| Search & Recovery of the Praying Mantis |
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On August 20, 1944, 88 U.S. Army Air Force B-29s based in
Sichuan, China launched a daylight bombing mission over Japan to destroy the
major steel mill in Yawata. Among the
14 warplanes that were lost was a B-29 nicknamed The Praying Mantis —
#42-6286, which was assigned to the 444th Bomb Group of the 58th
Bomb Wing. On its way back, it ran out
of fuel about 100 km from its base in Cheng-du and crashed into the remote
Shi-Ling Snow Mountain. All 11
crewmembers on board were missing and all subsequent search and recovery
efforts had failed. Click here to watch a TV documentary on the background of the Praying Mantis. In July 2001, Thin & High organized a 9-member team to
search and recover the wreckage of the Praying Mantis. They had to endure bone-chilling temperatures,
torrential downpours, dense fog, rugged terrain as well as high-altitude
sickness before reaching the 4,524-meter hilltop crash site. They recovered more than 500 pieces of
debris; the large pieces were donated to the Chinese National Museum in
Beijing, China while the smaller pieces were brought back to the States, examined
by U.S. Air Force historians, confirmed to be relics of B-29 #42-6286, and then
donated to the New England Air Museum, home to the 58th Bomb Wing
Memorial. Click here for the Praying
Mantis exhibit at the Museum and follow the link to see the slide show. In July 2004, Thin & High organized the second
expedition to the Praying Mantis crash site. They brought with them a
bronze plaque inscribed with the names of the crew, and the plaque was installed in a
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10-foot pagoda built by the local Tibetans. The completion of this monument
fulfilled Thin & High's vow to pay proper tribute to the 11 heroes who gave
their lives for China in the cause of freedom during WWII. Click here to read the diary of Zong Shu, the only female team member of the expedition. In August 2005, to commemorate of the 60th
anniversary of the end of World War II, Thin & High led a team of 11
students from 4 Sichuan universities to crash site to pay homage to the fallen
American heroes. The goal of this
expedition was for the younger Chinese generation to learn the true version of
history as well as for them to realize that some 60 years ago, Chinese and
Americans had worked together side by side and that there were selfless
Americans who were willing to sacrifice their lives to help China. Thin & High believes that recognition of
past cooperation is crucial to the improvement of bilateral relationship
between China and the U.S. today. Click here to watch a TV documentary on this expedition and click here to read an essay by Tu Yuan, one of the students that participated in the expedition. It is the sincere wish of Thin & High that our Praying Mantis project has promoted not only the longtime friendship between the Chinese and American peoples since WWII but has also strengthened the bond between generations. Click here to view the annotated photo albums of the Praying Mantis project. |