Evening star., 1942-06-29
American Air Force
In India Prepares
system OF Bases
Starting From Scratch,
Flyers Perform Wonders
In Reodyina for Combat
BY A. T. STEELE,

Foreign CORRESPONDENT OF Inc star ana
Chlcago Daily News.
NEW DELHI, June 29.-Do not
think that because the Si.lo- Indian
air front is more or less Guiescent,
the lads of the American Air Force
are lazing away their time reading
detective stories under the palms
and banyan trees. The boys are very
active. indeed, doing what is so i'm
portant to their future success
laying out an independently man.
aged system of bases throughout
their theater of operations.
This preparatory work is monot-
onous and unromantic, but it is a
vital prerequisite of effective combat
operations. 1t has had to be done in
the shortest time despite heavy re-
quirementS of materials on other
world battle fronts. Starting almost
from scratch, and under big handi-
caps. the Americans already have
performed wonders IN preparation.
The American Air Force is COM
pletely independent in personnel
leadership and equipment. 1t works
in closest cooperation with the Chi
nese and British, but there are no
Sino- American or Anglo American
units.
Two Main Concerns.
American servicemen in India
have two main concerns-to win the
war and then hurry home. The In
dian scene interests them, but they
are not keen on becoming part of it,
its contrasts are too much from any
thing they have been accustomed to;
Indian social life and Indian politics
battle them and they remain aloof
from both.
! have not met an American since
I arrived in India who is not more
puzzled by the Indian political situa-
ton and the peculiar workings of
the Indian political mind than he
was before coming to this country.
And the Indian climate! Veter-
ans who have done duty in Central
America and the Philippines say
they have seen nothing like it. In
country where the mercury thinks
nothing of boiling up to lis in the
shade, one of the biggest concerns
in life is keeping cool. Little by
little, the Americans are adapting
themselves. First. they found that
their lightweight summer uniforms,
while comfortably cool in Shreve-
port. Miami and San Diego, were
too heavy for India So shorts and
shirts, of lightweight Indian cloth,
are becoming the standard. Nor
were their service caps adequate
protection against the deadly In
dian sun. So shipments of Amer
ican-made sun helmets-"elephant
hats to d-timers-are on the way.
Learn Indian Tricks.
Besides huge ceiling fans and
long, cold drinks, which are most
essential to keep man from wilt
Ing In this climate, the Americans
have picked up a few Indian tricks
which have added to their comfort.
One of these is the time -honored
punka and the other the kuSS-kuSs-
a barrier of heavy mating which.
when hung over door or window and
kept constantly saturated with
water, substantially reduces the per-
spiration rate.
Needless to say. when travelling
by train one tries to obtain an
conditioned car. If this is
not, available, as is often the case,
one makes formidable preparations
against heat prostration. The Or
thodoX routine is to buy a cake of
ice at the beginning of your jour-
ney place it in the center of your
compartment, and turn all the
fans on it. One of the most ubiqui-
tous hot-weather aids in this coun-
try is diversified thermos bottles for
ice and cold liquids. In fact, ther-
mos bottles could be regarded as an
inslduous fifth column, for you find
them everywhere and nearly all
are plainly labeled, Made in
Japan"
Well Cared For.
American mothers who may be
concerned over the health of their
boys in India can stop worrying.
The heat sometimes causes skin
trouble and a few come home with
tropical fevers and there are the
inevitable intestinal disturbances.
But really serious cases so far have
been extraordinarily few and have
been well cared for by the large
staff of American air force doc
tors.
Unlike most countries in the war
zone India is supplied with nearly
all essential foods. DietitianS reckon
that the Americans here could live
off the country without losing a
single calory. But the men will not