William W Wood (1923-1972) - Find A Grave Memorial

MACR 10024 ~ 7 Dec 1944

18162419 RADAR Mechanic: Boeing B-29-1-BA Superfortress serial #42-63363 nicknamed "Marietta Misfit" 44th Bomber Squadron, 40th Bombardment Group (VH), 58th Bomb Wing, XX Bomber Command, 20th Air Force, USAAF, China-Burma-India (CBI) Theatre of Operations.

As part of "Operation Matterhorn" to bombard Japan, his B-29 aircraft would fly over the Himalaya Mountain Range and logistically stage bombing missions through Hsinching Airfield (A-1) at the Chengdu Aerodrome in China.

Around Chengdu, four runways were built, using 350,000 thousand Chinese laborers, as bases for B-29 Superfortress bombers. The four runways were named A-1 (40th BG), A-3 (444th BG), A-5 (462nd BG), and A-7 (468th BG). Runway A-1, located at Hsin Ching, was the forward base for the 40th Bombardment Group (VH).