CBI Roundup - August 26, 1943 - China-Burma-India Theater of World War II

VOL. I NO. 50 REG. NO. L5015 DELHI, THURSDAY AUGUST 26, 1943.

THEATER AIR COMMANDS REORGANIZED

‘NICE TO COME HOME TO’

When you see a picture of a lovely like Joan Barclay (time out for a deep sigh) you're reminded of that current song, You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To.

INTRODUCING

Brig. Gen. Howard C. Davidson, genial Texan, is the new commander of the 10th Air Force.

Move Predicts
Increased Aid
For Chinese
  Speedy reinforcement of the C.B.I. Theater with men, planes and equipment from America in line with President Roosevelt's pledge of greater aid to China; plans for closer co-ordination of all American units in the Theater with each other and with Allied forces; the separation of the Air Service Command from the 10th Air Force as a separate Theater Air Service Command and the establishment of a new Air Training Command with headquarters in western India - all these were revealed by Maj. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer in one of the most important press conferences of the war in this Theater, held this week at Rear Echelon Headquarters.
  Speaking to representatives of the leading Indian, American, and British press services, Stratemeyer also revealed officially his own status in the Theater, which previously had been a closely-guarded secret. The former Chief of the Air Staff under Gen. Henry A. Arnold in Washington has become Commander of the American Air Forces of India and Burma and Air Adviser to Lt. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell.

NEW PERSONNEL HERE
  Speaking of the substantial flow of men, planes and equipment with which American forces here are being reinforced, Stratemeyer revealed that a small number of high staff officers, who will form the nucleus of his own personal staff, already have arrived from the States.
  before the announcement of his official duties, Stratemeyer spent three weeks in a survey of American units, installations and equipment in India, Burma and China. He had a long talk with Stilwell, he said, and was "happy to announce" that he and the General "see eye-to-eye on all problems." He also visited Maj. Gen. Claire Chennault in China, whom he described as "an old friend" and had dinner with Generalissimo and Madame Chiang Kai-shek. He said, they are "highly pleased" at the prospect of greater American aid for the hard-pressed Chinese forces.

CO-OPERATION IMPORTANT
  Stratemeyer stressed that his own duties will be largely administrative and will be directed towards establishment of complete, over-all co-ordination between the 14th Air Force under Chennault, the 10th Air Force under newly-appointed Brig. Gen. Howard C. Davidson, the new Theater Air Service Command under Brig. Gen. Robert C. Oliver and the new Air Training Command, the name of whose commanding general is still withheld.
  The Air Training Command will have as its function the training of both American and Chinese pilots, with the ultimate object of providing reinforcement and replacement personnel wherever they are needed.

BISSELL TWICE DECORATED

Maj. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer, left, newly announced Commander of the Air Force in India and Burma and Air Adviser to Lt. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell, congratulates Maj. Gen. Clayton Bissell, retiring Commander of the 10th U.S. Air Force, to whom he has just presented the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.

Japs Raid Chungking;
City's First Attack In Over Two Years

CHUNGKING - Japanese bombers raided this Chinese provisional capital for the first time in more than two years on Aug. 20, when two waves of 27 planes each appeared over the city. The first wave bombed the western suburbs of the city and later Wansein, below Chungking, was bombed. Two Zeros were shot down by interceptors.
Allied forces immediately struck back, when B-25's and P-40's of the 14th Air Force struck at the Tien Ho airdrome at Canton. Many direct hits were observed on the hangars and revetment areas. The Jap attempt at interception cost them five Zeros confirmed and two probably destroyed. Several U.S. planes were damaged.

