The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1945-02-16
CHAPTER XIV

But ! had seen enough. Even
though this bridge was being built OF
bamboo, they were making it very
strong, for the abutments were OF
heavier lumber and of stone. The
Japanese were evidently planning to
transport trucks, tanks, or some 9TH
er heavier equipment North. / went
right back to Dinjan and had Ser
geant Bonner strap on nice 800
pound bomb with delayed action
fuse. At any rate the armament
men told him it was ten-second
delay fuse. This type of target
had to be hit exactly, and if I were
to glide in for a dead shot I'd
surely get shot down by all the anti
aircraft. So I made up my mind
long before I got there to turn it
loose just as low as could fly. Even
If I missed the bridge by only fifty
yards, which is close for dive-bomb-
ing in ships not made for that type
of work, I'd knock lot of leaves
off the trees, make a big noise, and
maybe kill some gunners. But the
.abutments of the bridge had to be
hit just about dead center if I was to
make the Japs stop work.
/ came in to the target from the
West, with the sun right at my
back. flew so low that ] was
afraid the little windmill on the
nose of the bomb would get knocked
off by the bushes. And then, as. I
saw the bridge, I let the bomb go.
All hell broke loose.
When got back home looked at
"Old Exterminator" and I couldn't
see why it hadn't spun in right there
over the N'umzup. There were holes
as big as footballs in the fabric
f1ippers and in the metal stabilizers
of the tail section. There was hole
in the fuselage and five holes in
the wing. But guess the hill just
East of the target had saved me.
AS the June days passed, Colonel
Haynes was moved to China to head
the Bomber Command under Cen
eral Chennault, and I was left alone
as Commanding Officer Of the Ferry
ing Command. On the day the cheer
full Haynes left, felt as if had lost
my best and last friend. For this
meant that I'd have to stay on the
ground more, and work the admin
istration as well as the operations Of
the ABC, which was getting tougher
and tougher with all the rice we
were having to drop and the passen-
gers we were having to haul.
On the one day that ! stayed on
the ground, it seemed to me that
every time / looked up from the desk
that was "fying," some long, lanly
tea planter would be standing there
in the door in sun-helmet and shorts.
With his bony knees sticking out,
he'd ask me in cold clipped accents:
II say old chap-do you have trans
portation for Calcutta?"
From over near Sadiya, we had
gotten eight elephants, tame ones,
and were working them to move
some heavy timbers to be used on
the warehouses of the new field.
There was an old Southern sergeant
who took good care of the pachy-
derrns. He must have been a mule
skinner in either the first World War
or the border war with Mexico, for
he did everything in his power to
keep the eight elephants dry and
weH-fed and content. Even when he
tied the chains to their legs at night,
he would wrap the links with cloth
to keep them from chatting the thick
skin of the big beasts.
Another sergeant, from about the
same section of the country that
the old elephant caretaker hailed
from, came by one day and looked
the stalls over with a quizzical eye.
'sSay, Micky," he called back as
he left, you're taking too good care
of those elephants. You're going to
get 'em so comfortable that the Yam
KEGS will come down here and free
'em."
Bob Layher, one of the AVG pi-
lots, came over for several days,
and we drank good Scotch whiskey
at night and flew our planes across
into Burma in the day-when /
didn't have to get passengers on the
freight ships. I learned a lot, fly
ing on his wing. We'd 60 over for a
look at Myitkyina, and it would
amaze me how effortlessly, without
apparent forethought, Bob would get
our ships into the sun before we
came within sight of the field we
were to observe. ! picked up little
things like that as flew with him,
and they helped me later.
On the twentieth of June, mem
bers of the Army Board that had
been appointed to induct the AVG
passed through Assam, and my
hopes faded of ever getting over to
work under General Chennault. ]
knew that out of those Colonies,
the powers-that-be had surely picked
some lucky one to get the greatest
Job in the world. This was of course
that of commanding the AVG after
it came into the Army, with its
nucleus Of old AVG personnel and
the new pilots as requirements from
home In the States. General Chen