LEFT: "Ting hao" shout these torch bearing Chinese soldiers as they congratulate jeep-borne AAF officers soon after Chungking heard the news of the Japanese surrender. CENTER: Yank airmen relax over a drink, after the first flush of excitement dies down, and study the War Department publication "Additional preparation for overseas movement of AAF units," hoping they're going overseas soon - to the States. RIGHT: Traffic is at a standstill as Chinese and Americans throng the streets of China's wartime capital, shouting, shooting off fireworks and congratulating every Yank in sight.

3c Postage Will
Deliver The 'CL'
First Class Mail
The China Lantern
Published Every
Tuesday, Thursday
And Saturday

VOL. 4,   NO. 14,   AUGUST 23, 1945                                          PRECENSORED FOR MAILING                                                 FOR U.S. ARMED FORCES
ATOMIC BOMB SENDS SMOKE 20,000 FEET ABOVE NAGASAKI - Smoke columns more than 20,000 feet above the Japanese city of Nagasaki three minutes after atomic bomb exploded August 9. It was the second such bomb attack against the Jap empire.

'Tokyo Rose' Back On Air

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 22 (AP) - "Tokyo Rose," the flip little woman commentator on the Japanese radio, went back on the air after a week's silence.
  Some of her thorns were plucked and her tone a little jaded but she continued to be Tokyo Rose, the voice listened to by thousands of American soldiers who enjoyed her musical programs and kidded her propaganda.
  In her first broadcast she stated that those who had listened to her before would be glad to know "that the same excellent popular music programs are on the air."
  Now her program is back. Its name has been changed from "Zero Hour" to "Pacific Hour."
  Her subtle propaganda has been switched in the direction of reducing animosity against Japan.


Chinese Accept Canton Surrender

CHUNGKING, Aug. 22 (AP) - China's American-trained army, veterans of Burma, entered Canton Saturday to formally accept the surrender of the Japanese in south China.
  The surrender ceremony at the port, which has been in Japanese hands since 1938, also freed such occupied areas as Hainan and the Luichow peninsula. Hongkong also will be liberated.
Japs Say 'Hotheads' May Cause Trouble

MANILA, Aug. 22 - Allied fleet, air and ground occupation forces assembled today in preparation for Sunday's initial landing on the Japanese mainland as the Tokyo radio frankly warned that Jap military "hotheads" may cause the trouble that Gen. Douglas MacArthur is fully prepared to meet.
  Detailed plans for the occupation landing, the last major amphibious operation of World War II, were contained in 25 pages of instructions flown to Tokyo by Japanese surrender envoys after their conference with Gen. MacArthur's staff chiefs.
  A Japanese communique, first official announcement of decisions reached at Manila, revealed that airborne troops will land Sunday 20 miles southwest of Tokyo, to be followed by sea landings in the Yokosuka area Tuesday. Two Allied fleets will enter the outer waters off Tokyo when the occupation program starts.
  Although Gen. MacArthur and other Allied leaders believe that the landings will go off without any serious trouble, all precautions are being taken to insure the safety of landing forces and guarantee the success of the operation.
  (Associated Press said it was understood that planes carrying atomic bombs would shield the sea and air landings.)
  Indication that those precautions may be necessary was given in a Tokyo radio broadcast beamed to the United States which warned that the surrender terms are resented by "a considerable portion of the military."
  "To disarm and disband, while the Allies disembark on the homeland, may be too much for some military officers to bear," said the broadcast. "Some of the hotheaded among them may allow their emotions to get the better of their judgment and there is no telling what unfortunate incidents may occur which might endanger the present delicate situation."
  Although the broadcast said the greater part of the military are certain to obey the Emperor, "even if sporadic outbursts should occur," it warned that a considerable portion of Japanese military forces remain intact, undefeated in the field and with morale unimpaired.
  "There is a danger," said Tokyo, "that in the stress of crisis of divergent opinions, clashes may result. Such a possibility is rendered all the more threatening by social unrest which is bound to occur when war industries are closed down and military forces demobilized."
  First occupation troops to land will be airborne, taking over the Atsugi airfield 20 miles southwest of Tokyo on Sunday, said the official Japanese communique. Two days later seaborne forces will come ashore near Yokosuka, one of Japan's largest naval bases at the mouth of Tokyo Bay.
  The Japanese Information Ministry, quoted by Domei, said Japanese Army and Navy forces would be "transferred immediately" from the landing area to prevent any outbreaks, while sufficient police will be stationed in occupation areas to maintain peace and order.
  Two Allied fleets will enter Sagami Bay, the outer waters off Tokyo, while one fleet may enter Tokyo Bay if weather conditions permit.
  Gen. MacArthur, in a statement made after the 16-man Japanese surrender mission flew homeward after two completely successful pre-occupation conferences, said:
  "It is my earnest hope that, pending accomplishment of the instruments of surrender, armistice conditions may prevail on every front and that a bloodless surrender may be effectuated."
  The next steps after landing of an occupation force, it was indicated, will be the signing of the formal surrender document, probably in Tokyo; and delivering a formal post-surrender order by Gen. MacArthur to the Japanese Imperial staff to instruct its commanders at the fronts to surrender unconditionally to the Allied theater commanders concerned.


