Evening star., 1943-10-03
Troops on Ship Resort
10 HUacking 10 GET
Good Quality Food
BY KENNETH l.. DIXON.

Associated Press War Correspondent
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, Sept. 90 De-
layed)-It was zero hour in the
hold. Depth charges battled against
the bulkhead AS the little band of
bearded raiders gathered near the
galley.
On a prearranged signal one
group swept up the stairs, blocking
passage from the deck. Others
headed for the doorway aft to pro-
tect the rear. The five selected for
the actual midnight mission ran
toward the ships stores. The Of
fenSive was under way.
Half an hour later peaches, cook
les and tea were being served in
the officers mess hall in adjacent
quarters. Some of the enlisted men
had even located some cheese and
lunch meats for themselves.
Justice, aided by the chow COM
mandoes, had triumphed again.
Food hijacking was grim busi-
ness on that converted Liberty ship
in the warbound convoy. Veteran
Army officers claimed the soldiers
mess the worst food they had ever
eaten.
The steward said supplies of good
quality food were short. He blamed
1t on the laSt-minute decision to
transport troops in ship which he
said had originally been planned for
another purpose.
Bootleg Business Sprang Up.
But bootleg business in good
food sprang up and there seemed
to be plenty to sell, so the chow
commandos took over.
When the convoy reached port in
North Africa soldiers on many other
ships said 1t was the steward. Others
said they would have needed at least
the unspoken support of some ships
officers to have gotten away with
the racket
On our ship food replaced all other
subjects Of discussion the second
day out with only two meals served
a day, 8 Am. and 4 pm, the quality
OF food became especially important.
When some of the soldiers went
hungry rather than eat, a delegation
OF officers complained to the steward.
His story of a shortage of good
quality tood went unchallenged for
a while. although the ships crew.
fed by the War Shipping Admins
tratlon could be seen eating three
meals a day with steak, chicken,
oranges, apples, fresh vegetables and
the like.
Plenty Of Food to Buy.
None of those foods were served at
the soldiers mess, although the
oflcers were told that even the
ships emergency stores were being
tapped to help feed the Army men.
But then the bootlegging began.
Soldiers found they could buv pies
Tor SO cents, sandwiches for a dime,
Even steak sandwiches and roast
duck found its way into the black
market 1t was good, plenty good
but suddenly it daWned on the
suckers that there appeared to be
plenty Of good food TO sell despite
the shortage"
De!egatlons visited the steward
sealn, bent on investigating this
business OF forcing soldiers on their
way overseas to buy bootleg food
10 get anything decent to eat"
But still the soldiers chow was
the same, nothing fresh and con-
SlStlng largely of questionable con-
glomerations resembling some sort
Of hash.
Chow Commands Organized.
Councils of war were held in the
mold and the chow commando di
vision was actuated Not all the
offlcers and men joined, some pre-
1errlng to starve it out. But most
OF them consented to join the COM
mandos in a midnight snack before
the voyage was over.
The black market business
dropped off. Even those who de-
cllned to join the hijacking chose
TO quit buying as matter of prin-
ciple.
Many of the boys in the CONVOY
said in port that they had been
we'll fed throughout the voyage, but
others from a different ship said
they, too, had been forced to resort
to midnight raids. (
Veterans of two or three VOYAGES
between the States and the fighting
zone said, 1t all depends on your
ship
But they all said. BE sure to
write a story about it. Nobody
would believe us if we wrote home
and told them"