Rest For Editor
AS STAFF CHUCKLES

  Having sprained a finger on a typewriter key and stubbed a toe on a Queensway curbstone, Ye Ed of the Roundup, puckish, seegar-smoking Lt. Floyd (Bucky) Walter, is off, heigh-ho, for a two weeks' rest "somewhere in northern India."
  It's a great world for Ye Ed, temporarily. Far from the maddening crowd, he will loaf and invite his soul, forgetting, for the nonce, the horrors of the Battle of Per Diem Hill.
  Before leaving, Walter remarked, while his staff strained every muscle to subdue the loud guffaws bubbling within them: "It's a grim war. I just must build up my tissue."
  Ye Ed Pro Tem will be Lt. Richard McClaughry, another grim warrior of the Per Diem front.

10th AIR FORCE CONTINUES RAIDS ON JAP COMMUNICATIONS

  Last week, combat crews of the 10th U.S. Air Force played hell with the Jap, as usual. Rolling stock and communications received the major share of attention although the boys were not chary in dishing it out wherever the little men showed themselves. After going over the scores on rolling stock, it looks as if handcars would be the preferred means of locomotion on the other side - that is, if there are any of them left.
  There were two events that made the week notable. First and best, the crew of the B-25 reported missing on August 12th returned to their base intact, except for a strained shoulder suffered by one of the members when he landed after parachuting. Next, the P-40's got a glimpse of the sky and celebrated by shooting up everything in sight.

ACK-ACK GOT PLANE
  The crew who returned after numerous detours had a good story to tell, but the most unusual feature about it was that the plane was brought down by ground fire. This is the first instance in this theater of our losing a ship by anti-aircraft fire. Usually the Nips can't hit the broad side of a barn. Of course, the ship was so low that it would have been hard to miss.
  The B-25's led things off by knocking out the railway station at Sagaing on August 16. In the process, much rolling stock was destroyed and a large explosion was seen among buildings near the sidings. Shore installations and small river boats received their share of attention. Direct hits were scored on warehouses and a lumber mill at Alon and tracks and more rolling stock became just so much scrap at Ywatung. At Chang-u, heavy brown and black smoke followed huge explosions.
  The heavies on the same day had good hunting in the Gulf of Martaban. Two formations of B-24's in successive attacks left two freighters sinking. At Elephant Point, six enemy fighters tried to interfere and two of them were probably destroyed. Poor visibility prevented confirmation.

SCHEDULES REVISED
  On the 17th, the B-25's revised Burmese railroad schedules causing extensive damage to the railroad station, rolling stock and tracks at Meiktila. A railroad bridge got it also and storage facilities took a good pasting.
  Two river boats, showed their bottoms to the B-25's on the 18th at Katha and Bhamo on the upper Irrawaddy. Docks, buildings and port installations were hit repeatedly and several fires were left burning. The B-24's plastered the railroad yards and storage buildings at Prome. This was the day that the missing crew showed up a little worse for wear.
  The B-25's went after rolling stock again on the 19th with their customary success. The Thazi Junction switchman now has a lot fewer cars to worry about and the ones at Myingyan and Myaungbinwun might just as well take a vacation. Repair sheds and warehouses made nice bonfires at the same places. Clouds got in the way again and results were not reported from an attack on Winbye.

P-40'S IN ACTION
  The groundhog cast a shadow, so the P-40's finally got off on the 10th. Enemy troop movements were reported in northern Burma and the bases at Rangse, Hangsen and Rannu received a good going over. Bombing, then strafing, the fighter-bombers set many storage buildings afire at the first two places. Results at Rannu were not reported.
  They kept it up on the 20th and left troop quarters and storage buildings ablaze at Lakchang Ga. There is one less large supply building at Shingban and three similar cinder heaps at Seton. Taro was strafed with unobserved results.
  Still celebrating on the 21st, the fighter-bombers found a concentration of 23 Jap rafts north of Maingkwan. They aren't floating anymore. Enemy ration dumps and troop quarters at Tiangzup and Nsopzup were thoroughly

CORPORAL GEE EYE

strafed, but the boys were in too much of a hurry to report results. One the same day, the B-24's laid 'em all in the barracks area west of Kyaukpyu on Ramree Island.

