Confidential
Ref. 160/1945
Chiang Mai City Hall
5 June 1945
Subject Crashed plane
From Chiang Mai Governor
To ห.อท.
According to Provincial Telegram Ref. 137 dated 28 May 1945 which advised of an aircraft crash, officers who were in charge of the crash site investigation reported as follows:
1. Date and time of accident
27 May 1945 at about 1400 hrs
2. Location of accident
In a rice field in Mae Ann Village, Section 4, Huai Sai Sub-District, Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province; seven kilometers northwest of the district office.
3. Mae Rim District office report
The Mae Rim district administrator reported to the province governor by phone using a secret code on 27 May 1945 at 1630 hrs that an enemy aircraft had crashed at Mae Ann Village in Section 4 of Huai Sai Sub-District, Mae Rim District.
4. Officer actions
District Administrator Sawang Prompatima, Police Sub-lieutenant Tone Khatareug, and Bailiff Booncheun Boonyajantranone of Mae Rim District, plus Bailiff Soontaun Mahagunta of Huai Sai Subdistrict, Deputy Doctor Reung Chaitip, District Recruiter Chan Chayarobe and four police officers investigated the crash site. They found the front of the aircraft buried two meters in the ground by the force of its impact.
Part of the fuselage was badly burnt. The pilot had bailed out, landing half a kilometer northeast of the crash site. Sa-ngad Chimplee, Huai Sai Sub-District Headman, accompanied by villagers, arrested the pilot: he did not try to resist. The district administrator informed Chiang Mai Province officials about the crash on 27 May 1945 about 1630 hrs and ordered Police Sub-Lt Tone and Deputy Doctor Reung to look after the pilot; and Mae Rim Bailiff Booncheun, along with the sub-district and village headmen, plus four policemen, to protect the wreckage.
5. Chiang Mai Province operation
As soon as the governor was informed about the accident, he called the commander of the local army base to discuss ways to protect both the pilot and the wreckage before Japanese soldiers arrived at the crash site. Acting Governor Sa-nga Sookrad, Civil Engineer Ut Wisoot, the Chom Thong District Administrator with his Bailiff, Wichian Jawasid, who were there helping with provincial matters, plus Inspector Rean Saowateera from the Chiang Mai Municipality all rushed to the crash site to investigate before the Japanese learned of it; but, when they arrived at the Mae Rim District Office at 1700 hrs, provincial officials informed them that 40 Japanese soldiers, armed with machine guns and rifles, were on the way by vehicle to the district office.
The Mae Rim administrator arrived at the office in time and told me [the acting governor, Sa-nga Sookrad] that the pilot was being held close by the plane; I thought that this was not safe for the Japanese could easily catch sight of him and take him into custody; so I had the Mae Rim district administrator don a disguise, and hide the pilot in the forest far from the wreckage. I had the bailiff come to me at the district office to help get things done. I told the district administrator that I wouldn't go to the crash site; that instead I would stall the Japanese soldiers at the district office as long as I could. I told everyone in charge to keep a tight watch over the wreckage and to quickly gather all important items still in the plane, including documents, so that the Japanese wouldn't find them. I had Ut Wisoot borrow a motorbike from a villager to ride as quickly as possible to the police station and to the Thai 11th Infantry Division base to ask for policemen and soldiers to protect the pilot and the wreckage.
At 1740 hrs, forty Japanese soldiers led by Capt Seimada arrived at the Mae Rim District Office.
I asked him why they had come and he said that they wanted to investigate the crash site of an aircraft shot down by the Japanese Army. He asked me to find someone who could guide them to the crash site. To delay them, I responded that I was newly assigned to this province and didn't know the local people well, so it would take some time to find someone. Moreover, district officials and clerks were gone for the day and I was here alone waiting for the District Officer to return and report to me about the crash. He asked if the pilot had been found and arrested: I said that I had received no news about the pilot and assumed that he had died in the crash. I suggested that the captain not go to the crash site and that we would report the result if the pilot had survived and was interrogated, all in accordance with the Rules and Agreement for Thai-Japanese Cooperation regarding enemy aircraft or personnel found in Thailand. I was able to keep the Japanese with me until 1910 hrs; but then they set off to the crash site without asking permission. It was obvious that they were not pleased and didn't trust me. As I thought that the pilot was more important than his plane which had crashed and burnt, I decided not to go to the crash site; but instead planned how to send the pilot quickly to the Thai 11th Infantry Division.
