The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-04-06


holes, but looking them both over,
we decided Schaetzel's was some
what the worse. We just had to
have a wreck on the field to serve
as spare-parts reservoir to keep
the other planes in the air. The
old Swoose, here" and he jerked
his thumb backward. "still has those
tail surfaces we took off that plane.
We needed everything, but most of
all, we needed bomb-bay gas tanks.
"Of course we were in terrible
shape. The old 10Th Bombardrnent
Group had lost two-thirds of its orig
inal strength in three weeks, and
we were now reduced to about a
dozen planes-about enough for de-
cent squadron. But there was one
hopeful fact: of the two dozen odd
we had lost, only two-Coln's and
Jack Adams'-had been shot down
in combat by the japanese. The
rest had been blown up on the
ground or, like Wheless' plane, had
been wrecked on the beach to save
the crew when it didn't have the
range I'd get IuIHe.
''And just about the time we were
adding up this score and wonder
ing what would happen to us next we
found out, for without warning Gen.
eral Brereton landed on the field,
and we were Immediately sum-
moned to meeting in Operations.
"He's a tough, quick, cocky, fight
ing little Air Force officer who
doesn't like to sit down when he's
laying out plans or giving orders,
and standing there before us. his
shoulders reared back, he lined us
out.
"TIe told us the United States
Army Air Force of the Far East, of
which he was commander, was mov-
ing all its bombers to Java, and at
once. It's main base would be on
field near the city Of Malang From
there We would operate out of ad-
vanced bases already prepared by
the Dutch on the outlying islands
of Borneo and the Celebes. From
these our first missions would all
be concentrated on breaking up an
Immense concentration of Jap trans
ports which was gathering at Davao
Bay, on the southern tip of the Phil
ippines.
"But as he talked we got curious.
Just how big was this American Air
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 18th had started out as
a Group, commanded by a colonel.
Its strength was now practically one
squadron, an adequate command for
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 80 / had
been a planeless pilot-a kind of
ghost walking with the living, a
head without body.
"But now Lee Coats was to 60
with the General to Brisbane as en-
cheering officer, and l was to take
over his plane and crew for the
Java war. Now at last was my
chance to settle the score for Old SO. !"
From Australia to Java is a 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.
1.-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, 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 a
beautiful golden-brown sixteen-year-
old girl with a wicker basket on her
head and a 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 l
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 go into any town for
even a glass of beer.
"Java in the late afternoon was as
| beautiful as anyone had ever prom
ised 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.
1--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 little and then en-
ter through narrow mountain pass,
which usually is filed with clouds in
the afternoon, like thick cotton
stopper in bottle. At least later
| it served to keep the Zeros out.
They'd told me the field was well
camoufaged, but because they'd laid
it out for me carefully on the map
! had no trouble in finding it. II
was a better job of camoufagine