Going Home on Angel’s Wings
SSgt. Otto W. Hutchinson kept a collection of souvenirs from his wartime service, including mimeographed copies of the shipboard newsletter, “The Angel’s Harp.” Steaming from Calcutta on November 17, 1945, SS Marine Angel docked at Tacoma, Washington, on December 12. From Mississippi, Hutchinson still had a long journey ahead of him, and it is likely that he completed it by some combination of train, bus, and hitchhiking. He was back home in time to spend Christmas with his family. O. W. Hutchinson collection; courtesy of Jackie Hutchinson Pitts
One of the vast numbers of veterans who had served in China, SSgt. Otto W. Hutchinson was heading home. He had joined the 3rd Bomb Squadron as an airplane mechanic from Chinese-American Composite Wing HQ in early June 1945, soon after his arrival aboard USS General Robert E. Callan (AP-139). After the formal surrender was signed and the CACW was disbanded in early September, men of the 3rd Squadron were officially assigned to other units in preparation for their return to the Zone of the Interior. Hutchinson, along with MSgt. John P. Barge, TSgt. James H. Mills (my father), SSgts. Dave H. Ewell Jr. and Andrew Foorman, Sgt. Lloyd E. Jackson, and Cpl. Philip Piecuch were transferred to the 26th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, 69th Composite Wing stationed at Kunming. They all remained temporarily attached to the 3rd Squadron as of September 1 and were released on the fifth. Some of them, including my dad (called “Hank” by his friends), chose to return home as “casuals,” making the journey home independently. (See “Back to the Z.I.,” 10/13/2024)
Along with others attached to the same fighter squadron, Hutchinson was sent to Barrackpore Field before moving to Replacement Depot No. 3 (previously known as Camp Kanchrapara), one of the processing centers for troops going home. It was located about thirty-five miles north of Calcutta (Kolkata), India. To accommodate the thousands of China-Burma-India veterans returning to the US, the camp featured movie theaters and stage shows, clubs, chapels, and libraries, athletic facilities for sports of almost every description, tailor, shoe and barber shops, PXs, and educational and informational facilities to provide aid to those who would soon be returning to civilian life.
SSgt. Hutchinson kept an “Enlisted Man’s Pass” issued to him at Camp Kanchrapara on November 6, 1945, when he was authorized to visit the city between 0800 and 2130. He could take one of the buses scheduled to leave Kanchrapara between 0800 and 0830, and he could return to camp on any of them leaving Calcutta hourly between 1600 and 1900 (five buses on each of those runs) or at 2130 (ten on the final run). Printed on it additionally was the acknowledgement, “I understand that all brothels are off limits and it is my responsibility to remain out of all ‘off limit’ areas.” There were, however, a variety of approved activities about which the men were informed, including shopping for souvenirs at the city’s numerous bazaars, enjoying good food at low prices from approved eating and drinking establishments, and joining sightseeing tours sponsored and conducted daily by the Red Cross to the many religious temples and burning ghats*, the Black Hole of Calcutta, Maharajah’s Palace, the beautiful Maidan and Victoria Memorial, and other must-see-before-you-leave attractions.
Then the men spent a few days at Camp Hialeah, a staging area near Princep Ghat for troops awaiting departure, before boarding SS Marine Angel on November 16. Hutchinson kept copies of the ship’s newspaper, Angel’s Harp, that featured an unofficial ship’s log. After weighing anchor at 1200 the following day and then completing the time-consuming process of refueling, the ship got underway down Hoogley River and headed south to the open sea. The pilot dropped off and the log showed progress of 323 miles from Calcutta at 1200 on the twentieth. Radar pinged floating objects suspected of being mines in the Bay of Bengal on the next day, but the captain maneuvered to avoid them. On the twenty-second, ship’s log recorded position as off Andaman Islands. Moving through the Malacca Straits on the following day, Marine Angel passed Singapore in the distance at 1800 and then veered north, entering the South China Sea on the twenty-fourth and “in dead calm sea” on the twenty-fifth. The ship was in the Luzon Straits between Formosa and the Philippines on November 27 and proceeded toward Japan; position was recorded as 130 miles southwest of Okinawa at 1200 on the following day.