200 GIs Poisoned At CT Air Base

  Accidental poisoning of some 200 American soldiers at an Army air base in China and the death of a Chinese interpreter has resulted in a vigorous demand from the investigators and high ranking officers in the China Theater for greater vigilance among mess personnel to guard against food contamination.
  The mass poisonings occurred last July 14 and were caused by barium salt found by an analysis of cherry pie served at the evening meal.
  Counter-intelligence agents who made the investigation recommended in their report that all poison issued by the Quartermaster Corps be placed in containers with proper labelling and that no poison be stored in mess halls. The Theater Surgeon's office pointed out the vital importance of properly labelling all containers and emphasized a recommendation that all markings be written in both English and Chinese.
  All of the victims recovered except Lou Bennett Chuck'um, the Chinese interpreter, who died from the effects of the poison.
  The investigation disclosed a batch of cherry pie filling was prepared by a mess attendant who used a substance from an unlabeled white cloth sack which he was told contained corn starch but which later was found to have been barium carbonate, a chemical compound used to kill rats. When the attendant noticed the filling turning a peculiar color, he threw it away and made a new batch of filling, using bean powder.
  Counter-intelligence agents reported that since the same utensils were used in preparing the second mixture and a residue of barium slat must have remained on the pans in sufficient quantity to cause the poisonings.
  The barium slat had been placed in the mess storeroom by a former mess sergeant who had obtained it to use against rats. The present mess hall personnel was under the impression no poison was stored in the mess hall. No action was taken against any of the persons involved since the investigation showed the poisonings were entirely accidental and not due to criminal negligence.


China Seeks Japan's Navy

MANILA, Aug. 22 (AP) - The remnants of the Japanese navy should be given to China, which should dominate Far Eastern waters from now on, Chu Whis Ming, one of the Chinese officials who will sign the surrender documents, said in a broadcast from here.
  Meanwhile, The Japanese indicated in an official message to Gen. MacArthur that to maintain order it would be necessary to keep armed forces both in Japan and on the continent for the present.


'Big Job' Still Ahead Of CT Air Force Says 'Strat'
BYRNES AND CONNALLY DISCUSS OFFER - Secretary of State James F. Byrnes, left, and Sen. Tom Connally (D-Tex.) confer in the former's State Department office in Washington on the Japanese surrender.
Will Aid Chinese Air Force In Transporting Occupation Troops

