The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-06-02
CHAPTER XIV

"The Japs by now were stirred up.
They came over-obviously off car
rier hidden somewhere near-and
strafed hell out Of Timor airdrome.
Luckily there was nothing on the
field just then.
"Now we began to see that 1t
would be only a matter of time I'M
til the Japs took that steppingstone
field at Timor, which connected us
to Australia, and it would all be
over-for no more fighters could get
through to us under their own pow
er. Jap bombers had already hit
Surabaya. If we got no more fight
ers, how long before they smashed
our Forts at Malang? The skies
were darkening fast.
"But about this time we did a
curious job for the Dutch. / was
in their Navy headquarters on bust
ness when Kommander van der
Straaten came running up. you got
to help met he said. Our bravest
sub Is in trouble-she can't dive
Then he explained that she was
more than three hundred miles out
In the Java Sea, moving slowly to-
ward home base, but that Zeros were
circling overhead, and had probably
summoned Jap bombers to polish
her off. Two Dutch Phys had been
guarding her, but those big flying
boats are clumsy as ducks, and the
Zeros had already shot one down.
''What they had to have, Van der
Straaten explained, was fighters to
cover the submarine. But the little
Dutch Curtiss fighters didn't have
the range to get out and back.
81 got Bud Sprague on the phone,
told him was coming out-urgent.
Then wrote down on a piece of
paper what Van der Straaten told
me Of their submarines course,
speed, and hourly position.
"Bud laid 1t out on chart and
figured fast. It was long distance.
Even with belly tanks, his fight
ers could barely get out there and
spend fifteen minutes patrolling the
submarine when they'd have to start
back.
"But he figured he had enough
planes to keep two of them over her
all the time-in fifteen-minute re-
lays-until they'd escorted her back
to a point where the little Dutch
Curtiss fighters would have the
range to take over.
"Bud led the first pair out him
self (he's no swivel-chair officer),
and the Dutch, in addition to being
tearfully grateful, woke up to the
fact that maybe iaison was a good
idea. Van der Straaten noticed I'd
had trouble getting a car getting
out to the field-I'd been spending
most of my salary on taxis getting
everybody's business done-and the
next morning a Dutch staff car with
a sergeant at the wheel reported to
the door of the hotel. They assigned
it to me for the duration of the war.
"But at this point another sub
marine showed up with hard-luck
story-she was one of ours which
had sneaked through the Jap block
ade from Corregidor, with "a load
OF fourteen passengers-most of
them pilots knew, who had lost
their planes and been left when we
had to pull out of the Philippines.
"They came roaring into the ho-
tel late. They were sick Of fiddling
around on Bataan with rifles, and
now were itching to get into the air
again. In addition to which, they'd
been cooped UP for days under wa
ter in that sinking little tin cigar
box. You can imagine how a pilot
would take that. Here they were
at last, free in a big luxurious no.
tel, with lights and girls. They
nearly pulled it to pieces, and
danced with all the girls in the place
who would take chance with them
on the floor. But in between they
had plenty Of news.
81 told them they had me in liai-
son work just now, and they said,
hell, If had talents like that, the
place for me was on Corregidor.
Because the Army had the Navy
stuffed into one end of a tunnel
while they were stuffed into the 9TH
er, and relations were so strained
that the stats would only comnu-
nicate by courier. And now how
about q shot of this Daiquiri rum
they'd heard so much talk about?
81 finally got them quieted down
and on the bus for Malang. They
were crazy to get back up in the
air after all those weeks.
'sAnd then, just as / was about to
60 to bed, call from Mango came
through"
''Some friends wanted me to 20
to Florida with them," said Mango.
1.-THE girls husband had war job
there. ! couldn't decide. But Frank
said it looked as though he wasn't
going to get any vacation, so
should take good long one to do for
both Of US. I must 60, and it would
be our vacation. / could tell he
was very tired, and thatuworried I'M
dsrtbne was In his voice. Ihad been
glad when he told me he would