The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-06-16
CHAPTER XVI

missions and couldn't do it our
selves. So Silva and took the
truck and went into Madiun. On
the street corners we saw a bunch
of natives standing around picking
their teeth or scratching their bot
toms. We argued they must be Jap
sympathizers, or else they would
have been busy helping win the war.
So we pulled out our ASS, and by a
coincidence they all got into that
truck, and dug us some of the MIC
est foxholes you ever saw. After
that, when the alarm would go off
we could run to those foxholes and
swing gun-we knocked down five
Zeros with them in the short time
we were there.
"We were fixing up our planes,
too. Our tail guns had finally cured
the Japs of making attacks from be-
hind. Now they were coming in at
all directions, hunting for our soft
spots, feeling us out like we were
some dame on a sofa, but mostly
they were hitting us head-on, be-
cause they discovered that in the
nose we had only a single little 30
caliber. I guess the designers, aft
er putting in those tail guns, had
figured they could rest on their lau-
rels, but you can never do that long
In war.
$50 we got busy there on Madiun
Field. We mounted a big .50-caliber
down in the navigator's compart-
ment, rigging it so it would fire out
of the ventilator. And for good
measure we stuck in another 30
caliber.
"Since then they're carrying out
this idea at the factory, but the only
way any factory can learn what is
needed is from the combat crews
themselves.
''But about the time we got those
new guns rugged in the nose, the
laps started staying away from us.
We'd be flying along pretty as you
please when flock of Zeros would
come into view, but staying well out
of range-just looking us over. Then
one of our gunners might fire a burst
in their direction, just to let them
know we were on the balls. Or some
times the Zeros might come in for
one or two wide,. sweeping passes.
But mostly they'd go off with their
tails between their legs. Toward
the last they only tried to get us on
the ground. They knew we had no
protection there to speak ONO
fighters and no pom-poms. They'd
come in insolent as could be-"
(Meaning the gunners sOere in the ball
turrets ready to fire.
''That was the week I got into
something way over my head in this
liaison work." said Frank, ''but first
you ought to look at that big de luxe
hotel which was the unofficial CAPT.
tai Of Java. Its lobby, bar, and din
ing room were crowded with uni
forms-British, Dutch, and A1neri-
can. It looked like Hollywood cos
tune parade.
SIT was an enormous high
ceilinged spacious thing, open to the
soft Javanese air-little tropical
birds would fly in and out of the
dining room and roost on the gleam-
ing chandeliers.
s'The Dutch are great eaters, and
they have something they call reis-
taffel. You order it and then sit
back and eat while twenty-three
walters line up and walk by your ia
BILE, each carrying different sauce
or fish or bowl Of relish or rice.
/ tried it once and managed to live
by eating only every other course,
but your true colonial Dutchman will
stoke in all twenty-three into his big
pot, drenching the layers down with
mugs of beer.
SIN the bar you might see the
boys of Patrol Wing 10 in from re-
connaissance, drinking Daiquiris
(this hotel was Navy billeting head
quarters), and often I would see my
old Hollywood High School classmate
John Robertson sitting there in his
off hours, very handsome in his Ma
val pilots uniform, and with him
was the most beautiful girl in Sura-
baya.
'.She had dark hair, and an almost
ghostly pale face that was sad in re-
pose. Then a smile would quickly
light it up, and you'd wonder how
you could ever have thought that.
And the most beautiful legs in the
city. When she'd walk through the
bar clinging to Johns arm and look
ing up at him, even the oldest and
crabbiest admiral would rustic lit
tie in his chair and lean out to give
them formal inspection. The
younger Naval pilots envied John to
the point where they would have hat
ed his CUTS if they hadn't liked him
SO much.
John was very busy and / don't
think he gave her much thought.