Flying Tigers - B-24 pilot, engineer, and bombardier interview in 1990

Left to Right: Norman Bonds, Milt Werner, and Harold Thomas

0:00 Introduction
2:50 B-24 flight training, and crew formation on Dec 7, 1942
8:08 The long journey from US to Kunming, China
16:14 Who were the Flying Tigers? Who did you report to?
18:05 Bailing out of "Homesick Susie" about 200 miles west of Hong Kong on Nov 15, 1943
19:04 Chinese underground helping them get back to base
21:26 "Susie's Sister" B-24 crash in India on Jan 25, 1944
22:07 "Chug-A-Lug" B-24 crash landing in Kunming, China on April 22, 1944
22:55 Radio operator Chico shot in the arm
24:52 Remains of January 25, 1944 crash victims - Kunming, China to Chabua, India
25:59 Tom's funny story about parachute landing
27:46 Milt's first bailout into "no man's land" between the Chinese & Japanese lines on Nov 15, 1943
30:20 Tom's story about Hainan Island bombing run and evading Japanese fighters
40:20 Flying "The Hump" between India and China on January 25, 1944 - only crew that made it back
42:02 Milt's first bailout and hiking out for 19 days (continued from 28 minute mark)
50:00 Returning back to USA - landing in Miami on D-Day
54:45 Rommel - and the Allies going from losing to winning the war
57:22 Performance ratings during WWII
59:12 Only 16 air crew returned out of 60 who fought in their squadron
01:00:38 Photos from the war in Milt's scrapbook
01:00:53 Crash landing "Chug-A-Lug" on shot-out landing gear on April 22, 1944
01:02:28 General Chenault presenting Tom his Purple Heart

Overview

This interview is with crewmembers of "Homesick Susie" B-24 bomber in the 425th Bombardment Squadron of the 308th Bomb Group (H) in the 14th Air Force of the United States. These men flew dozens of missions together against the Japanese between 1943-1944 as part of the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II.

More information about the veterans (left to right):

Left: Norman E. Bonds was the flight engineer from Abilene, Texas. He met Milt on his first flight in a B-24 on Dec 7, 1942 at Davis-Monthan Air Field in Arizona.

Center: Milton H. Werner was the pilot of B-24 from Hallettsville, Texas. After WWII, he went on to serve as a pilot in Korea and during the Cold War. He retired a Lt. Col. in the Air Force in 1967. He then moved to Austin, Texas and bought the ranch he always wanted. He passed away in 2007: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obitu... (He's my grandfather)

Milt flew 101 missions during WWII, including combat missions against Japanese military targets in the South China Sea between Vietnam and Hong Kong. He also flew a number of refueling missions from Chabua, India to Kunming, China over "The Hump" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hump. He also flew on other aircraft as an instructor pilot.

Right: Harold M. Thomas, known as Tom. He was the bombardier on the B-24.

Person asking questions off-camera is usually my uncle Dr. Mike Werner of Austin, Texas.

This interview was recorded in 1990. I recently digitized the hour-long VHS tape labeled "Flying Tigers." These men flew with the 14th Air Force, based in Kunming, China. Their group under General Claire Lee Chennault absorbed the Flying Tigers--the American Volunteer Group (AVG) of fighter pilots who were active between 1941-1942. They arrived in 1943 to relieve the prior bombing group. Of the 60 men they left with in 1943, only 16 survived their tour. As discussed in the interview, their tour end date happened to coincide with D-Day (June 6, 1944)--when they landed back in Miami, Florida.

The primary crew they flew with is as follows:

2nd Lt. Milton H. Werner - pilot "MILT"
1st Lt. Wyndham M. Manning - copilot / James Gibson was the other copilot for Homesick Susie
2nd Lt. Winfred H. Cates - navigator
2nd Lt. Harold M. Thomas - bombardier "TOM"
S/Sgt. Norman E. Bonds - engineer/top turret gunner "NORMAN"
T/Sgt. Anastacio Contreras - radio operator "CHICO"
S/Sgt. Orla M. Reichel - gunner
S/Sgt. Paul E. Ebner - gunner
S/Sgt. James J. Garriott - gunner

And key bombing missions they discuss:
Hainan Island
Kowloon Docks, Hong Kong for which they received commendation from Admiral Nimitz
Nov 15, 1943 - 1st time shot down in B-24 "Homesick Susie"
Jan 25, 1944 - 2nd bailout in B-24 "Susie's Sister"
April 22, 1944 - 3rd plane crash in B-24 "Chug-A-Lug"

Names of the planes they flew: Homesick Susie, Susie's Sister, Chug-A-Lug, and Chug-A-Lug Junior

Airplane model: B-24D Liberator bomber