“Missionless” at Moran

Standing near the entrance of their tent beneath typically-turbulent skies, 1Lt. Reuben Ragland Jr. (left) and Capt. John C. Hinrichs Jr. (right) wait on the evening of another “missionless” day for 3rd Bomb Squadron B-25s to begin raids against Japanese targets in Burma. Operational inactivity caused by monsoon conditions led to poor morale. Several incidents that led to conflicts arose during this period, including a disagreement that led to blows. Two more weeks would pass before weather cleared enough for the squadron’s first bombing and strafing mission, with Ragland participating as wingman. James H. Mills Collection

In mid-June 1944, personnel of the 3rd Bomb Squadron, recently relocated to Moran Field in Upper Assam, continued to prepare for joining the fight in Burma, but bad weather prevented its B-25s from flying any combat missions for more than two weeks. The same monsoon conditions that caused downpours in camp also created treacherous storms over the mountains, creating even more hazardous conditions than usual. "It is imperative that air support be given troops surrounding entrenched Japs at Myitkyina, but insurmountable weather always intervenes," wrote Capt. Louis F. Graves Jr. (acting historical officer) in frustration. Every day, 3rd Squadron flight crews were up early and stood by, "hoping for a clear report to warrant flying through the Himalayan Pass down to the battle area,” but every night they returned to their tents "missionless.”

The closest they came to a mission was on June 13, when nine planes made it as far as the taxi strip before the red light flashed from the tower and a voice announced over the command set, "Mission inadvisable. Weather bad at pass.” Graves noted, "The 'do nothing' period isn't attributing anything to morale.”

Following the recent desertion of the kitchen’s two Chinese cooks, who preferred to serve the men Army rations rather than do any actual cooking, the 83rd Bomb Squadron* had temporarily taken over duties in the mess hall, which it shared with the 3rd Squadron. When these "chefs" were transferred out, Capt. John C. Hinrichs Jr. (supply officer) took over responsibilities for cooking and serving. Capt. Graves wrote, "The kitchen personnel reads like a rated cast of characters―two captains, a tech, master and staff sergeant manning the ladles and stoves. To our unbounded surprise, the quality of dishes has improved fifty percent.” It became common to see "officers and ratings sweating out a KP stretch.”

Unlike at Malir, officers and enlisted men ate their meals in a shared mess hall. With morale at a low ebb, tempers were short. One day, as SSgt. George Gruber (supply NCO) was serving in the chow line, he “got into it" with one of the pilots, 1Lt. Reuben Ragland Jr., over some trivial incident, my father recalled many years later. Ragland reacted with, "Do you want to take it outside?” Gruber declined the offer, and the disagreement was resolved without a fight.

To alleviate the personnel shortage, kitchen help was urgently requested from Chinese-American Composite Wing headquarters. It seems that the Chinese had heard about the improvements in the Americans' chow. Soon they lodged a complaint about their food and demanded American rations—"a problem Capt. Hinrichs must answer.”

According to SubLt. Tu Kai-mu**, whose recollections are invaluable in understanding events from the Chinese point of view, it was at about this time that a disagreement arose that did lead to blows, and he described the incident in an interview more than sixty years later. One day a Chinese pilot whose surname was Xu (Sub-Lt. Hsu In-kwei, attached to the 3rd Squadron on the same date as Tu per squadron records) and an unnamed American "mechanical sergeant" were performing routine maintenance inspections. Because Hsu's English was poor, he was unable to communicate effectively with the sergeant, who became more and more annoyed. Tempers flared and voices rose. In his frustration, Hsu shouted, "You are a liar!” Tu’s comment on the inevitable result: “From my several decades of experiencing interacting with Americans, I know that you can directly inform them of your complaints, but if you call them a liar, they will get mad, and a physical confrontation may result.”

The sergeant struck the first blow. Capt. Thomas S. Simpson (operations officer) and Tu, along with several NCOs, rushed over to break up the fight, but not before Hsu got the worst of it. He was punched in the face, resulting in a black eye and bleeding from the teeth. Hsu gave the American a hard kick before they could be separated. Afterward, the two made peace and apologized to each other.

However, the physical assault on a superior officer by an NCO was a serious offense that could call for a court martial, so the incident was reported to higher levels of command. Gen. George E. Stratemeyer, Commanding General of the Army Air Forces' India-Burma Sector, paid a visit to 1st Bomb Group headquarters to deal with the situation personally. Tu, whose English was excellent, acted as interpreter. Gen. Stratemeyer first lectured the squadron leaders, Majs. Chester M. Conrad*** and Wu Ch'ao-chen, on keeping discipline among their subordinates, and then together they discussed what should be done about the incident. Stratemeyer urged that consideration be given to the fact that it resulted from poor communication. Wu held that an NCO's striking an officer was inexcusable and deserved a harsh penalty, while Conrad argued that a court martial was not necessary and urged a lighter punishment. The NCO was ultimately sent back to the US but not court martialed.

According to Tu, the greatest challenge for the Chinese was that they must understand and communicate in English. This incident was one of many that demonstrated the difficulties caused by differences in language and culture between the Chinese and Americans, but it also showed their willingness to work together to resolve their differences.   

*“Flying Skunks vs. Black Angels,” 6/30/2025.

**Ibid; “An Interview with Maj. Gen. Du Kai-mu", interview by Kuo Gwan-lin, transcribed by Kuo Gwan-lin and Wang Chien-chi, June 1, 2008, The Immortal Flying Tigers, 72-3.

***“Chester M. (‘Coondog’) Conrad,” 2/11/2025.

Learn more about this only-one-of-its-kind military unit. 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.