 HQ AAF CT, Aug. 22 - Lt. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer, commanding the Army Air Forces in the China Theater, last week issued the following statement concerning post V-J Day plans:
  "Victory over the Axis powers was made possible by teamwork between all elements of the Armed Forces - air, land and sea. Each one played its vital and indispensable part. Likewise, the result could not have been achieved without sincere co-ordination between our Allies or without the whole-hearted cooperation of industries, labor and other civilian organizations.
  "In the China Theater, the principal United States contribution has been that provided by air power. For a long time, after the Japs had closed the Burma Road in early 1942, the air was the only route by which supplies could be brought to China. From miniscule beginnings, air transport over the hump has risen to its present large scale operation under Brig. Gen. William H. Tunner's India-China Division of the Air Transport Command.
  "The Fourteenth Air Force, commanded so long and so successfully by Maj. Gen. C. L. Chennault, made an invaluable contribution to the prosecution of the war in this Theater. Faced with a continuous shortage of even the most essential supplies, the Fourteenth inflicted a tremendous toll of destruction on Japanese Communications' targets, locomotives, rolling stock and shipping. Thousands of Jap ground troops were killed by fighters and bombers of the Fourteenth.
  "As the war ended we were in the process of a large scale redeployment of the Fourteenth under Maj. Gen. Charles B. Stone, III, the Tenth, under Brig. Gen. A. B. Hegenberger, and the fast growing Chinese Air Force. I am happy that it will not now be necessary for us to carry out these plans, although I can promise that the Japs wouldn't have liked them.
  "The Air Forces in this theater still have a big job to do. Thousands of Chinese troops must be transported by air - and quickly - into occupation zones. It is probable that the Air Transport Command in China will cover about one-half of this commitment. The remainder will be handled by transports which we shall assign to the Tenth Air Force. These will consist of three combat cargo groups, one troop carrier group, two air commando transport squadrons and one troop carrier squadron, which has been in operation in China for many months. The other units, until recently, were operating in the India-Burma Theater, supplying the Chinese armies in north Burma, and the British Fourteenth Army and Fourth Corps, who drove south to take Rangoon and win the battle of Burma. These transports served as the principal and also the sole source of supply for these organizations and in the process, carried out the largest sustained air supply operation in history.
  "We want to get every man in the AAF back to his home and his family as soon as we possibly can. But the occupational requirements, plus the assistance with we still shall have to give to the Chinese Air Force, will keep some of us here for some time. We are taking a personal interest in every individual of the AAF in the China Theater and our personnel experts are working night and day to get the most deserving - those deserving members - those who have been out here the longest - back to the United States as expeditiously as possible.
  "Now that we have caught our breath after the initial impact of victory, I should like to consider for a little the future of air power in the light of the atomic bomb, radar, jet propulsion, rockets, and what seem to be unlimited technological developments of the future. If there is another war - and I hope from the bottom of my heart that there never will be another - we must be prepared adequately to prevent our manufacturing and training potentials from being destroyed before we can arm and take the offensive.
  "This war has demonstrated to my satisfaction - and I trust to that of everyone - that the nation which controls the air also controls its own destiny. The Army Air Forces must then serve as the spear-head of American security. But in order to perform this vital function, the Air Force must have certain essentials. It needs the facilities for almost overnight expansion. It needs adequate research and development facilities to insure that it will have available the most modern equipment in the world. It needs strategically located bases - springboards from which it can immediately take the offensive to prevent devastation of our homeland and win the war on foreign shores.
  "Air power is the only component of the military machine which is capable of inflicting instantaneously deadly blows at the heart of any aggressor nation - wherever it may be located; not next month after our defenses have been fatally weakened, but right now.
  "With Gen. Arnold, Gen. Spaatz, Gen. Eaker and others - I have long been an exponent of a strong air force. I think that our history has proved that we are right.
  "Now that we have achieved victory we must take every means in our power to insure that we shall not have won the war and lost the peace. The maintenance of an adequate air force is one of the most important steps that we can take to avoid this calamity."


