Evening star., 1943-03-10


splitting and coughing with i'm
patience to get going.
I tumbled out Of bed and out OF
the barracks in two minutes. 1t
doesn't take a correspondent long
to be up and moving at an air base.
He doesn't have to dress because he
sleeps in his clothes to keep warm.
He doesn't have to shave because
there is no running water. He
doesn't have to eat because it is too
early for breakfast 1t was as cold
as only England can be. When I
reached the outside, dawn was just
fighting with night, There was a
heavy mist and a wind that drove
it through my trench coat.
Like giant ghosts the Fortresses
moved toward the runway. There
we're no lights on them or in them.
In the haze OF the dawn and with
| the roar Of the motors, a man felt
as if he were in another world,
watching some strange, weird ritual.
One by one the fortresses rolled
by. Lit. Gordon Donnelly knew them
as trainer knows his horses and
named off as they TAXED along.
There's P for Peter, S for Sugar,
H for Harry. for Jean, N for Moth
ing, B for Buggy" he said. Lots
Of them are going out today. 1t
! must be hot target they are shoot
ing for"
Boys Seem Relaxed.
We walked down the field, STEP
ping in a puddle here and there,
banging our toes against frozen
clods. After nearly a mile of this
We came to the planes huddled to-
gether like shivering birds. The
sun had come up a bit and we
could see the crews gathered under
the wings of the planes, smoking,
talking, fastening chutes and wolf
ing sandwiches. There wasn't as
much tension as l have seen in
football dressing room The boys
oI(iliCS INIdANo IL d uuSI Will
death were nothing to get excited
over. They clambered into the
planes as unconcernedly as passen-
gers at La Guardia Airport headed
for a trip to Washington, Chicago
or Miami.
The motors started really roar
ing. The ground shook. The four
motored monsters readied them
selves for the take-off. Then came
an unseen signal from the control
tower. They started moving down
the runway into the biting winds.
They followed one another at 30
second intervals.
1t was then that realized ilIst
how cruel and callous the whole
business of war is. To a bsmber
command this is necessarily Just a
routine business. Just so manv
bomhers going off on an operation
fight. Just so many serial num-
bers. Just SO many HIS for Harry,
SIS for Sugar. is for Jean. At the
completion of the mission there
would be nothing more than a terse
communique and those who failed
to come home were covered by the
cruellest Of all phrases: Such and
such number of aircraft failed
to return.
Not Just Bombers.
l have read that line many times
IN the States and it was all so far
away that it failed to touch me
But, standing there on a field as
the Fortresses left the ground and
started climbing, climbing for q
mission against the enemy. II
choked me up because these wernt
Just bombers, just steel and brass
and copper riding out to fight.
These were American bows TAKING
OF on the toughest assignment that
could be given them.
There was Earl Baldwin of Va
klma at the controls of "Heus
Angel There was Bill Calhoun
OF Birmingham in Eight Ball"
There was Ross Bavles in 'F. D P.S
Potato Peeler" Ercn Eyster of
Mlamisburg, Ohio in Holy Mack
erel.' Jack Roller of Los Angeles
IN Knockout Dropper."
The clouds swallowed them. but
my heart rode with them.
SfrjI, 80