B-29

Walt Huss (# 1887) wrote the following about his time at Mukden:

PLEASE BE ADVISED I WAS A P O W AT MUKDEN.  A B-29 ER, SHOT DOWN IN MUKDEN AREA 12-7-44! ONE OF TWO SURVIVORS FROM OUR PLANE, "HUMPIN HONEY", TAIL # 42-6299, ONE OF 14 B-29 ERS IN OLD CHINESE HOUSE ADJACENT TO MAIN CAMP FROM APRIL 1945 TILL WARS END.

THREE OF US WERE CAPUTERED 12-7-44. TWO OF US FROM CREW I WAS ON. ON 12-21-44 ELEVEN MORE WERE CAPTURED .  TEN FROM ONE CREW, ANOTHER SOLE SURVIVOR .

MY CREW MATE , KEN BECKWITH & I WERE INTERROGATED FOR SEVERAL DAYS .  TAKEN BEFORE A MILITARY TRIBUNAL, SENTENCED TO SOLITARY CONFINEMENT FOR SUPPOSEDLY BOMBING UNMILITARY TARGETS!

ON 3-28-45 WERE TAKEN TO AN OLD CHINESE HOUSE NEAR MAIN MUKDEN COMPOUND, WHICH WE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT!  TALL, WOODEN FENCE AROUND IT, WE CALLED OUR OLD HOUSE THE "BULLPEN" .

WE HAD JAPANESE GUARDS ALL THE TIME.  FOOD WAS BROUGHT TO US FROM MAIN CAMP KITCHEN EVERY DAY, BUT WE REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHERE WE WERE.

ONE DAY ONE OF US BIT INTO A ROLL.  A NOTE WAS IN ROLL ASKING WHO THIS FOOD WAS GOING TO.  IT SAID A PIECE OF PAPER & PENCIL WERE IN THE HOLLOWED OUT HANDLE ON SOUP BUCKET TO ANSWER NOTE.

WE WERE SUSPICIOUS, BUT HAD NOTHING TO LOSE ANSWERING THE NOTE, SO SENT NOTE BACK IN BUCKET HANDLE.

WE WERE TAKEN TO THE MAIN CAMP ON 8-18-45.  REMEMBER SOME POW'S HAD A SAYING  "GOLDEN GATE" IN 48 !!!!!  WE'D OF NEVER LASTED THAT LONG!!!!!!!

WAS ON USS COLBERT, NAVY SHIP TRANSPORTING US TO OKINAWA, 9-45 . HIT A MINE IN TYPHOON OFF OKINAWA , KNOCKING ENGINE ROOM OUT , DEAD IN WATER TILL STORM SUBSIDED.  THEN TUGGED INTO OKINAWA . ARRIVED BACK IN THE U.S.  AT HAMILTON FIELD, CA., 9-28-45!

 The following are the 14 men held in "The Bullpen"

Note: minor corrections in punctuation made.

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