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VOL. 4,   NO. 5,   JULY 31, 1945                                                PRECENSORED FOR MAILING                                                 FOR U.S. ARMED FORCES
KWEILIN RECAPTURED
TWO JAPANESE LOCOMOTIVES whose boilers have been strafed in a Fourteenth Air Force mission near Suchow, pour forth steam. Rail lines and other transportation arteries were attacked on the same mission by planes of "Al's Assassins" fighter group.
Japanese, Fleeing City,
Face Certain Annihilation

CHUNGKING (ANS) - The Chinese High Command announced that Chinese troops had recaptured the major air base city of Kweilin and were pursuing remnants of Japanese garrison. The complete reoccupation of the former United States Fourteenth air base site came late on the night of July 27. Kweilin, in Kwangsi province, had been in enemy hands since November 1944.
  Japanese who fled the city were moving along the escape route already cut by the Chinese and were facing annihilation, the announcement said. The victorious Chinese forces, under command of Gen. Tan Gen Po, who had faced the Japanese in Honan province when the invaders began their drive last year to establish their ill-fated transcontinental corridor.
  The Chinese veterans smashed into the streets of the city 360 miles southeast of Chungking Friday after mowing down the defenders of its south and west gates. Pouring through two gates, the Chinese culminated the six-week battle for the strategic air base. The struggle was intensified exactly a month ago by the recapture of Liuchow and in four weeks the Chinese have advanced 90 miles from that recovered air center.

Kweilin Is 7th US Airbase Retaken By Chinese Troops

CHUNGKING, July 30 (UP) - Seven of the 11 China airbases which were taken by the Japanese south of the Yangtze river in the offensive from June, 1944, to January, 1945, have been retaken by Chinese forces.
  The eleven bases are generally referred to as "eastern bases" are scattered in four provinces. The first lost were the three in Hunan - Hengyang, Lingling and Paoching, lost from June to September of last year; four in Kwangsi province - Tanchuk, Kweilin, Liuchow and Nanning, which were lost September to November of last year; one in Kwangtung, Namyung; three in Kiangsi province - Suichwan, Sincheng and Kanhsien, lost January last.
  The six which have been recovered by Chinese ground troops include three in Kwangsi - Nanning, Liuchow and Tanchuk; and the three in Kiangsi province.
  One other base was lost north of the Yangtze, Lachokow, northwest of Hankow.
  The largest airbase lost was Kweilin, recaptured last week by the Chinese ground forces. Three separate, huge fields dot the outskirts of the city.
  When the Fourteenth air force abandoned the fields they were without exception made unusable, but the Japanese in most cases were able to repair them. And as the Japanese evacuated the fields they made varying efforts to make them unusable. At Liuchow they left more than 1,000 mines in the form of booby traps.


Yunnan Officials Fete Chennault At Dinner

KUNMING, July 30 (AP) - "Victory will be within your borders in a reasonably short time," said Maj. Gen. C. L. Chennault at a farewell dinner given here by representatives of the provincial government of Yunnan last Thursday night.
  "My departure doesn't mean goodby. No matter where I go, you as individuals and people will live in my mind as in flesh and blood when I was with you. Part of my heart will always remain in China, because of the pleasant times and the great friends that I have had in China.
  "Most of the credit belongs to the American boys - the officers and men who have fought for the common cause, the freedom of China. It will always be my hope that the sacrifices that those boys made will cement Chinese-American relations.
  "May there never be differences between our two countries which cannot be settled by negotiation and discussion, that our two nations will be united in the future to preserve the peace in the Pacific, Asia and the world.
  "I will not say goodby but farewell."
  Governor Lung Yun, of Yunnan province, said "The people of Yunnan are overwhelmed by a feeling of sadness when we think of Gen. Chennault leaving us."





PRODUCTION CUT-BACKS
AFFECT 160,000 IN U.S.

