HANLEY, Fiske (b. 1920) | Oral History

HANLEY, Fiske (b. 1920)

Oral Histories

Aeronautical engineer. His experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Enrollment in the Aviation Cadet Program, 1943; basic training at Boca Raton, Florida, 1943; Yale University Technical School, 1943; his selection for training as a flight engineer; Boeing Flight Engineer School, Seattle, Washington, 1944; B-29 Flight Engineering School, Lowry Field, Denver, Colorado, 1944; his assignment to the 504th Bomb Group, August, 1944; establishment of crew integrity, August-November, 1944; mechanical characteristics of the B-29; his stationing at Tinian, Marianas, January 12, 1945; training missions to Iwo Jima, Truk, Aguijan, and Pagan Islands; mission to Kobe, Japan; effects of the jet stream on bombing accuracy; low-level fire bomb missions to Tokyo, Japan, March 9, 1945; other fire bomb raids to Nagoya and Osaka, Japan, March, 1945; the shooting down of his plane and the capture of the survivors, March 28, 1945; his classification as a "special prisoner" (war criminal) by the Kempei-tai; interrogation by the Japanese military; threats from Japanese civilians; incarceration at Kempei-tai headquarters in Tokyo; prison conditions and continued interrogation and torture; American air raids; transfer to Omori, Japan, August 15, 1945; liberation and medical treatment; postwar psychological adjustments.
Date of Interview: October 13, 1999

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