“Just Another Day”
1Lt. Frank P. Pulaski conducted a “pool” to guess the date of V-E Day and included the names of twenty-one officers as potential participants. 1Lt. Robert E. Banger’s guess of May 8 made him the big winner. R. E. Banger Collection, courtesy of Beth Banger Meehan.
On May 8, 1945, two planes from the 3rd Bomb Squadron and a second element of three planes from the 2nd Bomb Squadron, along with two 32nd Fighter Squadron P-51s, took off at 0910. They separated at Hsiangchang south of Chenghsien, Honan (Henan) Province, in Central China’s Yellow River Valley, and then flew to separate targets. Led by the 2nd Squadron’s Capt. Wendell D. Lack, the second element turned north to target the Yu Feng Spinning Mill at Chenghsien, reported to be serving as a gas and ammo dump.
The two 3rd Squadron Mitchells flew on to hit section 13A of the railroad about four miles west of Kaifeng, situated about 300 miles north of Wuhan and five miles south of the Yellow River. This was the 3rd Squadron's mission #120. 1Lt. Frederick H. Greene Jr. flew the lead plane, A/C #719 (with 1Lt. Frank P. Pulaski, 1Lt. Robert E. Banger, TSgt. Frank T. Jakubasz, Sgt. John W. England, TSgt. Charlie H. Hoyle Jr., and Cpl. Edmund Schroeder), and dropped 250-lb. bombs. Six of them bounced off the tracks; four of the six were near misses that caused damage, and one was a direct hit. Capt. Cheng Y. K., pilot of the trailing plane, A/C #724 (with Chang L. T., Liu P. C., Chen Y. C., Li L., and Kao C. K.), claimed to have trouble dropping bombs. However, when the bombs were jettisoned, six of them hit the tracks.
In other parts of the world, this was a day of jubilation. They were celebrating V-E Day--the formal acceptance by the Allies of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces, marking the official surrender of all German military operations in Europe.
It was soon afterward that 14th Air Force personnel stationed at bases across China received news of the Allied victory in Europe on that date. Most viewed it as simply one step closer to going home. 1Lt. Robert N. Eisner, acting 1st Bomb Group historical officer, wrote in that month’s report, “V-E Day came as an anti-climax to what had been anticipated for a month. For us in this theater of operations it meant no slackening in our efforts, but we look forward to the time when the mass of power in Europe is transferred to the Pacific to press greater blows against the Japanese. We did not celebrate this victory but took it as just another day.”
Col. William B. McGehee, Wing adjutant, wrote another letter to his hometown newspaper soon after the Axis defeat. “I’ve been away from home too long to suit me, but I haven’t any idea when I will be getting back,” he wrote. “My two years are almost over but with V-E day all rotation was cancelled. So the prospects aren’t very bright right now.” He concluded that he was “still hoping hard” to be “back home this fall.”
The men at Liangshan had felt confident that Europe would soon be freed from the Axis grip, and Lt. Pulaski had set up a pool to guess the date. On April 23, he typed up a grid consisting of five columns with this explanation: "Pool for the end of the war in Europe - (End of organized resistance as announced by the War Department. [Hand-printed after: 'Ike's word.'] If no official date is announced, the date we hear about it will be used.)” The price for entry was fifty cents per chance. Across the top was the hand-printed title, "WINNER or WINNERS TAKE ALL.” At the bottom, following names of squadron officers: "You may take as many chances as you wish. May the best man win.”
About half of the officers participated. Those who splurged with five chances were the squadron’s commanding officer, Maj. Jack M. Hamilton, as well as Capt. Robert C. MacNeil (operations officer), Banger (navigator), 1Lt. Thomas H. Edgerton (pilot), Greene (pilot), 1Lt. Charles W. Jeffries (intelligence officer), Pulaski (pilot), and 2Lt. Grady B. Fuller (engineering officer). 1Lt. George P. Wood (communications officer) purchased two, and 1Lt. Donald J. Davis (pilot) and 1lt. Gerald J. Winter (supply officer) took only one chance each. The earliest, proposed by Edgerton, was April 28. MacNeil thought it might go as late as July 1, but all were confident that it would end no later than that. Banger's guess of May 8 made him the winner of the $22.00 pot.
Soon afterward, squadron personnel received this surprising message from Gen. Albert C. Wedemeyer, Chief of Staff to Chiang Kai-shek and commander of US Forces, China Theater: "Instructions have been issued, establishing a curfew for all United States military personnel in the China Theater at 2400 hours on Saturday and holiday nights and 2300 hours on all other nights, effective 15 May 1945.” Similar instructions were issued by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek through Free China applying to all Chinese military personnel. Curfews had been enforced in the Pacific, in Britain, and in the Service Commands within the United States but had not yet been ordered in China. "The purpose of the curfew is to assist in the maintenance of good health and maximum efficiency in furtherance of the war effort. After the defeat of Germany, the center of gravity of the war will shift to the far east. It is the recognized duty of every American to maintain himself at the peak of efficiency in order to meet increased responsibilities.” Wedemeyer expressed his belief that the curfew would not "impose a hardship" and gave the assurance, "The inauguration of the curfew does not mean that we must or should curtail our plans for recreation and entertainment. It simply means that we must start earlier, come home earlier, get a good night’s rest, and be in better shape for the following day's work."
Gen. Wedemeyer explained that it had previously been necessary to focus the greater part of the military might of the United Nations on the defeat of Germany and on “the task of reaching the outer ring of the Japanese bastions” in the Pacific. “But now great battles have been won. Our armies and those of our gallant allies have swept like roaring torrents through the heart of Germany. Japan hears the thunder of doom approaching crescendo; now our turn is coming. ”Despite these encouraging words, it would be another three months before Japan accepted defeat in China. During that time, two more 3rd Squadron planes were lost, and the fate of a six-man aircrew reported as missing in action was not confirmed until after the war ended.
Want to know more? You can find the full story in The Spray and Pray Squadron: 3rd Bomb Squadron, 1st Bomb Group, Chinese-American Composite Wing in World War II.