The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-09-30
NEWSMEN BATTLE
ANNAMITE GANGS
BY JAMES McGLINCY
-sed Press Staff Correspondent

SAIGON, FRENCH 1NDo CHINA
Sept. 29.-WH-Two American news
men helped fight off besieging An.
ramites with carbines and revol.
vers for two and a half hours yes
terday, then walked through the
lines for help Justify singing For
Hes Jolly Good Fellow
81 don't think anybody would
shoot at man who's singing, -
said BIS correspondent william
Downs in suggesting the songfest.
agreed it was worth trying, and
# worked. We reached a British
held airfield and sent reinforce.
ments to the four other Americans
still holding out in besieged Ameri-
ran headquarters.
We had gone to the headquarters
for lunch, only to wind up in a
fighter spot than we ever had been
IN reporting the war in Europe.
1t had been eerily quiet as we
drove our jeep to the headquarters,
and we had to detour around sew
eral road blocks made from trees.
japanese sentries at the gate sa-
luted as we entered.
The table was laid, but we de-
cided to wait few minutes for 1t.
Col. Peter Dewey of Washington,
D. c., and Maj. Herbert Bluechel.
Suddenly yelling and shooting
broke out along the road 100 yards
away.
From field in front of the house
appeared the bedraggled figure OF
Bluechel. He had a AS automatic
in his hand and was pumping shots
toward the road as he half-stagger-
ed into the front garden.
His head, neck and left side were
covered with blood.
They've killed the colonel!'' he
shouted as though in daze.
They've killed the colonel"
By this time, a yelling crowd OF
perhaps 100 or more ,Annamites
were nearing the house.
They're after u.s." gasped Blue
chel. They're trying to get us"
He reached the house and collaps-
ed into a chair. He said he and
Dewey had run into a road barri-
cade and had told Annamites they
wished to drive through.
Americans, Americans they
shouted, he said.
But the Annamites opened up
with machine guns and blew of
Dewey's head. Bluechel made his
way afoot to the headquarters,
shooting as he came.
Bluechel miraculously escaped
unhurt. The blood on him was
from Dewey.
By. this time, bullets were spat.
tering against the house. We quick.
altogether, augmented - but not
much-by japanese sentries.
We ran into the garden. I Topped
behind the stone wall and looked
up to see Downs standing a few
feet away firing with a carbine into
shrubs beyond.
Somebody in the garden yelled:
There goes one!'
The reply came from a second.
floor window: Il can get him.
There was a shot, then: i got
him."
Nice shooting!'' came a shou
from the garden.
We all took stations along thu
garden wall. I felt pretty helpless!
with my As, but there were NJ
more carbines left.
For about a half hour we sho
at annanites On the road, in the
field before headquarters, and il
shrubbery along the side.
Then during a break, we dashed
for the house. I went to the roo
with, two others We shared car
bine. Occasionally an Annanfts
would run across the field or (
clearing in the shrubs and wee
shoot.
1t became pretty obvious tina
help would have to be summoned
We went into huddle and Down!
and l volunteered to walk to +;
British-held airfield mile and ;
half away to get a message out
We struck out across the field
giving a wonderful imitation of twt
scared guys trying to act noncha
liant. Then Downs had his inspria
ton and we burst into song-no
good, but apparently effective.
We met three Gurkhas near thu
airfield and addressed them in Pid
gin English. They answered in per
feet Oxford accents and promised
to go to the headquarters.
At the airfield, we found all
transport command Maj. Franz
Rhoads of Wilkes Barre, Penn. HI
telephoned British headquarters.
Then Rhoads, another major,
CT and I jeeped back to American
headquarters. We waved our hat
and yelled, "Chiwi" Americans.
1t worked this time, and we passed
through eight road blocks withou
incident.
When we reached the American