Evening star., 1943-06-06
Capt. Gable Is Making
Films in England
For Army Air Forces
Former Actor Expects to
Return to U. S. to
= Show Them to Troinees
BY LEO BRANHAM.

Associated Press staff Correspondent.
A UNITED STATES BOMBER
STATION IN ENGLAND, June S.
Capt Clark Gable, the former movie
star, is making training films in Eng
land for the Army Air Forces, it was
disclosed tonight.
With Army permission, Capt.
Gable announced that he was sent
to England under orders of Brig
Gen. Luther S. Smith. Army Air
Forces director of training.
The one-time movie idol is in
charge of siX-man crew which in
cludes two former Hollywood asso-
ciates and they are touring all
American air stations in England.
The announcement was made
during an interview here, marking
the first time that newspapermen
have been permitted by 9th Air
Force officials to talk with Capt.
Gable since his arrival seven weeks
ago.
Uncertain About Future Action.
The interview, however, failed to
clear UP the question of whether
Capt. Gable will make any more
trips over Nazi Europe in a Flying
Fortress. His sole operational mis-
sion to date was on May 4, when he
rode as an observer in the fortress
Eight Ball" piloted by Capt. Will
liam R. Calhoun of Birmingham,
Ala. in the raid on Antwerp. He
tooly rooviec of that attack
Pressed on the point OF future
flights, Capt Gables only reply was:
III do whatever is necessary to
complete my joo.''
He indicated that he would re-
turn to the United States to show
films to men undergoing Air Forces
training there. possibly on compile
ton of a film which has been de-
layed occasionally by bad weather.
Capt. Gable work consists of in
tervieWing and photographing re-
turned raiding crews and hospital
lied wounded as we'll as studying
flying conditions and ways to i'm
prove equipment and training, par
ticularly that for aerial gunners.
Works Seven Days Week.
Ee gets up at a m. and by $50
he is out in jeep heading for work
He works seven days week. His
only trip to London, he said. came
during four days of detached duty
there.
Capt, Gable, who enlisted as an
Air Force gunner last August. is
known as regular guy among
both officers and enlisted men. Re-
ports are that he once told his COL
leagues, For Gods sake, forget
Clark Gable the movie actor. I
want to be considered just one of
the boys
He is.
With obvious sincerity. he waved
aside most questions about himself
and what he thinks of English girls.
He introduced other flyers and
asked them to tell the newsmen
about a FLYING Fortress and its guns.
They included three companions on
his Antwerp trip - Capt. Joseph
Strickland Of Liberty, Miss, navi-
gator; Capt Robert Yonkman of
Grand Rapids, Mich, bombardier,
and Sergt. Willard Stephen of Spo-
kane, Wash, tail gunner.
Others introduced were Capt.
George Birdsong of Clarksdale
Miss, pilot, and Sergts. Randall Pc
tersen of Princeton. Ill. waist gun
ner; Kenneth Hulse Of Springfield.
Mo, top turret gunner. and Thomas
j. Hansbury of Philadelphia and
Tim Touchin of Gallup, N. Mex,
both tail gunners.
Calls Crewmen stars"
Replying to British reporter who
asked if any other move stars in
the Air Forces were helping with
the training films. Capt. Gaolo
pointed to the Fortress crevnen
and said, "All OF these boys are
st9rs"
Grinning happily, Capt. Gable
climbed into a Fortress waist gun
position and fired several rounds
into a nearby embankment to DEM
onstrate the ease with which the
weapon is controlled. His grin
changed quickly to concern, how
ever, when he learned a minute latter
that one bullet had glanced off
a rock and embedded itself in the
Fortress wing Had it been DETECTED
In the opposite direction it would
have struck in the midst of the
group of correspondents standing
beside the Fortress tail.
Capt. Gable had little to say about
the Antwerp trip except that the
flax was heavy and that there was
not much room for us to dodge"
Questioned later, Capt. Strickland
said: Hell. no; Gable wasn't scared.
Everytime I looked back at him his
eyebrows and mustache were ice
coated-we flew at high altitude
with the temperature 80 below-and
he was grinning from ear to ear"
Capt. Strickland said that the
Eight Bali was hit few times by
enemy fire, all Of which missed Capt.
Gable by 20 feet. A piece Of flax
tore a hole in Capt. Stricklands
flying boots, but he was not hurt.
Gable Director and Narrator
Assisting Capt. Gable in making
the training films are Its. John Lee
Mahin, scriptwriter. and Andrew j.
Mcintyre. photographer. both of
Los Angeles. Capt. Gable is the
director and film narrator, The
scriptwriter and photographer both