The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-06-01
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paper what Van der Straaten told
me of their submarines course,
speed, and hourly position.
Bud laid it out on chart and
figured fast. 1t 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 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 liaison was a good
! idea. Van der Straaten noticed I'd
had trouble getting a car getting
out to the field-Td been spending
most of my salary on taxis getting
everybody's business done-and the
next morning 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 a 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 big luxurious ho-
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.
II told them everybody outside
was thrilled by the great fight they
were putting up on Bataan. They
insisted things on Bataan weren't
nearly so glamorous as we imag-
ined outside. There wasn't any bat
tie line which surged back and forth
just sporadic firing. But the food
was terrible, it was boring as all
hell, and where was the best place
in Java to get thick rare steak?
'fI told them they had me in liai-
son work just now, and they said,
hell, If I 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 commu-
nicate by courier. And now how
about a shot of this Daiquiri rum
they'd heard so much talk about?
II 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.
"And then, just as was about to
go to bed, call from Margo came
through"
"Some friends wanted me to 60
to Florida with them," said Margo.
"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 a good long one to do for
both of us. I must go, and it would
be our vacation. l could tell he
was very tired, and that worried un-
dertone was in his voice. had been
glad when he told me he would
probably be on the ground for a
while, so / couldn't understand it.
Nobody in the States doubted yet
that Java would hold. / told him
I'd call him as soon as / reached
Florida. And then he said a curious
thing.
Darling he said, I'D better
warn you that these calls may not
last much longer
II didn't ask why, because knew
it must be something the censor
would not let him tell me. So be-
cause the time was up, just said
good night. Without ever talking
it over, we'd always made it our
rule never to say goodby. That
was too frightening. Always it was
good night"
II was worried, Margo," said
Frank, because I'd just got word
from our Navy's Phys on patrol
that new Jap invasion fleet was
coming down Macassar Strait, ap-
parently headed for Balikpapan on
Borneo. 1t has fair harbor and
is the last base they would need be-
fore they took over Java. And /
couldn't see how we were going to
, stop them.
"But next day Colonel Eubank
gathered his Forts together and they
took off at $3.50 in the morning, so
that they would be out over Macas-
sar Strait in time to make their
bomb run just at dawn.
"They had to come down below
the overcast to see the target, which
was two converging lines of Jap
ships, heavily escorted-one coming
| in from tho northeast and ono from