'Al' Thanks CT Troops For 'Outstanding Performance'

 CHUNGKING (delayed) - Lt. Gen. A. C. Wedemeyer, commanding general, USF CT, extended his personal appreciation for "outstanding performance of duty and instinctive loyalty" to the troops in the Theater in a special message issued following the Japanese surrender.
  The complete message:
  "At last we have received the news that Japan has surrendered unconditionally. Uppermost in my thoughts at this time are the fine, loyal Americans with whom it has been my honor and privilege to serve in the China Theater during the past nine months. Together, with our gallant Chinese Allies, we have worked long and hard for this victory. I congratulate every one of you on your part in our success.
  "In the course of the war we have established with our Chinese comrades a co-operative spirit that has resulted in an invincible military team. Last winter we survived an offensive which the Japanese militarists intended and predicted to be the death blow for China. From this offensive we recovered quickly and drove the enemy back. In fulfilling our mission of containing, diverting and destroying the Japanese in this area, while our Pacific comrades directed strong blows at the Japanese citadel, the China Theater made a great contribution toward the final victory.
  "To every member of the United States Forces in the China Theater, I extend my personal appreciation of outstanding performance of duty and instinctive loyalty. Throughout our long participation in the war against Japan, we have employed, with maximum impact against a ruthless enemy, the limited facilities which could be placed at our disposal.
  "I ask you to continue your magnificent support. Our overall task is not yet complete. Following victory, the peace of Asia and of the world must be made secure and permanent. During the days ahead we must retain the thought that every one of us is an ambassador and personal representative of America. We must not shirk our continued opportunity to serve our country by friendly co-operation, straight-forward dealing and exemplary conduct in all contacts with Chinese and other nationals.
  "It unquestionably will be possible to return many officers and men almost immediately after victory - V-J Day to the States. Some of us must remain for several months. I realize that you all want to return to loved ones and friends as quickly as possible. Commensurate with available transportation and in consonance with War Department instructions, I pledge my assistance to facilitate your early return. In the meantime I am confident that you will continue to give the same loyal co-operation and efficient service that you have given so unselfishly during the past several months."


Wainwright Rescued From Nip PW Camp In Manchuria

 CHUNGKING, Aug. 22 - Dramatically rescued from a Jap prison camp in Manchuria by American paratroopers, Lt. Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright was reported today winging to Gen. MacArthur's headquarters in Manila, presumably to witness the formal surrender of the forces which held him captive for more than three years.
  An American broadcaster from Guam said the famous general arrived in Chungking Monday en route to the Philippines capital.
  Also freed by American "mercy" paratroopers were four members of Lt. Gen. James L. Doolittle's first bombing mission over Tokyo, released from a prison camp at Peiping. The men, who were not identified pending notification of their nearest kin, had been held under murder charges for their part in the Hornet-based assault. Japan admitted in 1943 that several of their comrades on that first raid on Tokyo had been executed on similar charges.
Wainwright

  The rescue of Gen. Wainwright and the Tokyo raiders was part of an Office of Strategic Services plan to provide medical and other aid to interned prisoners in advance of occupying Allied armies. The Japanese radio complained about the parachuting of these humanitarian teams into their prison camps and requested Gen. MacArthur "to prevent recurrence of such incidents." Gen. A. C. Wedemeyer said he had received work from Mukden that all American personnel landing there probably would be interned until the Japanese had been given permission by the Russians to allow such landings.
  The rescue of Gen. Wainwright was the first in a series of OSS mercy landings.
  The tall hero of Corregidor was freed on Aug. 16, the day after Japan accepted Allied peace demands, when a daring Yank team of doctors and signal men dropped into the small special camp where the General and other Allied prisoners were corralled.
  The rescue, first of a series made in Manchuria, China and Korea by six-man liberating teams, was staged at Hsan, about 100 miles outside of the historic Manchurian city of Mukden, where Gen. Wainwright was being held along with seven other Americans, 16 British and ten Dutch prisoners.
  Japanese guards offered no resistance and the American soldiers, loaded with food and medical supplies, were greeted jubilantly by the prisoners. A radio message sent soon after the landing reported that "the overall condition of the prisoners is much better than expected."
  Lt. Gen. A. C. Wedemeyer, commander of U.S. forces in the China Theater, announced Gen. Wainwright's release and estimated that another 20,000 prisoners of war and 15,000 civilian internees still are being held in camps within the China Theater, including Indo-China, Formosa, Korea and Manchuria.
  Of that number, approximately ten percent, or about 3,500 are American, the theater commander said. Exclusive of Chinese, some 3,600 Allied troops are being held in the Mukden area including 1,300 Americans; 9,000 in Shanghai, 2,800 on Honkow Island, 6,000 in Hongkong, 2,700 in Peiping, 1,000 in Korea, 2,500 in Formosa and 5,600 in Indo-China, he said.
  Leaflets dropped on the prison camps in the past month told prisoners and guards that the parachute landings would be made, but the American medics and signal men who dropped into the camps had no idea what kind of reception they would get. Contacts with the prison camps originally were made by Brig. Gen. George Olmstead of Des Moines, Iowa, the Air-Ground Aid Service and some clandestine organizations.
  Team reports indicated, said Gen. Wedemeyer, that the Swiss representative had done a "fine job" in alleviating conditions at the prison camps.


