Evening star., 1941-07-21

bling with tall geysers and more
than once with iridescent oily
patches where the German planes
had disappeared at the end OF a
streak of fame.
POm-pOm Break Loose.
Below the coming tower was an
other weird sight, long string OF
ASS waving in unison like gigantic
reeds in a high wind, barking every
plumes and choking hot mists-
above them on a sort of stage a
group OF hooded gunners with tin
hats over their hoods, manning what
might have been taken for black
smiths pipe organ. . Five pipes
here with things like New Years
horns at the END of them. five others,
purple with grease. extending from
bundles of lesser tubes and about
them hundreds of small pipes-about
the size of a rife barrel-in close
packed circles. Put them all together
and they were the pom-pom bat
teries-"the Chicago pianos" The
ensemble might be the grand orches-
ira of any super cinema. The
illusion was heightened by the fact
that the players in this symphonic
arrangement sat on platform that,
like those in the orchestra pits OF
modern theaters. can be moved at
the touch of finger. And move it
did, every time the ship changed
course, every time new signal was
flashed down from the control
towers, every time a Heinkel be-
trayed itself to the delicate ears Of
the pointing apparatus.
About 4 o'clock this attack was
over. The feet headed into the
wind and the wandering fighter
planes came back out OF the sky.
The Heinkels had gone somewhere,
and so far as anybody in our neigh
borhood knew, We had suffered no
damage. A lot of US called it a
day and went down to the ward
room, the chaplain carrying little
black kitten that had craWled up
to the signal station and couldn't
find its way down again At 6:45
we went back again while Donald
Duck announced the presence Of
another squadron Of unseen Helm
kels.
"They Couldn't See Us"
We stood there and watched the
planes come over, flying so low that
We almost expected them to roll
their wheels across the bridge. But,
though the organists of the POM
poms stood ready in their pits,
there was no fire from the feet.
The fighter planes stayed moored
to the deck of the aircraft carrier,
all save one that had been away
somewhere and returned TO fnd
himself in a dogfight. Presently
he. too. landed. Of the port bow.
across a sea beautifully notified By
the sunset. one of the cruisers fired
few salvos. Then there was silence
while the Nazi squadron came back
and forth above us and twilight
presently covered US.
They couldn't see us" one OF the
lieutenants at the signal station eX-
planned. The sea is pretty dazzling
when you look at it from 10000
feet. Even in daylight when there
are vhitecaps it's pretty hard to
make out the units of fleet"
In the cleaning the signal bridco
disgorged a number of officers.
We'll, it's all over for the eve
ming" said one. The last b
appears to have been a couple {.
Italians or couple of ferries
The tiny marker lights went Of
on the deck of the aircraft TIL
signal sergeant suddenly rasped
"Wop!' And some flags went IN
onto the string to meet the last OF
the waning daylight. We asked him
to repeat. He smiled in kindly're-
straint. After all, the world was
getting filled up with lsndlubbers.
''Wop." he replied. "W-o-p.
That's the signal meaning enemy
bomber shot down."
So into a night Of peace and
brooding calm we continued on our
way to Alexandria.
'ceryrisht 1871, chicaso Daily News, Inc