Bailout Over China

and the

Long Walk Home

The Arthur Humby Story

Bailout Over Chinaand the

Long Walk Home

Table of Contents

Introduction ...................................................................... 01

Chapter 1 — The Shoot Down ......................................... 03

Chapter 2 — February Diary Notes.................................. 09

Chapter 3 — March Diary Notes...................................... 25

Chapter 4 — April Diary Notes........................................ 39

Chapter 5 — Questions Most Asked ................................ 51

Chapter 6 — Miscellaneous Notes ................................... 53

Attachment # 1 — Crew Interrogation Report ..........................55

Additional pictures ........................................................... 62

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The Arthur Humby Story

Bailout Over Chinaand the

Long Walk Home

Introduction

On February 2, 1945 the eleven man crew of an F-13 (Reconnaissance version ofthe B-29), named Brooklyn Bessie IV, bailed out over Japanese occupied northeastChina. The Aircraft Commander, Capt. Arthur Humby, kept a day-to-day diary ofthe subsequent thousand mile, three month walk-out to freedom. This presentationis a word-for-word copy of that diary.

The crew members included: Capt. Arthur J. Humby, Aircraft Commander; Lt. A.L. Double; Lt. D. C. Etling; Lt. H. K. Lovell; Lt. J. B. Morrison; Sgt. E. M.Carnicelli; J. H. Oosterhouse; R. I. Kelsey; Cpl. R. E. Tobey; Cpl. T. J. Fall, and A.Kamiak

The first page or two contains some introductory material. This is necessary inorder to understand the diary - which is written in short groups of words - due tothe conditions and circumstances under which it was written. After the diary, thereare two other sections. The first answers several key questions most often asked byindividuals after they have read the diary. The second section touches very brieflyon a number of interesting points that, for some reason, did not turn up in the diary.

Art Humby Picks Up The Story

Our F-13 was one of a flight of five photo recon planes belonging to the 3rd PhotoRecon Squadron. The 3rd was on its way to Saipan and Guam, in the Pacific, butwe had been assigned to the 1st Photo Recon (VH) Squadron at Chengtu, China fortemporary duty - after which we were to rejoin the 3rd Squadron.

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This crew photograph was taken at Salina, Kansas, prior to our departure for the Far East. Onthe day we were shot down, there were some crew substitutions due to illness. Rear, L to R:Capt. Humby, Lt. Double, Lt. Kimmel, Lt. Etling, (Unidentified) Front, L to R:(Unidentified), Cpl. Tobey, (Unidentified), (Unidentified), Sgt. Carnicelli and Sgt. Kelsey (orOsterhouse?)

Flying out of Chengtu in western China, our missions took us over Japan, Korea, Formosa(Taiwan), plus Jap held eastern China and Manchuria. On the fatal day, our mission was tophotograph Port Arthur, Darien, Anchan and Mukden in Manchuria and then swing downover the full length of Korea from north to south - then back across occupied China (north ofShanghai) to our home base.

The Japs occupied most of the eastern half of China except for a small area in the south. TheAmericans and Chinese held the western half. However, there was, at the same time, a CivilWar taking place in China. Mao Tse-Tung (Communists) held the northern half of the countryand were fighting Chiang Kai-shek (Nationalists) who held the south. Rather confusing, to saythe least. Both Mao and Chiang were competing for American supplies - claiming theyneeded them to fight the Japs in their respective areas.

We bailed out in the northeast occupied by the Japs but also by Mao and his Communistguerrilla. Our goal was Yenan (Communist headquarters) in the northwest (Communist-American area). To reach it we had to walk from east to west across the mountains ofnorthern China.

What follows is the story of that walk.

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Bailout Over Chinaand the

Long Walk Home

Chapter 1

The Shoot Down

The Time — 7:45 A.M. on February 2, 1945

The Place — 28,000 feet over Port Arthur, Manchuria, Northeast China

The Plane — Brooklyn Bessie - 4th — an F-13 (B-29) Photo Recon Plane

Our camera run over Port Arthur had just begun when there was a heavy jolt and anexplosion in our # 2 engine. We were getting light flack at the time but to this daywe do not know whether the flack or engine malfunction was the cause of ourdownfall. The engine lost power and started to knock and vibrate. I immediatelyaborted the mission and headed West (toward home) and with the help of our flightengineer, tried to feather the prop - with no success. RPM was down to 1,000 andthe engine started to smoke and lose oil. I began a fast letdown in order todepressurize. We were now over the Gulf of Chinli, part of the Yellow Sea, andcould see the China mainland in the distance. On the intercom I alerted the wholecrew about the problem and told them to be prepared to jump if I gave the order.

At 12,000 feet we depressurized, leveled off at 10,000 and opened the front hatch.At this point I felt that we had an even chance of staying airborne. I had one eye onthe bad engine and the other on the Gulf water below … as seen through the openhatch. It would have been suicide to jump into the Gulf so I made a quick decisionto go for the land … come what may. As we crossed the coast on a westerlyheading there were level fields on our left and high mountains to the right. We hada “secret” map which showed the guerrilla strong points in green - so we edgedright toward the mountains where these safer areas were located. By this time theoil in # 2 engine was nearly gone - the unfeathered prop was winding up attremendous speed - and the engine continued to vibrate and smoke. I knew it wouldeventually fly off.

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Now I felt that our chances were slim so I had the radio operator send this message- “Number two out, can’t feather, losing oil, 121 East 40 North, returning home.Ready to jump.” The crew tore up and threw out all manuals and secret matter -except the guerrilla map - turned on the IFF and smashed the cameras and radios.The B-29 is 98 feet long with only a crawl tunnel connecting the front and rear ofthe plane. There were five enlisted men in the rear and five officers and oneenlisted man in the front. I then ordered the entire crew to arm themselves, load upwith anything that might be useful on the ground and check each others chutebuckles. Then for some unknown reason I reached behind my head for my dresscap … and tucked it inside the flying suit I was wearing. I had the rear group opentheir door and post one man at an extra intercom … to be sure they got the word, ifit came. About thirty minutes had passed since the emergency first started - and wewere ready, come what may. My only prayer was that the prop would not fly intothe plane … and kill all of us.

The hub of the prop next turned red, then white, from the heat and started to waver.I remember shouting “Here it comes.” The prop flew left and hit the # 1 engine.That engine and the entire plane started to vibrate violently and the whole left wingwent up in flames. I pressed the mike against my throat and gave the order threetimes to Bail Out!

Initial route flown after catastrophic loss of # 2 engine fromPort Arthur, Manchuria, to bail out location near Pinggu, China.

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The men in front with me were gathered around the open hatch … which was aboutsix feet deep. As I glanced over my right shoulder to give the order to jump, one ofthe Navigators said “See you on the ground.” stepped into the hole anddisappeared. Meanwhile, the plane, still shaking itself apart, started to fall left intoa deep spiral. I fought it but could no longer control it. I glanced back again tomake sure everyone was out. They were all gone except one officer who was frozenin the hatch shaking his head “No.” I was still trying to control the ship and when Ilooked again he was gone.

Now it was my turn. I knew that the instant I released the controls the plane wouldgo into a tighter spiral or even a spin … but I had no choice so I dove for the hatch.Centrifugal force took over and I flew right over it and up against the engineer’spanel and just beyond. For the first time real fear, or should I say terror, grippedme. For a few fleeting moments the thought raced through my mind that I was notgoing to get out.

Somehow I fought the centrifugal force, reached the hatch and pushed myself downinch by inch. Finally, one shove and I was out. There was no fear of the jump itselfbecause the situation was too desperate. Altitude was about 7,000 feet indicated butbecause of the mountains the true altitude was much less. I pulled the rip cord theinstant I exited the ship. No, I didn’t count to ten! Thank God the chute did notopen or it would have fowled on the plane. I knew I was falling awfully fast for aparachute. I looked up and over each shoulder … no chute. I then looked down atthe rip cord and it was still in my hand. I had pulled it only a few inches out of itspocket. I gave it a good yank and the chute opened with a jerk. My first thoughtwas the absolute dead silence that exists up there. Then I thought the chute wasrising instead of descending…. and I had no bail-out oxygen bottle! I saw the planecrash, explode and burn in what looked like a village … and immediately thought“the peasants will kill me if they get me.” This later proved false but it did kill threefarmers … for which our government later sent an official apology.

I did not see any other chutes while I floated down. The rest of the crew had alllanded together, but since I was delayed getting out, I had crossed three mountainsand so was out of their sight. While descending I heard several shots but after eachone I found that I was unharmed. As I neared the ground I thought I had betterprepare for the landing because I was drifting sideways. Before I could do anything… Wham. I hit hard with an awful jolt. My left leg was doubled under me, my chinhit my right knee and I bit through my tongue. Nothing like those soft TV landings!

I had landed near the top of a mountain (ground was small rocks, weeds, few treesand light snow). My chute caught in a small tree and I tried unsuccessfully to free it

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to avoid detection. There was nothing in sight except a couple of small houses thatseemed abandoned. I immediately started praying and got out my compass andChinese flag. Using the compass, I figured out the direction of the other crewmembers … and started out. A few minutes later two men appeared just ahead onthe mountain top and they hollered to me. I waved a white handkerchief and stoodwith my hands up. One of them got down on one knee and raised his rifle - so I hitthe dirt. He fired and the bullet tore up the ground just in front of me and about twofeet to the left of my head. I had a 45 automatic strapped under my left arm but Inever even thought about it. He stood up so I did likewise and raised my handsagain. This time he (and his buddy) came on the run towards me with rifle raised. Iheld out the Chinese flag. He looked at it … dropped his rifle and hugged me … asI hugged him even tighter! Up to that point I did not know whether he was aChinese or a Jap.

Needless to say, my hopes went sky high. He led me to a stone house a couple ofmiles away and there I tried to use my Walkee-pointee. No one spoke English andthey indicated that they didn’t know anyone who did. A short time later a boy,wearing a blue Chinese uniform, barged into the house carrying my chute. I tried toget it from him but he got ugly … so I decided I didn’t really want it anyway.Using the Walkee-pointee, I asked him to take me to my friends. We walked forabout an hour, climbing mountains and at times I was crawling flat on my stomachalong narrow mountain trails with thousand foot drops inches away. I was scaredstiff and praying like mad.

We were about a hundred feet from the summit of the mountain when about twentyChinese soldiers came over the mountain top, single file, and pointed to the valleybelow. A couple of them tried to relieve me of my 45 automatic and my watch but Ihad other ideas so they got neither. They gave me a Chinese Army coat and onesoldier and my original guide led me back down the valley.

At this point we passed some peasants carrying parts from the plane and soon cameto the place where the prop had landed. it had started a fire. Some of the brush wasburning, four houses were burned down, two donkeys were burned to a crisp and Isaw one man trying to cover his burnt face and hands with towels. A crowd quicklygathered around me so I figured I had better beat it. The soldier refused to come soI headed up the valley and the original guide and about six farmers came along withme. One gave me a donkey to ride. After a while we ended back at the first house Ihad been in after I landed. I switched from the donkey to a mule and with theoriginal guide plus one other farmer we started out again.

