Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-26

working well.
"A" section, first flight, 376th
Bomb Group, had begun to
clear the runway at 1880 pm.
The date was April 4. 1913.
The Lady" was assigned to
"B" section, End element, first
flight. 1t. Hatton was to fly
as No. Q ship, which would
put him on the wing of a first
lieutenant named Feely.
Sand, Sand Everywhere
AS an air base, Soluch was
q bad joke-Sand taXiways,
sand main runway. marked
off by two rows of stakes. The
men lived in tents with the
sand fleaS.
Even without a dust storm,
the four engines of the B-24s
sucked sand into their filters
and vital parts every time
they turned over. Some of the
engines were beginning to
wheeZe.
OF the nine men flying the
LADY" seven were bachelors.
Only 1t. Hatton and Staff Sgt.
Samuel B. Adams of Eureka,
Ill, were married.
And all of them, little more
than a month before, had left
the B-24 school at Morrison
Field, West Palm Beach, Fla,
where a man could see his wife
or girl and the sand was con-
fined to the ocean beach.
Now they were at war, head
ed for Naples with their cock
pit windows closed against the
singing sand and their gun
muzzles depressed to keep il
from fouling the barrels.
Loaded With Bombs
Through the haze 1t. Hatton
saw his section leader move of
the taxiway, landing lights
ablaze. One minute later he re-
leased his brakes and followed,
AS he swung ORB the run
way, 1t. Hatton set his fuel
mixture at full rich and opened
the throttleS. The Lady" gas
tanks trimming and loatG d
with nine 500-pound bombs
numbered off the ground and
began her climb.
More than 10 hours later, "a
of the Is attacking planes had
been accounted for. Fourteen
had been forced to turn back
with sand-induced engine
trouble. Eleven reached Naples
and dropped their bombs de-
spite heavy ack-ack. Three
landed at Malta with engine
trouble.
With one exception, the rest
made it back to Soluch. Only
aircraft 64-Lt. Hatton's plane
failed to return.
A 16-Year Mystery
The last time it was heare
from was 1912 am. April 5
1943, at a bearing of 800 de.
grees magnetic over the Medi'
terranean. 1t indicated NJ
trouble then, according to thu
records.
What happened?
For 16 years and one month
aircraft "a was believed to hav
been ditched in the Mediter
ranean.
But in the first week of May
1859, a team of British geolo
gists searching for oil took
bead on blockhouse rock,
wind-scoured limestone pilla
rising 20 feet above a limeston
plateau, surrounded by a SCI
of sand in which the dune
sometimes drift as high as 60
feet. At 9 am. the tempera
ture there is 1875 degrees fab
renheit.
Nearby the oil explorers cam
upon the broken-back remain
of the Lady Be Good" The!
were 432 miles south southeas
of Benghazi.
No Combat Scars Found
There were no bombs aboard
The guns had not been free
The Lady" bore no comba
scars. Her only damage ha
been inflicted in the crash
Her radio cracked back to lif
after a little sand was blow,
away.
Loaded with bombs. a b.
cruises at 165 miles per houl
ITS empty. The ship has
theoretical maximum range c
1000 miles plus a few minute
reserve fuel. The range
subject to reduction by hea
winds and extension by ia
winds.
From Soluch to Naples
1900 miles round trip and tn
flying time for a B-24 is rough
ly 912 to 10 hours.
At the time 1t. Hatton wa
last reported, he had been i
the air about 1912 hours.
Maj. Paul j. Fallon, then
lieutenant. made the April
raid in "a" section. He ha
known 1t. Hatton when the
had been to flying school to
gether at Topeka, Kans.
I'VE had our flight timeC
because of the rough anti-air
craft fire and enemy inter
ceptors, to hit Naples just be
fore dark, then to fly separat
and single-ship back to 81
luch.
My section hit the targ,
with our bombs and all the ali