I read an Andy Rooney book about 7yrs ago (I don’t remember which one). He relates a story, that while he was in China during WWII, there was some heavy millitary equipment that was left for several days during some heavy rains. When the GI’s returned, the equipment was gone. Andy Rooney, suggested the equipment completely sank in the mud and disappeared beneath the surface.
Has anyone heard of this story, and is there some better corroborating evidence that this actually occured? If so, does anyone know where this equipment was in China?
An alternative explanation might be that there are some dishonest people in China, who might steal government equipment that is left untended for several days.
Given that there was a war on at the time, and China in the 1930s and 1940s wasn’t exactly noted for being the most cohesive place in the world, I’d be extraordinarily surprised if this wasn’t the correct explanation for the events outlined in Mr. Rooney’s anecdote.
blech. Tried using google book search on Rooney’s My War (where I assume the story is from), and the sectoin on China has the word “mud” in it once, but the page is blocked. Pg 289 if anyone has a copy.
Does look like he made it over to China at some point during the war though.
I know it happened in Europe (sorta). A bunch of tanks were trying to cross a small river or a large stream and got bogged down in the mud and had to be abandoned. Most of the tanks were later recovered, except for one that was just stuck too far in the mud. Somewhat like Andy Rooney’s story, the tank just kinda disappeared underneath the mud and water where it pretty much got forgotten about, except by some of the local villagers.
A few years ago, someone heard about a tank buried in the mud and decided to investigate. They found out the story was true, and the tank was hauled out of the muck using modern equipment. A group of tank collectors (I didn’t know there was such a thing!) was trying to restore the tank, and featured it on a TV show along with other tanks they were trying to restore. For example, they were taking two Sherman tanks that had been too badly damaged to restore, and were combining them into one tank.
In Stillwell In China, Gen. Stillwell saw what looked like an enormous millipede moving slowly in the distance. A closer look showed it to be a railroad boxcar, with a line of men along each side. “That,” declared Stillwell, “is what will save China.”