My Days with American Flying Tiger Pilot

I am Yu Qun and I am now a retired cadre living in Laohekou City， Hubei Province. I was born in April 1928 in Yingshan County， Hubei Province. My parents died early and I became homeless. When I was 13 years old， my late mother’s brother told me to go to my half-brother who was then working for New Fourth Army. With his recommendation， I joined the Fifth Division of the New Forth Army in August， 1941. The division commander was Li Xiannian.

In 1943 I was transferred to work at the International Guesthouse where American liaison officers were staying. At that time the guesthouse served as the base for four American officers working with the New Fourth Army: a lieutenant colonel， a major， and two sergeants who were radio operators. Also stationed at the guesthouse were Chinese soldiers such as a platoon of guards， a telephone squad， a communication squad and logistic service people. I was in the logistics. At that time， the guesthouse was actually an intelligence station where the New Fourth Army transferred intelligence on Japanese military in Wuhan to the Americans and the Americans passed the information on to Flying Tigers stationed in Laohekou， Hubei Province. The intelligence would direct Flying Tigers to bomb Japanese targets in Wuhan. During this period， Commander Li Xiannian met with American liaison officers at regular intervals at the guesthouse. I served as an orderly at these meetings.

During an American sortie that hit Japanese targets in Wuhan in the early winter of 1943， an American bomber was hit by the Japanese ack-ack. In emergency it contacted the American radio at the International Guesthouse. We saw the plane come back and circle above the guesthouse， spewing billowing smoke. With the help of the Chinese commanders and interpreter at the intelligence station， the Americans at the guesthouse instructed commander to parachute. The plane crashed into mountains about 2.5 kilometers west of the International Guesthouse.

It was about 12 o’clock at noon. The strong westerly wind was pushing the parachute toward the southeast. The radio instructed the commander to accelerate the descent so that he could avoid descending into the area occupied by the Japanese soldiers. The Japanese spotted the American pilot in the sky， dispatched troopers out to catch the commander. The New Fourth Army hastily dispatched a regiment to block the Japanese search teams. The skirmishes broke out and lasted until the evening. The commander was rescued but a Chinese soldier was wounded in the battle. The wounded soldier was later rescued by a mother and a daughter and escorted back to us that night.

The American pilot came to the guesthouse. The giant man waved to us when he saw us come to see him. We provided him with American food such as roasted pork， cake， salt pancake， and oatmeal porridge. He liked fine salt but we had only crude salt. So we cooked crude salt in water and then made it into fine salt. The commander placed the fine salt into a seasoning box. Through the interpreter， he expressed his appreciation and said we were creative and he was happy.

In order to strengthen the ties between the Americans and the Chinese military and enable the Americans to know more about Chinese resistance forces， the guesthouse made arrangements for the commander to visit the 13th brigade， one of the best military units in the Fifth Division. Some colleagues and I worked as orderlies in accompaniment of him. We knew he liked iced water. So we put boiled water into a flask and then cooled it in the cold water. We traveled on the horseback and I carried the water flask and followed him. When he found he was drinking cold water， he gave me a thumbs-up sign expressing his appreciation. He was deeply impressed by what he saw at the barracks and said the division was an excellent army.

The commander stayed at the guesthouse for more than ten days before he was to leave for the airport at Laohekou. To ensure his safe return， a liaison officer and a group of guards would go with him. The convoy had horses and food. As the cooks at the guesthouse who knew how to cook American food were not to go with the commander， I was to cook for the commander. I had some knowledge of cooking western food， but I had never cooked seriously. So I took a crash course at the kitchen. A few days later， we set out. The original plan was that we were to travel to Yanzihe in Yingbei County and a new convoy would take him over and transport him directly to Laohekou by automobile. However， as the highway was destroyed， the commander must go to Zaoyang to be picked up. That meant we needed to go to the area occupied by the KMT troops. The KTM troops took over and a horse-keeper and I went with the commander with two horses and food supply. The rest of the New Fourth Army convoy went back. The commander rode a horse and another horse carried the food supply. I cooked for the commander. We communicated with each other through hand signs and gestures. We soon reached Zaoyang and we said farewell to each other. The American commander gave me a flashlight， a lighter， and a photograph. With tears in his eyes， he held my hands， reluctant to let me go. He put his two thumbs together and then pointed to his head and heart. I understood he wanted to be my friend forever and he would remember me forever.

He signed a pass for the two of us. And at his request， a KMT platoon escorted us back. We safely arrived at Yanzihe. Our soldiers took us over. We went back to the division headquarters. The mission was accomplished.

After the safe return of the American pilot， Chennault， the commander of Flying Tigers， sent a telegraph to Division Commander Li Xiannian， expressing his personal gratitude for rescuing the American pilot. And Chennault said he would soon dispatch gifts to the Fifth Division. In 1944， American military sent military supplies， including eight small radio transmitters， 1，000 handguns， 2 rocket guns， two submachine guns and some ammunition.

Before long， an American transporter， accompanied by two fighters， air-dropped eight large wood cases near the guesthouse. Inside the cases were supplies for the American military liaisons. The new supplies eased our burden for providing these Americans with food and other daily necessities.

How fast time has elapsed! These days more than 60 years ago were like yesterday. I was an orphan and then became a soldier with the New Fourth Army. I finally settled down in Laohekou City in Hubei. The good days with the American pilot are a valuable memory. The pilot’s gifts to me were lost in the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Where is the commander now? I still miss him and I will cherish the memory forever. □