Detroit evening times., 1943-08-27
Ships Gunner ellis
Of Thrills Galore In
Attacks by Germans

ITO HIT PLUNGING torpedo with threeinch gun is some
shooting SO is knocking off five German planes
But big Bill Schilbe Gunners Mate 2nd cried like baby
when overthat before the Russian tanker with the
women officers picked them
Big Bill meant join the Army. (He served years
machine gunner the 106th u Cavary) One day in
Detroit where Bill furniture dealer before Pearl Harbor
he bought pair Army shoes and went TO barber shop
The barber talked OF the wonderful life IN the fleet Next day
Bill dyed his shoes black and Joined the Navy.
Was my wife surprised" he says and adds, And so
was IT,
In six weeks (here wasn't much about punney they could
teach Billy he finds himself charge OF the three. .ncher
merchant ship well armed with machine guns and armed
guard under 1t a. G. Morton Wofson of Chicago,
bound north in a big convoy.
Bill is proud Of his crew They re all qiclrgger guys
like hi-so quick that foggy day they streak Of spray
and blast without taking second look The 1t dashes from
the galley, dropping cup of coffee Desroyers dart
Ten minutes later message from the ship ahead:
Captains compliments on your fine shooting
Were my red' Bill explains We had shot off the
fog buoy dragged astern by that leading ship
From Iceland Bill goes we head for Russia with
war matere cargo strongly escorted by desoyer corvette
and anarcra ships Some Of the ships even tow barrage
balloons
Almost from the start enemy subs attack but the escort
does such fine Job Of protection get shot Two
days Bomvoss observation plane spots us then
we're under observation "a hours day (The
sets this time of year,
on the third day ships hit and ordered back
TO port. We re moving deeper into the ice fields.
Next day 4th of July. At a. M we get word of ap
preaching aircraft All hands take battle stations Our des
troyers close in.
Shortly after noon the communications speaker booms
Planes sighted bearing 100 so enemy torpedo
planes coming low the horizon They circle the convoy
out Of range
Now and then plane darts our fire power We
shoot at and miss They fly from five so above
the waer) Finally torpedo hits ship and she catches fire
The planes fly off land the water and there about
five minutes
Meantime, bring ont all ammunition set one and two
second fuses tell the boys to keep cool and take time
We're all nervous, Of course .
Then planes swoop and the convoy opens terrific
AA barrage. Machine gunners ship get one plane
Not having target TO starboard we train our gun to
port firing onesecond fuses toward ships The planes
iy very low through the convoy but don't hit any ships
A deck engineer passing ammunition points and wells
Hey Schube-ook at that and coming there wnkng
at look 10 sarboard and coming in alone at about
5000 yards We train gun him he opens with his
machine guns. think, This We II get
The plane is close when proectle goes through one
wing and part Of the useage and expodes aft the tail The
plane comes over mahg the gunner spraying our
bridge and then splashes into the The men cheer
All through the action hear cheers from other ships
when somebody gets plane
Then va SisAt iat1rtrd aEisHe=fts
heattng Tor BRUSH IA ship Our first shots miss but
he tnrd stops the torpedo dead the The doesn't
explode IT, but the torpedo toward then sinks
Very few dow-ed planes leave survivors see one boat
PICK up seven Now ard then soatz Most dye
rght ~ and disappear
There subs the fight oo Once see three torpedoes
coming al u.s. vel Stand by for torpedoes One just
our, bow, another close asern
The third heading for amidshps but IL never hits
We're ugzagging al the time
-NcW II
eoud ew hundred feet UP and YOU the bombers
out YOU can near heE " throw heaviest AA the sound
sATapnel fails all around and several ships suffer severe