We crossed three mountains and it was now eight hours since I bailed out. Up

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ahead was a small house. As we approached it I heard someone holler “Hey, there’sHumby.” I leaped off the mule and ran into the house ... and there to my surpriseand delight were the other members of my crew. My first question was “Who ismissing?” Their answer was “Only you.” Because they had all jumped togetherthey were able to count the chutes coming down. The count was only ten ... so theyfigured I had been trapped in the plane. Two of the men had sprained ankles andtwo had cuts on their heads. One lost some teeth when his canteen hit him in themouth. Other than bruises the rest were OK. We were in the hands of friendlyChinese guerrilla (Communists) near the town of PINGGU … about fifty milesnortheast of Peiping (also known as “Peking” and now “Beijing”). For the first timeI breathed easy because up to this point I did not trust anyone with whom I hadbeen in contact.

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Chapter 2

February Diary Notes

February 2: When I was united with the rest of the crew it was approximately 4:15PM. The guerrilla gave us “boiled hot water” and something that looked (but didnot taste) like pancakes. They then warned us that we had to move right awaybecause the Japs would be sending out search parties. The other fellows had landedon the upper slope of the first mountain above the Jap held lowlands. The Japheadquarters was two miles below us. Being last to exit the plane, I had passed overthree mountains into a safer area - if there was such a thing. After eating, we set outwith the guerrilla escort and walked until midnight. They carried Morrison andOsterhouse (sprained ankles) on crude stretchers made from tree branches.

Humby Map # 2

Note: In order to maintain the integrity of the route of travel, this map, and the next two tofollow, will be excerpts of Art Humby’s original map. Note under “Pinggu” the note Feb. 2.Then follow along the route and see the dates, Feb. 5, 10, 15, 22, 27. If your curiosity is up toit, you may want to find a book of “Maps of the World”, such as the Rand McNallypublication I am using as a reference for maps #s 1 and 5, to try and follow along. Thevarious locations of the “China Walls” may be a helpful reference. Note the extended stay atFuping. The dates for that stop are from March 2 to 21 and the last date entry, on this map, isMarch 28.

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On arrival, we ate again and lay down in some sort of barn to try to get some sleep.We had been awake twenty six hours and were very cold, aching all over and deadtired - both physically and mentally. Yes, we were scared and worried but also gladto be alive and together on the ground.

February 3: Cold sleeping last night. Had feast about 10 AM. Injured are noworse. Sent our names and serial numbers to Yenan (Guerrilla Headquarters).Think we have about eight hundred miles to go. They say we will make it in sixweeks but I doubt it. Traded flying helmet for Chinese hat as did some of theothers. Chinese hats cover our ears. Wonder if squadron, folks, Bette know ourpredicament. Interpreter was a Korean student in Tokyo - saw Doolittle raid onJapan. Sent to Manchuria as Jap soldier and escaped. His name is Wong. Hadhuge feast at three o’clock. Wine very strong. Sweet spuds, best I ever tasted.Women and children representatives appeared with note (brave airman who crossedocean to fight for China, etc.). Gifts of fruit, cookies, etc. Girl gave speech and twointerpreters translated it. We gave “thank you” note. Four kids sang song.Commander gave us 100 cigarettes each (local stuff). Children gave us toothbrushes and face powder for teeth. Got towels, soap, Chinese overcoats. Escortcompany of 300 stood at attention and bugle was blown as we lined up in front ondonkeys. Some will escort us to Yenan. Rode donkey from 5:30 PM till midnightthrough Jap lines - cold as hell - temperature around zero - thought I’d never makeit. Towels around neck (our breath froze to ice on towels) - feet froze solid. We areup in high mountains. Frequent stops for investigation (to inquire of Jap positions).Claim we went ten miles but it seemed like a hundred. Ate eggs, soup, tea, peanuts- to bed at 2 AM.

1. The Chinese measure distance by a “Li” (3 to a mile). Distances we covered on daily tripswere probably estimates.

Rest Stop withChineseGuerrillas inFebruary, 1945.

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Captain Art Humby with Chinese Guerrilla assistant and new four-footed friend.

February 4: Up at 9 AM (Sunday). Washed, brushed teeth for first time (with facepowder). Big breakfast (eggs, chicken, soup, etc.). Started out at 11:05 and arrivedat 1:30 covering about seven miles. Fine trip - good donkey almost my size. FourPM - hungry, no food yet. Washed feet and they are washing our socks. Had teaagain. Drink it fifty times a day and it is the same as hot water (if you see a fewleaves in it, you know it is tea). Traded knife to commander for Jap flag. Spent lastnight 1 1/2 miles from the enemy. Everyone OK - sprained ankles improving.

Figure now that we have 1,000 miles to go and it looks like three months. Thisturned out to be true. Boys are making all kinds of trades. Expect to see AmericanS-2 intelligence man in ten days. Still wondering about folks, Bette, squadron, mail

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and personal belongings. Fellows often laugh at experiences so far - and at closecalls. Ate scrambled eggs, rice, bread, tea.

Working on travel adjustments. L Center: Lt. Morrison, Flight Engineer,R Center: Lt. Double, Co-Pilot with Chinese Guerrilla escorts.

Art, Kamiak and I spent hour in Commander’s room. Another interpreter joined us- speaks pretty good English and laughs like an American. More tea and peanuts.Big songfest - Americans and Chinese. To bed at 9 PM - warm but hard (beds inNorth China are wood or stone, no mattress or springs).

1. We would “sweat out” the Japs until April 12th - when we crossed the Yellow River intofree China.

February 5: Up at 3 AM and on our way. Bitter cold - towels on feet and face.Passed through hot (Japs) spot - set fast pace. Guerrillas with us are Koreanvolunteers. Slept three hours - fairly warm. Ate most so far - eggs, chicken, onions,meat, bread, tea. Had alert - Japs were sighted approaching but it turned out OK.Peasants made us a present of dozen new woolen stockings and we really neededthem. Also had cookies, nuts. Cpl. Fall having trouble breathing (asthma) - started

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last night. Morrison getting saddle sores (can’t walk, sprained ankle). Washedhandkerchiefs - have three of them. Fellows becoming expert with chop sticks andfew Chinese words. Commander gave me a fork yesterday, but I use it only inemergency. (We use chopsticks.) Throat a little sore - nose running - no bad coldsso far. At least half of crew swear that they will never fly again.

Ate again. Left at 5:30 PM. Crossed the Peiping Railroad about twenty miles northof the city. Hottest spot so far and the worst we expect (found out different lateron). Covered 30 miles over mountains in cold and heavy snow storm. Thought itwould never end - longest so far. Crossed rough rivers - could hardly see in snowand dark.

Mountains of North China that we walked over

Arrived about 3 AM after ten hours or so. Rode an ass more than half of the time.Quarters cold on arrival - bed cold - drank nine cups of tea in a row and ate taffy,peanuts. Got bad cold and the runs. Same with three others. Osterhouse walking alittle (sprained ankle), Morrison improving, Fall OK.

February 6: Up at 11 AM. Ate eggs, meat, tea. Much trading. All signed shortsnorters. This village burned by Japs last September. Slept a little. Boys have agreat time talking over their experiences. Sure wish we had a camera. Commandercooked the meal. It is an honor in the Chinese custom. Pretty good chow - lamblike hamburger. Drank bottoms up (Gombay is Chinese for bottoms up) with strongChinese wine. Everyone but Tobey has a hat now. Still drinking lots of tea and hotwater. Short ride - 1-1/2 hr - four miles. Nice town in mountains - ate chestnuts -pretty good. Warm room. Cold pretty bad - nose running. Used wooden saddles ondonkeys and we took a pretty bad beating.

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February 7: Miserable night - hot underneath and cold on top. (they build fireunder bed to heat it). Getting used to hard beds. Got Jap invasion money yesterday.Farmer came in at daybreak and said that Japs came out last night from East andWest. They know we are here so we are leaving after breakfast. Saw can ofBordens milk and got the label for Dad (worked for Bordens). Huge tangerines andhuge persimmons - delicious. Peanuts, chestnuts, cigarettes and we cut up toiletpaper for ourselves. Breakfast menu - pears, candied and fresh apples, tangerines,persimmons, cherries, rolls, french toast, scrambled eggs, beef, sliced pork, saltport, chicken, hamburgers, honey, potato pie, sweet wine, tea, steamed rice,Bordens canned milk, pineapple and cigarettes. (This, by far turned out to be thebest meal of the trip.) Latrines out in the cold and snow are plenty rough. Washedhanks. Beards growing and the fellows are not going to shave till we reach homebase. My left leg is black and blue from knee to ankle due to parachute landing -hurts a little. Injured improving rapidly. Half of crew still say that they will neverfly again. Feel that we will be returned to States and the boys want instructors jobs.Cold here in the mountains. Off again for 2-1/2 hours and then 1/2 hour rest. Hidbehind huge rocks in valley while small Jap plane circled overhead looking for us.Rode three more hours - roughest trail yet - over rocky mountain trails and lots ofsnow and ice. Donkey threw me three times - hurt bad left leg the last time. Atdestination we found a Mr. Hao - a Chinese who spent eleven years in Americayears ago - graduate of Baldwin-Wallace College, Ohio. Tells us the Russians arethirty miles from Berlin and the Americans have taken Manila. Wonder if Europeanwar will be over when we get back. Ate - swell brown bread - best blankets yet.

1. Japs used small planes to search for us - on and off for first three weeks.

February 8: Slept fairly well - it is fairly warm but a little cold and wind blowing.8 AM - dressed quickly - 300 Japs coming. Whole town with animals and all theirbelongings plus us fled as babies cried and people got panicky. Could hear machineguns as Japs entered. Forced march of four miles (big 6’ Chinese guerrilla carriedinjured Morrison) - ate - played cards as we waited for the latest word. Japs aredefinitely searching for us. Took it on the run at 4 PM. There are 300 Japs in thevillage where we slept last night four miles away and about 400 more are reportedcoming down from the North. Walked, rode, climbed mountains till 3 AM (11hours) with injured Morrison crawling (or carried) where he could not ride. Slept inbarn on small rack which held woman, three babies, two chickens and eleven of us.Cold - smoky - no rest.

February 9: Ate stew and soup. Took off at 5 PM. Crossed under railroad where itcrossed river on bridge. Saw three trains pass and could see Japs sitting in them -hid from one train which stopped on bridge as we went under it. Stopped at 2 AM.Country getting poorer - worse food - no blankets - use canteen for pillow.

