Bien venidos mi amigos "
It started in the winter of 46. We were curious on the military status of the Tsingtao - Tsinan rail road so decided to make a navigation flight following it.. We didn't realize that we were creating an international incident, with just was effectively a joy ride.

On the morning of Christmas eve, we left Tsingtao in one of our B-26's in the early morning in beautifully clear, but coooold weather. We soon picked up the RR and followed it north west at about 300 feet. As we flew along, I started photographing the old China landscape and villages. The most remarkable thing that I noticed that as we left the Nationalist holdings, and crossed over into the communist ones, was the sudden lack of anything, especially food. There were no pigs, goats, dogs, chickens, or pigs running around, just little old ladies that ran after us waving brooms? There were no men or children evident ?

As we flew over a crest we came to a RR junction where there were thousands of men, animals and trucks milling about, we learned later that they were forming for an attack on the nationalists. We circled, and came back over them. at about 50 ft waving at them, then circled again. But this time all that I saw were men diving for cover and pack animals scattering their cargos everywere with men frantically trying to catch them.. We realized our boo boo and climbed to about 500 ft and came back rocking our wings, then continued north on the RR. .

There were no further incidents, so we decided to return much further to the East and finally landed at our base in Tsingtao. We were met with several truckloads of Chinese soldiers fully armed pointing their rifles at us There were also a large no. of Chinese and American officials. They promptly demanded my film, but let me keep my camera. We were then escorted to the central office building and interrogated one by one about our flight. About this time I heard the local Chinese P-51's coming in to land, I had wondered why there were none when we had landed, but assumed that they were attacking the communist troops some where. I made a remark about this to one of the American consulate men. He just looked at me for a moment, then said "they were looking for you , in fact all of the Chinese National Air forces were. They had flat orders, backed by the US, to shoot us down on sight.. It seems that the Communists and the Russians had complained officially as to why the US was commencing combat flights against the Chinese Communists. We had broken up the planned attack, it was never carried out.

We then explained just what had happened and why, so soon it was brushed aside for what it was worth. . No one was officially repremanded nor were any notations put into our service records, but we were told that we had been extremely fortunate, That every one was looking for us to eliminate a potential problem.

That afternoon I decided that I would have a delicious shrimp dinner. This consisted of 3 huge shrimp / prawns cooked in hot sauce and were out of this world. The airfield was some miles outside of Tsingtao, and as part of the road was controlled by the Communists, it was the custom during the day for us to unfurl an American flag when we approached the fire zone, at which time an officer from each would appear, stop the firing, then escort us through the fire zone. We would then go on our way, and they back to their shooting.

When I arrived in town, I took a rickshaw to the restaurant, After, I decided to see "the Bells of St Mary, with' Bing Crosby. I was surprised to find that he spoke excellent Chinese he he. Due to the many breakdowns, it took longer than usual, I didn't notice the time, just that sitting a a flat board bench was a bit uncomfortable

When it finished, I Ieft the theatre, but found that I had overstayed and my ride had gone. Since it was the last one for that day, no-one tried to go over the disputed area at night, I was marooned in Tsingtao for the night. No problem, I would just go get a room in a hotel right? WRONG. I had forgotten that there were a few million refugees in town, there were no rooms available. I was dressed with my nylon flight suit under my uniform and long coat, still, I was freezing and trembling from that cold wind that was blowing right off of the Gobi desert, the coldest and most penetrating wind that I have ever experienced. My poor rickshaw man was dressed in only a padded cotton vest, his legs were bare.

After some hours we both were beat, everything was closed, no rooms. I was stopped, when he said "there is a place that has rooms, but is not normally used by white gentlemen. I said "let's go, we both have to get under cover or we will freeze to death tonight"

So he padded his way down to the docks and into a huge sprawling collection of shacks that were constructed of whatever could be found and used. There were no streets or alleys, only some space between the shacks to walk in. The entire compound had an indescribable horrible odor and oozed a palpable feeling of pure evil. I learned later that both the police and the military refused to go in there, yet here was a prosperous American stumbling around in the dark?? An obvious target . With every step the.45 under my clothes grew smaller and smaller.

We eventually ended up in front of a sprawling compound of perhaps 10 shacks connected together that were lit with candles. We entered, and he disappeared, I could hear distant voices raised, then quiet. He appeared from the shadows and said "Yes, you can have a room for the night, it will cost ---" "ok" I replied, "now go home and get warm.". I thanked him, paid the lurking madam, then gave him what I had left, except for breakfast - if I was lucky.. I figured the poor guy might as well have it as the bandits in the morning.

The madam then led me through the rooms and we ended up at the last one. It had a blanket to cover the door, and was about 8' by 15 ft. As you entered, it had the ever present charcoal stove at your right, which almost killed me that night from the fumes. At the far end, at right angles, it had two saw horses with planks over them. There was a cotton pad covering the 3 planks, and had a pillow that consisted of rice hulls. .There was a gal sitting at the end of the plank bed.in the shadows.

I thanked the madam then approached the pore worn out gal on the bed, I said that I was too tired for any activities, and to go sleep with one of her friends. She never said a word, but went to the the blanket door and left. Soon I could ear some low sniffing, so I went to the door and there she was crouched on the cold floor gently crying ? I asked she was crying ? She answered saying that if I threw her out, she would then have to live in the streets, that they wouldn't want her any more.

So what could a red blooded Yankee guy do ? I told her to come back into the room and sit on the bed. the plank bed wasn't really big enough for two to sleep on side by side So I was wondering how to pass the night. she solved part of it by rolling up the cover for a pillow to sit against the wall while leaving the rice hull pillow for me. Incidentally, for those of you that are not familiar with rice hull pillows, they are exactly the same if you fill them with sand.

So there we sat, even 'Ivan' wouldn't have touched her, so I scouted around about how to pass the night, then I found out with my "Me Tarzan you Jane Chinese " that she didn't know how to read or write, so I spent Christmas eve teaching a pore, worn out Ho basic written Chinese.

The next day as I found my way out the sprawl it didn't look nearly as bad in the sunlight as it did the night before. Although I later found that they collected a dozen or more bodies nightly. I presume that being pure of heart and action, the Lord was watching over me..©@