Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-06-04
CHAPTER II

"For the most part we lived on
our boats-had to, because we new
er knew when we would have to
haul out into the bay in case uf
dive-bomber attack. Anyway we had
a base again.
Next, we found our barges loaded
with gasoline in drums which had
been lowed out into the bay for us
by the navy-if they got smacked
by bombs, they didn't want them
burning near the wharves. There
was nobody in charge but watch
man. Each boat holds two thou
sand gallons, and of course it was
job pouring all that through fun
mel.
1--WE noticed, as we poured, that
this gas had both water and rust in
it-yet there was no way to strain it
out; we had no channels. What we
couldn't then know was, this gas
had been sabotaged. Well never
find out when or where-the guy
who did it is safe, if he's alive. But
someone had dissolved wax in it
wax which CONCEALED inside our gas
tanks in coat half an inch thick
wax which clogged our filters so that
sometimes we'd have to stop and
clean them after an hours run.
That's the fuel we had to fight the
war on, we were to find out.
''Then I went over to the section
base to make arrangements for our
food, and we got another bump.
The navy already realized a food
shortage was coming and cut us
down to two rations day-break-
fast and supper. All you got for
lunch was stomach cramps about
noon. There was plenty of them.
II also thought I'd better have the
doctor look at my finger. I'd
snagged it few days before and
hadn't paid much attention, but now
it was swollen about as thick as a
walnut. l guessed maybe it was
minor strep infection. What 1 didn't
know was that out East the strepto-
cocci are bigger and meaner than
bulldogs and not to be fooled with.
He took one look and began to talk
about the hospital, but l said the
hell with that. l was the second Of
ficer of the squadron and badly need
ed.
I'VE settled that I'd come over to
see this doctor daily.
1.-THE big alarm came at noon on
December lowed pulled up along
side a mine sweeper for water when
word came that large flight of
Jap planes was headed toward the
Manila area, coming from the di-
rection of Formosa. We pulled away
from the tender, out into open wa
ter, and fifteen minutes later we
saw them-several formations-I
counted about twenty-seven to twen-
ty-nine planes in each-two-motor
bombers - lovely, tight, parade
ground formations, coming over at
about $4,000 feet. But, I thought,
when our fighters get up there and
start rumpling their hair, those for
nations won't look so pretty. Only
where were our fighters? The Japs
passed on out of sight over the
mountains, and then we began hear
ing the rumble of bombs-only first
we felt the vibrations on our feet,
even out there in the water, and
we knew something was catching
hell. But what? Manila? Maybe
Nichols Field? Or even Cavite, our
own base? We couldn't know
II did," said Bulkeley laconical-
ly. 81 was there, at Cavite. The
Admiral sent us two-hour warning
that they were coming-from For
mosa, and headed on down in our
direction across Northern Luzon. So
we hauled our boats out into the
bay. They kept beautiful forma-
tons, all right. The first big V had
ffty-four planes in it, and they came
in at about 10000, with their fight
ers on up above to protect them
from ourS-only ours didn't show!
We couldn't figure it. First they
swung over Manila and began to
paste the harbor shipping. 1t was
a beautiful clear day, and l remem-
Der the sun made rainbows on the
waterspouts of their bombs. They
were from a hundred and fifty to
two hundred feet high, and it made
a mist screen so dense you could
hardly tell what was happening to
the ships. 1t turned out nothing
much was-they only hit few.
But then that big beautiful V piv-
oted slowly and moved over Cavite
began circling it like a flock of
well-disciplined buzzards.
"They were too high to see the
bomb bay doors open, but we could
see the stuff drop slowly, picking
up speed; only as we watched we
found we had troubles of our own.
Because five little dive bombers
peeled off that formation, one by
one, and started straight down for
us. When they were down to about
fifteen hundred feet, they leveled
off and began unloading. Of course
we gave our boats full throttle and
began circling and twisting, both to
dodge the bombs and to get shot
at them. Our gunners loved it