WASHINGTON (ANS) - June war production cutbacks totalled $3,478,491,000 necessitating the immediate lay-off of workers in 365 plants the War Production Board announced.
  Altogether they affected 160,000 in 922 plants. Of these, 116,139 will ne laid off in the third quarter of this year, 6,946 in the fourth quarter and 2,748 the first of next year. Ammunition production was affected most heavily.
  The June cut-backs increased to $16,300,000,000 the total for the first six months of 1945 and emphasized the revised needs of the Pacific war.
US Strike Affects B-29 Bombings Of Japanese

NEW YORK, July 28 (AP) - Strikes by almost 50,000 workers, keeping them away from their jobs of building Superfort engines or parts threaten to reduce Superfortress attacks on Japan and prolong the war, said acting Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson last week. He said that the strikes should be ended.
  The warning to 30,000 strikers at five plants of the Wright Aeronautical Corporation of New Jersey and approximately 20,000 workers of Chrysler Corporation's Chicago Dodge plant came as production of bomber engines was at a virtual standstill.
  Patterson said, "These two plants manufacture four-fifths of all Superfort engines. The reduced supply is so short that B-29 attacks will be reduced within a matter of days if the strikes continue and will mean the unnessary prolongation of the war."


Giant B-32s, 'The Tail' Now Rocking Japanese Homeland

Consolidated-Vultee B-32 Dominator
Consolidated-Vultee B-32 'Dominator'


NEW YORK (ANS) - The War Department last week disclosed that the B-32, giant sister ship of the B-29, is now in action against the Jap homeland.
  Numbers of the immense and improved bombers are regularly rocking the enemy along with the fleets of 20th Air Force Superfortresses.
  Army rules say that no direct comparison between the two planes may be made but it can be stated that the B-32, pride of Consolidated-Vultee, can carry a heavy bomb load for amazing distances.
  Its speed said the Army "is better than 300-miles-per-hour," it has a lofty ceiling like that of the B-29 which can work from 30,000 feet and its maneuverability is a joy, pilots report.
  Built for battle the new plane can easily be transformed into a peace-time ship, engineers say. B-32's are being turned out in mass quantities at Fort Worth and at San Diego.
  It is materially lighter than the B-29 - about 20,000 pounds - which means bigger loads. This newest Jap wrecker has a naval catwalk through the Bomb bay from the forward cabin to the rear cabin and any of the eight crew members can easily adjust matters if a bomb gets stuck by walking between the rope ballisters.
  The plane has reverse thrust propellors, first time this development has been installed in large land planes and reversible four-bladed propellors which are invaluable in emergency landings on short runways. They constitute areodynamic braking.
  The B-32 has four huge Wright engines, each with 18 cylinders. The makers say each cylinder has more strength than any complete engine ever installed in a pleasure auto which means it has more power than a fleet of 72 autos.
  Flight testing began as far back as September 1942 and kept on until the plane was riding runways with a gross weight of more than 120,000 pounds, almost 20% more than asked for in the Army's original specifications.
  The men who fly her call her "the Tail" because of the monstrous tail that makes her readily distinguishable.
  The crews are among the most completely trained in history. Each pilot gets 50-hours training in the new plane before he pilots it and he gets these 50 hours only after he has had 1,000 hours as a pilot in other four-engined planes.





No Invasion Of Japan ?

GUAM, July 30 (Globe) - Although bombing alone could not beat Germany to her knees, there are many observers here who believe that Japan can be knocked out of the war without an invasion of Japan itself. They believe it can be done by combining the air and naval attacks that are to be doubled during the coming months.
  At conferences, Army and Navy leaders always add, "if invasion is necessary" to their statements about future plans. No air general has yet said this.
Nips Can't Last 6 Months, Smith Says

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (ANS) - The Japanese already are worse off than the Germans were at any time in the European war, Lt. Gen. Holland M. "Howlin' Mad" Smith of the Marines said. Enroute to San Diego to take charge of battle replacement training, Smith is visiting his mother here.
  He said that his guess was that Japan could not last more than six months if they continued to fight. "Their excess supplies are just about gone and they are hemmed in on their own little islands." He said that Germany in her darkest hour could still rob countries around her but Japan is virtually cut off from China by lack of transportation.


