The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1941-02-07

He paused to receive another re-
port from Bart.
"Sir. Third Army Headquarters
just called in from Atlanta. They've
a report from Charleston of bomb
ers flying high over that city at
ten-seventeen o'clock. heading north
by east"
Outside there was orderly commo-
ton. Troops were pouring out of bar
racks and bivouac camps already,
the first drivers were moving their
trucks out of the fort.
: Another report from Colonel DEM.
The coloneps voice now cracked
with intensity. One Of his intelli-
gence scouts, disguised as a Mexi-
can peon, had the word from friend
ly Mexicans that a heavy motor
column was moving north from the
vicinity of Palo Blanco. Another
column was reported moving by
night through Tamaulipas toward
Brownsville and q third was said
to have passed Mesquite, in Coahui-
la. headed in the direction of Eagle
Pass.
An hour later the Second Divi-
sion's trucks, filed with men, we're
whirring out of the fort; rubber
tired artillery was shifting its light
and medium cannon out of the zone
Of possible danger.
An aide, whom General Brill had
sent out into the garrison to OBJ
serve. burst into headquarters.
breathless, his face stripped Of
color.
"Sir, airplanes!" he painted. Fly
ing high-but you can hear them
coming!"
General Brill left his staff at their
allotted jobs and went outside with
his aide. The garrison was dark,
headquarters worked behind drawn
shades.
The roar Of motors filled the air
as trucks and artillery continued to
roll out Of the garrison. But above
that he caught the sharp whine Of
higher-powered engines far over
head.
The seth Anti-Aircraft Artillery
had got its guns in position, but was
withholding its searchlights pending
development. Suddenly a small
plane zoomed down over the garri-
son and dropped flare that turned
night into day.
Brill stood calmly observing He
knew that fare was the first violence
of an invasion Of the United States.
He knew that In a few minutes the
bombers would circle over their tar
get Of Fort Sam Houston and let
drive. He knew, too, that there was
nothing he could do to prevent what
was to follow.
A kissing shrek caught his ears
1nvoluntarily he raised himself on
his toes and placed his finger-tips
at his ears. A savage flash Of yell
low flame leaped from the earth into
the heavens. The ground under him
shook with volcanic intensity from
the savage wrath of heavy bomb.
Long fingers of light leaped into
the sky from the 69th's searchlights
A heavy demolition bomb detonated
In the field from which the trucks
were whirring. Brill caught, in the
momentary flash of light, the grim
tragedy of shattered men and ma
terial. Above the din he heard the
cries Of wounded men. Another
bomb crashed and another. His anti
aircraft regiment began cracking,
but his handful Of guns were al
most lost in the din Of titanic thun-
der that crashed from the sky.
Incendiary bombs rained down,
bringing an irresistible heat that ate
its way into all combustible parts of
barracks. General Brill turned back
into his headquarters, sat down at
his desk stricken by his utter help
lessness, but maint aiming his self
control.
His staff, their bloodless faces
drawn and lined, worked coolly, out
wardly oblivious to the danger.
Information kept coming In, reports
that had to be appraised until the
whole picture Of attack and dis
aster had been assembled and ap-
praised as the basis for whatever
later action was to be taken.
The wooden hangers at Kelly
Field were in flames. Randolph
Field was being hammered. San
Antonio was in a mad panic which
had got out of all police control.
People were flooding the streets,
rushing about in a mad frenzy In
their efforts to escape the city.
Roads were choked with passenger
vehicles.
But the Van Hassek bombers were
combining their major fury to Fort
Sam Houston and the flying fields,
which told General Brill that the
attack presaged a crossing Of the
Rio Grande by mobile troops during
the night or at daybreak.
From New Orleans and Galveston
came reports Of raids that we're still
in progress. Hundreds were killed
in the streets. No other details.
Shortly after midnight the violence
suddenly ceased, the bombers and
their accompanying attack ships
sailed of to the south Colonel DEM
called in again from Laredo. The
head Of a motorized column had