Aspinwall

Master Sergeant John A, Aspinwall (Maintenance Line Chief), 491st Bm Squadron, stands among the trees on 'Red Dust Hill', the housing and squadron areas for 341st Bomb Group personnel at Yangkai AB, China. (Info courtesy Tony Strotman)

Aircraft mechanics George Butsika, John Aspinwall, Clayton E. Nash, pose next to a B-25G of the 491st Bomb Squadron at Yangkai AB, China, shortly after the squadron arrived in January 1944. M/Sgt Aspinwall was the maintenance Line Chief, responsible for all 491st aircraft maintenance.

There were no hangars at Yangkai AB, nor any airbase in China. This required all aircraft maintenance to be performed in the open, regardless of weather conditions. These 491st Bomb Squadron mechanics are changing engines on squadron aircraft #444, "Shark Mouth", in the spring of 1944. Frenchy Beaudetter, George Butsika, John Burns, John Aspinwall, Karl Hammett, Frank Bert, Frank Bates...

Gas detail, Yangkai 1945. Unknown, Peterson, Brillhart, unknown, Bertani, unknown, Alelunas, Schumaier,Baker, Big Chris, Myers, Kealy, Desmond, Hill, Keiser, Aspinwall, Hammett,Carter, Puloski.

Gas detail, Yangkai, 1945 Puloski, Baker, Christensen, Hill, Carter, Hammett, Aspinwall, Desmond, Kealy, Myers, unknown, Peterson, unknown, Brillhart, Bertani, Alelunas, Schumaier.

Gas detail at Yangkai, 1945 Grady Dawkins, Chuck Alelunas, Meyers, Baker, Big Chris, Kealy, Schumaier,Desmond, Hill, Keiser, Aspinwall, Puloski, Hammett, Carter.

GIs and local farmer with ox cart at barracks area in Yangkai, Spring 1945. Unknown, Bill Bryan, Richard Hill, Clayton E. "Fred" Nash, Aspinwall, Gilliland, Alexander, Chisholm.

#444 at engine change, Yangkai, China, July 1944 Hammett, Basil Turko, Aspinwall, Bert, unk., and Burns From the collection of Frank Bates.

At #444's engine change, Yangkai, China, July 1944. S/Sgt Domonique Beaudetter, T/Sgt George Butsika, S/Sgt Elmer Peterson, S/Sgt Joseph Burns, M/Sgt John Aspinwall, T/Sgt Karl Hammett, S/Sgt Frank Bert. (Info courtesy Tony Strotman)

Frank Bates, Aspinwall, [A.B.] Christensen, Chaukulia, India, 1943.