BOMBERS CUT LOOSE
  As a rousing climax, the bombers really cut loose on the 22nd. The B-25's needed an adding machine as they destroyed a record number of freight cars in central Burma. 65 at Sagaing, 50 to 60 more at Mandalay and they lost count at Ywataung. The Meiktila area got it in the neck, but results were not reported of an attack on river shipping north of Alon on the Chindwin due to clouds. Plain and fancy precision bombing by the heavies delivered more than 11 tons of bombs in the target area at Monywa. A violent explosion resulted and the smoke from a huge oil fire rose to 10,000 feet.
  The heavies came out punching on the 23rd and nailed a 300-foot freighter but good. The ship was anchored at Car Nicobar Island in the Nicobar Group. When the crews got through drawing a bead, the vessel was blazing and the fire was getting larger as the planes pulled away. Three direst hits and three near hits did the work. A landing barge was believed sunk in the attack. Two more fires were started at Pakokku on the Irrawaddy in central Burma. The cantonment area at Meiktils had visitors in the shape of a flock of bombs. A direct hit made the occupants of one barracks homeless, but clouds prevented further observation. Clouds got in the way again at Myiting Bridge but the approaches were probably damaged. The B-25's came along a little later and did the job right. They removed the center span and damaged the approaches considerably. The clouds got in the way of observation again and so no reports on damage at Kyaukse Bridge and Myingyan.
  The P-40's like a good fire too so they left a couple burning at Maingkwan.
  For the week, all ships and crews got back okay and nobody got his feet wet.

Major Almost Takes Pledge At Sight

  "Gawd," groaned Maj. Leo W. Axford, of the 10th Air Force A-1's office, "I'm gonna take the pledge."
  But the major wasn't seeing double, as he momentarily suspected. There WERE two Gill's reporting to him for assignment, Kermit A. and Kenneth J., of Minneapolis, identical twins who look as alike as the proverbial peas in a pod.
  Fortunately, Laura Donner, Axford's secretary, could verify the fact that Indian liquor hadn't played tricks with his vision. Miss Donner attended the University of Minnesota at the same time as the Gill's and the startling sight was not new to her, although her practiced fingers hit an "a" and "o" at first glimpse of the newcomers instead of the two letter she had intended to strike.
  The blonde, rosy-cheeked Norsks from Minneapolis were non-plussed. It was an ordinary event in their 23-year-old lives. They've seen enough eyes pop out of their sockets to qualify as optometrists.
  In the ordinary course of events, the Gill's arrived in the Theater for assignment after graduating as second looeys from Air Corps Administration O.C.S. at Miami Beach, Fla. They enlisted as privates June 4, 1942, at Fort Snelling, migrated to Jefferson Barracks, thence to enlisted men's radio school at Atlantic City, before winning a chance at dem happy golden bars.
  "I never asked anywhere along the line to stick together," emphasized Kermit (well, we think it was Kermit, anyway). When the twins say "I," they mean "we," as one plainly understands.
  The twins admit to having an athletic background. Not however, with the Golden Gopher football team, for they don't tip the beam at 225 pounds, which is featherweight poundage for the Minnesota eleven. Even the waterboy weighs that. They competed in track, alternating between the mile and two-mile events. The closest grilling wouldn't make them reveal which was the better.
  Like all Minnesota graduates the Gill's are strong admirers of football coach Bernie Bierman, who, they aver, was not sent into the Southwest Pacific only because he knew how to gain five yards in a tough spot.
  Axford has informed the Roundup that the pair has been sent to the same group headquarters, but doesn't know whether they'll be assigned to the same smaller unit.
  He added, with a chuckle, that they shouldn't have any trouble matching one another's clothes scheme.

