Making your Dash Count

A Hero of the Hump July 6, 2014

My father in law, Kenneth Krause, was a certified hero.  Although this blog may not stand the test of time, I expect that it will last longer than the yellowing  July 2003 copy of Vitality Plus, Newsmagazine ( Mankato, MN) for mature, active, adults– Volume 7 Number 7, in which he was honored with an article telling his service story.

– By Mark Hagen

Ken Krause of Mankato was a heroic pilot for the Army Air Corps during World War II, and has a display of military honors to show for it.

Krause, who grew up on a farm in Waseca County, worked in the grocery industry for a couple of years after graduation before deciding he wanted to fly aircraft. In July 1943, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and took civilian pilot training with the Army Flying School in Texas.

He took several months of training courses at various locations in Texas, Kansas and Missouri before graduating as a 2^nd Lieutenant on February 8, 1944, when he received his wings.

During the next few months, Krause married his first wife, who later died. He also attended flight instruction school before becoming n instructor in Waco. Soon after, he was one of 12 pilots assigned to new aircraft at stations in Kentucky, and later Indiana, before getting the call to go overseas in August 1944.

Krause recalls that he and his crew were given instruction at each pot stop on where to go next, and he didn’t know exactly where they were going until they finally arrived. They took off at Bangor, ME, before flying to Newfoundland, Canada, the Azore Islands, French Morocco, Tunisia, Cairo Egypt, Persia (now Iran) and two cities in India before finally settling into their final base of operations at Syiket, India.

Krause began missions with the 3^rd Squadron almost immediately after arrival, conducting missions in southern and southeastern Asia. His missions required a total of 72 trips across the Himalayan Mountains region. He said the planes at the time didn’t have the power to get a high enough altitude to clear these mountains, so she was dependent on the winds to get him over the “hump” region.

There were numerous other units conducting flight missions in the same region, and Krause recalls one night where the winds were stronger than reported and 36 American planes were lost. He said the wind was limiting their progress and the planes crashed into the mountains.

Many of Krause’s specific missions were carried out in China and Burma, where Japanese troops were infiltrating many cities. He evacuated Chinese from one of their cities under attack, and once dripped paratroopers into battle in the jungles near Rangoon, Burma.

Another time, he went 400 miles behind the enemy lines and supplies a Burmese village that was looted by the Japanese with large amounts of food, clothing and ammunition. As with most missions where he was in contact with villagers, he and his crew were welcomed.

After being stationed in several locations in India, Krause was later stationed in Burma, where he hauled everything from peanuts to toilet paper to donkeys to bombs.

In October 1944, Krause was shot down in enemy territory in Burma His engine was hit and he had to make a forced landing in which the other pilot was killed. Krause was thrown from the plane and was unconscious for approximately an hour and a half, lying on the plane’s wing. When he came to, he had temporary amnesia, but a crew made who survived the crash was there to help him out.

The Japanese forces were miles away at the top of the mountains, so Krause and the other survivors had enough time to get away from the scene of the crash before being tracked by the nemy. They went down river and came upon some natives who helped them out.

The plane’s radio operator was badly burned in the crash and he died after arriving at the village. Krause was later treated by an Indian doctor, and recalls that the doctor was impressed that he was from Minnesota, and that he had ambitions of visiting the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester.

It took three days for them to get back to the British troops and when he arrived, he met the other crash survivors who were separated from him. He was interviewed by a British newsman, and in a matter of days, the news made it back ot the States and many articles were published about their story, which Krause said his family read about at home.

It took nine days before Krause returned to his base and was rewarded with a variety of honors soon afterward, including three air medals and two distinguished flying crosses. One of the crosses was awarded for volunteering to fly in to conduct the mission and the other was for flying into enemy territory. After his discharge he received a Purple Heart from the Army, as well.

Krause’s service ended in 1945 and the war officially ended during his ship ride home. Krause sailed back to the states across the pacific on the H.B. Freeman ship and the journey lasted 62 days. He was never discharged as an officer, but was separated from active duty on Christmas day in 1945.

In 1994, Krause received an unexpected certificate of appreciation in the mail from the Chinese Air Force, who recognized his efforts to assist their nation 50 years earlier.

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After my father in law’s death, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Craig Duehring, a Civil Air Patrol student of Kenneth’s,  during high school,  contacted the family about nominating him to the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, we never followed though on this. He is forever in our Aviation Hall of fame.

My father in law.  My hero.