Evening star., 1943-09-23
Gable Participates
In Attack on Nantes;;
Leaves for U. 5. Soon
py the Associated Press

Leaves Tor u. }. S0On
BY the Associated Press.
AT A FLYING FORTRESS BASl
IN ENGLAND. Sept. 23.-Capt
Clark Gable, who went on today
raid on Nantes, France, disclosed
after his plane returned that h,
would leave for the United State,
soon with gunnery training film
he has been directing.
He said he hoped to see active
service in some other theater be.
fore the war is over, and added:
But you know, just do what
ever the Army tells me to do"
In today's raid the former movie
star participated as combination
cameraman and gunner. The ship
was hit by antiaircraft fire, but none
of the crew was wounded.
II didn't hit damn thing" Capt.
Gable said.
The raid was his fifth and earned
Tor him the Air Medal.
Wanted Cup Of Coffee.
The peacetime matinee idol looked
anything but that when he stepped
from the plane in wrinkled green
coveralls. His collar was open, his
shoes scuffed and his hair was ruff
fed, and he said that what he
wanted most was cup of coffee.
He flew in the Flying Fortress
Duchess, lead ship at this base, with
1t. Col. Robert w. Burns of Ecru,
Hiss.
When Capt. Gable came to Eng
land, the impression got around that
he was to be a regular Fortress gun
ner. When he didn't start going on
every raid, people started to ask, was
he prima donna or privileged
person or what?
The fact is, Capt. Gable never was
intended to be regular gunner.
What actually happened was that.
with a view to capitalizing on his
movie experience and the following
which as a, popular actor he COM
manded, Capt. Gable was sent over
here to make moving picture about
gunners' work that would be accu-
rate and intimate and help in re-
cruiting good men for gunnery
training.
Crew Includes Movie Writer.
A camera crew and one of the
movies best writers. 1t. John Lee
Mahin, who wrote the screen ver-
sion of John Steinback's 'Tortilla
Flat, !" were assigned to help him.
Capt. Gable went on raids to see
Just what it was like and to ascer-
tain the chances Of getting movies
Of planes and men in actual combat.
He has found that it is a tough
Job. 1t is so cold that it's hard to
work. The cameras have to be spe-
fcially rigged SO they won't freeze in
stantly. The necessity of being con-
nfcted with an oxygen tank all the
time at high altitude hampers NOV
ing around the plane. When any
thing happens, like an enemy plane
attacking from an unexpected angle
at rate of closure of TOO or 300
miles an hour, whizzing past in
flash, it's well-nigh impossible to get
a picture of It,
The rest of the time Capt. Gable
has been shooting pictures on prac-
tice flights and working on the
ground.
A captain, he lives in nissen hut
on a bomber station. He usually
eats In the ground officers mess
rather than the combat officers.
Around the station he IS treated
by every one like any other officer, |
although there is slight stiffness
about 1T. because it's impossible to
forget his background.
Likes to Watch Games.
Capt. Gable joins in conviviality |
over the beer mugs, but still is more
reserved than he would be among
his Hollywood cronies or the gang |
back in the Oklahoma oil fields, |
where he worked before he became |
an actor.
Going around the station, he will |
pause far to one side by himself to
watch q G. I. softball game; at |
meals he may sit down at table
by himself.
He has had dates with several of |
The Army nurses at nearby hospi-
cal. His favorite recreational spots
are the snug little neighborhood
pubs, the common mans club in |
and even in London Capt. |
Gable generally avoids the glamour /
spots and goes to some side-street
tavern. In these pubs the general
drink is beer, with almost no
Alcoholic content, intoxication is
rare, and nothing more sensational
than dart game ever takes place.
After he goes back to the United
States with his picture, his assign
ment will be as indefinite as any
soldiers.
His knottiest problem to date is
nat he, has gotten some pictures
700 good to believe He got shot
OF bombardier in the nose of q
Fortress firing machine gun. A
few days later, invited by the Cath
bic chaplain to visit a mass, he
heard q beautiful tenor voice coming
put OF the choir. 1t was the same
fellow. He got some good sound
pictures Of the boy singing ave
Maria" The obvious thing is to
put the sequences together-firing
The machine gun, and then in the
choir, singing.
But the combination is so dra-
lnatic he's afraid people would think
4 was faxed somehow.