The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-07-28

| ives chose the DoIlpSy 80 VIC Sos
plenty of work done.
"By now we weren't worried
about Port Moresby. We had that in
fair shape, and our bornbers were
going over almost every day to
pound the Japs. But we were un-
easy about the other shore OF New
Guinea. The Japs had already dug
in at Lac and Sa1amaua-suppose
they came on down the line and put
in an airfield at Buna, right opposite
Moresby? They could cause us plen-
ty of trouble, intercepting our bomb
ers on the way out and back.
General Brett was particularly
anxious, and wanted to move in and
take Buna in May. There was moth
ing there then but a native village
and an old Catholic mission. But
Melbourne said no, because it would
mean landing troops to defend our
airdrome there.
"But the Air Force knew If the
Japs ever got Buna 1t would take a
flrst-class expedition to get them
out. Finally General Ralph Royce,
who was General Brett's operations
chief, flew out over northern New
Guinea on a personal inspection OF
the whole coast, and sent to Mel
bourne a detailed report, endorsing
a field at Buna as vital to our fu-
ture air operations.
Presently his reply came. In ref
erence to his report on the estab-
ishment of landing field at Buna,
Melbourne headquarters commend
ed him for his initiative In making
the reconnaissance, but found that
owing to lack of facilities, it wasn't
possible at this time.
"But this friendly little ground-air
argument over Buna was soon set
tied. The third week in July our
reconnaissance spotted Jap Naval
task force moving toward the north
! coast Of New Guinea, and now just
off Rabaul. We weren't sure where
they were headed-maybe around
| the island, to capture Moresby itself.
1--WE were taking no chances, so
on July "a General Brett bit them
with everything he had, little as it
was-mediun and light lombard
ment, Forts and obsolescent dive
bombers.
"But for twenty-four hours the
fog closed in, hiding them. When
it lifted they were sixty miles off
Buna. Now we knew the Jap High
Command was thinking in the same
| strategical terms as we were in
the Air Force.
Gwen though the weather gave
us this very short time to pound
them, we made them pay for their
Buna landing. But still they could
sneak a transport through during
the night to put troops ashore. Had
we had only a little infantry and
artillery at Buna, they could have
held them off, giving the Air Force a
chance to pound their landing barges
at dawn. But we didn't have, and
when morning came their transport
was steaming away empty.
SIN only two days the enterpris-
ing little devils had chopped land
| ing strip out Of the jungle. A few
days later their fighters were rising
off it to attack our bombers as they
took off or returned to Moresby aft
er pounding the Jap base at Rabaul.
'It took almost six months Of
hard fighting by both Australian and
| American infantry, down over the
Owen Stanley range-finally led by
General Macarthur himself - to
clean the Japanese out. What we
have now is real cooperation. The
ground forces know the vital impor-
lance. Of airfields, and hope we in
the Air Force have come to appre-
ciate the tremendous Importance Of
the unity of air, land, and sea-"
"a man doesn't know what dis
lance means until he flies that end Of
the world" said Red, the crew chief.
Remember the time we had to
make forced landing right in the
middle Of the placer"
"I'n never forget" said Charlie,
the bombardier. at was about the
time of that Buna business"
eve had left Darwin" said Red,
"and were flying across the Austria
Ian desert headed for Cloncurry.
We had umpty-ump rank aboard,
about sixteen in all-General Royce,
General Perrin, General Marquat,
and some Australians-Air Marshals
they probably were-and also Lyn-
don johnson, big lanky guy from
Texas, a real Congressman, only
now he was out inspecting this area
as Navy Lieutenant Commander.
"Well, we're flying along over this
wilderness which looks like the rum
pied parts of New Mexico or Arizo-
No, needing, we think, for this Clon-
curry only our arrival time goes
by, and no Cloncurry.
Harry, the navigator, begins to
check things, and discovers that his
octant has gone out on limits like
sextant on a ship, only you use
an air bubble instead of the horizon.
It wasn't Harry's fault-the prism
was turning all right, but now he
could see the recorder wasn't. He
came I'D out of the navigator's COM