Evening star., 1943-08-26
Il Air Heroes Open
u. ). Tour With Three
Bombers From Sicily
By E Stan Correspondent of The Star.

two young American airmen, heroes
of the United States medium bomber
squadrons in the Mediterranean, and
three battle-scarred Martin Ma
rauder bombers which they had
flown home after breaking off from
the fighting in Sicily, opened a tour
of the Nations war plants today
with visit to the sprawling Glenn
L. Martin Co. works. -.
Ordered home for morale build
ing drive which will take them into
war-plant centers and Army train
ing bases in virtually every State,
they addressed the first of series
of six rallies at the Martin plant
at $50 am. The last of these is
scheduled for am. tomorrow
Later tomorrow they will address
workers at subsidiary factories of
the Martin company and Saturday
the bomber crews will visit other
Baltimore war plants.
All the proud posSessors of the Air
Medal and many wearing higher
decorations, the %, who have COM
pleted nearly $50 missions against
the enemy, represent the cream of
the flying forces in the Mediter-
ranean theater.
Varied Backgrounds.
In their ranks are the sons of 16
States and behind their unity as
Army flyers is background of ac-
tivity as diverse as America itself.
There is Staff Sergt. John K. Mo-
berly, the department store clerk
from Frederick, Md, who partici-
pated i'll 18 sorties and holds the
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters.
There is the oilfield roustabout, Staff
Sergt. Leslie E. Benner of Luling,
Tex, who wears the Air Medal with
Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple
Heart.
There is banking association in
vestigator from Kentucky and
butter maker from Wisconsin,
wholesale beer salesman from South
Dakota, a high school basket ball
star from Texas, a -four mill packer
and warehouSeman from Kansas, a
printer from Ohio, a grain farmer
from Iowa and manufacturing ac-
countant from Roanoke, Va, to
mention only a few
But all have found common de-
service of their country,
and a common enemy, the Axis, in
the Mediterranean theater of oper-
ations. Ali have established records
which are the envy of their COM
rades and which authorities spon-
soring their tour are sure will in
spire war workers to greater efforts
in behalf of victory.
The stories of their exploits are
not to be obtained in casual con-
for they share in mod |
esty and depreciation of their own
to the war effort |
which they overcome only with diff
iculty in their talks before the war |
workers. But they freely discuss
he other fellows accomplishments
and on this facility, as revealed here |
,oday, the success of their tour no
doubt will rest.
Relate Humorous Incidents.
One laughingly tells of another
Eyer who had part of the throttle
Of one engine shot away so that 1t
would run only at full speed, and
who consequently was forced to
operate the opposite motor at full
speed in order to balance it. The
result was that he went off "like
! streak" underneath the rest of the
nomeward-bound squadron. A Ger
nan fighter trailing along behind |
'or part of the way, while his COM |
aides dryly remarked to their fel- |
ow crewmen, MY, he's in a hurry.
lie must be scared"
Of the performance of the Mar
in Marauder, which drew the fire |
If the Truman Committee earlier
his summer, there was wide-open |
discussion among the flyers. Most
# it was favorable, and when 1t
anne at the dinner for the flyers
lere last night, officials from the
dartin company beamed. Their re-
Lction was somewhat mixed, how
yer. when one enthusiastic expon-
mt of the Martin Medium Bomber
Explained that he loved the B-26
because everybody else is scared OF
t."
Typical of the bravery displayed
" many members of the group is
he performance Of Sergt. Vernon
", Oakland, a former employe of
he State of Washington, with 16
Missions against the enemy to his
;redit.
Meets Trouble in Seventh.
The first six of these proved to be
more or less routine affairs, but the
seventh made up in excitement for
Ill the earlier ones had lacked. 1t
vas skip-bombing sea sweep
which encountered an enemy con-
yoy near Sicily. The sergeants
pilot picked out a target, MADE a
run in and sank the transport tar
get. There was little antiaircraft
fre to contend with, for the convoy
had only two destroyers as surface
escort. But the air was filled with
German planes of several types.
Down they pounced from heavy
cloud formations on Sergt. Oak
lands ship and Sergt. Oakland, in
the tail gunner's position, lived on
an average mans lifetime of excite
ment in the few minutes which were
to follow. One MesserSchmidt
dropped down right out of the sun
onto the tail position.
He opened fire the same time
did" Sergt. Oakland said. by the
time we were really firing he was
within 200 feet and could see him
plainly in the cockpit. AS he pulled
away from the attack he opened up
70 the heSt shooting angle and got