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February 10: Up at six - ate stew and soup. Off at 8:30 AM. Went all day until 4PM. Roughest mountain so far - made good time - not too cold - saw two airplanes.Art Double sick yesterday and today. Others threw up. My cold the same.

February 11: Slept in bed with Art, Wong (the interpreter), his friend, woman andfive kids. Slept twelve hours but no rest - not enough room to roll over. Off at nineand climbed highest mountain so far. Art, Doug, Carnicelli, Morrison andOsterhouse have to ride donkeys due to various injuries and sickness. Last part ofjourney was all down and level and made good time. Lots of good news - no morehigh mountains, safe, good food ahead, can make Yenan in a month (four outrightlies). Everyone’s spirits picked up. Art has not eaten for three days - cannot holdfood down. Saw a Jap bomber, a Betty. Arrived nice village. Good beds, but thesame type. Ate big meal of good food at last - first in about four days. Hear that theRussians are now twenty miles from Berlin. Ate nuts - no fruit yet.

February 12: Lincoln’s birthday. Good rest - blanket. Up at 7 and ate with themagistrate at ten. Everyone ate like horses and the food was good. Are staying overtoday for rest. Morrison took shot in arm for bad ankle and Art is improving.Washed both pair of socks, feet, hanks and towel. Tomorrow is Chinese New Yearso we may have to stay another day. Would rather keep moving. Often wonderwhat home and Bette know and how much they are worrying. Anxious to reachhome base before squadron moves to base on Saipan. Interpreter Wong tells us thathe was a Jap soldier, on guard duty in China and one night he escaped toCommunists. Doctor who treated Morrison was boxing champ in Japan. He walkedout of Muckden (Jap steel mills and iron mines in Manchuria). Gave my stale cigarto Chinese and about six of them tried to smoke it and almost choked. Theychanged plans and we left about 6:15 PM on nine donkeys. No wind, thank God,but bitter cold. Crossed two mountains - not too bad but awfully steep comingdown. Crossed big river after stopping for Chinese New Years Eve at midnight.Messed around two villages looking for place to stay before we finally stopped at 5AM after eleven hours on the road. No food, no blankets, no fire, no hot water, nonothing. Everyone miserable and freezing - worst spirits yet (my lowest point ofentire journey). Left Wong and Korean volunteers behind and this interpreterspeaks very little English. We have only small force of soldiers and it is verydangerous because Japs raised hell here last New Years. We see many burned outvillages, Jap barracks, etc. Slept in Japs barracks last night. Have been praying a loton journeys to forget my misery. Keep day-dreaming of wonderful American food,candy, etc. If I ever get to the States I will treat myself royally always. Thoughts ofhome and Bette ever on my mind. Also wonder about the squadron. Can picture thejoy for all when we turn up safe. Cold worse - bowels OK - beard growing - losingweight.

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February 13: Wide awake at 8 and only dozed for hour because we were freezing.Manhole covers and gristly meat for breakfast. Interpreter mentioned air field so wehave hopes for earlier return because we were told something about it once beforeat our base. (The airport myth starts.) Traded knife yesterday to chief for Jap hat.Never got that Jap flag I was promised. Had a pretty fair lunch yesterday with thetown magistrate. Long to lie on the beach and soak in the sunshine for I don’t thinkI’ll ever get all the cold out of my bones. Left at 12:15 - walked hour - picked updonkeys and walked and rode until 7 PM. Cold but not windy - dead tired - slept till10 PM and then had stuffed manhole covers, very good. Went to sleep but therewere six on the bed and only a half blanket and we could not roll over. Not cold.Found out that I have lice. (They would haunt us for the whole trip.)

1. Manhole covers were round, pizza-like pastry - hard as a rock.2. Gristly meat was like hamburger source unknown).

A view of the Great Wall of China from behind the Jap lines.

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February 14: St. Valentine’s Day. Up at 8 - manhole covers and gristly meat forbreakfast. Country very poor - we are very hungry. Off at 11 AM and arrived at atown at 4 PM. Met an American fighter pilot who was shot down near Peiping onFeb. 6th. His name is Wells. Got a good interpreter at last (John Fong). Cigarettesand a wonderful meal - we ate like horses for we were starved. Got blankets - notcrowded - three rooms. Good wash and to bed at 8 PM. We think there is an airporttwo weeks walk from here.

Introducing Lt. R. D. Wells, Pilot of P-51 from 530th Fighter Squadron

“Lt. Wells had been downed on the 6th of February after his engine was hit by 20mm ground fire in the vicinity of Nan-yuan, about ten miles immediately south ofPeiping. Following briefing instructions, he headed for the mountains to the west ofPeiping and bailed out about fifty miles from the city. The first person he saw onlanding was a farmer, who he seized and showed the flag sewed inside his jacket.The farmer led him to a guerilla leader who arranged his trip to Lin-nan-t'ai, aboutfour days’ walk. There he met the Humby crew.”

[This information was extracted from the official interrogation report dated 3 May1945.]

February 15: Up at 8 - good sleep - persimmons - breakfast with DistrictCommander - much eggs - good meal. Had toast and real tea. Commander (GeneralChaou) gave me a Samurai sword - a swell one. Interpreter gave talk on location,Jap positions, etc. and we see that we really have been through it. About two moredays to the next headquarters and then about ten days to Fouping where we thinkthere is an airfield. They took pictures of us and fitted us for Chinese uniforms. TheChinese washed our handkerchiefs and underwear - sure hope I am deloused. Stillpraying and thinking of home and Bette often. They sent wire to Yenan giving ourposition. We found out that the Japs had a big ambush for us at the last railroad. Weheard that the Russians are now twenty miles from Berlin. Expect to rest a few dayshere - we need it, especially Morrison. All of us have had colds. Expect bettertreatment from here on in. Morrison’s eye is closed and swelled up because hebailed out with his glasses on and lost them. Osterhouse put on his shoe for the first

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time. Ate good supper - egg omelette.Eating many nuts, pears and persimmons. Iam in warm room - other two are cold.There are 200 Japs ten miles from here.Had a long talk with the interpreter and hetold us about the 500,000 troops and the 9million people that Mao and theCommunists control. We feel prettyconfident that the ex-Jap landing strip atFouping will get us out. Did not feel welltoday - bed at 8 PM. Underwear still wet.

1. Carried the Samurai sword all the way out andhave it home on the wall.

February 16: Up at 8 - bowels loose. Fairbreakfast. Am wearing underwear and Ithink I am deloused. Time sure drags -expect to leave here the day after tomorrow.Got puppet money. Expect to get Jap flag.Fighter pilot and I gave speeches beforelarge audience, answered questions. Veryembarrassing questions about National Army (Chiang Kai-shek). Cold about thesame. Morrison’s bad eye has improved but the other one is going bad now.Tempers very bad among the crew. Got new socks. My lip is breaking out. Some ofthe boys played basketball today. Interpreter gave us high hopes of flying out ofFouping. Fellows are always counting days, time, miles and the capabilities of a C-47 (its ability to land and take off on a short, rough, dirt runway). I expect to beairborne within two weeks. Ate - chow not so good now. Beans, bread, turnips allthe time - very little meat. Lots of nuts and fruit but still only two meals a day.Weather warmer - bed at 8 PM.

1. All of China went on two meals a day for duration of war.

February 17: Awake at six - bowels very loose - too much sleep. Good sack - lotsof blankets and we will keep one each. Got bag to carry items - deloused again -they bite like hell. I don’t know which is worse, their bite or their constantcrawling. They drive you nuts! Ate - B-29 passed over at 10 AM - vapor trails andeasy to see - it’s our boys and a great feeling. Interpreter says headquarters upahead, wants us to rush. Leave tomorrow. Koreans caught up with us today. Coldvery little better. Morrison’s eyes very bad - ankle much better. Slight headache.Find that patience is a great virtue - fellows are very uneasy because we are not

Art Humby poses withhis new Samurai sword.

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moving. Still wondering about home, Bette, squadron and whether we will return tothe States. Ate - beans again - food getting a lot worse. Eating lots of cheese andbread to fill up and stop my bowels. No clothes yet. To bed at 6:30.

1. I tried to signal the B-29 with my rescue signal mirror. No luck - probably due to altitude ofplane.

February 18: Up at seven - bowels still loose. Deloused again - found two.Breakfast - cheese, beans and bread. Clothes came at noon - small but OK. Gavemy gun to Gen. Chou - got flag at last. Also got camera and nine rolls of film and Iam really happy now. Took four pictures. Morrison got crutches and I loaned himmy sunglasses. His eyes and ankle are much better. Found that there are Americansat Fouping (two spies) and they are the ones who want us to hurry so our hopes arereally high. Should leave tomorrow after breakfast for sure. Got another sword toraffle off among the boys. Bowels improving - feel pretty good. Ate - beans again.Had the interpreter and General in for a couple of hours before we went to bed. Gotpack of good cigarettes. Heard that a B-29 circled a couple of nearby towns theother day. To bed at 8.

1. Later on I got Jap pistol to replace my gun. Still have it.2. Have many great pictures of our walk out.

February 19: Off at 10 AM - Cpl. Fall won the sword. Sad parting but sure glad tobe on our way. Two pictures. Pretty good donkeys. Fairly warm - long trip - arrivedabout 8 PM. Very high mountain, no food all day. Got eggs, bread, meat andonions about 10 PM. Put door under me and slept on it because bed got too hot.

February 20: Fair sleep - not cold - blanket a life saver. Took picture and changedrolls. Towns around here all ruined by the Japs. Day is overcast - looks like snow.Cold much better - lip still bad. Off at 11 AM and stopped one hour at noon - tookpicture. Ate three nuts, egg and two slices of bread on the trail but was still hungry.Arrived early, 4 PM. This town is large headquarters. Ate persimmons, pears,peanuts and got fairly good cigarettes. Good interpreter and good wash. Ate a feastthat was best yet - honey and coffee. Fine clean beds and rooms - good blankets -pretty warm. Found that we are all swimming with lice so we slept in raw and hadour clothes boiled. Interpreter slept in our room on first real bed we have seen in amonth.

February 21: Up at 8 - wonderful sleep - good wash. Ate three pears and peanuts -breakfast at 10. Feast. They now claim that there is no airfield at Fouping and theboys’ spirits are way down. Morrison’s eye is bad again so he and Double (who issick) will stay here while the rest of us go on and try to build a landing strip at

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Fouping. Hope they will let us leave tomorrow. Cold much better, Note from twoAmericans, Russian and Jap who are in the next compound but it sounds fishy sowe were advised not to see them. Woman doctor fixed Morrison’s eye. Still prayinga lot. One week to Fouping and a months from there to Yenan.

1. The note from the four evaders in the next compound makes a fascinating story (mystery)!More later.

February 22: Washington’s Birthday. Good sleep in the raw - up at 8 - it snowedlast night - cold out. Good breakfast - they took pictures - one of the General andmyself. They gave me another Jap sword - off at 10:30. Made good time - very coldand the ground is snow covered. Arrived 4 PM. 50 Li (3- Li to one mile) - onesmall mountain - fine trip. Washed - ate peanuts - took two pictures of mountains.Ate cheese, eggs, bread, honey and hot water. The bread is really the staff of lifenow. To bed at 7:30 - straw under mat.

