and the quality of the work that was performed by the men.

Another Example Of Joe Goodman's Work. The 12th Air Service Group Emblem In Front Of Headquarters Building,Yang Tong Air Force Base,Kwelin,China,1944

This is Tom Gerrity a member of the great tech supply group that solved a lot of our supply problems in China.My thanks to his son Kevin for this photo and for the Blood Chit shown below,

Translation of the Chinese characters seen above. "This foreign person (American) has come to China to help in the war effort. Soldiers and civilians,one and all,should,rescue,protect and provide him with medical care" This "Blood Chit" was sewn on the back or on the inside of all flying personnel's flight jackets to identify them to the Chinese people in the event they were shot down or forced to bail out of their aircraft. It aided many in returning to their outfits.