WCTU HAS ANSWER FOR DRY C.B.I. THROATS

  It's all solved, chums. Forget the beer ration, or lack of it. The Women's Christian Temperance Union has gone all out in a big way and comes up with the answer.
  The United Press tells the story. Ever since the war threatened, Mrs. Blanche Pennington of Huntington, Pa., has been worried about the threat to tea imports. So she planted 40 varieties of one thing or another in her own garden, and recently tried out the results on the WCTU executive council in Chicago. Nine different kinds of home-grown tea substitutes were poured down the various ladies' gullets, and the resultant hilarity just can't be imagined.
  Among other ingredients in the various concessions were mint, chamomile, sage, pennyroyal, anise, elder flowers and wild roseberries. One of the ladies complained, next day, that she did not sleep a wink all night. Which prompted Mrs. Pennington to moralize: "That just goes to show that when you aren't careful about drinking you can have a rough night, even on tea."
  Imaginary conversation: "Give that nasty beer to the bearer, Joe; we're staging a blitzkrieg with roseberry bombshells."

BULLTOWN BECOMES INDIAN PARADISE
WITH ALL COMFORTS OF HOME, ALMOST

Once things were as gloomy in Bulltown as they were in Mudville the day mighty Casey struck out at bat. In fact, the Chinese-American Training Center somewhere in India got its name because there was nothing to do for recreation but toss the bull. Now - look! Movies we got and miniature golf and bingo games and NURSES. Even a beauty parlor yet. The transformation was started by Capt. Carl G. Arnold, Special Service Officer sent by "Uncle Joe" to keep G.I.'s from gnawing on each other's shins. It is being carried on by Lt. Robert McGinnis, Public Relations Officer and Lt. Pryor Pitts, Special Service Officer. The pix, snapped for the Roundup by staff photographer Pfc. Frank America, tell the story.

Golf - Lt. Mary MacDonald, A.N.C., ready to sink one on the miniature golf course. Sgt. Frank DeLuca, we hope, keeps his eyes strictly on the ball.

Beauty - Lt. Alice Leach, A.N.C., gets prettied up in Ye Olde Beauty Shoppe.

Bingo - The boys play for chips, of course, at Monsoon Inn. The expression of the dog-face next to extreme left might be called slap-happy, but the Roundup prefers to regard it as merely enthusiastic.

Chow Hounds - Pfc. James J. Kell and Corp. Tony C. Tartamella aren't kidding with that cake - who would? But what's holding onlooking Sgt, Burman?

Boxing - Sgt. Charles L. Hattaway catches one from Sgt. G. Crowder of British Army.

Hold That Tiger - "Anna," the camp mascot, a three-month-old Bengal tiger, poses unwillingly with the assistance of Sgt. Hattley McDowell, while Brig. Gen. Frederick McCabe, left, looks on.

Jive - The Monsoon Madcaps, G.I. dance band, keep local characters "in the groove." Left to right, the Madcaps are: Sgt. Donald W. Hoover, Cpl. Jesse L. Carpea, Cpl. Kenneth L. Hunter, Cpl. Roy Schatt and Sgt. George R. David.

Art - Cpl. Roy Schatt, poor man's Rembrandt, stands before the large mural he painted for the "Greasy Spoon," the camp hamburger stand, now part of the recreation hall. It contrasts American and Indian methods of food inhalation.

THE ARMY TAKES OVER

G.I.'s travel far and wide during this global war and fight in many different ways. A trio of khaki-clads in India help build morale over the kilocyclic boulevards of All-India Radio. They appear in the above picture, left to right: S/Sgt. Jacques Adler, S/Sgt. Van Mitchell and T/5 jack Rollins. The civilians are Mrs. Hillenbrand and Eddie Weatherly. Van Mitchell, former CBS sportscaster in Pittsburgh, and Rollins are the principal cogs of the group. Van Mitchell does a 15-minute spot program daily, besides acting as emcee of the regular broadcast. Rollins pairs with him in a running whimsy about a Loan Shark Co. whose motto is: "Money no object: it flows like glue." Write-in parts are handled by Mrs. Hillenbrand, who hails, she says, "from Kentucky and Georgia." Weatherly, an American Negro who has been in the Far East and Russia for six years, beats out the latest tunes by piano. Adler does the dialect for the show and in his "off moments" goes about his regular duties with the Message Center. (Story by Cpl. Roger Wheeler, Roundup staff.)

