A bomber’s diary
MENTALLY, they were like kamikaze pilots, except that they are Chinese trained to fight the Japanese, the American way.
For Ho Weng Toh and his buddies in the bomber group of the Chinese American Composite Wing (CACW), fear was the last thing on their minds whenever they were selected for a mission.
“You have to understand that at that time, our feelings were very high. The Chinese were quite late in the game, and it was an uphill climb as the Japanese had built up their military capability a long time ago. They had a superior fighting force and better aircraft, which completely wiped out the Chinese air force (from 1937-38),” Ho recalls.
It was thus decided that the Chinese would train alongside the Americans in n the United States, so that they could handle the same aircraft provided by the US. This marked the birth of the CACW, which had both h fighter and bomber squadrons.
“You can imagine how important it was for us to prove ourselves once we had ad completed our training and d returned to China to fight the war. The feeling was very ery strong – we really wanted to show that we could do the job. You also felt a great sense of responsibility because the country had spent so much money on you. It was not a task anyone could do, so we felt proud.”
At the height of the war, evening was the most anticipated time of the day – and not because of dinner.
“We were after the roster. Most of us would ignore the dinner halfway through and rush to see who was going to fly. We knew that if your name was up on the roster, there was the possibility you would never come back. But we didn’t care ... everyone just wanted to be part of the action.
“Being chosen for a mission was considered an honour, a source of joy. We knew very well about the dangers, but we didn’t talk about it,” he adds.
There was no need for a stiff drink to “boost their spirits” before a mission. But to ensure that the crew was sufficiently motivated, psychological support, in the form of indoctrination classes, was given.
“There were also political advisors and counsellors to drum up patriotic feelings amongst us, and to encourage us. There was definitely indoctrination, like lessons on what the Kuomintang was, and so on. Even the surrounding population cheered us on. The people would clap and cheer whenever we arrived back safely.”
Ho piloted the B-25 Mitchell, an American twin-engine medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation and used by many Allied air forces in every theatre of WWII. He flew on 18 missions, and was shot at several times.
The B-25 was named in honour of General Billy Mitchell, a pioneer of US military aviation, and said to be the only American military aircraft named after a specific person. It was the same aircraft used during the daring Doolittle Raid on Tokyo on April 18, 1942. Almost 10,000 of the aircraft had been built by the time production ended in the 1940s.
The B-25 could take on low-level (altitude) missions as well as highlevel ones. A typical low-level mission would entail a pair of aircraft flying together to strafe the cavalry (foot soldiers). Flying as low as 15 metres, the pilot could literally stare the enemy in the face.
“It gave me great satisfaction to fire upon them, then fly across the site to survey the damage and, if necessary, do another round. Even when they shot back, it was only with light guns, so they didn’t do much damage. On the other hand, the cavalry couldn’t really go anywhere after being spotted,” Ho adds.
Attacking larger targets like bridges, ports and railway yards was a different ball game altogether.
“These were high-level missions, with five to six planes flying in formation. The Japanese knew you would be coming for them, especially as the bridges over the Yellow River were so important to them. All bridges were fortified with anti-aircraft guns, which were trained at you as you approached or left the target. Casualties of these bombing missions were quite substantial,” recalls Ho, who did not have to fly over the Yellow river.
When asked about Japan’s invasion of China, he feels one should no longer harbour any ill feelings today. Looking back on his role during WWII, he says matter-of-factly that it was just a job.
“Yes, I was angry with the Japanese then, for they were the cause of my misery. But that is the past,” adds Ho, who points out that Japan is now a staunch US ally, while the United State is trying to contain China’s rise.”