plant and C vehicles

[Nick Balmer]

Hello,

A CAT bulldozer used first by the Flying Tigers, then the Japanese and finally the Chinese.

We haven't seen any Jap tanks so far, however. A few nights ago, around midnight, there was a lot of firing - everything from machines guns and mortars to bazookas and artillery. After it was over, a Chinese officer near our bivouac area got a phone call and, after much excited talk, hung up and came over to us with a grin. "Big tank battle," he said, "Japs counter-attacked with 10 tanks. We knocked out two."

Next morning I went up to the battle scene expecting to photograph the Jap tanks. Arriving at the forward outpost of the area, we were greeted by two machines gunners who grinned sheepishly. Neither could speak English very well, but one said, "Mao tanks," which means "There weren't any tanks." He pointed to a spot about 75 yards from his emplacement. There in the morning sun sat two big yellow tractors. On the front of each in black letters were the words: "CATERPILLAR TRACTOR CO., PEORIA, ILL." Captured at an AVG airfield when the Japs invaded Burma, the tractors had been used to spearhead the counterattack, evidently in the hope that the Chinese would run in terror at their sound.

From http://cbi-theater-2.home.comcast.ne.../yank_cbi.html

Regards

Nick Balmer