My wife recently found some items my late father-in-law brought back from China after WWII in the bottom of a chest of drawers that’d been in storage for many years.
These were the personal effects and official Army Air Corp photo that his roommate, best friend, and fellow Flying Tigers navigator, 1st Lt. John R Herdic, left behind in their room when he was killed on what would have been his last mission before going home.
He was only 23. No one who is alive remembers him.
Since he left no children, I post this in honor of his memory.
In addition to P-40 fighters, the Flying Tigers’ B-25 bombers based in Yangkai, China were highly effective at destroying rail lines and Japanese ships in the CBI theater (China, Burma, India), preventing resupplies from reaching the Japanese occupiers in China, French Indochina (now Vietnam), and Burma. Navigators also often served as bombardiers, flying with various B-25 crews mission to mission.
Every mission was a dangerous, hair-raising experience; bombing from 10-200’ above the deck, subject to anti-aircraft and ground fire, often barely making it back to base on fumes due to the long distances they often flew to reach their targets.
Over the years my father-in-law, who was several years older and viewed Lt. Herdic as a younger brother, recollected several times about how he’d tried and failed to find his best friend’s widow after the war. After the Japanese surrender he was sent directly to Japan from China to work in Intelligence, delaying his return home by 2 years. By the time those 2 years passed, Lt. Herdic’s widow had moved, leaving no forwarding address. The personal items he hoped to return and the stories about their time in China went undelivered. It made him very sad.
At that time, once you’d flown 50 missions in 52 weeks, you could go home. Lt. Herdic was killed on that 50th mission. He was sick that day and could have justifiably begged off and stayed in bed, but Lt. Herdic was determined to go. His plane went down while bombing a Japanese military supply train as they turned around for home.
After some searching I located a cousin who, unfortunately, didn’t know how to contact closer relatives of Lt. Herdic’s. But a few weeks later I located Lt. Herdic’s closest relatives, a niece and nephew, and was able to return the items that my father-in-law so wanted his family to have — for more than 70 years. My wife and I were able to locate all the patches for the 14th Army Air Corp, bomb group & squadron, and sent them along with the personal effects and the photos of him my father kept all those years.
This is the bio I wrote for his entry on a website for Flying Tigers veterans:
1st Lt John R. Herdic was born in 1921 in Williamsport, PA, where he grew up. He was attending college when WWII broke out and signed up for the Army Air Force in early 1942. He was sent to navigator school in Texas and New Mexico and sent to India (CBI) as a navigator. In January 1944 he left for Yangkai Field, China. He was a navigator with the 491st Bomb Squadron B-25s, the "Ringer Squadron" (341st Bomb Group, 14th Air Force) as part of Gen Claire Chennault's Flying Tigers
Their specialty was 'glip bombing,' a technique they created for low level bombing of Japanese controlled rail lines, rail bridges, supply routes and facilities, sometimes 10' off the deck over water when attacking Japanese military and merchant ships. This cut down the required amount of bombs by half as they could be more accurate at low level than higher up. For developing this technique, the 341st Bomb Group was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation, an award granted by the President.
He was KIA at Duong Dao, Indochina ( the very southern part of what is now Vietnam) while bombing a railroad bridge on January 19, 1945 during his 50th mission/51st week from Yankai Field. He would have gone home after that mission.
My father-in-law, HQ Bomb Group navigator, described Lt John R Herdic as a very nice person and top notch navigator who also possessed a great sense of humor. They were great friends, and roommates.
Lt. Herdic left behind a widow, Joanne, and no children. His brother, Carl W. Herdic, Jr, was a bomber pilot in the European theater.
Among the medals awarded to Lt John Herdic are The Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, The Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, and a Presidential Citation given to his Bomb Group (the only one given in the Pacific Theater). He was posthumously awarded 2 additional medals, received by his widow, Joanne, in November 1945.
“Glip bombing’ was a technique born of necessity. You may have heard of flying ‘Over the Hump’ in WWII? Everything had to be flown from India into China over the Himalayas — food, personnel, supplies, and bombs too, which were in short supply. This necessitated the Flying Tigers’ developing a brand new bombing technique where they glided in from 2000’ and released bombs at 150’ to ensure accuracy. Though the technique was accurate it required every flight to run a gauntlet of heavy fire from machine guns and other ground fire.
They more often than not barely made it back to China on fumes.
Copies of Lt. Herdic’s pic, patches, photos, and story are now also included in the collection of items on display at the newly renovated Flying Tigers museum in China. Surviving members of the Flying Tigers attended the grand reopening in 2017.
The Flying Tigers, which also included Chinese airmen and support personnel, are venerated in China.
Below is the beautiful Flying Tiger Heritage Park in Guilin, China
Thank you to all of our veterans. And a special thank you to vets like Lt. John R Herdic who paid the ultimate sacrifice while saving the world from tyranny.
You are not forgotten.
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Thank you all for taking the time to read about Lt. Herdic. My late father-in-law would have been moved to tears by that simple act and your kind comments.
Thank you.
Please feel free to leave your own stories and remembrances