Thanksgiving was observed on November 29 with a short program presented by the transport commander and various chaplains, followed by a holiday feast served from 1300 to 1600 about 140 miles off the coast of Japan. The menu featured roast Vermont turkey accompanied by savory dressing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, string beans, dill pickles, and green olives. Dessert consisted of assorted cookies, fruit salad, and ice cream, served with coffee. Entertainment was provided afterward. “This afternoon at 4:30 the ‘Jolly Jokers’ hillbilly orchestra and Eddie Bonnemere’s 8-piece swing band will perform on Hatch 3.” Other excitement during that afternoon was the result of the ship’s collision with a sleeping whale. When a Japanese fishing boat was spotted the following day, the ship reduced speed and circled to determine if any assistance was needed. It then proceeded by a great circle route toward Seattle. The vessel was 130 miles south of Yokohama in early evening.
On December 1, as it steamed through choppy seas against a strong wind, scuppers overflowed, and C-4 compartment was partially flooded. Lowering temperatures prevailed on the second as the ship passed the 5,000-mile mark. Passengers began wearing their ODs** on the fourth. Scuppers overflowed again on the next day, this time into the troop mess hall. The ship rolled in choppy seas and ten men were injured in falls, although none seriously. Angel passed the International Date Line at 0930 and was positioned 140 miles south of the Aleutians at 2000 on December 6. “Second Thursday” (the sixth again) was observed on the following day, when the log noted “heavy ground swells and stiff head winds.” Wind abated but heavy swells persisted on the seventh. Here ends the ship's unofficial log, with Marine Angel’s distance to port noted as 1,747 miles and official ETA as two p.m. on December 12. Arriving on that date at Pier 2 in Tacoma, Washington, ship records indicate that 2,511 returning troops were disembarked.
SSgt. Ewell, who had been transferred to the 3rd Squadron with Hutchinson and Foorman in June, was another of the passengers who returned home aboard Marine Angel. Assigned to the 26th Fighter Squadron at the same time as Hank and others, Ewell later told his family that the ship on which he returned had docked at nearby Seattle. Records indicate that the 26th Fighter Squadron, 36th Fighter Control Squadron, and others of the 51st Fighter Group left in November and were inactivated on December 12, 1945, the same date that Marine Angel returned to the US.
My father had returned home in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family, and he arrived before the fighter squadron to which he had been assigned. After his return, he saw in an announcement the local newspaper stating that the fighter squadron had arrived in the US, "and there I was, already home ahead of them.”
Sometime after his return home, Hutchinson received an “Army Air Forces Certificate of Appreciation for War Service”:
I cannot meet you personally to thank you for a job well done; nor can I hope to put in written words the great hope I have for your success in future life.
Together we built the striking force that swept the Luftwaffe from the skies and broke the German power to resist. The total might of that striking force was then unleashed upon the Japanese. Although you no longer play an active military part, the contribution you made to the Air Forces was essential in making us the greatest team in the world.
The ties that bound us under stress of combat must not be broken in peacetime. Together we share the responsibility for guarding our country in the air. We who stay will never forget the part you have played while in uniform. We know you will continue to play a comparable role as a civilian. As our ways part, let me wish you God speed and the best of luck on your road in life. Our gratitude and respect go with you.
It was signed by Henry H. (“Hap”) Arnold, Commanding General of the Army Air Forces.
Otto Hutchinson enlisted in the Air Force Reserve in September 1946 and served a three-year tour of duty. Afterward, he put his military training to use and was employed in civilian life as an airplane mechanic and later as a mechanic for Mack Trucks.
*stairs leading up to flat areas above the river that were used for cremating the dead
**olive drabs
There is far more to this intriguing story. Find it all in The Spray and Pray Squadron: 3rd Bomb Squadron, 1st Bomb Group, Chinese-American Composite Wing in World War II.