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The following was researched, provided and written by his niece, Ann Lee. CNAC Co-Pilot Pao Tai Tuan (段保泰) (9/1/1917 - 9/20/1946) From joining the CNAC in 1944, to his death on September 20, 1946 crash, he flew about 200 round-trips over the Hump. September 1st, 1917, Pao Tai Tuan was born in Shanghai, a century-old noble family. His father was a lieutenant general. As the eldest son, he received strict education in Chinese philosophy and culture by a family teacher. While in the American missionary school, he enjoyed science and sports. The Chinese and Western cultural education cultivated his generosity and kindness. In 1935, he was admitted by the Physics Department of Shanghai University, which was the predecessor of the University of Hong Kong. His college days was filled with war and turmoil. In August 1937, the Japanese army invaded Shanghai. Right after that his university president was murdered in 1938. Under the Japanese rule in Shanghai, university life became dangerous and unstable. Pao Tai Tuan graduated from the University of Shanghai, Department of Physics in 1939 and immediately went to Sichuan to participate in the arsenal factory to support the War of Resistance。 Then he joined the National Resources Committee of the Republic of China, a government wartime agency. In 1944, Pao Tai Tuan and his brother-in-law Fu Fang joined CNAC and soon became the co-pilots flying over the Hump route. Even though the war ended in August 1945, they continued Hump flying until the end of the year to take back all supplies and personnel of CNAC from India to Yunnan, China. He returned to Shanghai in the end of 1945 and started flying over the domestic routes. On September 20, 1946, on the way through Kunming to Xichang, due to bad weather condition, the C-47 No.81 crashed. Nineteen days later, on October 9, 1946, CNAC pilot R. W. Pottschmidt drove a reconnaissance aircraft and found the crash site in the wild Lochi Mountain area of Xichang. With deep sorrowing, his parents spent all efforts bringing his body back to Shanghai and buried him in Shanghai Hongqiao Cemetery. This accident record is in cnac.org, October 8, 1946, crashed into Lochi Mountain all 31 passengers and crew members killed， Pilot was Captain Andrew Longbotham, Co-Pilot was Pao Tai Tuan. In his short 29 years, most of the time was spent in school. Pao Tai Tuan was a simple and honest young man, obsessed with photography, gentle and well-educated. His last 6 years of life was in the war. But he dedicated like a soldier by taking the risks for the country without considering himself. What made his parents sadness all their life was that he passed the extremely dangerous over the Hump flight, but unfortunately died in an air crash after the war. He was only 29 years old and had just been married for three months without children. His parents sadly buried him in Shanghai Hongqiao Cemetery, but later learned from Taiwan that the cemetery was turned into Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in the 1950s. Their son's remains was buried under the runway！ His parents went to Taiwan with the National Government in 1949, and his younger siblings were located in China, Taiwan, and the United States. After 40 years separation, relatives finally reunited in America. Pao Tai Tuan is the eternal pain and pride of family members!  Mr. Tuan, Pao Tai joined CNAC (1944)  CNAC Co-Pilot, Mr. Tuan, Pao Tai (1944 India)  CNAC Co-Pilot, Mr. Tuan, Pao Tai (1944 Kunming)  Pao Tai Tuan on his wedding day (1946 Shanghai)  Pao Tai Tuan, sister Juntai, and the brother Youtai (1942北碚天生桥 -- 1942 Beibei Tiansheng Bridge, Chongqing) I have dreamed I have dreamed that your arms are lovely And I have dreamed what a joy you'll be I have dreamed every word you'll whisper When you're close, close to me How you look in the glow of evening I have dreamed and enjoyed the view In these dreams I've loved you so That by now I think I know What it's like to be loved by you I will love being loved by you In these dreams I've loved you so That by now I think I know What it's like to be loved by you I will love being loved by you Sung by Frank Sinatra Hi Tom, About my uncle and the accident of C-47 No.81 on Sept. 20, 1946, I only found some info from Chinese CNAC history book and report. I wish you still remember me as I gave a speech about Chinese Air Force training in American at the last CNAC Oct 2019 reunion and brought a TV production team to interview Moon Chin. Suprisingly, from my family tree I found two of my uncles (my father's cousins) used to be CNAC pilots. They were recruited from University of Nanking in 1944. These two young men flew over the humps many times during the war. Unfortunately, after WWII, because of bad weather conditions, one of my uncles (Tuan, Pao Tai) died in a flight accident (C-47 #81) on Sept 20, 1946. The pilot A. W. Longbotham, together with my uncle (co-pilot), radio operator (Liang, Chun Ling), flight attendant (Huang, Li) and other 28 passengers (total 31) no one survived. Until October 9th, pilot R. W. Pottschmidt found the C-47 wreckage from the mountains near XiChuang (north west China). Ann Lee (Ann was at the 2019 Reunion)  Thanks! |