On The Ball
CHINA BOY HAS HELL TIME
  By DARRELL BERRIGAN United Press War Correspondent

  HEADQUARTERS, 14TH AIR FORCE, CHINA - (UP) - Mike says: "A famous man is like a fat pig. He's soon killed." But Mike can't help being famous - or at least well-known - among the Americans occupying the many air bases in China.
  Mike Lee is the "acting manager" of one of the hostels at this base. He is a 23-year-old Chinese who was educated at Hong Kong University, worked for the postal department of the Hong Kong government and then escaped from the British Colony when the Japanese took over. Since June of last year Mike has been working for the War Area Service Command, the Chinese organization which furnishes the barracks for American men in China and the food they eat.
  Mike describes himself as "very eager," mixing Chinese proverbs with the latest American slang. He wearily tells all who wish to listen that he has "one hell time keeping those boys on the ball," referring to the Chinese boys who cook and serve the food Americans eat. The coffee, if it is not quite up to his rigorous standards, is "not on the ball" and the hotcakes and eggs and pork chops similarly. In fact, according to the officers and men he serves, Mike does a pretty good job of keeping everything he directs "on the ball." That's why it is hard to believe him when he answers G.I. jibes about his work with, "It's no use being good. There's no demand for good men."
  Mike has very decided ideas about Americans. "I believe," he says to those who will sit and listen, "the relationship between Americans and Chinese are better than others. The majority of Americans are very nice. Americans feel lost when they first come to China. They may be annoyed when they don't get what they want or when a Chinese boy doesn't understand English too good and brings eggs when they asked for toast. They (the Americans) seem to be excited but they don't mean it.
  "Americans," Mike continues, "have natures full of sense of humor. They are fond of teasing others and like to get fun out of life.
  "Every American is born to be equal," Mike says. "The general is the same as a private. An American general is just as tender as a private and don't get stuck up and proud with his rank." Mike, it must be said, has met few generals other than the 14th Air Force's Maj. Gen. Claire Chennault, who is famous for his democratic attitude and has on occasion taken Mike along with him to other bases as interpreter.
  Mike is worried that Americans coming to China during the war will form the wrong impression of the country because of the sometimes undeveloped nature of the part of the interior they see. "The interior of China," Mike complains, "is not what you call scientific as the coast towns and didn't develop until the war. But," he hastily adds, "the interior is developing quickly."
  Mike's ambition, he says, is to "go to the States to go through my education for diplomacy." His training in the American Army will undoubtedly help to prepare him for such a career.

BISSELL
WRITES TO ROUNDUP

The Editor, The Roundup,
In relinquishing command of the 10th Air Force, I wish to go on record as a satisfied subscriber to the

Bissell

Roundup, and to request that my name be retained on your mailing list so that I may keep in constant touch with affairs in the CBI Theater wherever new assignments take me.
The Roundup has been generous in its treatment of news of the 10th Air Force. This coverage of our activities has been a major factor in the high morale of all aviation units and supporting forces.
My parting wish is that the Roundup may retain the pre-eminent place among Theater newspapers.
Best of luck, Sincerely,
CLAYTON BISSELL, Maj. Gen., U.S.A.