CT Recon Planes Continue Activity

 HQ AAF CT - Photographic reconnaissance pilots of the Tenth and Fourteenth Air Forces, operating under the overall direction of Lt. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer's AAF headquarters, have been flying daily since the first rumors of Japanese surrender to keep a continuous check of the condition of airfields adjacent to prisoner-of-war camps located along the China coast from Peiping to Hainan Island.
  The purpose of these missions is to ensure that it will be possible to fly badly needed medical personnel and supplies to Allied prisoners with the least possible delay.
  The pilots, flying F-5's (P-38's specially equipped for photographic work) have been providing daily coverage of more than twenty airfields. Some of the missions involve a roundtrip of more than 2,000 miles, or more than ten hours of flying time.
  Photographs taken on the missions are developed immediately upon the return of the aircraft to their bases. They are then turned over to skilled photo interpretation officers who radio the results to Gen. Wedemeyer's and Gen. Stratemeyer's headquarters. The prints are sent by courier to these headquarters as quickly as possible after the initial interpretation.

ATC Photo Contest Winner
CHINA, HERE WE COME - the picture of an Air Transport Command 'Skymaster' which won first prize for Sgt. L. P. Strauss, Long Beach, N.Y., in ATC's photo contest. The plane is passing over atypical Chinese mud house before setting down on the runway.

Chinese Entitled To GI Equipment

 KUNMING - Chinese troops have been issued many special items of US Army equipment, China Theater headquarters revealed in a warning to American GIs not to confiscate US equipment seen in the hands of Chinese Army men.
  Rank and specialty headquarters explained, entitles some Chinese Army men to such GI items as wrist watches, pocket watches, binoculars, compasses, flashlights, goggles, flexible-nozzle tubes for filling gasoline cans, and five-gallon drums for inflammable liquids.
  If unjustly taken from a Chinese soldier, such an item would cost him several months' wages. If the article has been issued to him, said the headquarters announcement, it is his to use until returned to the Chinese Army. Lend-lease agreements will take care of all accounts for such items, it was explained.
  Although urging American soldiers to report any suspected theft of GI equipment, the headquarters statement warned that unless he has been specifically assigned to such a detail, an American GI has not the duty or responsibility to attempt to take anything away from men of the Chinese Army.
  "The American Army is in China to forge bonds of friendship," declared the statement. "This is being done. Don't destroy those bonds!"


