Blood Chit
The blood chit (Engl. Blood for blood and Anglo-Indian chit of hindi / Hindustani चिट्ठी ciţţhī or chitthee for note, message, message ), German name also rescue Patches or emergency list is a piece of equipment the military aviation carried and is usually of pilots whose Order to lead them across enemy or neutral territory. On the Blood Chit, help is asked in the common languages of the operational area in the event of the pilot being shot down.
The idea of the chit first emerged in 1793 when the French balloon pioneer Jean-Pierre Blanchard demonstrated his balloon in the USA . Since a balloon cannot be controlled and Blanchard had no way of controlling his landing point, he received a letter from US President George Washington in which the situation was explained in English, as Blanchard did not speak this language.
During the First World War the idea was picked up by British pilots in India and Mesopotamia . The pieces, known by the British as Goolie Chits (from Gooli e, slang for testicles), were in four local languages (Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, and Pashtu) in an attempt to prevent the local population from castrating the downed pilot and him to make them their serfs.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War , the chit was worn by members of the American Volunteer Group , and in Chinese they asked for help and protection for the pilots.
The text on the picture is an example of this:
I am an american pilot. My plane was shot down. I don't speak your language, but I am an enemy of the Japanese. Please provide me with food and see that I am taken to the nearest allied base. My government will reward you well for this.
When the United States in 1941 officially entered the war , the Blood Chit were made in more than 50 languages. Typically the chit made of silk, fabric or leather was sewn onto the back of the flight jacket, but it was also common to sew the chit into the inside of the jacket. The upper side was not sewn, which resulted in a usable map pocket inside the jacket.
After the Second World War, the Blood Chit became standard equipment for US pilots, but also for special forces. Nowadays, chits also contain some local currency or exchangeable items.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.dict.cc/?s=chit cict.cc chit