Descendants of Victor Gordon Ryland Jr. 19 April 2026 First Generation 1. Victor Gordon RYLAND Jr. was born on 22 Oct 1922 in Los Angeles Co., California. He may have been born in 1923. He served in the military from 16 Sep 1942 to 6 Jan 1944 in United States Army. He was a pilot during World War II. He was killed in action in China. The records of his service were apparently lost in a fire in St. Louis 12 July 1973. --------------------------------- V. G. Ryland Nov. 9, 1981 1203 Sandpiper Palm Desert, Calif. 92200 Dear Mr. Ryland: A notice was put in the Hump Pilot's bulletin in regards to your Son who was killed Jan. 20, 1945 at Suichwan, China. This notice goes to all of us former pilots who have joined the organization. I have been a member of the Hump Pilots group for a number of years. Since the Hump Pilots group is made up of mostly transport pilots---only a few of us former bomber pilots are members of the organization, so it is by accident that I saw the notice. Your son was with the 7th Bomb Group and if I recall correctly from the 493 Squadron. (It has been a long time.) All of us B-24 pilots started flying the Hump with gas to China from June of 1944 to October of 1944. We then removed the gas tanks from the bombers and started to bomb again. In December of 1944 Chennault was in big trouble in China and he asked that 20 bombers be sent to China from the 7th and we were, to haul gas from Luliang, China to the eastern China bases that were being captured by the Japanese. Chennault wanted only experienced pilots who had flown in China before. I was selected for this job--as well as your son and his crew. His first pilot and I had trained together here in the states so we knew each other quite well. All of the 20 bombers were in China by the 20 of December of 1944 and we were flying gas to all of the eastern China bases as they fought to save themselves. Only armed bombers were used as we did have some protection with our guns. It was a hectic time with a great loss of American planes and equipment. The Chinese land armies which were to defend the bases were over run by the well equipped Japanese. All the eastern China bases were lost to the Japanese except Suichwan and it could only be reached by air as the Japanese were all around the base. It was only a matter of time before the base would fall. It was at this critical time that your son's crew and my crew were ordered to deliver gas to Suichwan on the evening of January 20,1945. Both of us loaded up our planes with gas and left Luliang after dark. About halfway to Suichwan we-met about 5 P-51 fighter planes and we were to lead them to Suichwan. We got over Suichwan at about 10 p.m. and the fighters left us and landed. Your son's plane and my plane then circled to land. We both called in to the field for landing instructions as the field was lighted so that we could see the runway. It was also bright moonlight and I could see his silver B-24 well in the moonlight. His plane was just in front of mine as we flew on the downwind leg of our landing pattern. Suddenly all the field lights were shut off and the tower told us to get out of there as the Jap planes started to raid the field. I could see your son's plane up ahead and his pilot made a climbing turn to the right. Since Suichwan has very high mountains around it I decided to turn to the left. I turned to the left and made a climbing left turn. I might have made two left circles as I climbed to get altitude. Your son's plane was doing the same only he was turning to the right. Just as I made a completed circle and came into full view of your son's plane again I saw it being followed by a black plane. It was bright moonlight so I could see it well. The guns from the black plane flashed and the load of gas exploded and your son's plane fell to the ground. I continued to climb until I got over the mountain and then I flew east of the base until the Suichwan tower called me and told me it was all-clear. I then landed and delivered my gas to the fighters. 1 Descendants of Victor Gordon Ryland Jr. 19 April 2026 It was then I learned that it was an American plane--one of our own night fighters that had shot your son's plane down. I was furious and sick at heart as I flew back to Luliang. It was only a few days after that the Japs took the field and our job in China was finished. We packed up our tents in our B-24s and flew back to India. From then on to the 1st of June 1945 the 7th Bomb Group continued to bomb ahead of the British army as it moved south through Burma. Our 20 bombers sent to China------only 11 returned to India. Your son's plane and the other 8 B-24s all crashed in China. Would you do something for me---please. Would you please send me a photo copy of your notice that you got from the war department. I would like to read it. Would you also send me a picture of your son and his crew. Most of us had pictures taken of our crews when we first went into combat. I will return all items to you. Send what you can and I will return it to you. I also want a photo of the cemetery plot in Little Rock, Arkansas if you have one available. If you do not have one available-- then let me know the name of the cemetery and I will get one made at some future date. Your son's death was a great tragedy to all of us who knew him and his crew. We talk of this--even to this day. Respectively yours, Carl H. Fritsche Former B-24 Pilot of 7th Bomb Group 4715 North Shore Drive Westerville, Ohio 43081 [Their picture was placed here] Carl & Beulah Fritsche P.S. Please send the names of all his crew members if your have them. He died on 20 Jan 1945 at the age of 22 in Suichwan, China. One source indicates that his date of death was 6 January 1944. The Suichwan airfield, which supported bomber, fighter, and reconnaissance units, was crucial to the effort to interdict supply lines and troop concentrations in Formosa (Taiwan) and other areas held by the enemy. Naturally, it was a prime target for Japanese bombing raids. As a result of one particularly concentrated campaign beginning January 15, 1945, General Chennault's 14th Air Force was obliged to abandon the field on January 24. Elmer Bukey, who was there, recounts an incident that if not the one that cost Victor Ryland his life, the