MOTHER TOLD
BEST OF NEWS
HER SON SAFE

  ASSAM AIR BASE - (AP) - There is good news for Mrs. Lena Chibnik, of Malden, Mass., as she has been reassured that her son, Sgt. Albert Chibnik, is safe instead of missing. Chibnik is a member of a bomber crew of the 10th Air Force which failed to return from a raid recently over Burma.
  In line with the War Department's policy, Chibnik's mother was notified two days after he was reported missing. However, six days after his plane plummeted into a jungle in the Indo-Burma jungle frontier, Chibnik and others came out safely after having parachuted from the plane.
  Something delayed the War Department's notification, which according to a message from New York, reached the sergeant's mother after her son was actually safe at his home base in India.
  The 10th Air Force has now officially stated that Chibnik is very much alive and well in order to reassure his mother that he is not missing.

IMAGINE! TONGA CHARIOTEER HONEST AND G.I. GRATEFUL
  By Sgt. JACK BLUMENFELD

  Try to imagine an honest tonga-wallah hot-footing it after a G.I. who had just left 200 rupees in the back seat of the tonga.
  Just imagine this tonga-wallah trying to get into the barracks so that he could return the fortune and refusing to turn it over to the guard for fear that the wallet might not get to the right party.
  Then imagine the extreme optimism of the poverty-stricken G.I. as he 'phones the hotel where he had just been swimming, in the hope that the roll of dough had been left in the locker room and that someone had turned it over to the manager.
  And imagine the G.I. receiving a telephone call from the hotel informing him that a tonga-wallah had just showed up at the receiving desk there with a wallet.
  Finally, imagine T/Sgt. Don Clowe as the fortunate G.I. hunting up the honest tonga-wallah and giving him considerable baksheesh - for that is what actually occurred.

Elegy
By Sgt. SMITH DAWLESS

Come brothers, let us mourn, forsooth:
They nipped the nib of fair Clare Boothe,
Hushed in her journalistic prime
Full forty years before her time.
No sinner she: the printed word
Was all in which the lady erred.
Her dreadful controversial ink
Induced poor Army lads to think!
(A heinous habit which a man
Must strive to conquer if he can.)

It seems, on matters politic,
That GI brain cells mustn't click,
If Congress dances, all the same,
We'd like to know the fiddler's name.
I ask you, is it man or mouse
Who scorns the drama of the House?
If Senators collapse and fall
Aren't we supposed to care at all?

We cannot hope it's for the best
To set our gimpy minds at rest.
Beneath some spreading banyan tree
We'll ponder philosophically
The baffling quirks of fickle Fate
That won't let soldiers speculate -
When Members introduce a bill -
On whether it is good or ill.

It's au revoir and not goodbye
To Clare from us in C.B.I.
We pray she won't unload her guns,
And that her plays have three-year runs!

FROM THE JUMNA BRIDGE
The sun went down behind the whitened mosque
The moguls built three hundred years ago
Its slanting rays turned marble into pearl;
Blue mist arose to hide the crowd below.
And as I saw this wondrous, lovely sight,
The colors blending gold and pearl and blue.
The fantasies of some forgotten dream
Came back to me and I know dreams come true.
- By Maj. FOUNT RICHARDSON, MC

A SMALL WORLD
No man lives far from any foreign shore.
The world is yearly shrinking more and more.
The ships of sea and air run time a race
As men at last learn how to conquer space.
Because the seven seas therefore subside,
The human heart must learn to grow more wide.
More tolerant, more swift to understand
Its neighbors in each nearing distant land.
While earth contracts, our wisdom must increase
At such a rate as can insure our peace.
If continents come closer, so must men
Of East and West to right the world again.
- by Sgt. ELWOOD JONES

