Thomas Campbell Cartwright - A Date with the Lonesome Lady: A Hiroshima POW Returns

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A DATE WITH THE

Lonesome Lady

A HIROSHIMA POW RETURNS

Lt. T. C. Cartwrght

PILOT, U.S. ARMY AIR FORCE

Eakin Press Fort Worth, Texas

www.EakinPress.com

Copyright 2002 By T. C. Cartwright Published By Eakin Press An Imprint of Wild Horse Media Group P.O. Box 331779 Fort Worth, Texas 76163 1-817-344-7036 www.EakinPress.com ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ISBN-10: 1-68179-155-2 ISBN-13: 978-1-68179-155-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cartwright, T. C. (Thomas Campbell), 1924-

A date with the Lonesome Lady : a Hiroshima POW returns / Lt. T. C. Cartwright.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 1-57168-630-4

I. Title

D790 .C296 2002

940.54'4973'092dc212002003188

Dedicated to
the memory of the Lonesome Lady crew
who did not make it back

CONTENTS

Chapter 1. A Lucky Kid Matures

Growing Up

Joining Up

Flight Training

Wings and Bars

The Liberator

It Takes a Crew

More Training

Chapter 2. 494th Bombardment Group (H)

Heading to the Pacific

Assignment to Combat

Moving Closer

Initiation

A Date with the Lonesome Lady

Damn Rough Mission

POW

Interrogation Center

Strange Music

Liberated

Waiting... Hoping

Official Responses

Roy Pedersen

Durden Looper

Jim Ryan

Ralph Neal

Hugh Atkinson

Julius Molnar

Relevant Stories

The Taloa

The Haruna

A Small Piece of the Lady Who Flew Back Home as a Peace Dove

The Indefatigable Mr. Mori

Conclusions

Reflections

Chapter 3. A Return to Hiroshima

Earlier Visits

Peace Offerings

A Pilgrimage

POW Memorial

Hiroshima Haunts

Hiroshima Museum

Taloa Crash Site

BB Haruna Revisited

Memories Revisited

Memories Expanded

Dream Never Dreamed

Unexpected Meetings

Winding Down

Added Meeting

Reflected Reflections

FOREWORD

The World War II experiences of Thomas Campbell Cartwright described in this account were unique among those of millions who served in the armed forces of the United States. For almost fifty years he was reticent to discuss his experiences, declining requests for interviewsparticularly at times near the anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Encouraged by family and friends to do so, he recently wrote his recollections of the events that transpired between July 28 and early September 1945.

Thomas C. Cartwright is a graduate of Clemson University (B.S. 1948) and of Texas A&M University (M.S. 1949; Ph.D. 1954). After receiving his doctorate, he joined the faculty of Texas A&M University and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station where he and I were colleagues for more than thirty years. There, he distinguished himself in the field of population genetics, applying his experience particularly to the improvement of beef cattle breeding. He introduced the techniques of systems analysis to animal breeding and livestock production; he is recognized as an authority in the evaluation of hybrid vigor and breed characteristics in crossing cattle. Dr. Cartwright has participated in many international programs for the improvement of animal agriculture and in the education of a generation of agricultural scientists for developing countries.

In addition to having distinguished himself in research, Dr. Cartwright has been teacher and mentor for numerous graduate students and is an active and conscientious citizen of the university as Professor Emeritus.

J. M. Prescott Professor Emeritus Texas A&M University

PREFACE

The core beginning of this book was drafted in 1992 and revised and corrected in 1995 but was distributed to only a few people. Some facts and observations were added as requested by Dave Rogers, Historian, 494th Bombardment Group (H), Seventh Air Force, and as I thought appropriate for a historical document that might be of interest to my family, Bill Abel, families of my deceased crew members, close friends, and perhaps some people interested in WW II history.

After the first rewriting, two Japanese gentlemen provided me with new information that was relevant for several corrections and additions, which prompted a second rewriting in 1998. One of these men, Mr. Keiichi Muranaka, a naval recruit who witnessed my B-24 bomber being shot down made significant contributions for this account. The other man, Mr. Shigeaki Mori, was an eight-year-old boy in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped and is now a historian in that city. He first contacted me in 1995 and has since gone to extraordinary efforts to find facts and artifacts, by conducting personal interviews and locating obscure documents related to the fateful mission of the Lonesome Lady and its crew. I am grateful to them and wish to acknowledge their past efforts and, as you will see, their continuing efforts.

The efforts and accomplishments of Mr. Muranaka and Mr. Mori were truly impressive, and I became interested in meeting them in person, so I took them up on their invitations to visit them. I wanted to visit places where, due to their efforts, a memorial plaque and monument were placed in memory of my crew, plus, of course, places where I and my crew had been captured and held in and around Hiroshima. My wife, Carolyn, younger son, Dr. Pat Cartwright, and Mr. Matt Crawford, president of the 494th Bombardment Group (H) Association, all asked to join me. My return visit to Hiroshima was an event which will always be vivid in my memory. Therefore, to add a report of this trip was of compelling interest to me, and in a sense, it completed the story of my experience beginning over a half century ago. Several people had encouraged me to write a book about my Japanese experience and related events. The time seemed to be right, so I began editing and writing.

I have made an effort to report only factual material, documented where possible. However, I often had to rely on my memory going back a half century or more and on secondhand accounts. I attempted to make clear where either my memory or one or more removed accounts were the sole source of information. There are passages recounting my personal feelings or expressing my opinions that are stated without caveat.

Perhaps I should add the motivation expressed in the post WW I motto: Lest We Forget.

Second Printing

This second printing adds several items that have come to light since the first printing. The additions were made to amplify some points made about POWs and use of the atomic bomb. Also, corrections and clarifications have been made mostly for the authors pride and do not significantly impact the meaning of any part of this book.

T. C. Cartwright
2004

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