436 Squadron, 7th Bomb Group

   This will be the outfit we will be assigned to fly with for our entire stay in India. Each bomb group consisted of 4 squadrons. Each squadron had approx. 10 flying crews (100 men) and several hundred ground personnel. We left Agra and several hours later landed at a place called Bishnapur. This was just a small village, south west of Calcutta.

   After we landed we turned our plane over to the ground crew and they told us to report to the Squadron Commander. From the landing strip it was about a two mile trip to the squadron Hdq. On the way we passed by a village of grass huts. We later found out that most of the civilian help, used on the base, lived in this village. We finally arrived at Hdq. and ushered in to meet the Squadron Commander. Can't remember his name but do remember his first words, which were, "where in the hell have you guys been so long?" He reminded us we had left the States back in August and it's now mid-October. Slingluff gave him a rundown on our trip and he seemed to be satisfied. He gave us about a two hour briefing on just about every phase of the operation. From the habits of the Indian people, the do's and don'ts of their culture. What Jap resistance we could expect, what the chances were of survival if shot down, and the number of crews lost in action. He also told us we would start flying combat in the next couple of days. He told us a squadron was on a bombing mission today and they would be returning about five this afternoon. He said he understood we had not lost any planes, but some had been shot up pretty bad and there were casualties. We left the office to report to the supply depot for barracks supplies. We were issued mattresses, mosquito nets, etc. From there went to our assigned barracks. Each barracks had 18 cots. There were six enlisted men to each crew, so the barracks was home to three crews. The officers were assigned to their area. The barrack consisted of a cement floor, concrete walls, and straw roofs. There were no glass windows or screens. The windows had a wood shutter which was propped open with a stick. We were greeted by members of the other two crews. They gave us detailed descriptions of what life here was all about. They didn't hesitate to let us know we were replacing a crew that was lost the week before; this kind of took the wind out of our sails. It seemed ironic that both the other crews had left the states after we did. They both made it over in five days; we took two and half months. Each barracks had a house boy, called a bearer. His duties were to keep the area clean, make our beds, sweep the floors, shine shoes, and run errands. For his services we each paid ten rupees per month. By the way it was forbidden we have any U.S. currency, all cash had to be exchanged for rupees. A rupee was worth about 35 cents. Our bearers name was Abbdo.

   One of the first things we noticed was the lack of military uniforms being worn. Some of the guys wore nothing but shorts, others T shirts, some had caps, some bare headed, some shoes, and others wore sandals. When we asked about this, we were told most of the military clothing supplies were not available. There was an Indian tailor shop on the base that was darn good at making anything you wanted, including shoes. The climate was hot and humid year round, so all clothing was of light weight material. There was no so called bathroom; we took showers at an outdoor shower area. About 20 guys could take a shower at the same time, no hot water. The shower area was two block from our barracks, so you would walk to the shower area with just a towel wrapped around you. There were also a couple of mirrors and a long table available for those who wished to shave. No modern toilets. Available was an eighteen hole out house, made me feel like I was back on the farm. The mess hall was only a short distance from our barracks and much to our surprise, the food was darn good. We had a PX on base but it was open only two or three days a month. Everything was rationed. We were allowed a case of beer, four cartons of cigarettes, two candy bars, and two bars of soap, one tooth brush, and sometimes other items per month, if available. Of course there was always a lot of selling and trading going on; if you had the money you could always find what you needed.

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Men of the 7th Bomb Group