G.I.'s In Assam Have Hot Time At Fire, Party
  By Pvt. RAYMOND L. ROSENBERG

  ASSAM AIR BASE - A fire, a party, the departure of several of the khaki-clad lads for that mythical Shangri-La, the United States and promotions broke up the usual routine of much ado about nothing in our anti-aircraft artillery battery. After months of rumor and heated discussions, S/Sgt. George W. Karcher, Sgt. A, C. Jacobs and Cpl. Veto Sklens turned out to be the fair-haired boys that made their lucky departure. We hope they will remember us when they sit down to a juicy steak upon reaching the home-front.
  Shortly before this dramatic occurrence, the basha which several of our lieutenants fondly have named Home Sweet Home, suddenly burst into flames. Consternation reigned. But although the basha was destroyed, most of the property was saved, and no one was hurt. Even so, the "looies" were burned up about being burned out.
  Following this with great speed came the anniversary supper. Duck dinner was the feature. A few guests were invited to add a bit of colorful atmosphere. Even the usual rain couldn't put a damper on the gala affair.
  To add the finishing polish on these unusual happenings, several promotions were heaped upon us. Cpl. J. T. Griffith was raised to the mighty rank of staff sergeant, Pfc. Robert Radzinski is sewing on his corporal's stripes, Pvt. Bennie Ford at last has one stripe, T/4 Alvin E. Frankie is now a medical sergeant, David Thomas id showing off two stripes and Joseph H. Underwood and David E. Thumb each proudly strut about with their single chevron.
  Life here is much on the upgrade, but when we think of those "poor guys" on the way home, we can only sigh to ourselves, ah me!

STRATEGY OF WAR
TO KEEP CHINESE
ON FIGHTING LINE

  WASHINGTON - (UP) - Admiral Ernest J. King at a press conference on the anniversary of the invasion of the Solomons, declared that the grand strategy of the war in Europe and the Pacific is to enhance Russia's efforts against Germany and to keep China in the war.
  The Pacific strategy also called for increased pressure on the Jap communications and seizure of enemy positions from which it will be possible "to give him more hell as we go along."
  He said that Russia has "the geographical position and manpower that are paramount in regard to Germany." The Allies, he added, must send her all the munitions possible and "exert every possible effort to divert the German forces from the Russian Front."
  In the war against Japan, King said China's geographical position and her manpower are determining factors. Therefore, the United States must aid China as much as possible and keep her in the war.

53 MORE FLIGHT AWARDS
ANNOUNCED BY TENTH AF

Announcement was made this week by Tenth Air Force Headquarters of 53 awards to members of the Tenth Air Force in this theater. Officers received 29 of the awards, enlisted men 23 and one award was made to a flight officer.
The list of awards:

PRIVATE FISHING POOL

This could be entitled, like the old saw, as "easy as catching fish in a rain barrel." At a base somewhere in Assam, Joe Fecondo, left, and Clifford Miller bait a hook to angle for members of the finny tribe who, in some mysterious manner, got themselves stuck in a well. Julius Klempa lingers in the background.

Organized Mayhem
IATF OFFICERS CLASH IN RUGBY
  S/Sgt. KARL PETERSON
  IATF HQ. - Man, in the beginning, was a brute creature who battled savagely with his fellows, tribe against tribe, using stones and knotted clubs. Then came refinement, and character called policemen who forbade such goings on. So the red-blooded got together and made a game out of it, drawing up rules so they might continue in mayhem under the guise of a sport. Thus was born rugby, to which some of the IATF officers were introduced last week.
  Maj. H. M. Schwab and Capts. Charles Dole and Paul Johnston played their first game in a local league as members of a combined British-American "side." In a sea of mud they "scrummed" ("Get your heads down, lads, and push like hell.), tackled and were tackled, tried to scoop up the greasy ball just as some husky booted it, leaving them to draw back a bloody stub, or just stood panting and wondered what all the shouting was about.
  When the fray subsided, they had stiff necks, banged-up shins, and the short end of a 14-to-3 score; also a coat of mud through which their own mother's wouldn't have known them, or admitted knowing them if they had. But were the downhearted? Jeepers, no! They looked forward to the next encounter, meanwhile planning new and distinctly American innovations in the game, double reverses and Statue of Liberty plays.
  "After all," said Dole earnestly, "I don't see where the rules prohibit it." But rugby has tradition, y'know, and the captain may find himself stymied by an Old School Tie who will explain, "You see, old boy, it just isn't done."
  Cock-of-the-walk in IATF enlisted ranks last week was Pfc. Joe ("Beer baron") Bernas, who, by Shylockian trading of one (1) package of cigarettes for a can of the heavenly brew, accumulated nearly 100 cans. To date he hasn't entered on the mammoth job of drinking it, just sat around trying to arouse envy by groaning happily with anticipation, the hound.