First General Hospital In China Opened Near Kunming

 KUNMING - The first general hospital in China was established near here recently, it was announced by Maj. Gen. H. S. Aurand, commanding general SOS.
  Commanded by Col. Furman H. Tyner, Port Arthur, Texas, the general hospital has taken over the buildings and installations of the former station hospital here.
  Executive officer of the hospital is Lt. Col. Clinton C. Millett, Omaha, Neb.; adjutant is Capt. Robert W. Tate, Omaha, Neb.; chief surgeon, Lt. Col. Frank E. Hagman, Arlington, N.J.; chief nurse, Capt. Edith F. Mowatt, Yonkers, N.Y.
  The hospital was activated at Camp Berkeley, Texas. From Camp Berkeley, the unit went to Bushnell General Hospital, Ogden, Utah, for further training. Overseas the unit was scattered throughout India, Burma and China with representatives on detached services with hospitals from Karachi to Chungking.
  The new general hospital in China will serve the entire theater. Most of the patients will be evacuees from smaller hospital units sent to the general hospital for further treatment.
  Allocated more complete equipment and staff than small hospitals, the general hospital is also authorized a Board of Disposition which can cut orders returning patients to the Zone of the Interior.
  One of the features of the hospital is that it is equipped with stateside metal hospital beds and stateside mattresses.
  The Wolf                      by Sansone
An eye clinic, with the most modern and complete optical equipment, complete X-ray facilities, an extensive laboratory, all are set up to give patients at the general hospital the most up-to-date treatment and care.
  Staff of the hospital includes many highly skilled medical specialists not regularly allocated to smaller hospitals. A pathologist, radiologist, dermatologist, anesthetist, dental specialists and many others are among the skilled professional men assigned to the general hospital.


MADAME CHIANG WILL
RETURN TO CHINA

 NEW YORK, Aug. 22 (AP) - The Chinese News Service said last week that Madame Chiang Kai-shek was expected to return to China "very soon," probably within a month or so.


Nanking To Be China's Capital

 NEW YORK, Aug. 22 - Dr. T. H. Chang, spokesman for the Chinese government, said the Chungking radio broadcast recently that Nanking, pre-war capital of China, would be reestablished as the national capital when the transfer from Chungking can be made.

  FOUR CUPS ARE NOT ENOUGH when there are ten men on the team, so members of the Chinaside Air Depot Group softball team are looking for a new league. They've cleaned up all competition in league games from Texas to China, winning 61 and losing only six, and now they are lusting for new blood. Latest title earned by the team is the Rear Echelon Leaguw at Kelly Field, Texas, in July 1944, and before coming to China captured the Kelly Field championship and runner-up in the Texas Service league.
  Pictured with some of their trophies, team-mates include, seated left to right: Corp. Keith W. Rigio, Cedarville, Ohio; Corp. Herman B. Killian, South Pittsburg, Tenn.; Pfc. Bob M. Nedrow, St. Joseph, Mo.; Corp. Joe Manley, Alameda, Cal.; Pfc. Edward D. Hubbard, Oswego, N.Y.; Sgt. Earl E. Meyers, Clupper, Va.; Corp. Joseph B. Mackin, Osceola Mills, Pa.; and Corp. Clarence J. Richardel, Lockport, La.
  Standing left to right: Corp. Joseph J. Mousley, Chatham, N.J.; S/Sgt. Bob Ralston, Denver; Lt. Reid E. Wagner, Barberton, Ohio; Sgt. William T. McCue, Paterson, N.J.; Corp. Foy H. Hammons, Jr., Hope, Ark.; 1st Sgt. Wilmer Stone, Harrisburg, Pa.; Pfc. Chester Bolinski, Buffalo, N.Y.; Pfc. Wayne White, Raleigh, N.C. and Pfc. Irving R. Winogradsky, New York.


These cartoons are printed through the courtesy of the following organizations: "Blondie," King Features Inc., "Terry and the Pirates," "Moon Mullins," "Dick Tracy," News-Tribune Syndicate, distributed by Camp News Service.

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.











AUGUST 23, 1945    


Original issue of The China Lantern shared by Hal Baker

Better quality images of Nagasaki and Gen. Wainwright have been used in this re-creation

Copyright © 2014 Carl Warren Weidenburner






 TOP OF PAGE       PRINT THIS PAGE       ABOUT THIS PAGE 

 SEND COMMENTS       THE CHINA LANTERN HOME PAGE 


LANTERN

READERS