Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-04-11
Flies Shot-RiddIed Air Fortress
From Jovo-His First Role as Pilot
Patched Up Strafed
Plane TO Flee With
10 TO Australia
BY LEE VAN Alta

istJ News Service star Correspcndent
MELBOURNE, Australia, April
11,-Master Sgt. Harry M. Hayes
had never piloted plane before
In his life. The battered, bullet
riddled flying fortress he lifted
of the runway had no radio, no
airspeed indicator. no oil or gas
gauges and no navigation instru-
nients.
But those minor details didn't
keep him from making az 300
mile dash from beleaguered Java
TO Australia and saving the lives
of 18 American. British and Dutch
officers, women and children in
one OF the most thrilling perform
ances OF this or any war.
Sergeant Hayes is a tall, lean
Texan from San Antonio who
doesn't believe in letting obstacles
worry him. So, when he found
himself part OF a group, including
several American women and chill
dren. who had been left behind
when the United States forces
-hurriedly evacuated Java. late in
February. Hayes decided to do
something about IL.
With Cherry" Mission. an
American volunteer fiier in the
Chinese Air Corps. who was in
Banding with his wife. he went TO
the airport where four wrecked
American bombers lay abandoned
one Bis and three flying
fortresses.
MECHANICAL ABILITY
Hayes, who has a lot Of meehan-i
teal ability in addition TO his ample
ration OF courage, went 20 work
on the B-ls and had ii ready to
ny in two days. All the passengers
were on the field ready 10 leave
when flock OF Japanese Zero
planes roared low over the runway
and strafed the precious bomber.
destroying il completely.
Mission could have flown the
Bib but he knew nothing about
flying fortress. Nevertheless.
Hayes went right TO work on the
>!other ships
After a few minutes OF putter-
ing around. he decided that. by
stripping two Of the fortresses.
the third might be patched up so
that il would fly. after a fashion
MOVED TO FORTRESS
The lanky. soft-spoken Texan
moved all his possessions 10 The
fortress and lived there for five
days without sleep while he -di-
rected hastily recruited group
OF so Dutchmen in the job OF re
pairing the wrecked plane The
crews worked in eight-hour shifts
but Hayes was there night and
day.
In three days the motors were,
ready 10 turn over. But the wings
were still in tatterS. so the crew
turned its attention 10 them. There
weren't any wing flaps al all
Hayes and Mission just prayed
softly that they wouldn't be
needed
The tail had 10 be completely
rebuilt. too. and the interior had
TO be stripped 10 make room for
the full passenger load.
ALL OR NOTHING
Hayes decided that u was an
all-or-nothing venture. so he or
dered everything that wasn't ac-
tualiy needed 10 get the plane
tnN he
parachutes, rubber boats and
seats. All that was left was lot
Of room and set of creaky con-
trolls.
Just as everything was finally
. ready for the take-off the laps
dropped out OF the skies again.
seven OF them-and raked the air
port with machine gun fire. But
the relic came through without
another scratch.
At dusk they all clambered
aboard. Everybody knew that
pilot Hayes had never had a plane
up. But everybody was supremelyl
confident that the courage and
mechanical genius which had en-
abled him TO put the plane in
working order would see him
through the ordeal ahead
And so, with the Jap invaders
within two miles Of the airield.
with q pilot who was at the con-
trolls for the first time and CO.
pilot whose flying knowledge was
confined strictly TO the vagaries Of
the waspy pursuit ships. the huge.
flying fortress numbered down the
runway.
Absolute minimum requirement
for the takeoff of these air levia-
thans is a runway 5000 feet long
when the ship is unloaded. The
runway they were on was $500
feet long.
WOBBLED INTO AIR
But that didn't bother Sergeant
HAYES Nor did tho fact that he