After the loss of the 14^th Air Force base at Laohokow, Chihkiang (now Zhijiang) became the most easterly of the bases operated by the 14^th Air Force. On April 10, 1945, the Japanese initiated an offensive that claimed the full attention of the 3^rd and 4^th Bomb Squadrons and the 5^th Fighter Group stationed at Chihkiang. So successful was the opposition against enemy targets in the Chihkiang Campaign that it proved to be the last major offensive by the Japanese in China. Even as life-or-death operations were being conducted, the daily business of the squadron went on. “All the men who have been overseas for a rather long time, or those who seem to need a little diversion and rest, are being sent to Chengtu, several at a time, to enjoy the ‘almost stateside’ atmosphere, the good ‘American’ food, and the almost white creatures of feminine pulchritude.” Five 3^rd Bomb Squadron enlisted men were the next to be sent in late April.

Along with several other replacements, 1Lt. Willard G. Ilefeldt had been attached to the 3^rd Bomb Squadron as a B-25 pilot and appointed a flight leader in November 1944. Ilefeldt, called “Tex” because of an early childhood spent in Texas, additionally assumed the role of historical officer in January 1945. His first combat mission was a joint raid with the 2^nd and 4^th Bomb Squadrons against storage areas on the docks of Hankow. The bombers were escorted by 3^rd Fighter Group P-40s and P-51s. Results were excellent. Ilefeldt went on to complete 37 missions before the end of the war. He returned from Calcutta to New York in November 1945. Although called a “dumb kid” as a child, he so successfully overcame his dyslexia and hyperactivity that he became an Episcopal priest and earned a Doctorate in Pastoral Counseling. He later became a published author.