James T. Hennessy OSS CHINA, COMMANDED OPERATION CARDINAL

[BEAST]

I picked this up at a thrift/junk shop a few years ago. The name and date is written on a label inside. The price was right and I was very pleased when I finally received a copy of the Register of Graduates and saw some of his service info. He served with the OSS in Washington and then China during the war. Unfortunetly, I have not been able to determine which detachment.

 

If anyone has more info or can suggest places to search, I would love to hear them!

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

From: http://www.archives.gov/iwg/japanese-war-c...tory-essays.pdf

 

 

On August 16, 1945, just after President Harry Truman announced Japan’s surrender, a team of five OSS operatives and their Chinese civilian interpreter flew from their headquarters in Hsian (present-day Xi’an), China, and parachuted into Mukden on a mission code named “Cardinal.” Commanded by Maj. James T. Hennessy, their orders were to make contact with POWs in Camp Hoten and its subsidiary camps, provide emergency medical aid, and secure an operational airstrip for the delivery of supplies and the arrival of additional support personnel. In addition, anticipating that the Soviet Union would occupy Mukden after the initial invasion of Manchuria on August 9, OSS planners directed the Cardinal group to collect as many Japanese documents as they could, begin establishing a network of agents in Mukden, and make attempts to gather intelligence on Soviet activities there....."

[Jason G]

That is incredible. Very interesting. Nice to see this information will go with the uniform!

[GIl Sanow]

 

The 1950 issue of the Cullum Register of USMA grads gives a liitle more -- though not much on the OSS.

[BEAST]

Thanks for posting. Would the "(SM)" shown in his OSS notation indicate he received a Soldiers Medal?

[GIl Sanow]

Yes, SM is Soldiers medal. I think it was in your register entry too.

[APO472]

I found your man JT Hennessey in the 1937 Howitzer (USMA Yearbook) he is listed as being in L Company while he was a plebe. He appears in the group photo but on a quick pass I did not see him listed in the sports or activities photos.

[Steverino]

The OSS detachment in China was 202.

[BEAST]

Thanks Gil, you are right, it is listed in my citation. Do you, or anyone else on the forum, have a book that lists all of the Soldier Medals issued? I have heard of it, but never seen it.

[BEAST]

Patch, thanks for the info. Was detachment 101 in China also?

[BEAST]

I have received his file from NARA. The following is his file photo and his awards.

 

Does anyone know what the Chinese Breast Order is?

 

[BEAST]

[GIl Sanow]

I just "googled" Yun Hui China medal and came up with a Taiwanese gov't site. It showed the following:

 

Article 7 The Cloud and Banner Medal (Yun Hui) is divided into nine levels, Any Military Man of the Armed Forces who has an outstanding achievement in the country or suppresses a civil war and has best performance is decorated with this medal according to the following rules:

General Level Officers = First to Fourth Level.

From colonel to major = Third to Sixth Level.

From captain to second lieutenant = Fourth to Seventh Level.

Lieutenant and Enlisted Soldier Levels = Sixth to Ninth Level.

 

Sorry, no pic

[BEAST]

Good idea. I thought Yun Hui was a city in China where the authorization originated so I didn't look that up. Thanks a lot!

[GIl Sanow]

When in doubt, Google it. I will look for the medal itself later on.

[Steverino]

Det 101 was in Burma. 404 was in Ceylon. I can't remember where 303 and 505 were stationed.

 

Det 202's basic function was to operate the Chinese Airborne School. 101 was a behind-the-lines intel gathering outfit in Burma (worked closely with Merrill's Marauders). There are some fantastic patches worn by Det 202 folks, and Det 101 had the famous "Burma Bar" - beautifully crafted sterling bars approx. 5/8" x 3" that were made in Hong Kong (as I recall). The one I got from a 101 vet was worn on his Australian-style bush hat. The bar had "Burma Campaign" in Old English letters, with "101" in the center.

[BEAST]

In his record it doesn't show the deatchment, it only states that he was assigned to "OSS DET, CT, CBI" One thing I noticed when I received his record, he never attended formal jump training and nothing in his record states that he was entitled to wear jump wings. In 1957 he was the ARMA at OUSARMA University of South Africa. Any idea what an ARMA is?

[BEAST]

As was mentioned before, Major Hennessy commanded the Operation Cardinal mission. I have some new information being sent to me, but in the meantime, I thought I would post this photo that was taken of the CARDINAL group when they were at the POW camp.

 

[Bugme]

This is some incredible information that you've compiled on Hennessy with the help of some of our other members here, Erick. And you have the cadet uniform that started it all. Had you not saved this from the thrift store, it would have become a costume or would have ended up shredded in a rag bag but, now the history of one man is preserved. Makes me wonder how many of these we've all walked past while our wives dragged us through a thrift store.

[67Rally]

This is fantastic as this is a relative of mine...well, not directly related but he is in my family tree.

 

What is interesting to see is that he and my uncle served near to each other during the war. My uncle was in the CAC during WWI but MIS then CIC during WWII. My uncle stayed in Asia for the remainder of his career serving in CIC monitoring the communists in China, the Korean Peninsula, and Russia. He was there in Korea and finished in 1954.

[BEAST]

This is fantastic as this is a relative of mine...well, not directly related but he is in my family tree.

 

What is interesting to see is that he and my uncle served near to each other during the war. My uncle was in the CAC during WWI but MIS then CIC during WWII. My uncle stayed in Asia for the remainder of his career serving in CIC monitoring the communists in China, the Korean Peninsula, and Russia. He was there in Korea and finished in 1954.

 

 

Wow! That is really cool! Do you know if they had any family in Indiana? James T. was from Missouri, and I was wondering how it ended up in a thrift shop in Indiana.

[BEAST]

Today, I received more information on James T. Hennessy, 36 more pages of information on his service. The following few posts will include the documents that I think will be the most interesting to the forum.

 

First of all the request for his transfer to China. Note this isn't a request from Hennessy, but a request FOR Hennessy.

 

[BEAST]

Next the assignment from D.C. to China:

 

[BEAST]

For his particpation in OPERATION CARDINAL, he was awarded a Soldier's Medal:

 

[BEAST]

He was also awarded by the Chinese government, the Yun Hui and the Cloud and Banner