circumstances must have been similar. "A P-61 was brought onto the base at Suichwan, China to try and help with the nightly bombing attacks the Japs were giving us, On this one night I happened to be at the alert shack when we got the news that the Japs were on the way to pay us another visit. The P-61 took-off to try and find them when they arrived. As luck would have there was a flight of B-24's coming in to deliver some much needed gasoline. They were advised of our air raid situation and were told to stand by. The sad ending to this story is that the P-61 locked onto a B-24 and shot it down. All but two of the crew members were lost in this action. That was the end of the P-61 action and we were shortly thereafter forced to evacuate the base and return to Luliang." ---------------------------------- Victor Gordon Ryland Jr. was born on October 22, 1923 in Los Angeles Co., California. He served in the military as a pilot of transport planes from September 16, 1942 to January 6, 1944 in the United States Army. He died on January 20, 1945 in Suichwan, China, as a result of friendly fire. He was buried after January 20, 1945 in Little Rock, Pulaski Co., Arkansas. Comment by Walter: Records of the Little Rock National Cemetery are available online at http://www.interment.net/data/us/ar/pulaski/littlenat/ Victor Gordon Ryland, Jr., First Lieutenant, US Army Air Force, was interred there November 8, 1949, in Plot 13 312. This was nearly five years after his death. It is presumed that it took that long after the end of World War II to locate and repatriate his remains. His marker at Little Rock indicates he was born on October 22, 1922, rather than 1923. The Suichwan airfield, which supported bomber, fighter, and reconnaissance units, was crucial to the effort to interdict 2 Descendants of Victor Gordon Ryland Jr. 19 April 2026 supply lines and troop concentrations in Formosa (Taiwan) and other areas held by the enemy. Naturally, it was a prime target for Japanese bombing raids. As a result of one particularly concentrated campaign beginning January 15, 1945, General Chennault's 14th Air Force was obliged to abandon the field on January 24. Elmer Bukey witnessed the fatal incident on January 20th: "A P-61 was brought onto the base at Suichwan, China to try and help with the nightly bombing attacks the Japs were giving us. On this one night I happened to be at the alert shack when we got the news that the Japs were on the way to pay us another visit. I can remember that night as if it happened yesterday. It was my job to fire up the C1B generator that supplied the power for our runway lights. The P-61 took-off to try and find them when they arrived. After the P-61 took off we shut the generator down and got away from the runway and went to a gun pit we had made from 50-caliber guns salvaged from a scrapped B-25. As luck would have there was a flight of B-24's coming in to deliver some much needed gasoline. They were advised of our air raid situation and were told to stand by. The sad ending to this story is that the P-61 locked onto a B-24 and shot it down. I was in the gun pit when we saw what we thought was a Jap bomber being hit. We hollered and screamed with joy that the P-61 had got one of the SOB's. All the joy turned to sorrow when we heard what had really happened and that it was a B-24 that got hit and not a Jap. We were working in a revetment the next morning on a P-51 that had been damaged in the raid when several Chinese soldiers walked in carrying one of the men from the downed B-24. As I remember it one of his legs was badly damaged as result of being hit by the P-61 gunfire. It was a miracle that he was able to get out of the aircraft. We put him on our jeep and took him to the base dispensary. All but two of the crew members were lost in this action. Victor Ryland was definitely one of the crew members of that ill fated B-24. The attached picture is probably the last one taken of that crew. They are front row L/R: Florian Borucki; engineer; Fred Swanson, radio operator; Warren Hoffman, gunner; Jasper Scott. gunner. Second row, Dewberry who was not on that flight; Julian Zdep, assistant engineer (he was the one with leg shot by the P-61). Back Row: Victor Ryland, co-pilot; Donald Taylor, bombardier: William Ingram, navigator, and Richard Embury, pilot. Things were getting a little hectic about that time and shortly thereafter we were forced to evacuate the base and return to Luliang and I did not find out how the wounded crewman made out. You know it is amazing to me that I can recall all the things that happened almost sixty tears ago and sometimes I have problems remembering what I had for breakfast. I do know this, that the older I get the more important my past becomes, especially the years I spent in the service. From an old M/Sgt. from China Days Regards, Elmer Bukey" Mr. Bukey has provided a great web page for the "forgotten" airmen of the China-Burma-India campaign, with many useful links, at http://community-2.webtv.net/HaoBooHao/ Victor was buried on 8 Nov 1949 at Little Rock National Cemetery in Little Rock, Pulaski Co., Arkansas. He is buried at the National Cemetery in a common grave. Victor Gordon Ryland, Jr., First Lieutenant, US Army Air Force, was interred there November 8, 1949, in Plot 13 312. This was nearly five years after his death. It is presumed that it took that long after the end of World War II to locate and repatriate his remains. His marker at Little Rock indicates he was born on October 22, 1922, rather than 1923. His Find-A-Grave website records the following: "He was the son of Victor Gordon Ryland Sr and Dorothy (Libis) Ryland. 1st Lt Ryland was the co-pilot of B-24L #44-41438, assigned to the 10th Air Force, 7th Bombardment Group, 493rd Bombardment Squadron. They were flying a load of fuel from Luliang China to Suichwan at night. As they approached Suichwan, the tower turned o the runway lights and notified them that the airfield was under attack. A US P-61 night fighter mistook Ryland's plane for the Japanese aircraft and shot it down. He was killed along with six of his crew mates. Two others were able to parachute to safety." Victor was the oldest boy. Preparer: Robert Gordon Wilson 24361 Timothy Drive Dana Point, CA 92629

Robert G Wilson,