Search for crash site of Arnold, Keating, White, and Smith

At the actual crash site at the bank of the Yangtze (Changjiang) river, in Anhui province on November 10, 2007, near Liuhe village, Wangjiang county.

Mr. Feng (79 years old), who arrived at the crash scene in the afternoon on the day of the crash in 1943, recounts to Patrick Lucas, of
Remembering Shared Honor, what he saw there. Mr. Feng remembers a shocking scene--plane wreckage under water just off the shore, a human leg on the bank, and a largely intact American serviceman\'s body floating in the water. Mr. Feng and other local people watched an agent of the Japanese ("a collaborator") search the body for anything useful. With the area already under longterm occupation by the Japanese, villagers made a point of not being too interested in the crash given possible--and often arbitrary--retribution.

A least one elderly gentleman in area saw the actual events in the air and subsequent crash. Mr. Hong, 87 years old, remembered even the time of the crash ("between 8:00 and 9:00 am"). He said one B-25 made a run on a small but heavily armed Japanese ship, sweeping up the river and over the ship. A second B-25 followed the same path, but shortly before crossing over the Japanese vessel started to smoke and quickly veered right (north) crashing into the bank, and exploding. The first B-25 flew a few circles above the spot then left, flying to the west. This closely matches the reports given by the surviving B-25 crew given once they returned to base. However official US estimates were that the American plane had physically struck the Japanese ship on its pass, shearing off part of the right wing. Local villagers had no impression that the plane actually struck the Japanese vessel. Local people stated that in addition to the significant canon and smaller guns of the Japanese ship, the Japanese were dug into foxholes along the river in that area, and had additional land-based gun emplacements, and they suggested that this combination of firepower may have brought the plane down.

Interestingly, the Japanese report of this attack [see Imperial Japanese Navy Page], on the Japanese gunboats Atami and Suma, also mentions the plane trailing smoke, but does not mention the plane physically striking either gunboat. The Suma received some strafing damage, but it put up a truly fierce defense, shooting off a total forty-seven 40-mm and five hundred and sixty eight 13.2-mm rounds.

People in the Anqing area, now more widely knowing of the crash (after extensive local media coverage after the search), have assured that these four young Americans resting at that spot will never be forgotten or alone again, even though far from the land of their births.

The Remembering Shared Honor team is planning to petition local officials for permission to erect a small monument near the site.

The crash coordinates are 30 20.654 N 116 53.688 E.