February 23: Up at 7:30 and ate at nine. Had cheese, eggs, honey, bread and hotwater. Started at 10:30 - very slow travel - many stops - five small mountains. Onevillage put on a show for us - I took pictures. Trail hard - much snow - cold attimes. On trail I ate egg, three slices of bread, pears, peanuts and am still hungry.Six of us in bed - too small. Ate same menu and then to bed at 8:30. Interpretergave us hopes again about Fouping but says we have eight days more of travel.

February 24: Up at 7:30 - took pictures of snow valley - changed film - three rollsused so far. Same menu for breakfast. Walked ten Li and then picked up donkeys.Crossed river between Jap forts three miles apart - dangerous - only 50 soldiers.Signal tree on mountain said no Japs had come out. Crossed very high mountain.Much snow - very cold. New Interpreter is Chia Ming. He is a good boy. Arrived 6PM. Not so hot and we all ate seven eggs each and then to bed.

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A view of Snow Valley

1. Japs built small forts (blockhouses) at various intervals. Their soldiers lived in them andcontrolled the population.2. Guerrillas removed the signal tree when Japs left block house.

February 25: Up at 8:15 - no eggs (ate them all last night) - very little honey.Walked one hour because my donkey went lame. Two persimmons and three boiledeggs. Route level but rocky. Stopped second time for tea. Third time stopped atmarket where there was a big show going on and all kinds of things to buy. Hadcamouflaged manhole covers, taffy, tea and pears. Arrived at 6 PM after a longdrawn out day. Took pictures of rocks. Big feast after four days of nothing buteggs, cheese, bread and some honey. Met three generals and then to bed early at7:30.

1. Trouble with towns and many people was that they tipped off our location to Japs.

February 26: Up at 8 - fair sleep - woke up sick during the night - must be thefood. Got new socks - washed old ones and hanks. Boys got haircuts and I tookseven pictures. Fine breakfast. Think we can make Fouping in four days. Boys arereally sweating out that air strip. One time it sounds good and the next time bad. Ican’t picture us walking beyond Fouping. This is our twenty fifth day on the roadand it is starting to get us. We hear that Morrison and Double left yesterday. Good

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supper. Went to festival - had Chia Ming play the harmonica. To bed - still havelice.

February 27: Heavy breakfast - General took my picture and one of the group. Offat 11 - mules instead of donkeys. Rode eight hours - arrived 7 PM. Good meal butseven on bunk so too crowded for good sleep. Country is more hills than mountainsnow. Lost chain on my sword.

February 28: Good breakfast - rice, eggs, potatoes, meat, etc. Kids put on show forus before we left. Two pictures. One woman here is called the Mother of the EighthRoute Army. Off at 9 - arrived at 5 PM. Easy trip - all pretty level. Had three eggsand bread in pocket but still starved. Heavy snow started late in day. Weather notcold now. My cold almost gone. Lip almost better. Ate fruit - good bunk - washed -fine meal.

Art Humby wearing his salvaged AAF aircrew flight cap.Over his left shoulder you will see two OSS men, Domke and Dolan.

1. Eighth Route Army was originally a Chiang Kai-shek army that switched over to Mao. Itwas called the “Ba La Gin”.

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Our interpreter Chia Ming drank toast all around. General gave long speech onCommunists and Eighth Route Army. One other English speaker here and he saysthere is an air strip ten days beyond Fouping. Dolan (American) phoned fromFouping - says not to pin high hopes on flying out. Our spirits are at rock bottomnow. Bed at 9. Chia Ming now uses slang - says “Hit the sack”.

Chia Ming – our best friend

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Chapter 3

March Diary Notes

March 1: Up at 7:30 - still snowing. Late breakfast but good. Eat about a dozeneggs a day now. Often the only food we can get. Off at 11 AM. Easy trip - two hills- trail all mud. Everyone rode - snow stopped. Arrived at 5 PM and stopped oncefor an hour. Bunks no good but enough room. Didn’t eat until 9 PM, then to bed.

Humby Map # 3Note the dates from March 2 — 21 (Fuping) to 25, to 28 and then a sharp left into April.

March 2: Went down one month ago today and it has been a long haul. Shouldarrive at Fouping today and find out what the score is. Still lousy - eat peanuts allday every day when we can get them. Cold much worse - good mule today and trippretty short. Arrived Fouping 4 PM and met Dolan and Domke, the Americans(spies). Discussed air strip but it sounds bad. Think Americans won’t send a shipunless it is absolutely necessary. Ate with eight Generals - food not so good -played finger betting games and all got feeling good on the wine (loser mustbottoms up). Pretty good crowd - got private cave with four orderlies and twointerpreters. Saw old copies of Time, Saturday Evening Post and Readers Digest.

March 3: Hardly a wink of sleep last night due to the worst coughing fit I haveever had in my life. Saw Doc and got some sort of medicine. It was due to fumesfrom the small fire burning in the cave. Off to look at landing site 30 Li away. Trip

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took 2 1/2 hours on good horses. Ground a little on the soft side but we figure wecan fix it up in two weeks for a C-47.

OSS Men, Domke & Dolan with two Guerrillas at Fouping.

Ate - food no good - returned to base - three hours. Threw up on way back due tocold on chest. Called Morrison and he and Lt. Double will be here in two days. Hiseyes and foot are much better.

March 4: Sunday, but you would never know it. Slept a little last night but stillhave a terrific cough. Pretty good breakfast - scrambled eggs and rice. Sentmessage to Yenan and now we must sweat it out for a week. Washed socks, feetand hanks. Am in misery with my cold. Spent the day reading Time and ReadersDigest. Day is real cold and windy - sure glad we are not on the road. Eating muchbread, rice and honey.

March 5: Up at 7:30. Wash, coffee, breakfast at 9:30. Still cold and very windy.Feet cold all the time. Throat still raw and cough almost unbearable. Hear thatMorrison is in a hospital with frost bitten toe - hope it isn’t bad. Four of our five

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Chinese friends from back East arrived and we had a reunion. Interpreter says thatChief of Staff is going to give me a Jap pistol. Still no bath or haircut due to cold -no shave since going down. Still pray a lot and wonder about home and Bette.Bowels regular - use peanuts and cheese to tighten and pears to loosen. Teeth areblack. Still eat only two meals a day when we can get them and dream of Americanfood. We all feel pretty sure now that the Squadron will be gone from our base andwe will return to the States. They took our picture today and I gave them a roll ofmine to develop. Got measured for underwear which is all I wanted. To bed at 7PM.

Capt. Humby and Cpl Kamiakwith two Guerrilla Commanders.

We spent the next nine days at Fouping (Chin Cha Chi Headquarters) sweating outan answer to our many radio messages asking for a rescue plane. We sent at leastseven or eight messages to Yenan, Chunking and the American Observers. NOREPLY! I believe that the Communist guerrilla either never sent the messages ordid not give us the replies. I believe that they delayed us for propaganda purposesor to get more aid from the United States. At that time the aid was going to ChiangKai-shek who they themselves were fighting (Civil War). It was very frustratingand nerve racking and almost caused a mutiny when some of the fellows nearlytook off on their own … Japs or no Japs. Finally, when the guerrilla realized thatwe were at the breaking point, they agreed to continue our walk out.

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The reader may wish to skip, in the diary, to March 15th since nothing much otherthan the above, happened during our stay at Fouping. The 4th through the 14thcould prove to be dull reading. We did not do much other than eat, sleep, read, playbasketball and volley ball and get on each others nerves. There was no Jap threat inthis area.

March 6: Up at 8:30 after 13-1/2 hours inthe sack. Slept nearly all of that time.Throat much better but still hurts plenty.Four cups of coffee, then breakfast. Nowind today but it is still cold. Should getan answer from Yenan in a couple of days.Read the Readers Digest most of the day.Got Chinese shoes - real warm. Bowelsloose. All these Chinese are learning slangfrom us. We play numbers and knife,paper, stone game for wine (loser drinksup). Eating lots of rice and sugar. Peanutsand pears all day every day. Still have lice.Boys went to a Drama and stayed from 2to 12 PM, leaving when the thing was stillonly half over. They had to sing a song forthe audience (I’ve Been Working On TheRailroad). I hit the sack at 6:30.

1. Many times on the trip the Chinese wouldsing for us. We would than all sing “Someone’sin the Kitchen with Dinah’’ - or “Working OnThe Railroad”.

March 7: Up at 8:30 - 14 hours in the sack and my throat is almost normal now.Wash, coffee and then breakfast. Spirits much better because throat is OK and dayis warm and sunshine. Might hear from Yenan today. Hear that radio said one B-29over Kyushu (Japan) so it must have been one of ours. (Only photo planes flyalone.) If answer does not come today will send another message to Yenan. Dolansaid he sent message to wire our folks that we are OK. Plane of ours passed over at1 PM and most of the boys agree that our squadron is still operating. Got Chineseunderwear. We get coffee before breakfast and usually once in the early afternoon.Food not so hot - very little meat. To bed at 8 PM.

Capt. Humby with Cha Ming(our favorite interpreter)

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March 8: Up at 6:30. Throat OK now. Took bath,got haircut, washed hair, put on new underwear,cut fingernails and toenails - I am hardly the sameman now. Weather like Spring. Got two picturesthat were taken back East. Came out pretty good.Walked to Dolan’s quarters a mile and a half awayand saw him and Domke - talked about an hour.No answers to messages of 2/26 and 3/4 so we sentanother asking what action has been taken. Expectanswer from Yenan Observers in two days.Interpreter tells me I will get Jap pistol in two days.Had underwear washed - may go to see hospitaland Pictorial tomorrow. Double and Morrisonexpect to stay at the hospital for another week -

they are 30 Li from here. Bowels loose - feel fine -cold almost gone - lip OK. Pray a lot - think of home

and Bette - l wonder when we will get back and if we will return to the States. Hada long talk with Mr. Lee about North China and China in general. Eighth Army(guerrilla) has agents everywhere and can even take pictures on Jap airfields.

Injured Morrison gets haircut atFouping Headquarters behind

Jap lines.

March 9: Up at 7 - breakfast at8 - off to the hospital 9 - arrived1:30 - not a bad trip - 30 Li -had horses, saddles and stirrups.Double and Morrison OK - justkilling time there while beingtreated royally. They expect tocome to Fouping in a week.Didn’t see any of the hospital or Pictorial. Rode back in three hours and I walked atotal of three hours all day. The check message didn’t go out until this morning.Had eggs at hospital and big meal at 7:30 when we got back. Weather a little coolbut a lot like Spring and if we have to walk out I don’t think it will be too bad. GotJap pistol today - darn good souvenir. (Still have it.) Also can use it if necessary inplace of my 45 automatic.

