"The Aluminum Trail" -- China-Burma-India Theatre, World War II

Description: The Aluminum Trail: How and Where They Died. By Chick Marrs Quinn. (Reprint 2021). Illustrations. Photographs. Pp. 476 NOTE: THIS IS NOT A PRINTED BOOK. IT IS AVAILABLE ON YOUR CHOICE OF CD-ROM OR THUMB DRIVE. This is unlike any other World War II book. It has no plot, no narrative, and contains more than 3,000 characters in 476 pages of data covering 696 fatal airplane crashes in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II. It gives the date of the crash, aircraft type, crewmembers on board and their fates, and any other facts known of the incident. It is truly an encyclopedia of the cost of the air war in the CBI from a laconic, "Aircraft left Kunming at 0900 and has not been heard from since. Crew declared administratively dead," to the three-page report of B-24 #8308 which was shot down November 14, 1943 over Burma. That report describes in considerable detail, the crash, capture, deaths, and survivors of the ten-man crew.Just how Mrs. Quinn found all the facts she crammed into her book is not entirely clear. However, the Missing Air Crew Reports (MACR) developed by the USAAF in mid-1943 were probably used extensively, with report numbers quoted on some pages. For anyone interested in researching the war in the air in the CBI, this volume is indispensable. The reason for the years of research that resulted in the book, though, is clear. Her husband, 1st Lt Loyal Stuart Marrs, Jr. was killed on the Hump while flying a C-109 (a dedicated tanker version of the B-24) from India to China. These planes were instrumental in providing fuel for XX Bomber Command B-29s operating from the four bases in the Chengdu area. The book records the heroism of Major Horace S. Carswell who stayed with his wounded crew members trying to land his crippled B-24 and was killed when the bomber hit a mountain in southern China. He was awarded the only Medal of Honor in the CBI. Undecorated, but equally heroic, were Major Carrol D. Gregory, pilot, and 2d Lt Ralph R. Young, who rode their C-47 down, refusing to leave their 35 Chinese passengers. They died with their passengers on. After bailing out of his troubled C-46, 2d Lt Hillyer G. Maveety wandered away from friendly lines into Japanese held territory. Found by Burmese, he offered them 800 rupees to guide him to his base, but they turned him over to the Japanese and he was executed. A British Intelligence Agent, a Gurkha, discovered the pilot's fate and reported later, "These Burmese, their sin was great. I have executed!" However, most entries are the bare bones of the crash and the fate of the crew.The book was originally printed in 1989 but has been out of print until recently. The late Mrs. Quinn's family has authorized several reprintings. (synopsis written by Robert Willett, Merritt Island, Florida)

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Location: Jacksonville, Florida

End Time: 2024-01-13T12:27:24.000Z

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