The Bracelet, the Hump and Puffing Billy.
Tayeng was a local tour operator in Arunachal Pradesh ( the north eastern most state in Indiaadjoining China). One chilly afternoon, as he sipped his favourite brand of hot Assam ‘chai’ sheltered from the icy mountain winds, he spotted a white skinned tourist working his way in his direction. He observed that this traveler looked a lot more determined unlike the aimless visitors who stopped and haggled at every store to buy cheap bracelets. They were all after the cheap local Tibetan jewelry, unlike the solid silver one that adorned his wrist. His bracelet even had a name -Arnold Starinoha. He paid a pittance for it from a local shepherd who claimed he found it in the mountains, stupid bunkum, he must have stolen it.
‘Mr Tayeng?’ his thoughts were disturbed by an American drawl. They always called him ‘TEY YENG’, when would they get it right? “Clayton Kuhles” said the tourist as he proffered his hand. Glancing down at Tayeng’s adorned wrist , he said “That’s a mighty handsome bracelet you have over there. Incidentally that belongs to Flight Engineer Arnold Starinoha who crashed into these mountains flying a C56 in Dec 1944”
By the middle of the Second World War it became apparent to the Allies that China had to open a front with the Japanese in order to retake Burma. The only problem was that the Chinese army was completely isolated ever since the Burma Road was cut off by the Japanese who now controlled almost entire Burma. Thus it was decided that the China Army had to be supplied by air. This involved flying an extremely hazardous air route called ‘The Hump” over the Himalayasbetween US airbases in northeast India and airfields in Yunnan province of China. The Indian airfields were located in Northern Assam, the most prominent one being Dinjan.
The war effort to supply China brought vital equipment shipped from USA and Great Britain. These were off loaded in Karachi and Calcutta and moved by train to stations near these airfields. On such train had a steam engine Number 6973 made In Baldwin Loco Works, USA. It had been shipped to India to help speed up this massive relief operation.
The Japanese attacked the Assam airfields late in the afternoon of October 25 and December 1943. 100 Jap bombers and fighters, achieved complete surprise. Dinjan was severely damaged by bombing, and nine transports were destroyed. There after the route taken was even more hazardous to avoid the marauding Japs.
By the end of the war the Allies lost hundreds of aircraft in the China-Burma-India (CBI) theater of operations. The losses were incurred by the US Army Air Corp (forerunner of the US Air Force), the British Royal Air Force (RAF), the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and to a lesser degree the China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) and the Chinese Air Force (CAF). Although hostile fire from Japanese forces accounted for many Allied aircraft losses, the majority of Allied crashes were caused by inhospitable weather, mechanical failure, or navigational error. The USA suffered numerous losses. At times, monthly aircraft losses totalled 50% of all aircraft then in service along the route. At least 501 aircraft were known lost from all causes, with 1,314 air crewmen and passengers killed. In addition, 81 more aircraft were never accounted for, with their 345 personnel listed as missing. Another 1,200 personnel had been rescued or walked back to base on their own.
It was only till recently that Clayton Kuhles and Tayeng started looking for airplane wreckage from WWII. Having found over 14 crash sites, Kuhles brings a sense of closure for some families as his sleuthing is able to shed more light on missing airmen. There really isn't any financial reward, but Kuhles continues his work to find hidden/lost wreckage from a long ago era. By locating the wreckage, Kuhles has provided answers and mementos to the families of scores of missing American servicemen. "In 65 years, there has been no effort to investigate the sites of these crashes. So many lives were just written off and forgotten as if the men went into a black hole," he said. "The family members want answers till this day. They want closure. And that is what I provide."
As for the Steam engine from USA. It was donated by the railways to the army base at Dinjan in 1994. A special track was laid for it from the station to its final pride of place. It took an engineer regiment 68 days to move it 11 kms. It has name now- Puffing Billy, and the kids love him.