Capt. Humby gets firstbath in a month.

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March 10: Up at 7:30 because plane was circling but was gone before I could getout to see it. Hope it was a B-29. We have invitation to play basketball vs. visitingChiefs of Staff after supper. Played them volley ball a few days ago and won twoout of three. Smoked pipe - my tobacco is almost gone and pipe is partly broken.Read most of the day. Weather still like Spring. Domke and Dolan came over forsupper and said Chief of Staff sent message. We should get a quick answer to that.Dolan brought vitamin pills - a life saver. Played basketball and lost 19 - 10, veryrough game. Took rubdown and then to bed.

March 11: Up at 8:30. Get ten to thirteen hours sleep every night. Ate bigbreakfast - farewell to Chia Ming who left this morning with tears in his eyes. Hewas a great guy. Expect some sort of message today. Read and then slept threehours. Weather still fine. Boys played volley ball after supper. Gave all ourcompasses to Eighth Route Army. Bed at 9.

March 12: Up at 9 - this rest is doing us all good. Easy life except for the food. Allwe can do is think. I’ve been thinking a lot of Bette and what I will do after the warand where we will live. No message yet - sent another, this time throughChungking. Dolan spent most of the day with us.

L to R: Kamiak, Osterhouse, Carnicelli & Kelsey taking their ease.

Had some snow today and then some rain. Played basketball again and won 39 -33. My one roll of pictures has not been returned yet. Sent magazines to Art andJim. Chinese want us to give speeches to meeting of Intelligence officers. Lovell,Wells (the fighter pilot) and I will do it on the sixteenth. To bed at 9.

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March 13: Up at 8:30. Same old routine - wash, coffee, cigarette and then sweatout breakfast. No sun - have not seen it now for a few days. General Gung gave usa talk on the Communist Army - very interesting. Kamiak got a sword.

Front, L to R: Kelsey and Osterhouse

Rear, L to R: Lt. Etling, Guerrilla, Capt. Humby, Guerrilla Commander

Dolan thinks the plane we heard the other morning was ours that came to dropsupplies. Drank too much wine after supper with Mr. Lee - lost my knife.

1. Found out, when we got out, that our C.O. (Maj. Allen) had made a supply drop to us but,due to foul-ups, the things dropped just disappeared.

March 14: Slept till 9. Quit smoking as of today because I think that we will haveto walk out in the end. Eight of us walked to Dolan’s house and spent about threehours there - nice day and the sun is out again. Got my roll of pictures and all butone came out OK. Wrote a speech on the B-29. Will not have to give it until theseventeenth. Still no message and I am ready to walk out right now. Bette taughtme patience and I am sure practicing it here. Wall of building fell almost on top ofus while walking to Dolan’s and it would have killed us. Guess we are not out aliveyet. Weather getting cold and windy again. Boys played volley ball after supper - tobed at 9:30.

March 15: Up at 9 - this sack time will spoil us. Am almost finished with thesecond Readers Digest. Am taking vitamin pills Dolan traded me a few days ago.This message came today - “Lat 38, Long 116 rescue B-29 crew that went down

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Feb. 2.” The message came six weeks after we crashed. We sent another messagetoday. Six of the fellows are ready to walk out in a couple of days but I think I willwait till we get some sort of an answer. Dust storm in the afternoon - cold day. Tobed at 7:30.

March 16: Up at 9 - coffee, cigarette - am smoking again. Saw B-29 at 10:30 -very high - almost overhead - big vapor trails and they stayed a long time. Glad tosee that the boys are still there. Still no answer. Lovell and Wells gave speeches.Took some pictures. Still taking vitamin pills. Weather nice but still a little too coldto travel. Saw Drama at night (La Guri) and left when half over. Sang them songand saw Wong and his Captain. To bed at 12 - the latest yet here.

March 17: Up early (8) and ate early but won’t give speech till this afternoon.Took some pictures and watched soldiers at target practice. Talked with Gen. Gungand six will leave day after tomorrow - rest, including me, will leave a week later.Gave speech about the B-29 and us and enjoyed it. All the big shots were arounduntil after supper. I read and to bed at 8:30.

1. In speech, was very vague about details of the new B-29. I had also warned Lovell andWells regarding their talks. They asked many questions but we played dumb. Good thing -because in a few years these same fellows were flying against our B-29s in North Korea!

Buildings we lived in at Chin-Cha-Chi Headquarters, Fouping.Note at left are three of our orderlies and special guards.

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March 18: Cold, no sun, little snow so stayed in bed until nine. Did not eat until10:30. Practiced basketball and read all day. Supper at 5:30. Wong and friend camewith copy of route we travelled and they will make a copy of it here. Still nomessage and none of us can understand it - have just about given up. Today isSunday but you would never know it. It will be great to go to church again - a bigchurch back in the States. Still pray every day and every time the bells ring aroundhere I think about church and Notre Dame. Read at night and to bed at 8:30.

March 19: Up at 9 -fine day - weathersure changes aroundhere in a hurry.Played basketball andwent for a one hourwalk. Listened toYenan-Chunking butcould get nothing.Tried to phone Art butgot no answer. Bigfarewell supper andeveryone got high.Fall passed out - thatBi Ga wine is surestrong. Sgt. Carnicellikept saying to the General,“Come on, George -- Let’s go.”

March 20: Boys did not leave because scouts had not finished work. Will leavetomorrow. I talked to Art and Jim twice today. They are coming here Friday (threedays) and will stay here a week or ten days so I decided to leave with the firstbunch. Domke and Dolan are also going.

Terrible day - rain and snow all day - snow stuck a little. Read and talked all day.Have had two rolls of film developed and all came out OK. Wrote to Chia Mingand sent him the pictures. Got offer to fly for the Eighth Route Army after the warat a good salary (probably in Manchuria). Got a bill from Mr. Lee and then to bedat 9:30. Bill was for “Services Rendered”!

Lt. Morrison with two guerrillas

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March 21: Wednesday - we leave this morning. Overcoat but not cold out. Somesnow on ground - first day of Spring. Off at 11 AM - Etling, Wells, Lovell,Kamiak, Fall, Tobey, Dolan, Domke and myself. Have mules with saddle packsand it is a pretty good deal. Turned out nice day - walked every other hour. Arrivedat 6 - ate at 8. River ahead is too deep to cross so we must wait one day and thentravel on the long north route so everyone is pretty sore. Learning two lessons -patience is a virtue and to argue is to lose friends. I have a cold again but not bad.To bed at 10.

March 22: Up at 9 - good sleep. Washed socks, hanks. Looked overcommunications and saw stolen Jap wire. Loafed all day and slept a little. Ate early- 4 PM. Bull session till 8 and then to bed. Was fine day - will travel tomorrow.Message from 20th Air Force came at 8:30 PM. Offered to drop supplies and isDoctor absolutely necessary so I called Kelsey and told him to answer that it wasnot necessary.

1. Too late for a drop and I was afraid of another delay.

March 23: Up at 7:30 - breakfast 8 - off at 9 - another nice day. Walked everyother hour and we forded a number of streams up to the mules belly. No mountainsyet. Got holster and sewed it to suit me. Arrived at 4:30 after 60 Li. Rather tired -very dirty and hungry. Will not eat till 8. This 8 AM to 8 PM without food is hardto take. Have been deloused for a couple of weeks but expect them any day nowsince we are on the road. My top teeth are very black now even though I brushthem twice a day. Have paste now - used to use face powder. These saddle packsare swell - hold a lot and keep it fairly clean. Dirty hole for a bed tonight but we arevery tired so won’t mind. Expect to travel tomorrow and every day for two weeks.Good supper - it surprised us and we ate like hogs. Bull session for an hour andthen to bed at 9 PM.

March 24: Up at 7 - packed for early start. My bottom lip hurts. Nice day. Off at8:45, after pretty good breakfast. Walked every other hour. Arrived at hot springs at3:30 and all took baths - it was a great experience. Felt fine after it. Three more Limade fifty and our destination. Peanuts and rested till chow at 7. Clean room - shortracks. Weather still fine. Figure Yenan thirty days from today. Fair supper - lots ofrice. I think we would die of hunger without it. Japs 30 miles from here. To bed at 9and slept with head at foot of bed for first time.

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Short break for rest on the trail

March 25: Sunday. Up at 7:15. Cold last night and this morning. Sure will be greatto go to church again. Dreamed last night that we arrived back at base and home atthe same time. Sun coming out so it won’t be a bad day. Movements regular everyday since bailing out. Lip a little better. Walked more than half the way. It got veryhot and we sweated a lot - climbed a big mountain and then it was cooler. Find thatholding mule’s tail going up mountain helps a lot. Sometimes walking down themountain is harder than going up. Had one accident - two guerrilla tried to ride onemule across river and he bucked, tossing both in river. Shoes hurt back of my feettoday. Went through one blinding sandstorm today. Arrived early - 50 Li. Message- other group left today by different route and will join us tomorrow so we waithere a day. Everyone is sore because we lose another day and then there will be 14of us. Too many to feed and bed. Ate pretty good meal - to bed at 8:30 and sleptnext to Chinaman.

March 26: Up at 8 - breakfast - shaved for first time since bailing out but leftmustache on. Fine sun day. Lip is blistering on right side from cold. Washedunderwear, socks and hanks yesterday. Message - they will send ship to dropsupplies. too late now. Bull session in sun all day and ate at four. Sweated outsecond party till 8 but no dice. Got lot of dope on China from Domke and will getbook list from him later. Keep wondering where I’ll be sent when I get back andwhat I’ll choose if given a choice. Bette, Dad and Sis are always on my mind. Theybrought in fifty puppet converts today. They captured a Block house up ahead andwe may see it. Bed at 9:30.

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March 27: Up at 8 - breakfast - loafed - haircut and they wet hair to cut it in China.Some of the boys have gotten scalped but he had no clippers today so I did OK. Lipstill blistered and back of right foot still hurts. Fellows slept this afternoon but Ididn’t because I was afraid I would not sleep tonight. Another Spring day.

Barber shaves forehead, ears, etc.Second party arrived at 4 PM. Thedeal is all messed up. Morrison stillcan’t travel so he, Double and Mr.Lee will stay here (3 days fromFouping). He can move in about aweek. Fellows are real sore becausethey held us up. Carnicelli,Osterhouse and Kelsey will go onwith us. Double did not send ourdeparture message so we will sendone from here through Fouping. Bedat 9.

