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Whittlesey, Henry C. (0358386): Difference between revisions
Rewrite bio from Gross Whittlesey note; death date 2 February 1945; Dixie Mission cites |
Enrich Dixie Mission/AGAS narrative; death_date 21 January 1945 with source conflict note |
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|birth_place=Chongqing, China | |birth_place=Chongqing, China | ||
|arm_or_service=Military Intelligence | |arm_or_service=Military Intelligence | ||
|rank_final= | |rank_final=First Lieutenant | ||
|death_date= | |death_date=21 January 1945 | ||
|specialty=Photo Interpretation | |||
}} | }} | ||
<div class="soldier-lead"> | <div class="soldier-lead"> | ||
'''Henry Clark Whittlesey''' (10 August 1906– | '''Henry Clark Whittlesey''' (10 August 1906–21 January 1945) was a China-born Ritchie Boy ([[Class 3]]) on the Dixie Mission; he was killed near Japanese lines in China and received the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
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Henry Clark Whittlesey was born on 10 August 1906 in Chongqing, China, one of six children of missionaries Roger and Annie Withey Whittlesey. He attended the Chefoo Schools in China through 1918 and later Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania (1924–1928). After returning to the United States he worked as a journalist in Philadelphia. | Henry Clark Whittlesey was born on 10 August 1906 in Chongqing, China, one of six children of missionaries Roger and Annie Withey Whittlesey. He attended the Chefoo Schools in China through 1918 and later Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania (1924–1928). After returning to the United States he worked as a journalist in Philadelphia. | ||
During World War II he trained at Camp Ritchie | During World War II he trained at Camp Ritchie in Class 3 (photo interpretation) and at the Yale University Chinese School (1943). Fluent in Chinese, he joined the Dixie Mission (United States Army Observation Group) to Yan’an in 1944—the first U.S. liaison and intelligence mission with the Chinese Communists—arriving with the first party on 22 July 1944 under Colonel David D. Barrett. Whittlesey represented the Air Ground Aid Service (AGAS), helping downed American airmen avoid capture or escape Japanese imprisonment. | ||
On | On 21 January 1945, while entering a village near Japanese lines that Communist guides had reported clear, Whittlesey and a photographer were killed by Japanese snipers. He is remembered as the only member of the Dixie Mission to die in the line of duty. (Some secondary accounts date the death 2 February 1945.) He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. Short wartime sketches he wrote were later collected by his daughter Ruth Schroeder as ''Sidelights of the War''. | ||
== Research notes == | == Research notes == | ||
* To Yale. See: Mission to Yenan | * To Yale. See: Mission to Yenan | ||
* Dixie Mission; death 2 February 1945 near Fouping (accounts differ) | * Dixie Mission; death 2 February 1945 near Fouping (accounts differ) | ||
* Dixie Mission / AGAS; death 21 January 1945 per Gross Dixie Mission note (other sources give 2 February 1945) | |||
== Technical record == | == Technical record == | ||
Revision as of 04:18, 12 September 2026
| Henry Clark Whittlesey | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 August 1906 Chongqing, China |
| Died | 21 January 1945 |
| Nativity | United States |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Army |
| Arm / service | Military Intelligence |
| ASN | 0358386 |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Camp Ritchie | Class 3 (2 November – 23 December 1942) |
| Section | H |
| Specialty | Photo Interpretation |
|
| Distinguished Service Cross |
- Killed in action. Listed in By The Numbers/Awards (from Ritchie Boy Secrets by Beverley Driver Eddy).
{{Needs source}}, or explain disagreements on talk. Baseline import notes: About the data.
Henry Clark Whittlesey (10 August 1906–21 January 1945) was a China-born Ritchie Boy (Class 3) on the Dixie Mission; he was killed near Japanese lines in China and received the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously.
Biography
Henry Clark Whittlesey was born on 10 August 1906 in Chongqing, China, one of six children of missionaries Roger and Annie Withey Whittlesey. He attended the Chefoo Schools in China through 1918 and later Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania (1924–1928). After returning to the United States he worked as a journalist in Philadelphia.
During World War II he trained at Camp Ritchie in Class 3 (photo interpretation) and at the Yale University Chinese School (1943). Fluent in Chinese, he joined the Dixie Mission (United States Army Observation Group) to Yan’an in 1944—the first U.S. liaison and intelligence mission with the Chinese Communists—arriving with the first party on 22 July 1944 under Colonel David D. Barrett. Whittlesey represented the Air Ground Aid Service (AGAS), helping downed American airmen avoid capture or escape Japanese imprisonment.
On 21 January 1945, while entering a village near Japanese lines that Communist guides had reported clear, Whittlesey and a photographer were killed by Japanese snipers. He is remembered as the only member of the Dixie Mission to die in the line of duty. (Some secondary accounts date the death 2 February 1945.) He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross posthumously. Short wartime sketches he wrote were later collected by his daughter Ruth Schroeder as Sidelights of the War.
Research notes
- To Yale. See: Mission to Yenan
- Dixie Mission; death 2 February 1945 near Fouping (accounts differ)
- Dixie Mission / AGAS; death 21 January 1945 per Gross Dixie Mission note (other sources give 2 February 1945)
Technical record
| Field | Imported value |
|---|---|
| Approx Age at Death | 39 |
| Class_ASN | 358386 |
| Class_Name | WHITTLESEY, Henry C. |
| match_method | asn_exact_name_exact |
| row_source | both |
Timeline
- Born Born and raised in China, Henry Whittlesey moved back to the United States before going to college. After marrying Jane Bernard, who gave birth to his first child Julia (Feeley) in 1942, he was summoned to help the American government explore means of cooperating more closely with the Communists in China as Roosevelt became increasingly dissatisfied.
- Distinguished Service Cross.
Sources
- Henry C. Whittlesey, Sidelights of the War, ed. Ruth Schroeder (New York: Transfer Art, 2006)
- Carolle J. Carter, Mission to Yenan: American Liaison with the Chinese Communists 1944–1947 (Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1997)
- Dan Gross research archive (miscellaneous timeline-adjacent documents; not uploaded): Henry C. Whittlesey note.doc
- Camp Ritchie Museum, Inc. (The Ritchie History Museum), Classes 1–31 roster data
- Dan Gross research spreadsheets, including original Excel timeline/roster work, combined with other research and records
- NARA World War II Army enlistment records (where a NARA ASN is present)
- 1940 U.S. Census (where a census match is present)
- Ritchie Boys of WWII Facebook page, post dated 2022-12-26 (1 post)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Henry C. Whittlesey for Camp Ritchie (private research document; 1 source documents reviewed)
- Dan Gross, Timeline of Whittlesey, Henry C. for Camp Ritchie (private research files; selected non-private narrative findings; 1 source files: HENRY C. WHITTLESEY.doc)