OBJECTIVE: Fighter sweep over Canton airfields
RESULTS: P-51 fighter pilots strafe ground vehicles, buildings, and parked aircraft at Tien Ho, White Cloud, and University airfields.
TIME OVER TARGET: ~3:00-3:10 p.m.
AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Eight P-51s from the 76th Fighter Squadron (23rd Fighter Group)
AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Captain Butler; Lt. Melgard; 2nd Lt. Jerome F. Eisenman; Lt. Moore; Lt. Short; Lt. Carpenter; Lt. Christensen; Lt. Bedient
Dull, rained & blew pm.
Above rations issued. ((Probably the "10 days rations. 4oz oil. 1.06oz tea. 1.74 sugar. 1.5 curry pwdr." mentioned in yesterday's diary entry.))
Ground rice for bread.
Saw Steve pm & he is in a bad way really.
A lousy day altogether. Constant thoughts of food, fruit cake & slabs of chocolate predominate.
New system of roll-call promulgated.
Septic tank queue Bl. 18, I.Q.
Issue curry powder
Wet, cold, miserable. Many plants destroyed in the wind.
Joss sticks to save matches 3sen each. £1 notes offered for 3lbs. of rice.
With Steve pm. He is pretty ill I guess.
Truly a lousy day.
I weighed 131 lbs.
((Following text not dated:))
Indian goats go by frequently. Large herd coveted. Alleged refused Y300 for one.....Bicycles and rickshas good business. Pillion cycles familiar sight, Y3 from ferry to Valley.
Wet, windy & miserable.
Ground rice for bread.
Food carrying.
German lesson.
Steve still bad.
(Germany caved in? Odessa captured? Nimitz force landed in Formosa? Selwyn-Clark executed?)
C.of E, Passion Play “The Upper Room” (Mills, Clark, Cox, Hughes, Garth??, etc, AC. Brown)
Maudie and Vera Murrell had undertaken the unenviable task of Properties and Stage Managers and had slaved away, begging, borrowing and arranging until they had collected the props for a very convincing suburban living room. On Wed 19th we had our full-dress rehearsal. In the meantime, as a precaution against night raids, the Japanese had ordered a complete blackout after sundown during the second and third quarters of the lunar month.
Wet & humid. Nothing to do but mope around. Everyone fed up.
Paper news tells of Buda-Pest’s first Air-raid & the US actions at Palau where they lost 2 cruisers. Russians doing OK. Atrocity yarns in connection with the Burma campaign.
Issue of 1 tin corned mutton (4)
R.C. Passion play
Jap Roll Call
OBJECTIVE: Harass the Canton airfields with a series of one-plane night raids staggered over a four-hour period
RESULTS: Due to poor weather conditions only three of eight B-25s reach the target and release their bombs; two B-25s run out of fuel and crash.
TIME OVER TARGET: From 8:25 p.m. on April 6 to 12:37 a.m. on April 7
AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Eight B-25s from the 11th Bomb Squadron (341st Medium Bomb Group)
AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Unknown
Wet, humid.
Ground rice for bread. Grinder broke.
Roll call 2pm after German lessons.
Saw Steve pm. He’s much better.
Hatori gone to Japan.
The following document is kindly supplied by Elizabeth Ride from her collection of BAAG material.
MOST SECRET AND PERSONAL
Headquarters,
British Army Aid Group,Kweilin.
7th April, 1944,
Reference:- DP/5.
Major-General G.E. Grimsdale,
H.M. Military Attache,
British Embassy,
Chungking.
My dear General,
Reference my DP/4 dated 24 Mar 44:
(Good Friday) 3-hr service (Short)
C. of E. Passion Play
B.O.
OBJECTIVE: Sea sweep over San Chau Island and surrounding coastline
RESULTS: Junks and barges are strafed and rocketed to the west of San Chau
TIME OVER TARGET: Midday
AMERICAN UNITS AND AIRCRAFT: Nine P-40s from the 74th Fighter Squadron (23rd Fighter Group)
AMERICAN PILOTS AND AIRCREW: Col. David L. “Tex” Hill; Major Barry Melloan; 2nd Lt. Chester Denny; Lt. [Kenneth?] Latourelle; Captain Lee; Lt. Thomas P. Bennett; Lt. Gordon F. Bennett; Lt. Richard D. Mullineaux; Lt. Koasy [Kossy?]
((Following text not dated:))
Latest economy stunt. Soak clothes in salt instead of soap. As good and cheaper says Rose Souza.....Now walking town as trams infrequent and crowded. Devise straight course to shorten distance. Conveniently passes sentries on opposite side.
Rice rationing to cease from 15th April We eating lot pintong lately. Three catties weekly. Half slab with bowl of jook.
Wet & muggy.
Grinder OK.
4Pkts cigs.
Our aircraft see to have been around this aft. Black-out ordered.
With Steve pm.
News OK especially about Russia & the bombing of Rum. Bul. & Hun. capitals.
Special issue of congy for Good Frid.
