Us Official Photographs

B-29 Crew Captive In Western Szechwan

AAF MEN REPORTED CAPTIVES OF LOLO TRIBESMEN. Five Army Air Force B-29 Superfortress crew members are reported held captive by aboriginal Lolo tribesmen in the rugged mountain of western Szechwan province in China. An AAF C-47 Skymaster flew from Shanghai to Chengtu to investigate the reports, and at Chengtu the crewmen were met by a French priest who said the men were being held by the natives and forced to tend herds of sheep and goats in an isolated region nine days by foot from the village of Hsichang. The priest, who maintains a tiny mission six days' walk from Hsichang, is attempting to located the men, with the help of members of a United States Army Graves Registration detachment. It is thought that the only successful way to secure release of the men will be through barter. This picture of the Lotos was taken by AAF men who were downed in the territory and returned safely. Shown is "The Queen", a woman of a friendly Lolo tribe who served as hostess to AAF men. FEB 5 1945