Kwan-Sien Rest Camp Opened Near APO 210

APO 210 (Chengtu, China) - Lying in one of China's most beautiful valleys surrounded by towering mountains within easy driving distance of APO 210 is the Kwan-Sien Rest Camp, the latest of the US Army's relaxation centers for the officers and EM in the West China area.
  Nestling in the center of one of China's most scenic areas, the new camp provides all the equipment for complete recreation including ball fields, tennis courts, a swimming pool, horses for riding, and extensive hunting and fisging facilities.
  For the more sedentary there is an opportunity for a complete rest in comfortable quarters under the shade of stately cedars, fines food in the camp's mess hall and limitless possibilities for interesting scenic camera shots.
  Reservations may be made through company commanders.





Two-Rotor 'Copter
GIANT NAVY HELICOPTER, designed for air-sea rescue work and as a special transport vehicle, makes a test flight over a plant in Sharon Hill, Pa. Called the PV-3, the world's largest helicopter carries a rotor at either end and is the first successful design using that plan. With a crew of two and ten passengers it can land on a clearing 100 feet in diameter, on land or sea.
New CT APOs Speed Troop Mail Delivery
KUNMING - Expansion of the Army postal system in China, with the opening of four new APOs and nine new mailing addresses, has reduced the average delivery time from New York to Kunming from 15 to ten days, it was announced by Maj. Charles A. Parkin, theater postal officer.
  "As soon as we can obtain more personnel, we can speed up our sorting, delivering and redirecting even more," Maj. Parkin said. The Kunming post office, with only two officers and 28 enlisted men, is now handling 600,000 pounds of incoming mail and 150,000 pounds of outgoing mail each month.
  "Many of our personnel have been sent into the field to operate new APO's, and we are carrying on with the help of a postal regulating section just arrived from India," Maj. Parkin explained.
  "We intend to follow the troops into the field with small branch post offices, so we can serv the men better.
  "Many of the men worry about their mail and packages being lost on the Hump," Maj. Parkin remarked, "but I can say that very little goes down."


Army Discharging 4,000 Troops Daily

WASHINGTON (ANS) - Acting Secretary of War Robert P. Patterson disclosed last Friday that the Army was now releasing troops at the rate of 4,000 daily and that some 200,000 have already been discharged under the point system. He said the Army was returning to civilian life about twice as many men as it was taking in through induction, this rate being attributable not only to the point system but also to over-age and medical discharges.
  By June 1, 1946, the army expects to have released 2,000,000 and to have taken in 1,800,000 new troops. No more tha n this 2,000,000 can be discharged, Patterson emphasized, without reducing Army strength below the level considered necessary to insure Japan's complete defeat, at a minimum cost of American lives.
  Meanwhile the Associated Press noted that the first Army division redeployed from Europe through the U.S. probably wouldn't reach Pacific combat zones until about December 1.

US Designs A New Light Weight Weapon For The Pacific
RECOILLESS 57 MM RIFLE has the power of a field artillery piece. It weighs 100 pounds, throws a three-pound shell two miles. A two-man weapon, it can be operated by one in a pinch. At left, seven combat soldiers strain to move a 57 mm gun during Gen. Patton's campaign in the Saar basin.


CHINA AIDING KOREANS TO GAIN INDEPENDENCE

CHUNGKING, July 30 (UP) - China is giving Koreans, as represented in Chungking by their provisional government, every assistance, though the Chinese do not formally recognize the Korean government, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, K. C. Wu stated at a press conference recently.
  China's official stand on postwar Korea remains that announced in the joint Cairo Declaration (complete independence), the minister declared, and added that the Chinese have great sympathy for the Koreans as represented by their revolutionary parties here and have even given them economic help.