March 28: Up at 8 - 55 days since we bailed out. Off at 9:30 and saw lots of blockhouses and one destroyed Jap block house. Saw Great Wall of China all day. Hadnot seen it since back near Peiping two months ago. Saw wounded Jap prisoner onroad - he was taken with Block house the other day. It and the Japs are ten milesfrom where we are staying tonight. Walked better than half of the 65 Li today. Itrained twice but not for long. Easy trip. Four bunks - plenty of room but it is solidconcrete. It looks as though we are really on the move now. Taped right foot and itwas OK. Slight cold - lip healing OK. Took pictures of the Great Wall and BlockHouses. Left Shorty, our favorite orderly, behind. Ate at 7. Chinese captured Japairfield near here and now suggest we try for plane again but we refused. Aftersupper Chinese heard that Japs reinforced Block House ahead by 100 Japs so wewill leave again at midnight for 70 more Li to throw them off. Slept from 8:30 till11:30.

March 29: Off at 12:15 midnight after three bowls of millet. Full moon - movedfast - mostly all level - easy travelling. Saw flares and heard explosions but that isall we know. Crossed Wooto River with two others on mule with me - soldierswaded across. Passed five Li (1-1/2 miles) from the Japs. Got very cold and wecould not ride more than a half hour at a time or we would freeze. Had 400 - 500soldiers with us - dangerous country. Just at dawn saw full moon and full sun in skyat same time. Stopped once for land-mine scare. Could smoke only near the end ofthe journey. Arrived 7:30 AM - very tired. Dozed from 8:30 to 10:30 AM then ate.

Orderlies assigned to us during our stay at Fouping

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Country here is like Wyoming and Arizona. Can’t unpack blankets - Japs sevenmiles away. Off at 12:15 noon - slow travel over mountains and did 35 Li by 5:30PM. Everyone dead tired. Hit sack immediately. Up at 9:30 for chow and then backto bed. For first time the people raised hell about us taking their house. With theJap danger, poor food and rough terrain, some think we should have stayed atFouping and sweated out a plane.

March 30: Up at 7:30 - ate - off at 9. Cold and very, very windy. Did 35 Li alongmountain tops - troops and us very tired. Stopped at 1:30 after 35 Li all inmountains - crossed two of them. Five in bunks - won’t get much sleep - had coffeebut it is almost gone. Making good tracks but taking a beating. Ate, includingoatmeal.

On the trail.

Washed feet, socks and hanks. General gave us outline of route and enemypositions. To bed and slept pretty well. Others did not sleep because of hot Kong(bed).

March 31: Up at 6:30 - bowels loose and sick to my stomach. Ate one bowl of riceand few spuds. Off at 7:30 - movement twice before start and three times on trip.Dry heaves three or four times. Rode all but fifteen minutes and we moved till 4:30(9 hours). Covered 70 Li all in mountains. Weather cold and windy but picked uplater. Packed straw on cement Kong for bunk. Ate a little chicken for supper. Tooktwo sulphur pills and one vitamin pill. To bed at 8:30. Feeling very low.

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Chapter 4

April Diary Notes

April 1: April Fools Day. Up at 6:30 - feel pretty good. Took two more sulphurpills. Slept well last night - did not get up. Ate small breakfast. Off at 7:45 andwalked for 2-1/2 hours because the mules had to take the long route. Fine day - nottoo hot or cold. Mountain ridge very muddy - hard to walk. One pack mule slid onmountain and broke leg. We seemed to go up and down all day and I rode betterthan half the way. Took pictures and the General gave me a snap of himself.General was tossed in the river by his mule. Stopped for supper at 5:30 and gotthree boiled eggs because I had been sick. Others ate noodles. Fine village - cleanrooms - first glass windows we have seen. Off again at 9 PM - travelled along edgeof plains and crossed many river gullies. Rode all the time - dark - arrived at 1 AM.Long day - 17 hours and all are exhausted. They didn’t want us to take blanket offmules but we just had to. Dangerous area.

Humby Map # 4

Note the dates April 4, 9, 12, 15 and 17 on the map.

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April 2: Awakened at 7 AM by horse hoofs on stone and hollering in court yard.Orderlies and Mr. Ma (interpreter) rushed in and told us to run - the Japs are here.Pulled on pants - grabbed gun and ran. All villagers and most of the soldiers wereheading up the valley. Stopped twenty minutes out. Found out that Japs hadsurrounded a village a mile and a half away. They thought we were there. Farmer(guerrilla) got through and warned us. Waited a couple of hours then heard heavymachine guns and saw our men firing from the ridge of the mountain. Japs fledNorth and guerrilla went to ambush them. Several guerrilla wounded. Ate noodlesoup and potatoes in valley then started out at 1 PM. Arrived dead tired at 7:30after 65 Li. Bailed out two months ago today. Ate fine meal which was first decentmeal I ate in four days. Feel OK now - have slight cold, cold sore, chapped lips,chapped nose. Teeth are slowly clearing up. No lice yet but others have so I expectthem any day now. Only one cigarette in last three days. One last roll of film. Tobed at 9:45.

April 3 - 4: Up at 9 - fine sleep. Washed, ate and bid Mr. Ma good bye. Goodbreakfast. Got roll of film from Domke. Sewed pants. Got peanuts and two squaresof chocolate for the trip. No one has saddles except Lovell and Etling. Shaved forsecond time. Ate at 2 - off at 3 PM.

Wading another river

Stopped for tea after 20 minutes, rode on and off till 7 PM then dismounted andwalked for next 7-1/2 hours over mountains, snow, through rivers, etc. Overcast sowe couldn’t see - got lost. Fell over cliff and was saved by donkey tail. Crossedrailroad under bridge at 2:15 AM and everyone would have liked to blow up thebridge. Saw guerrilla stealing wire and sawing down pole. Rode all night - lostagain. Got real cold about 4 AM - crossing road after dawn and saw Jap strong

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point and block house. Two fellows had runs all night and I am getting them now.Stopped at 11 - slept two hours - ate rice and spuds - (first meal in 24 hours) - offagain at three - rode till 7:30 PM. Had tea, bullion, washed, slept from 8:30 till 11PM then ate supper, a pretty good meal. To bed at 11:30. Found out that fiveChinese guards led us across railroad - they had been put there by the Japs. Japshave best chance of catching us crossing railroads and rivers.

April 5: Up at 8:30 and ate at 9:30. Pretty good, manhole covers again. Off at 11 -went 45 Li and arrived at 4:30. Pretty easy - only two mountains. Washed, washedsocks and hit the sack for we are all pretty tired from that night march. Nose is verysunburned, lips chapped, face and hands windburned. Still have sore on mouth.Washed feet before socks. Up at 8:30 for supper then back in the sack.

Ready for the road.L to R: Lt. Bob Wells (Fighter Pilot), Cpl. Fall, & Cpl. Tobey (Radio Man.)

April 6: Up at 7 - breakfast - crossed Fen River - one hour stop for tea - arriveddestination 4:30 after 80 Li. Valley all the way and rode all but one hour. It startedto snow at 5 PM. Had fine meal for this is some sort of headquarters. Fine rackspace. Fellows rave every day now about how they will enjoy good food. We aresweating out two boxes of rations at Gin Sui headquarters two days hence. To bedat 7 for it is too cold to stay up with nothing to do.

April 7: Up at 7 - still snowing. Off at 8:30 and up in big mountain that puts us inthe clouds and we could hardly see. Cold and slippery. Warmed up a little later onso we had some fun by trotting and galloping the mules. Domke’s mule fell atgallop and pitched him off but did not hurt him. Arrived at 3:30 after shortest andquickest 70 Li yet. Had peanuts and dates (first in a long time) then ate big feast for

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this is the Sixth Subregion Headquarters. Snow stopped but still plenty cold. Twodays to Gin Sui and the rations. We figure we are safe now but there are still Japsaround (20 miles away). Looked through two captured Jap albums - bull sessionand then to bed at 7:30.

1. Our whole trip out was mountains and rocks - every step of the way.

April 8: Sunday and we think it is Easter. (Found out later Easter was April 1). Upat 7 - ate fine breakfast and off at 9 - stopped after 4-1/2 hours - had tea and threeboiled eggs and hit the road again. Arrived at 6 PM after 70 Li that was more like90. Had peanuts for second day straight. Boys are still jumpy - hop up in bed whenthey hear running or loud talking at night.

Village wrecked by Japs

We are pretty safe now. Cold almost gone but scab forming on another part of mylip. Still pray regularly. Keep thinking of home, Bette, what I’ll do when I reachIndia and what I will do after the war. Had feast again - everyone ate too much. Tobed hour after eating. Lovell and Fall threw up because they ate too much.

April 9: Up at 7 - big breakfast - off at 9:15. All level - didn’t stop till 2:15. Bigtown - large market - ate lots of sweets. Arrived Gin Sui Headquarters at 4:30 PM.Two American Sergeants here - on way in as spies - both 20 years old. Got rations -

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pretty good - lots of everything. Cigarettes and socks are best. First Americancigarette in over two months.

Some of the boys have lice again but not me. Have lice powder. Big meal forsupper. Will rest here two days. Read Lincoln then to bed at 10:30.

Halt for a rest at Hot Springs.

April 10: Up at 7:30 - woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. Coffee andcigarettes - then fine breakfast. Spring day - sent message to Yenan - bowels veryloose. Took pills. Read most of the day and washed underwear. Sure good to readagain, chew gum, eat chocolate, smoke American cigarettes and not worry aboutthe Japs. Big supper - guests of Chief of Staff.

Half dozen got high but I forced down two toasts. This Bi Ga wine is sure strongstuff. Doug very sick with dry heaves from too much wine. One general insistedthat we play Combat bridge. Message at 6 PM - weapons carrier will meet us on the16th. End of trail is in sight. Took baths, mine tomorrow when my underwear willbe dry. Expect new pants tomorrow - mine are black now.

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Still behind Jap lines in China, crossing river on Horses.

April 11: Up at 8 - coffee, cream, sugar, cigarettes, ration crackers. Great life -another Spring day. Ate fine breakfast - took bath and a picture of me in the tub.Got haircut. Sun very strong - everyone burned. Loafed all day - read Time andbooks on Arabs. Gave General carton of cigarettes and had a chat with him. Willphone Sergeant Harding’s Dad when I reach the States. Radio operator can’t getmessage. Hope it isn’t bad news. Had coffee, crackers and cheese before going tobed at 11.

April 12: Up at 8 - packed - took some medical supplies and left rest for Doubleand Morrison. Coffee, etc. again. Breakfast - many toasts. All got gifts - I receivedfine flag. Off at 10:30 - very hot day. Got tossed by mule and later on he ran awaywith me so than I changed. Carnicelli got bad fall.

Reached Yellow River - saw airport - went down river 10 Li and crossed in bargewith 12 mules. Good quarters - bullion - wash. Beautiful sunset on Yellow River.We are now in Free China and safe at last. Five days to Yenan and then a plane towe wonder where. Fine supper again. Read a Chapter of Joe Conrad’s ShadowLine. To bed at 9:30.

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Loading for the crossing of the Yellow River in North China to “Freedom”!

