The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-04-14

OOot INV DlS was tIllS american AIT
Force of the Far East which the
General commanded, and whose
task it was to smash the Japanese
in the Philippine Islands so they
couldn't reach out to the Dutch East
Indies? The 10th had started out as
a Group, commanded by a colonel.
Its strength was now practically one
squadron, an adequate command for
a major in peacetime. Just how
many Groups would this two-star
General have at his command for
this four-star task ahead?
but there was big news for me.
Ever since the loss of Old SO had
been a planeless pilot-a kind of
ghost walking with the living,
head without body.
'But now Lee Coats was to 20
with the General to Brisbane as en-
cheering officer, and I was to take
over his plane and crew for the
Java war. Now at last was my
chance to settle the score for Old99."
"From Australia to Java is full
days work even for a Fortress"
Frank went on, ''but the weather
was fine, and all of us were feeling
great. The ocean was a deep blue,
and we were constantly passing over
islands, green with jungle growth,
which are practically steppingstones
connecting Asia with Australia.
''The last one of all was maybe
the most beautiful-the famous is
land of Bali, just before you get to
Java-and as saw it coming ahead
over the horizon, I couldn't help
thinking about those pictures of it
you used to see on the round-the-
world cruise folders. Always on the
cover was a color photograph of
beautiful golden-brown sixteen-year-
old girl with wicker basket on her
head and printed cotton sarong
gathered low around her hips and
nothing much in between except a
completely unself-conscious smile.
81 was feeling pretty good, and
guess the crew was too. You see,
we'd been on the alert for six weeks
and not so much as an hours leave
for them to 60 into any town for
even a glass of beer.
"Java in the late afternoon was as
beautiful as anyone had ever prom
Used it would be-rich green velvet,
except where the sloping sun
cleaned on the rice paddles. or
burned the standing water gold
against the soot-black mud.
s'We flew over the big seaport
city of Surabaya and straight on to-
ward the smaller city of Malang
sixty-six miles away, which was to
be our base. To get there you
have to climb a little and then en-
ter through a narrow mountain pass,
which usually is filled with clouds in
the afternoon, like a thick cotton
stopper in bottle. At least later
it served to keep the Zeros out.
''They'd told me the field was well
camouflaged, but because they'd laid
it out for me carefully on the map
had no trouble in finding it. It
was a better job Of camouflaging
than anything we'd ever dreamed of
in the Philippines. Looking down
on it from altitude, you took it to
be just an ordinary titled field. There
was what looked like a cornfield
almost across the runway, and in
addition a fake railway line cross
ing it. even had difficulty in pick
ing out the hangar roofs, so care
fully were they painted into the
tropical vegetation.
s'We crossed it, turned, circled,
and landed. The Dutch weren't even
using their radio to bring us in for
fear of giving away the location of
that beautifully hidden field. They
brought us in with a flash gun, and
luckily I could show my new crew
the precision-type landing required
on that grass field which was later
to prove tough as hell. We came in
in the usual soft Javanese after
noon rainstorm, and of course I
didn't dare apply brakes as you
would on macadam. was to find
it was a tricky job getting off and
on that slippery turf with full
load of bombs.
''The boys were of course in
lather to get into town, but first there
had to be the usual pilots meet
ing, and it's always the same-I
don't care who the officer is, Cap
tain, Major, or Lieutenant Colonel,
he's got to stand up there and dish
out the old college pep talk about
how we're here to do this and that
while the boys are snorting to get
into town.
'Only this one wasn't so bad. Be-
cause at last we were going to do
what we had for years been trained
to do with our Fortresses. When
those reinforcements came stream
ing in we could go out in big forma-
tons and drop pattern that meant
something.
eLater they were to find that
Dutch dating wasn't as simple as
it looked, because the first three or
four times you had to take Mama