Nip War Timetable Moved Ahead By WD

WASHINGTON, July 30 (AP) - The timetable for the defeat of Japan has been moved forward and more American soldiers will be sent directly from Europe to the Pacific than was originally expected, Maj. Gen. John M. Franklin told a Senate committee.
  Franklin, who is acting chief of transportation for the Army Service Forces, said that the rate of return to the United States would be reduced in August and the succeeding months.
  He was testifying before the committee investigating the transportation crisis resulting from heavy transcontinental troop movements.


SOONG OPTIMISTIC OVER MOSCOW NEGOTIATIONS

NEW YORK, July 27 (AP) - Prime Minister T. V. Soong is "very optimistic" respecting the Moscow negotiations according to the Chungking radio.
  When asked if the Moscow deliberations had a direct bearing on the Far Eastern situation Soong declared, "The incompleteness of discussion makes me hesitate to make a prophesy."


US G-5 Assists With Chinese Army School

CHUNGKING, July 30 (UP) - United States G-5 officers are cooperating in the development of the Chinese Army Military Government School operating under the Chinese National Military Council, Gen. Wedemeyer's headquarters revealed.
  Two American officers have already began instructions in English and plan to broaden the program to include other specialized subjects, including experiences in military government in Europe. Americans are participating only in an advisory capacity at the request of the National Military Council.


WAR'S TWO-EDGED SWORD
CUTS BOTH WAYS -
An unidentified British carrier is stung by a Japanese suicide pilot off the Sakishima Islands. Off the Ryukyus on June 5, a typhoon damaged more U.S. ships (21) than the Japanese ever were able to put out of action in one engagement since Pearl Harbor. Right, the heavy cruiser Pittsburg lost its bow and the carrier Bennington's flight deck was badly battered.


NETHERLANDS CONSUL TO ADDRESS MASONS MEET

KUNMING - J. J. Wierink, consul for the Netherlands, will address members of Kwei Chu Hui, the club for Masons who are officers in U.S. and Chinese forces, at their monthly meeting in the Red Cross Town club Monday, August 6, at 6-30 p.m.
  Mr. Wierink, who has spent many years in China and the Dutch East Indies, will speak on "Reminiscences about Masonry in South China and Elsewhere."
  Membership cards will be distributed at the meeting.


Signals Take 1st In 2nd Round Play

WEST CHINA RAIDERS - Upsets were the keynote of early games played in the second round renewal of the West China Softball league this month. The Signals, with three straight wins, and the Dark Horses with two wins and no losses snared the top niche in the West China loop.
  The Dark Horses provided the surprise of the week by tripping up the highly favored Ficons, 2-1, in an extra inning battle. Sgt. Bob Battenhorst's 5-hit ration held the first round chamions at bay while his mates were stringing together the winning markers on six hits allowed by Corp. Bill Harrell.
  Battenhorst turned in another 5-hit performance in the next appearance to enable the Dark Horses to breeze to their second win, defeating the Lancers, 9-2.
  The Signals, victims of a hit famine during the first round, showed promise of strong contention in the new league stanza by turning in impressive victories in their first three starts. S/Sgt. Byron Lane was the winning hurler on all three occasions, as the Signalmen topped Stutula's Friends, 7-3, the Rumor Mongers, 5-2, and the Comets, 1-0.


The CHINA LANTERN is the newspaper for the United States Forces in the China Theatre and is published three times weekly by Lt. Lester H. Geiss, Editor-in-Chief, for military personnel only.  Lt. Harry D. Purcell, Managing Editor; Lt. Maurice Pernod, Production Chief. Pfc. Richard P. Wilson, Reporter.  Editorial offices: Hqrs., SOS China Theater, Kunming, China, and Hqrs., SOS, Calcutta, India.  Printed by Ajit Kumar Sinha at the "Amrita Bazar Patrika" Press, Calcutta.  Unless specifically stated, news and features appearing in the China Lantern do not necessarily represent the views of the War Department; the Commanding General, USF, CT, or any other official source.











JULY 31, 1945    


Original issue of The China Lantern shared by Hal Baker

Photo of B-32 has been added to this re-creation

Copyright © 2014 Carl Warren Weidenburner






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