Rowing across the Yellow River to “Freedom”!

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April 13: Friday the thirteenth, Bette’s birthday. Up at 6:30 - good breakfast - lotsof scrambled eggs. Off at 8:30 - good white horse and not hard to ride. Followedriver all day - very hot but I rode all day. Got new hat and hank cloth beforeleaving. Crossed tributary of Yellow River in boat - horses forded then men carriedus to the boat. Country turning green in places. Arrived 6 PM - long day. Hadcoffee and chocolate. Fair supper - read another chapter - bed at 9:30 in good sacks.

April 14: Up at 6:30. Fair breakfast - off at 8:15. Stopped half hour at noon andhad pears and bullion which is coming in very handy. Hot day and everyone isburned. Wear light clothes but still sweat. Rode half day - mule slightly lame.Rarely moves but gallops up hills. Forded big feeder of Yellow River - crossed bigmountain. Arrived 4:30 - pretty long day. Two more mule days, then weaponscarrier. Had coffee and chocolate drink which we make from chocolate bar. Coffeenearly gone - rations were a life saver. My lip all cleared now - still pray every day.Found lice when I took that bath the other day but they are not bothering me. Fairsupper - to bed at 10.

April 15: Sunday. Off at 8:15 after coffee and breakfast. Very hot day and I walkedabout three hours all together. Ate best peanuts yet and poached eggs at 1 PM.Then soon left Yellow River and started into the mountains again. Glad to get awayfrom the river - monotonous and cliffs too high. Mule bad on hills - arrived at 5PM. Ate K ration breakfast, meat, cookies and coffee. Didn’t eat much supper.Finished Shadow Line by Conrad and gave it to the Chinese. Teeth are all cleannow - lip OK but I am afraid of another burn. Traded fruit bar for coffee. To bed at10 PM - good sack.

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April 16: Up at 6:30 and went through munitions plant after coffee. Saw machinegun and mortar fired. Ate breakfast and off at 9:15. Made fairly good time - a fewmountains. Walked two hours - sun very hot. Ate eggs and coffee at 1:30 - stoppedone hour. Off at 2:30. At 4:30 we met Jones and his buddy on the road - they hadcome out to meet us. Fine quarters - fine meal - three shots of whiskey. MajorAllen (our C.O.) was at Yenan in C-47. Said our personal items are in rear area(India) as is the squadron which has been deactivated. Jones says it is unlikely thatwe will go home and this has the boys sweating. Yenan tomorrow and then India ina few days - we hope. Leaving early in the morning. Heard that President Rooseveltdied on the 12th and it was a great shock to us. Also hear that the Americans are 64miles from Berlin. Guess it won’t be long now. To bed at 9.

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Humby Map # 5

Note the city of Yan'an, red arrow at left.

April 17: Didn’t get to sleep last night till midnight due to coffee and theexcitement. Up at 3:30 AM - coffee and off at 4:50. Good day to travel for it isovercast. Rough trail to drive - very dusty. Forded many streams - rained a littleand we really sweated it out. Ate K rations three times during the day, also Crations. Scared every animal and Chinaman along the way and we saw many tossedoff mules. They never saw a weapons carrier before. Ran out of gas one mile fromdestination - used gas from stove and got about a quarter of a mile from goal whenwe ran out again. Walked the rest of the way. Washed - ate eggs, carrots, jam, realbread, coffee - fine place. Lots to read. Will leave for Chungking Monday 23rd, sixdays from now. Read and to bed at 11:30.

April 18: Up at 8 - Fine bed but couldn’t sleep late. Coffee, biscuits, shaved, readand fixed odds and ends. Ate at 10:30 - Chinese meal. Read and played softball.Back to eat at banquet 6 - wine again. Bed at 9.

April 19: Up at 6 - walked two miles for American breakfast and ate five friedeggs. Loafed all morning and ate light Chinese lunch. Filled out interrogationforms. C-47 plane arrives so we took it to Chunking dropping Lt. Wells at Sian onthe way. Showered and ate and then drank too much gin and lemonade.

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1. We were set up for a banquet with Mao Tse-Tung but we were so sick of the stalling anddouble talk that we grabbed this chance to get out while we could (on the C-47). In later yearsI wished that I had stayed to down a few with Mao!

April 20: Up at 7 - ate - got uniform and slept till lunch. Food fine and its great tobe back to American chow. Interrogated by two Majors and a civilian(from Intelligence). Supper - read - to bed at 10.

April 21: Up at 6 - breakfast at 7. Interrogated by General Gross, DeputyCommander of China theater and also by the G-2 of the theater. Drank gin - bullsession and then to lunch.

April 22: Back to India and squadron via Air Transport Command. Flight crewswere gone to Saipan and Tinian but ground personnel still there. Big reunion.

Our Crew after Return

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Chapter 5

Questions Most AskedFood and Water: Most of the time we were very hungry - although there wereseveral times that we were given more food than we could eat. China was on a warpolicy of only two meals a day. (11 AM and 8 PM) so even when food wasavailable, this left us hungry. For most of the trip we ate whatever the guerrillacould beg (or take) from the peasants. The main items were eggs, millet, manholecovers and gristly meat. The manhole covers were like the dough part of a pizza -except hard as a rock. The meat was like a hamburger - made from whatever wasavailable?! In between these so called staples we lived on peanuts, goat’s cheese,persimmons, and rice - whenever any of them were available. Our only drink wasboiled water - otherwise we could not risk drinking it. At headquarters we got wine- on special occasions.

Weather and Temperature: During February and March it was bitter cold - zeroand below, especially higher up in the mountains. At times we had to get off thedonkey (if we had one) and walk to keep from freezing. Only Morrison had frostbite. We all wore long johns and GI shoes (both required uniform) and hats andwore towels around our faces. The coldest times were on night marches and whiletrying to sleep. When we had snow it was usually light. The weather warmed upsome in April.

Terrain: It was all up and down - one mountain after another. It was very rocky -even the trails, which we tried to follow. Thank God we had the GI shoes whichheld out to the end. Most of the rivers were frozen so we crossed on the ice.Toward the end we waded across or used rafts. We poled across the Yellow Riverin open boats.

Method of Travel: Mostly walked and climbed. Also at times we had somedonkeys and mules. We moved a lot after dark, but in safer areas we walked indaylight. Sometimes we had 300 - 400 guerrilla as escort and other times only theinterpreter. Railroads were well guarded so we usually crossed them at night andwhen possible under bridges.

Japs and Security: The Japs knew our general location all the time but, thanks tothe guerrilla, were never able to pin us down. We would go on long marches - orhole up for a couple of days - to throw them off. Sometimes the peasants (traitors)would tip them off. The Japs had our names and serial numbers because theguerrilla had sent that information by radio (in the clear) when we first went down.

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They lived in block houses at night and usually came out only in daylight. Till wefinally crossed the Yellow River, we were always very concerned about them - butwe placed all our faith in the guerrilla. Without them I am sure we would have beencaptured.

Sleep: If the area was fairly safe and the peasants friendly then the guerrilla wouldtake over one of their houses for us. Otherwise, we slept in caves, fields, chickencoops, barns, etc. The closest thing to a toilet was an outhouse - which was roughwith the snow and zero temperature. Their beds (kong) were made of wood with asolid front (no mattress or springs). They cooked at the end of kong and the heatwould go under the bed. No fire - you froze. A big fire - it got too hot to even siton. We used a canteen or our shoes for pillows. Try sleeping on the floor withnothing under your head.

Injuries and Sickness: We had a little bit of everything - bowel problems,sprained ankles, frost bite, Morrison’s eyes, Fall’s asthma, upset stomachs, saddlesores and bruises from falling. Morrison and Double suffered the most. We alsoworried about what would happen if someone came down with something serious -such as appendicitis!.

Map of the walk – Peking to Yenan

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Chapter 6

Miscellaneous Notes1. Three members of my regular crew (engineer and two gunners) missed this flightdue to illness. They were lucky - or were they? (now that it is over!)

2. There were three things the Chinese could not understand:

A. Now and then I would wear my dress hat which I had tucked in my flying suitwhen I bailed out. They always asked how come it did not fall off my head when Ijumped.

B. I had a removable bridge in my mouth and so was able to take out four teeth,clean them and put them back. They had never seen this and used to crouch downon the ground and try to look up into my mouth. Then they would laugh their headsoff.

C. The last thing was the vapor trails that our plane engines left in the sky. Theythought they were on fire.

3. Two sights I will never forget are the Great Wall of China and Peiping (alsoknown as “Peking” and now “Beijing”) at night. We looked down on its lights onenight as we sneaked by just to the north of it. The thoughts that went through mymind are too numerous to list. I would love to go back now..

4. Two weeks after going down, the guerrilla gave me a captured Jap camera. Withit came definite instructions to take as many pictures as possible showing how theguerrilla were fighting the Japs! I was then told to give the pictures to the Americanauthorities - and thus enhance the Communists’ chances of getting supplies fromus. Myself and crew were the only ones who ended up with the snaps.

5. In the diary on February 21st I mentioned a note we received from four otherevades in the next compound. They were two Americans, a Russian and Jap - theywanted to speak with us. We were at a guerrilla headquarters and the General incharge strongly advised me not to see them. He said that all four of them had beenworking in China when the Japs took over and were now heading out the same waywe are. He was helping them in a limited way but he said he did not trust them andwas sure that they were Jap spies. I thought it over - and took his advice. Since thenI’ve often wondered about it!

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6. Few people know it but Port Arthur was the Japs’ first Pearl Harbor! Just liketheir surprise attack on us - they pulled the same trick on the Russians at PortArthur. It was in 1904 and they used ships instead of planes - sank the Russian fleetin the harbor - won the Russo-Japanese War!

7. Some of the crew members had unusual stories to tell. One fellow saw a group ofsoldiers running toward him when he landed. He crawled under some bushes - tookout a picture of his mother and his girl friend - and said goodbye to them. When thesoldiers found him, he came out with his hands up. They turned out to be Chinesesoldiers wearing captured Jap helmets!

8. Finally, an apology for the diary being written as it was - small groups of wordsinstead of sentences. The reasons - it was bitter cold, on occasions time was short,lack of light, the notebook was small, I wanted to get all the facts down, I was deadtired, sick, hungry and usually mentally exhausted. Sorry about that.

9. Years after our walk-out, I received a letter from Major Allen (our C.O.). Heexplained how he had gone to Yenan and then had dropped emergency supplies tous in an area where “he thought we were”! He also said in his letter “I also pickedup the body of Captain Whitelsey, an OSI operative, who was trying to join up withyou. He was captured by the Japs and beheaded.”

Telegram reporting Art Humby missing in action

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Attachment # 1Official Interrogation Report

Note: Information which follows was taken from the

official interrogation report submitted by Captain James C.

