Oral History Interview with James H. Bash, May 11, 2001

Oral History Interview with James H. Bash, May 11, 2001

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Track One 1:33:57

Description

Transcript of an oral interview with James H. Bash. He was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, June 28, 1924. He enlisted in the Navy on January 19, 1943. Enrolled in the V-12 Program at the University of Virginia but did not complete the curriculum. Subsequently sent to Storekeeper Class A School in Sampson, New York and graduated as Storekeeper 3rd Class. In October 1944 volunteered and assigned to Naval Group China. He recalls the transit from Norfolk on the USS General W. A. Mann (AP-112) in a convoy through the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal and on to Bombay, India. He … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 33 min., 57 sec.)

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

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Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

Transcript of an oral interview with James H. Bash. He was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, June 28, 1924. He enlisted in the Navy on January 19, 1943. Enrolled in the V-12 Program at the University of Virginia but did not complete the curriculum. Subsequently sent to Storekeeper Class A School in Sampson, New York and graduated as Storekeeper 3rd Class. In October 1944 volunteered and assigned to Naval Group China. He recalls the transit from Norfolk on the USS General W. A. Mann (AP-112) in a convoy through the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal and on to Bombay, India. He recalls the living conditions on the transport, passing through two fierce storms and an incident in the Suez Canal. Next he took a troop train from Bombay to Calcutta. He describes the conditions on the train. After six weeks awaiting transportation, he flew from Calcutta to Kunming, China. He describes the flight in a DC-3 over the Himalaya Mountains (The Hump). In Kunming he was assigned to the Naval Air Freight Office. He describes the squalid conditions of the local populace. He was responsible for transporting cargo from the air terminal to the Freight Office. One day he was notified of a shipment, and unloaded approximately 12 heavy boxes from the aircraft onto his truck. Since they were curious, several of the boxes were pried opened, revealing $36 million in Chinese currency. He also recounts his role in loading aircraft enroute to the various SACO camps, where cargo would be dropped. He recalls being at one of the camps when one of the drop planes was unable to regain altitude after the drop and crashed, killing the pilot. He recounts his role as backup to a USO performer while in Kunming. He recounts that he left Kunming returning to Calcutta where he checked himself into the USS Repose (AH-16) to recover from the stressful conditions. Eventually he made it to Shanghai and then flew to Guam, where he embarked on a troop ship for return to Great Lakes, Illinois and discharged in April 1946.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 33 min., 57 sec.)

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Sound

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this recording in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH00115
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1607444

Relationships

Oral History Interview with James H. Bash, May 11, 2001, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1603476

Collections

This recording is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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