Summary of Lt. Col. Cox:
1.The 8th, 9th and 10th Commandos were formed into a Provisional Battalion,
known as “BLACKBERRY”, with the mission of securing the Tanchuk
airfield and then to move eastward along the West River, ahead of the
advancing Chinese Armies.
2. Air-lifted to Liuchow on 18 July, the unit made its way down river
by sampan arriving near Tanchuk on 28 July. Plans were formulated to
attack the airfield on 3 August, with the 265th Regiment of the 89th
Division to make the assault after the Commandos took the high ground
overlooking the field. The commandos successfully accomplished its phase
of the mission and gave the agreed flare signal, but the regiment failed
to move in. This resulted in heavy losses to the Commandos who were
then forced to withdraw after holding their position for six hours,
All personnel performed admirably with many outstanding individual actions.
3.The Japanese withdrew during the night and the 265th Regiment moved
into the town and the airfield the next morning. The Commando Battalion
suffered 22 killed and 31 wounded. Prisoners taken later by the 89th
Division at Wuchow reported that the Japs had suffered 164 killed and
an unknown number wounded.
4. Following this, CCC realized that the Commandos were not meant to
be frontal assault troops and issued a directive to higher commanders
that they be utilized as they were originally intended. However, it
was agreed by all that this was the first instance when the Japs were
actually driven from a position which they wanted to hold.
5. When the surrender came about, “BLACKBERRY” remained at
Tanchuk until instructed to move to Canton, where the Commandos were
attached to the 2nd Command.
Unit Summary:
18 July. Entire unit flew in C-47s to Liuchow.
18-28 July. Traveling from Liuchow by river boat,
unit reached Kweiping on the West River by 25 July, and reached Pignan
on the 28th. For two days Japs had been apparent in the area, and several
hundred were reported at Tanchuk with machine guns, mortars and artillery.
Unit received instructions to move on to Wuchow as soon as Tanchuk was
taken.
30 July. Reconnaissance made of area around Tanchuk
airfield. It was said that Gen. Chennault had used the field and later
bombed it.
1 August. Japs were reported to be blowing the
field.
3 Aug. Airfield attacked as described in par’s.
2&3 of Lt. Col. Cox’s summary.
4 Aug. Capture of airfield completed. Medics Kitchen,
Devereux and Riley were reported to have done a great job of caring
for the wounded.
7 Aug. Halversen, Trudeau and Doc dropped from
B-24.
8 Aug. Repair of airstrip, damage to which included
18 craters, ready for use by L-5. First large plane, a C-47 came in
16 Aug.
10 Aug. Welcome news of atom bomb.
3 October. Last of troops back to Kunming
from the field.
