China unveils list of 2,590 American anti-Japanese aviation martyrs from WWII

NANJING, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) — The Nanjing Anti-Japanese Aviation Martyrs Memorial Hall in Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu Province, released a list of 2,590 anti-Japanese aviation martyrs from the United States for the first time on Tuesday.
Published on the official website of the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Administration Bureau, this list discloses the names, dates of death and military positions of these martyrs from the Second World War, with adjustments and amendments based on research.
The information about the 2,590 American anti-Japanese aviation martyrs was engraved on the monument in the memorial hall in 1995 and 2015. However, due to factors such as the passage of time and the absence of original archives, much of the information about these martyrs is incomplete and difficult to verify.
“We hope that the release of this list will mobilize efforts both domestically and internationally to enhance the collection of historical materials, conduct further research and promote the legacy of American anti-Japanese aviation heroes. This will help identify and correct errors on the monument and recover missing information about these heroes, making the list more complete,” said Dou Ruoqi, a staff member of the memorial hall.
On the same day, the memorial hall announced the addition of Jack W. Hammel’s name to the monument. Hammel, a pilot from Michigan, died at the age of 23 on July 25, 1945, in east China’s Jiangxi Province, after his fighter plane was hit by Japanese ground fire.
In 2017, Hammel’s family and friends visited the memorial hall but couldn’t locate his name. With assistance from the Chinese Embassy in the United States, the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, and other institutions, Hammel’s identity was confirmed and his name has been added to the monument.
The Nanjing Anti-Japanese Aviation Martyrs Memorial Hall is China’s first international anti-Japanese aviation martyrs memorial hall. Its collection contains rich historical materials of the air forces of China, the Soviet Union, the United States and other countries jointly fighting against the Japanese invaders in China during the Second World War. The names of nearly 4,300 Chinese and foreign anti-Japanese aviation martyrs are engraved on the monument in the memorial hall. ■