Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-02-07
Up and
Down
Broadway
by Walter
Wincheu
ERRAND FOR UNCLE

WITH THE COMMANDER OF THE
SOUTH ATLANTIC FORCE (Delayed)
The twin-motored plane that brought only
three Of us to this Brazilian base made IA land
ings In days. 1--WE don't do this often" ex-
planned the pilot, "but the men based all along
the line have to get some mail now and then.
All the other passengers were dispossessed-the
other two being a naval officer and a civilian
with No /. Priority. He said he had made the
trip more often than many Of the pilots I
hadn't slept for nearly 80 hours before showing
-off-what with this and that last moment item
to attend to-. And so after one long look at the
beautiful Greater Miami below I removed my
shoes opened the collar button and belt and slept
beautifully for an hour and half. Cuba.
WHEN the crew delivered its mail and cargo
here 1t was off again for the Dominican Republic
and all the other Suffocating with-humdity stops
:. 1t was good getting back into the skies where
1t was always necessary TO wear blanketS-even
while crossing the Equator. The Captain Of the
plane came out Of his pew to talk. ."This IL
where we usually have q ceremony" he said. Tt
Is traditional ceremony you know. We dive
and xoom and scare the dickens out Of everybody
and then you really are q short-snorter" "a
short-snorter is eligible to this most exclusive
club only after he or she has flown across con-
tinent or an ocean, But" added Captain Orr.
Eve just got orders to cut II all out Last week
two soldiers got broken legs being initiated"
BAD WEATHER kept us from making Port
of Spain on schedule. We were delayed at q
spot for the night at the cleanest hotel Of them
all. "A tiny British hotel spotlessly white where
all the guests tuned In on London's BIC. Just
as we were told to turn in and be UP by 3 a. m.
to shove off at 4:30-the bellhop said was
wanted on the phone. ."Me?" I asked him. "No-
body knows me down here!". The voice on the
phone a Corporal from Brooklyn. We Just
heard you were here" he said. Would you let
send n jeep TO bring you down 20 meet all the
feliers? We haven't seen anyone from home for
five months" L was jeep'd to the barracks
where they told me Mrs Roosevelt once spent the
night Gas did Nine. Chang Kai-shek) and l
stayed up telling them the news OF the day be-
fore-and the news for half a year-so starved
were they all-for news even that old The only
American woman there Is pretty army nurse
1t was fun staying up until midnight telling
them every gag knew.
THE ONLY disturbing item was that every
where met uniformed men, one or more would
invariably say: "Is IL true that you once said on
the air that the war will be over in IS days."
- mo, never said wrote IT," replied. Il
am blamed for that one everywhere 1 60"
We'll" said one officer. we used to hear that
Lloyds Of London offering odds it'd be over
LIOyds of London and Winchell!". L told them
1t was obvious enemy propaganda TO get us all
complacent agan-and that nobody knew when
the war would end. That 1t would end-when
we win a.
WHEN we're Deanna Durbin and Judy Gar
land killed In plane crash?" they asked me :.
That's another phony rumor." said. "It orig
mated over the Jap radio TO depress the men in
he Nv Ihanv AZ
long ago in the Albany paper. I reprinted II
to help debunk IT, but guess helped circulate It,"
THE SUNRISE was thrilling SO was the
first sight Of the Amazon -. II anyone ever tells
you that you don't get the shvers and shudders-
looking down at all that jungle-dont believe II
Especially when you are told that a plane
was forced down into 1t nearly year ago-and
that none was killed-but that workingmen and
others. after all those months-are still chopping
their way-and still are ten miles from them
Planes drop supplies and food-every now and
then.
WHEN saw our planes shadow on the clouds
under us-craded in the first circular rainbow
had ever seen-I calculated Gee that's pretty!"
That means good luck" explained the civilian
passenger. "Many a pilot wishes he could see
of them route. The superstitious say that
IL means you won't be in an accident on the trip"
-. The name for II stays in your ears :. Filters
call it: The Pilots Cross.
LATE in the third shutdown we arrived at our
base Too late to report to headquarters
Several officers took me TO the British Club
where the Red Cross was holding a bazaar
You'd better Join u.s." they told
me. it'll be the last people you'll
see while. AS / walked in
"A AIR voice doomed: "Are you VIM
~ A chel?". 1t was the Admiral
the Commander of the South
- tho, a. a vas Atlantic Force. on the way back
to his ship
: Cbekbop. or eyes. sir reporting for duty.
On the mood OF S"'
another telloD
taken Just the HE gave me my orders "a
CHI and finished ~" THE people down here" he
he can't erpect said know all there Is 10 knnup