Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

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And drowsily Chonka sat up in his bunk, rubbed his eyes,
yawned, and inquired, "Huh? ... Mc?"
"Darnmit, Chonka, wake up!" the guy yelled. "Something's
happened. Come listen to the guards. Find out
what they're talking about." ..
T/SgL John P. Chonka, 15th Air Force gun ncr, crawled
out of bed, grumbling at his ability to speak Romanian. He
walked through the barracks and stood for a moment listening
to a group of excited guards.
As he came back to his bunk the other men crowded
around him, demanding a report. .
"Oh, they say the war's over," Chonka said sleepily.
"Romania has surrendered."
. "What else?" the other PO\Vs
"Give out! What about us?"
yelled, pressing closer.
I S/Sgt. Eddy Lauary of Lanchestcr, Ohio, served as POW postmaster
in the camp where he and 1,000 others were imprisoned.
"Well," Chonka said, "they may turn us loose in the, On the morning of August 26 he was taken to an airport
morning." \Vith that, he crawled back into bed. in Bucharest and told that he could attempt the flight to
Sergeant Chonka, however, was the only man in the Italy across Nazi-held Yugoslavia. They presented him with
prison who hadn't been thrown into a fit of wild enthusiasm. a tired old Savoia Marchetti, and, after a brief checkout on
The other Americans began singing at prospects of freedom the strange instrument panel, he took off. Thirty minutes
and talking about the things they were going to eat. later he was back. The plane was too old and asthmatic.
"For months we had amused ourselves by making out He crawled out of the Savoia Marchetti and a group of
menus," S/Sgt. William Mansfield, a ball-turret gunner Romanian flyers,sympathetic to his plan, tried to console
from Tallahassee, said later. "Evcrytirne a guy had nothing him. Among these was Capt. Bazu Cantacuzino, commandelse
to do he would make out a long Iist-s-porterhouse steak, ing officer ofa pursuit group outfitted with Me-l09G's. The
creamed potatoes, thick gravy, lettuce and tomato salad, captain spoke English and was credited with 64 victories by
ice cream, and coffcc-United Statcs coffee!" the Romanian scoring system. He referred casually to shoot-
The party had reached its peak at 2 a.m. when a Ro- ing down Lightnings, Libs and Forts.
manian colonel came into the barracks. Captain Cantacuzino offered to take Colonel Gunn back
"Men," he said, "at last Romania is on the right side. \Ve to Italy, providing the American could fit into the radio
knew all along that we should have been with the Allies, but compartment of a Messerschmitt, .
what could we do? The Germans were around us, and the Within a few minutes an adequate facsimile of the United
Allies were so far away." States flag was painted on the Gcrman plane. The colonel
When morning came the Romanians opened all exits to was folded into the fuselage and the panel again screwed
the prison and told the Americans thcy were frce. into place. As the Mcsserschmitt took off from Bucharest,
The 15th Air Force's great offensive- against Ploesti oil Colonel Gunn hoped the Romanian ace was completely confields,
between August 5 and 20, had cost many men and vcrtcd to the Allied cause, but there was nothing to do but
planes. The accumulated losses since August 1, 1943, sweat it out. . .
amounted to nearly 2300 United States airmen held as Two hours later, as the sun was setting behind the low
prisoners of war. hills of Italy, Colonel Gunn's home field was startled to sec
Some of these men had been prisoners of Romania for a Me-l09G glide in to land. It taxied up, and AAF men
13 months; some hadbccn held but a few weeks. Among surrounded it.
these late arrivals was Lt. Col. James A. Gunn III, C01\1- Captain Cantacuzino threw back the hood.
manding officer of a heavy bomb group. "I have somebody here you'll be glad to see," the Roan
the morning the Americans were released, Colonel manian dramatically announced. He then asked for a screw-
Gunn went to the Romanian Air Minister, and the Secre- driver and removed the panel.
tary of Foreign Affairs, and got their permission to establish A soldier cried, "Look at those GI shoes coming out!"
communications with the 15th Air Force in Italy. Colonel Gunn hurried to Brig. Gen. Charles Born, direc-
NOVEMBER. 1944 3