The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-11-26
Forts Raid
Schweinfurt
BY Doris Fleeson
(WNU Feature Through special Arrangement
with Woman's Home Conpanion.j

was lucky. by chance l walked
right into preparations for one of
the greatest bombing missions in
history. This was the vast raid on
Schweinfurt. saw our boys take off
and l saw them return.
The small world of bomber base
In England Is organized with utter
precision toward one end--to get
those planes off the ground, over the
target and home. One mission fol-
lows another and everybody knows
exactly what to do or is told. Out
wardly 1t Is calm, but in the back
ground Is always one brutal fact:
some Of our aircraft do not return.
When the planes are out on dam
gerous mission, voices get shriller
and men appear reluctant to aban-
don one anotller's company.
Americans and the Raj share
their secret skills but not their way
Of life. Our base Is a piece Of Amer
ica--f00d, equipment, wise-cracks.
Few English faces are seen and
these are usually liaison officers.
Everybody knew that the coming
raid on Schweinfurt was to be some
thing special, that there we're some
Of the most important targets ever
bombed anywhere. The Nazis are
aware how vital ball bearings are to
the war and the plants that make
them had been tucked deep into the
mountain folds of Bavaria. The
Nazis knew Allied fighter planes
could not carry enough gasoline to
protect the invading bombers which
would have to face Nazi fighter fire
for hundreds of miles. But For
tresses have firepower to protect
themselves and they have bomb
sight to hit any target. Months ago
their crews were handed nameless
maps of the Schweinfurt targets to
study. In English skies they prac-
ticed over and over again forma-
tons which would doom the facto-
ries.
Restricted to Post.
Finally the crews were briefed.
But weather forced cancellation.
So important was security on this
raid, Colonel Harding restricted to
the post every man who attended
the briefng, gave special orders that
they were not to discuss it among
themselves and cut off telephones.
Colonel Harding gave the group
final instructions. A West Pointer
from West Virginia, he has ice-blue
eyes, a quiet manner and fistful of
medals. The latest of these is a sill
yer star for gallantry and achieve
ment in leading bombing raids over
enemy territory.
Don't let the boys tell you they
aren't scared on raids" Colonel
Harding told me. "Nobody could be
such a fool as not to be frightened
when fax and fighters come at him.
I've been scared plenty"
was assured by the boys that
Harding's briefing technique was
okay. One thing the boys can't
stand, they told me, was what they
called drip" They know what they
are fighting for. What they want to
be told is why the target is so i'm
portant, so that if they get hurt they
can feel it's worth it.
Maj. John Kidd Of Cleveland led
the group off the field. Three squad
ron leaders seconded him. Sweat
ing it out" is the air forces inele-
gantly accurate phrase for the bust
ness of waiting for the planes to
return from a raid. The waiting is
undramatic but very wearing.
Happy to Be Alive
Outwardly all went on as before
after the bombers roared down the
runway at the base. Another mis-
sion went out and returned. It was
a milk run over Holland. Another
was briefed but cancelled. After
many long hours, the Fortresses
came back. The gleam of majors
oak leaf on a red fez perched at a
rakish angle over a grinning Irish
face was the herald. The wearer
of the fez was Major Egan; his
simple heartfelt greeting was: I'm
very happy to be alive"
Then from all mouths tumbled out
stories Of the man-made hell they
had been through, beginning hours
before the target was reached. All
agreed that nothing like it in size,
venom and duration was ever before
experienced in aerial warfare. All
around were fighters, Forts blowing
up in fame, and the thunder Of guns
without end. The Nazis arched
strings Of binding new rocket shells.
The Fortresses battled German
fighters for 2h hours-the longest
engagement in the history of heavy
bombings-but they had gone over
their target and got away.
A measure of the raid was the vol
utility of the crews who made It.
Their talk lasted through their days
of rest and was still going strong
when I left the base. Crews are en-
couraged to talk, Of course, not only
to help get it out of their systems
but to keep intelligence officers fully
informed. What they say might help
greatly in planning the next encoun-
| ter with the Nazis.
Il