NEW ‘OLD MAN’
DRAWLING TEXAN HERE TO REPLACE BISSELL

  The cloud of secrecy enveloping Brig. Gen. Howard C. Davidson's arrival in the Theater was so thick that even the sharp knife of the APO couldn't cut through it.
  The new commander of the 10th Air Force, who has assumed the post held during the past year by Maj. Gen. Clayton L. Bissell, received a letter the other day which had the APO in a bewildering tailspin.
  "Addressee unknown" was stamped upon the envelope . . . until the news of Davidson's appointment was broken in a local newspaper, The Statesman.
  It is the Roundup's studied judgment today that Davidson's name will not long remain unknown in the Theater, particularly to the Jap. This observation was reached after the general's introduction to the local press corps by Bissell during the former leader's farewell conference.
  It was the general consensus among the U.S. war correspondents and members of the Indian press that here was a man who would follow in the well-defined footsteps of Bissell, who set an outstanding example as a leader and tactician during his tenure as 10th Air Force Chief.
  Powerfully-built Davidson spoke softly, almost gently, with a soothing Texas drawl. But that there was a fist of mail inside the velvet glove was strongly suspected.
  Even when the general remarked softly, "I don't like them," when speaking of the enemy, no one considered the mild imprecation as strange. He was in Hawaii at war's start and, as he told the press, "This is a grand opportunity to twist the Jap by the tail."
  No Johnny-come-lately is Davidson. He was flying before World War I when the airplane was so lightly regarded as a weapon of war that the embryo Air Corps, smaller than a fighter group of today, was attached to the Signal Corps. He was one of the pioneers responsible for its growth. When it acquired long pants, he remained with it and helped it attain its present maturity.
  Since Pearl harbor, Davidson has been first at Bolling Field and then in Washington with Gen. H. H. (Hap) Arnold.
  The new general made a tour of the Theater a few months ago. The 10th Air Force was just starting to gain stature then. He marvels today how, through the tireless, painstaking efforts of Bissell, the unit has been welded into such a hard-hitting force.
  Davidson is a staunch believer in air power, but he admitted, "Bombing alone can't defeat the enemy." He expressed the opinion, however, that the task of ground forces occupying enemy territory may be aided vitally by air support, which, in fact, may be the weight that will tip the scales in favor of one side or the other.
  Bissell's departure was a signal for the Indian press to extend its gratification for his honesty and frankness. After the retiring leader thanked Indian writers and U.S. war correspondents for their loyal support. Durga Das, of The Statesman, secretary of the Delhi Press Association, answered for his typewriter compatriots.
  That Davidson will carry on this fine tradition of co-operation with the press was the pointed implication. He glanced through Das's notes with friendly curiosity before he spoke, then remarked that he hoped the press would remain a "member of the team."

The C.B.I. Roundup is a weekly newspaper published by and for the men of the United States Army Forces in China, Burma, and India, from news and pictures supplied by staff members, soldier correspondents, the United Press and the War Department. The Roundup is published Thursday of each week and is printed by The Statesman in New Delhi, India. Editorial matter should be sent directly to Lt. Floyd Walter, Rear Echelon Hq., U.S.A.F. C.B.I., New Delhi, and should arrive not later than Monday in order to make that week's issue. Pictures must arrive by Sunday and must be negatives or enlargements. Stories should contain full name and organization of sender.

AUGUST 26, 1943

Adapted from the original issue of CBI Roundup

Copyright © 2009 Carl Warren Weidenburner

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