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Author-Cameraman Harrison Forman’s Exclusive Picto-Drama Tells How:AMERICAN CIVILIAN PILOTS PLAYHEROIC ROLES IN HONC KONC FIGHTHong Kong fell under the terrific Japanese onslaught. But before it did, a brilliant page in civilian aviation history was written. American and Chinese passenger plane pilots, scorning a chance to save themselves, shuttled in and out of the battle-blasted city, braving the Japs* fire time and again, to evacuate275 people from the doomed island. Their epic saga is told below, in the exclusive picto-drama by author-photographer Harrison Forman.BY HARRISON FORMANChungking, China—Right smack in the face of the Japanese army, navy and air force, based almost within cannon shot of the Hong Kong airdrome, a company of daredevil American and Chinese pilots made 10 round-trip flights to evacuate over 275 people from beleaguered Hong Kong in the first twodays after the Jap attack on the city December S.The story is among the most thrilling chapters in the annals ofcommercial aviation. When the Pacific war broke out, Hong Kong was a leg on the China National Aviation corporation's last remaining route in what was once an elaborate network of airlines serving China’s vast hinterlands. Connecting the Crown Colony to Rangoon in Burma; via Chungking, CXAC was Chungking’s only link with the outside world except for the long hazardous trek up the Burma road.JAPS' ATTACK STARTS EARLY IN THE MORNINGThe Japs began their December S offensive against Hong Kongwith an air blitz on Kai Tak airdrome, base of the * Sino-Anierican CNAC, which is owned 55 per cent by the Chinese government, 45 per cent by Pan American Airways.A formation of 27 high flying planes came out over the city about a quarter to eight in the morning. Lined up on the field—like so many sitting ducks—were seven of CXAC's twelve big passenger ships.Directly overhead the Jap warplanes circled, and then dove for the field in follow-the-leader fashion, and began machine-gunning the parked planes. It took them more than 45 minutes to set them all afire, including the Pan American Clipper, at anchor just over the sea wall nearby. And then they flew off towards Canton.For some unaccountable reason, the hangar wasn’t touched. Inside were five more planes. Hardly had the Japs flown off when all hands rushed forward and hurriedly rolled the ships out across the field where they were cleverly camouflaged- Twice that afternoon—at two o’clock and again at three— the Japs came back and bombed the field. They dropped big 250-ABOVE: W. H. May, is one of the American civilian pilots with firsthand experience of Jap bombs. He was the meteorologist of the PanAmerican Airways’ Hong Kong Clipper, which was bombed and sunk at Hong Kong. He's pictured at Chungking. China, after hisrescue.BELOW: To this tiny, toy, ten-cent compass, mechanic Lee C. Taylor and pilot Hugh E. Chen, owe their lives. It got them through to safe-ety from Hong Kong during Japattack.pounders which, however, did little more than make holes in the field. One did go through the hangar roof, but it was a dud, and did no damage.months had been sitting on the Hong Kong airdrome like an ugly duckling, the scorn of the proud, high-nosed Douglas airliners.Ta\loi‘s fact* was a mass of ugly red Mi-ter*. He got them from the pin ic ruid in the Japanese bombs whith sprayed over ships and spare part- m the big hangar, though the bomb itself was a dud. But ships had to be made ready and quickly loaded with supplies and personnel, and had to be flown out of tkeui before the Japs came back and gut them all. So Taylor stuck to his job, bombs or no bombs.No one in Hong Kong would fly out in the “ugly duckling”—rickety old plane that hadn't been flown in months. No one—except mechanic Lee C. Taylor, left, of Burbank, Calif., and veteran CNAC pilot Hugh K. Chen, graduate of Southwest college. Green field, Kansas. They’re pictured in front of the “ugly duckling” which they managed, with the aid of a len-cent compass, to gel into Chungking from Hong Kong when the Jap attack came.ABOVE: Capt. H. L. Woods, of Winfield. Kans.. chief pilot for the China National A*, iat ion corporation. Flying from I long Kong, his plane was shot down near Canton. Thirteen passea gei * were killed, only \\ ooris and bis radio man escaping.BELOW: Capt. S. I*L Scolt. ofWaco, Tex., pictured in Chungking after his last flight to Hong Kong, was one of the first pilots to escape from the besieged city, and fly back in again to rescue refugees.\« ONE WANTED J HE. “IGLY Dl’CKLINGNo one, however, would fly the ugh boat. As a matter of fact, she hadn't been flown in months. Not ^me last October when Chuck Sharp, chief of operations for CNAC, took me up in her for a test hop. She was pretty rickety then. 11 ugh E. Chen, however, volunteered tlt; take her through. Taylor said he'd fly with him. She had ahoady been stripped of most of her instruments. What few she had left went haywjre almost as soon as they took off. just before dawn. Theie was no turning back, though, for they had no landinglights. Luckily, Hugh E. remembered ;l tmy compass in his watch pocket. It was no more than a 1oy. About an inch in diameter,Chinese-made, and cost the equivalent of about a dime. But it got them through.I knew we’d make it.” said Taylor. This guy Hugh E/s a £lyinf fool!” Hugh E. just grins. “Some compass” he says. “Eh?”Coolies rushed to work immediately' filling up bomb craters. And that night CXAC's pilots started flying out equipment and personnel with the still undamaged planes.Not only did they succeed in flying out all of CXAC’s American and Chinese staff, but the boys calmly turned right around and went back into Hong Kong to fly out plane-load after planc-load of refugees. Among the 275 people they evacuated in 1( flights during the next two days were those two famous sisters of Mme Chiang Kai-Shek—Mrs. H. If. Kung (wife of the vice-premier of China) and Mme. Sun Yal-sen (widow of the founder of the Chinese Republic, the “George Washington of China”).Jt is estimated that about a thousand American nationals still remained in Hong Kong. The boysstarted in again on the night of December 10, planning to bring outanother 250 people, but at the last moment woid came through fiom the Hong Kong government thatthey were not to attempt it.Each of the boys had some hair-raising tales to tell—one was fired at by Japano.se anti-aircraft, another by Bnli.sh A. A. gunners who mistook him Jor a Jap. Still another had an engJiie backfire and act as if it were going to quit altogether just when he was o\er the Japanese lines.Luckiest boys of the bunch were mechanic Lee C. Taylor, a lanky .six-footer who hails from Bin bunk, Calif., and Hugh E. Chen, \eteran CXAC pilot, a graduate of Southwest college in Greenfield, Kansas, who learned to fly at Roosevelt Field way back in 1028. They came in on an old 11*31 VulLcc, vhnh 1 or
Newspaper Details
Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, US
Sat, Jan 24, 1942
Page 7
Full Page
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Anonymous
USA 28 May 2019
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Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