At 2000 hrs, the Mae Rim District Officer had his deputy, who was out-of-uniform as a disguise, come to inform me that the pilot was hidden in the forest six kilometers away from the crash site, and three kilometers from the Mae Rim District Office. The Japanese soldiers arrived at the crash site after dark, not knowing that the pilot had parachuted to ground and that we Thai already had him in custody. For the pilot's safety, I asked the Deputy District Officer to bring some local clothing, including a short sleeved blue shirt and a hat, for the pilot to wear and to tell him to standby for my orders. I kept watch for any movement by the Japanese who had been posted along the way from the district office to the crash site to find out how much they had learned and what they had done, so that I could figure out how best to send the pilot to the Thai infantry division safely. At 2130 hrs, Mr. Ut brought Lt Col Wirote Intawasa and Capt Tawee Wongkam from the Thai infantry division headquarters along with twenty soldiers to the Mae Rim District Office. I took the two of them to a secure location where I told them what I had done about the plane wreckage and the pilot; and consulted with them about what should be done next.
I had the Mae Rim bailiff, along with the sub-district and village headmen, plus villagers and policemen go immediately to protect the wreckage.
I had the officer in charge give the pilot local clothing to wear while he was being taken to the military base by car. I had the deputy governor and some soldiers act as guards for him on the way. The Japanese soldiers arrived at the district office at 0200 hrs on 28 May 1945. The pilot was taken to the military base at 0300 hrs with his belongings. I wanted him to have enough rest before being interrogated, so I fixed the time to question him as 0900 hrs the next day.
Before I left, the Thai army officers and I agreed that I would tell the Japanese that Thai soldiers had found and arrested the pilot and had sent him to a Thai military base without informing the governor first. Japanese soldiers could contact them directly if they wanted to know more.
On 28 May 1945, I, along with three other provincial officers, plus two Thai army officers, interrogated the pilot using a Thai interpreter.
6. Results of interrogation
There was only one pilot: he was American, James K. Kintz, aged 24, from Wing 60 of an Allied Air Force Unit in northeast Burma.
He had served there for a year and four months, during which time, he had attacked Thailand twice: the first time, Chiang Mai, on 26 May 1945; the second time, Lampang, Hang Chat, then Chiang Mai on 27 May 1945; but something had gone wrong with his plane.
A short circuit caused a fire on the plane. He had informed his team by radio, and then bailed out.
He landed in a wood grove near Huai Sai Creek in Mae-Ann Village, Section 1 of Huai Sai Sub-District, just half a kilometer northeast of where his plane had crashed. Twenty minutes later, the sub-district headman and villagers found him and took him to the Mae Rim administrator who waited at the crash site. The pilot brought some items with him.
The plane was a Lockheed P-38, with Allison 1,825 horsepower twin engines, a top speed 290 knots, with five guns --- four 15 mm machine guns and one 20 mm cannon and automatic cameras which would take pictures whenever the guns were shooting, so that the pilot could find out if he had hit targets or not. It carried 2,000 pound bombs. There was one seat with protective equipment for the pilot. The fuel tanks were armor protected, capable of withstanding 20 mm shells.
There were 30 aircraft of this type in the 60th Fighter Squadron, 33rd Fighter Group located in Myitkyina in northeast Burma. Eight of them had flown this mission south out of Burma following the Salween River down to Fang, then Chiang Mai, Hang Chat, and Lampang, and returning by the same route.
Their objective was to destroy air facilities at Chiang Mai and Lampang, so that the Japanese could not use them to support their fighting in Burma. Before he attacked Chiang Mai on 27 May 1945, he had already attacked Lampang and Hang Chat airfields.
7. Following completion of pilot interrogation
We were told that he had left some items at the crash site. On 28 May 1945 at 1700 hrs, we went to the crash site to examine the wreckage.
The district administrator, the headmen of the sub-district and the village, and villagers told us that before we arrived, 40 Japanese soldiers had searched the wreckage and dug up the ground around the fuselage. They placed a machine gun near the wreckage and all of them stood around it on guard.
There were so many Japanese that Thai officers were overwhelmed, having to listen to them and let them do what they wanted.
The Japanese took four flare guns, one dynamo, and one radio, none in working order.
On 27 May I asked the Mae Rim administrator about the parachute and some of the items which we Thai had taken before and had him send them all to the military base the next night (28 May 1945).
8. Other observations
From the pilot interrogation, we learned that the Allies had completely taken over the Rangoon-Mandalay railway. There were many Japanese soldiers near the border in Mae Hong Son.
We learned that some Japanese were gathering in Rahaeng Province near Moulmein, Burma. And that the British were based in the south of Burma from where they were operating in the south of Burma and Thailand, while the US, whose bases were in the north of Burma, was operating in the north of Burma and Thailand.
On 28 May, the Thai army commander permitted IJA Captain Sato to interrogate the pilot from 1000 to 1130 hrs. The Japanese got only one answer out of him --- that he was a pilot; after that, the Thai army commander had his soldiers take Kintz to the Payap headquarters in Lampang.
Since we had the pilot with us --- and under my control as acting governor, along with the Mae Rim Administrator, the army commander, soldiers, and villagers, we were able to ensure that he was well taken care of, especially serving him the best of food while at the military base.
There was no conflict between Thai and Japanese.
Sincerely yours
Sa-ngaa Sookrad
Acting Governor of Chiang Mai
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