The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-06-15
W.N.u.FeAruRES

IIley ndQ 10 l6dVG-We q see llGIIl
going down in crazy spirals. We
learned some tricks about those nose
attacks. When we'd got to the tar
get and had separated, each picking
our transport, and the Zeros would
hit us head-on, the pilot would point
his plane directly at the Zero. This
cut down the Zero's raking power,
because it gave him a smaller sill
houette. We were in his sights for
a shorter time. We'd get some
close shaves, though. I remember
one day off Bali-we were out there
bothering a Jap destroyer we could
glimpse from time to time as the
clouds sailed past-when all Of a
sudden over the interphones: .Zeros
coming upl' At first I heard moth
ing, and then our top turret gun
started hammering-old Red up
there couldn't get his guns that far
down, but ! guess he was just firing
for the hell of it. Then all of a
sudden-whoosh a Zero came up
right square in front of my compart-
ment window, SO damned close /
could see his guns smoking as they
fired, even see the lands inside his
wing gun barrels-almost head-on.
He came up and over, and old Britt
got him as he turned down be-
hind.
But about the time we got those
new guns rigged in the nose, the
Japs started staying away from us.
We'd be flying along pretty as you
please when a flock of Zeros would
come into view, but staying well out
of range-just looking us over. Then
one of our gunners might fire 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 60 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 of-no
fighters and no pom-poms. They'd
come in insolent as could be-"
Meaning the gunners saere in the ball
txrrets ready to fire.
"That was the week / got into
something way over my head in this
iaison work." said Frank, "but first
you ought to look at that big de luxe
hotel which was the unofficial capi-
tai Of Java. Its lobby, bar, and din
ing room were crowded with uni
forms-Pritish. Dutch, and Ameri-
can. 1t looked like Hollywood cos
tune parade.
"It 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.
1.-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 ta-
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.
''In 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 | 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 1t 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 a 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,
but still it's nice to have the most
beautiful girl in town crazy about
you, to the point where it even both
ers the admirals.
"She was, so they said, a very
high Dutch socialite and had lots OF
money, which you might guess by
how simple and expensive her eve-
ming dresses were. In the daytime
she wore beautifully tailored uni
form of one of the woman's volun-
teer organizations. think she drove
a car for the Dutch General Staff.
Meanwhile my job was growing
by leaps and jumps. In that hotel
dining room you might see General
Wavell, the British Commander in
Chief, or Admiral Hart, or General
Brett, who commanded the United
Nations Air Force, or Van Oeyen,
the Dutch Commander in Chief.
was circulating among the tables,
and my brief case was so crammed
with hot information wouldn't trust
| it in q checkroom.
"There was a feeling of tension.
Refugees had been crowding in from
Singapore and Sumatra. Now there
was a feeling that maybe they'd be
crowding out soon. Lots of the ma
tives had already left, and those SER
wants who remained you knew were
staying only because they were very