Just one Bullet : Another story from China.

Stories about fighting in all theaters of WWII. I ask that these be stories directly from veterans and not previously published material.
Post Reply
armydriver
Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Posts: 2595
Joined: Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:10 am
Location: San Antonio, Texas

Just one Bullet : Another story from China.

Post by armydriver »

it was a hot day in August of 1943 and all of the flyable aircraft were off on a ground support mission for the Chinese Army. Joe Mitchell was working in the only hanger on the Kwelien field with his direct boss, a crusty old master sergeant, " Bucky" Donavon, who had been in the Army Air Corps since 1929 and had originally worked on WWI Jennies still used for training at Brooks Field in Texas. Bucky was overhauling the big Allison engine that had come out of Charlie Bonds P-40, while Joe was cleaning out oil coolers when the gunfire erupted. Not mistaking the sound of Japanese machine guns, both men rushed out looking upward and towards the airstrip.
Headed right towards them was a Japanese fighter. Joe said it was a single engined fixed gear airplane and the pilot of the Imperial Air Force was enjoying no opposition from the pilots of the 23rd Fighter Group. As the pilot pulled up for another pass, Joe took off running to their anti-aircraft gun. It was a .50 caliber aircraft Browning machine gun, mounted on a home made tripod that was attached to a 55 gallon oil drum full of rocks for ballast. Before he got there he could hear the roar of the Mitisy engine and the pop-pop of Bucky's .45 Colt he kept next to the tool box. Suddenly the Japanese aircraft nosed into the end of the field and crashed. Joe, Bucky and several Chinese soldiers rushed to the crash site. The pilot sat in the cockpit, groaning from obvious pain with the mangled smouldering wreckage around him. They undid his harness and belt and pulled him to safety. Joe noticed a huge blood stain on the seat of the pilots flight suit.
They took him to the infirmary to their Chinese doctor who upon removing the flight suit noticed a large caliber bullet hole in the Japanese pilots butt. A slug from Bucky's Colt had penetrated through and hit the low flying pilot who nosedived into the ground in reaction to being shot.
Joe said that the Chinese Army took control of the prisoner the next day after he was released by the doctor. They figured the Chinese killed the guy, but waited until they were out of sight and sound of the Americans.
In any case this son of the Rising Sun, took an American bullet right in his Imperial Butt from a crusty old Master Sergeant who spent a lot more time with a wrench than he ever had with a gun.
52 M38 Willy's
Former owner and restorer of CCKW353 " Betty Boop"

proud father of a career Army officer/Blackhawk pilot/ War in Iraq veteran
Retired high school history teacher at Lt. Colonel Robert G. Cole CMH High School, Fort Sam Houston Texas
proud great grandson of four Confederate soldiers.
great great grandson of a War of 1812 veteran
great great great grandson of 2 American Revolutionary war veterans
42cckw
Captain
Captain
Posts: 265
Joined: Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:10 am
Location: Northern North East US , Gods Country

Post by 42cckw »

Good story army, they were probably correct about the pilots fate, after all the chinese had suffered brutally under the Japanese. :evil: I quess you really can't blame them , thats the reality of war . If the US had invaded Japan they would have killed every allied pow the had, just like the wake island prisoners :cry:
JIM 42CCKW
armydriver
Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Posts: 2595
Joined: Thu Jun 08, 2006 1:10 am
Location: San Antonio, Texas

Post by armydriver »

You are right there 42.The Japanese were not noted for being good hosts to their POW's. :cry:
52 M38 Willy's
Former owner and restorer of CCKW353 " Betty Boop"

proud father of a career Army officer/Blackhawk pilot/ War in Iraq veteran
Retired high school history teacher at Lt. Colonel Robert G. Cole CMH High School, Fort Sam Houston Texas
proud great grandson of four Confederate soldiers.
great great grandson of a War of 1812 veteran
great great great grandson of 2 American Revolutionary war veterans
Post Reply