Eaton, AGAS, dated 3 May 1945. A copy of this report

was obtained at a much later date from files in the National

Archives, Washington D. C. by Art Humby, Aircraft

Commander of the F-13 photo reconnaissance aircraft. The

readability of the original pages is such that their being

scanned and displayed with this report was not practical.

This information was retyped in a similar format that will

be more easily reviewed by interested readers and to make

it suitable for reproduction. There are a few cases where

parts of lines of text were partially or completely

obliterated. Where it was possible to identify specific

words that were identifiable, they were typed in. In cases

that were uncertain, a series of blank spaces were inserted

that seemed to fit the space on the page, hoping they might

be filled in at a later time.

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HEADQUARTERSUS ARMY OBSERVATION SECTION

APO 879CHINA THEATER (YENAN)

DATE: 3 May 1945

SUBJECT: Summary of Experiences of Humby Crew and Lt. R. D. Wells

TO: Commanding Officer, AGAS-China, APO 627, through channels.

Date of Crash: 2 Feb. 45

Place: O-mei-shan (Overlay) Pingu

Plane: F-13, #854, 1st Photo (VH) Sqdn

Humby Crew:

Capt. A. J. Humby, RD (recovery dates) 17 April 45Lt. A. L. DoubleLt. D. C. EtlingLt. H. K. LovellLt. J. B. MorrisonSgt. E. M. Carnicelli

Sgt. J. H. OosterhouseSgt. R. I. KelseyCpl. R. E. TobeyCpl. T. J. FallCpl. A Kamiak

Preliminary Interrogation: 18 April 1945

Lt. R. D. Wells:

Date of Crash: 6 Feb. 45

Place: About 50 miles w/Pei-p'ing

Plane: P-51, 530 F. Sqn.

Pilot: Lt. R. D. Wells, RD 17 April 45

Not Interrogated.

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Plane #854, an F-13 of the 1st Photo (VH) Sqn XX BC, was on a photoreconnaissance mission over Korea when an engine began to givetrouble. Attempts to feather the propeller failed, and it began to windmill.Eventually, it became necessary to abandon ship.

The men jumped in the vicinity of C-sei-shan (Fingu) (overlay). Allclassified material was destroyed and the ship was seen to crash andburn. In jumping, most of the men failed to take along all of their evasionaids, and consequently were short of medical items that would have beenuseful.

On landing, all encountered plainclothes soldiers of the local Peoples' orsoldiers of the Regular Army and were thus protected and gatheredtogether ____ ____. The Japanese garrison nearby sent out a small forceto capture them but it was quickly repulsed. Food, shelter, and clothes toprotect them from the winter cold and to disguise their identity wereprovided by the people ____s respect; it is noted that they remark that themoney in their belts was of no use to them, as it was Central Governmentcurrency. However it is extremely difficult to persuade these people toaccept any form of payment. However, it may be quite impossible foranyone to carry sufficient local _____ to pay the ____ of the _____ twoto four month trip____ to walk ____ _____ ____. Watches, knives, sidearms, trinkets, and the like are far more useful and acceptable.

Since Capt. Humby was unfamiliar with Chinese names, his knowledgeof the route was vague. He had with him a map obtained from a Koreanwho traveled with the crew from the vicinity of O-mei-shan to Fu-p'ing(overlay), which shows the general route taken by the whole party (Incl1). According to Capt. Domke of the USAOS, who accompanied thisparty from Fu-p'ing to Yenan and finished the information on that portionof the route, the men deviated from the route indicated to pass throughLing'nin-t'ai (overlay), Hqs. of the 11th sub-district of the Chin-h'a-ChiMilitary Region. It was here that they picked up Lt. Wells, who had beenheld there about eight days, pending their arrival. After four more days ofwaiting there, the group proceeded on.

Lt. Wells had been downed on the 6th of February after his engine washit by 20 mm ground fire in the vicinity of Nan-yuan, about ten milesimmediately south of Peiping. Following briefing instructions, he headedfor the mountains to the west of Peiping and bailed out about fifty miles

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from the city. The first person he saw on landing was a farmer, whom heseized and showed the flag sewed inside his jacket. This farmer led himto a guerilla leader who arranged his trip to Ling-nan-t-ai, about fourday's walk. There he met the Humby crew.

Until the Humby crew reached the area of Ling-nan-t'ai, most of theirtraveling was at night to avoid detection. The Japanese had a fairly goodidea of where the men were, for a battle was fought between the 10thRegt of the __ing-Pei Communist Troops and some of the garrison ofCh'ang-p'ing (overlay), said to number about 1000 Manchurian andpuppet troops, at a distance of about three li from the city on the 8th ofFebruary. And from the 8th to the 11th of February, a Japanesereconnaissance plane scoured the area from the King Tombs to Chen-pien, searching for them. From that point on, the trip was relativelywithout incident. Night travel was required on several occasions whencrossing Japanese lines, but no difficulty was experienced. Lt. Morrisonsuffered from an injured ankle, and he and Lt. Double were still on route.Other illnesses experienced were snow-blindness, fever, intestinaldisorders, and the like. An attempt was made to arrange a drop ofmedical supplies at Fu-p'ing to meet their needs. After waiting 19 dayswithout any news, the men departed, leaving behind Morrison whoseankle was still ailing and Double to help keep him company. Thisillustrates the difficulty of arranging drops on air evacuation when totaldependence is upon Chinese communications. The drop finally came acouple of days later, but was unsuccessful, as the shroud lines broke andspilled the chute.

While at Fu-p'ing, Capt. Humby had attempted to arrange an airevacuation, ---ce the Chinese were, and still are willing to build a field ofany dimensions necessary. His plans called for a field capable of taking aC-47, but were abandoned as it was impossible to obtain a commitmentthat a plane would land. In connection with the proposed establishment ofa 10th Weather net throughout this area, several fields in addition toVaroff will be constructed. Weather stations, in conjunction with Y--sig-4, when it goes into operation, will provide far better communicationsthan now exist. Drops of supplies and personnel and air evacuation maybecome far easier than at present. Now, however, Varoff Field is the onlyplace where we can ____ _____ ____ _____ _____ _____ _____ placenear which we have US Army communications.

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Leaving Fu-p'ing, the group, now less Morrison and Double, but with theaddition of Captains Domke and Dolan, of the USACS, traveled to Chi-Chin District Hq. At Ch-en-nan-chuang (overlay), where they laid over aday awaiting news of the route to the south. When information wasreceived that the river crossing involved would be difficult, the groupturned north again to Liu-ta-shu, where they met Morrison and Double. Ithad been decided to move Morrison despite his ankle because movinghim separately would involve tying up another regiment of troops.

Two days later, they arrived at Shan-lo (overlay), Harrison was againforced to drop out because of his ankle and Double remained with him.After resting for two days and debating the problem with the ankle, therest of the group proceeded on, passing through the Wall at Niu-pan-k'ou(not shown) and then making a night crossing of the upper reaches of theNu-t'ou River on mule and horseback. On the third day after thiscrossing, they reached Nan-k'ou, where they ate supper and thenproceeded on to T'an-yu (neither shown). While eating breakfast the nextmorning, word came that the Japs were coming. They pulled outhurriedly and moved up the canyon, where they waited half a day beforegoing on to Chang-chun-mu to be sure that the way would be clear.

In the middle of the next afternoon, they moved out to cross the T'ung'__'RR. This is preferably done on a moonlight night. On this occasion it wasdone in the dark of the moon to avoid unnecessary delay. The crossingwas made one mile north of Hsuen-hua (overlay) at 0230. The groupmoved on to Hua-t'a (not shown), where it rested briefly, and then pushedon to Ts'uang-k'ou. (not shown).

The Fen River was crossed at Shih-chia-chuang (overlay) in daylightwith no trouble experienced. From here, they pushed on for the next threedays by regular steps to Hsing-nsien (overlay), where they rested for twodays before attempting the crossing of the Yellow River. This was alsoaccomplished in daylight. The ferry trip was short and easy. Four dayslater, they arrived at Mi-chih to find a 3/4 ton truck waiting for them.Late in the evening of the following day, the 17th of April, they arrived atYenan. From here, they went out on the first plane, 19 April.

In regard to the illnesses experienced by the men, none were beyond thefacilities immediately available in the vicinity, although it is possible thatthey might have responded more readily to better drugs or more modern

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techniques. It might be added, also, that, while serious surgical casesinvolving anything but the abdomen can generally be treated successfullythroughout Communist China, though perhaps crudely and painfully,abdominal wounds are frequently fatal. This points out the need forinformation and supplies for the treatment of such cases to be madeavailable against the possibility of American fliers so wounded beingbrought down in this area. Alternatively, if it is possible to arrangeimmediate drops of supplies and a doctor to any area, even as far east asthe Shantung Peninsula, it might be possible to thus provide aid.Experience in this instance has, however, shown the futility of attemptingsuch arrangements without on-the-spot American communications.

The “E” material supplied to the men was of considerable value, themedical supplies being of principal use. No “E” vests had been issued,which resulted in___ ____ coming down with only part of theirequipment. On the other hand, it is reported that the vest cannot be __________ _____ _____ _____ ______ _____ _____ ______ ____ possessedby the men were old, for instance the E-3 kit instead of the E-3A. Insome cases, the halozone and salt tablets were useless because of rustfrom the container cap. One essential lacking, mentioned by all, wasinsect powder. Since this is an item of general issue, it need not beprovided by AFAS, but this necessity _____ _____ ______ ____________ _____be stressed in briefing.

None of the men could indicate more specific locations of possiblelanding fields for air evacuation than those already known at Fu-p'ing andalong the Yellow River at 38 deg. 40 min. - 110 deg. 45 min. thoughseveral mentioned having seen numerous suitable areas. Capt. Humby,and presumably his crew, had no information regarding the strength andlocation of Japanese troops. While more detailed interrogation mighthave elicited more information than this would indicate they possessed, itseems doubtful.

In conclusion, it might be said that the experience of these men againshows the strength of the Communist Government in these areas, and thehigh degree of organization that they possess. As an evasionorganization, they have been tested frequently in the past, with excellentresults obtained. Their shortcomings in radio communications and theinordinate time required to walk out were also highlighted by thisexperience. For the future, with many more downed airmen to be

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expected, it is evident that every effort must be turned toward theestablishment of suitable radio communications and greater facilities forair evacuation. Obviously too, the establishment of caches of medical,food, and comfort supplies and the extension of medical aid to theCommunists to improve their facilities in the event of seriously woundedairmen requiring their care will add greatly to the well-being of our fliersdowned in this area.

James C. Eaton

Capt., AGAS

Encl. 1: Sketch map of North China, 1 copy

2: Overlay, 3 copies

Note: See route of travel on Peiping quadrant map.

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This information was gathered from

http://www.rb-29.net/HTML/74Humbystory.html/00.25Humby.htm

by Betsy McCabe

on behalf of Arthur Humby

and compiled in this format

to make viewing easier

for family and friends.