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

craft in the section, including
mine, were hit by anti-aircraft
fire. Then we broke up and
headed for Soluch. I think
1t. Hatton's element never
found the target.
II went down to low altitude
along the Italian west coast to
avoid JU-88 fighters. I flew by
Stromboli and Sicily and then
took a dead-reckoning star
course toward Benghazi. l knew
I had to be close because all
we had at Soluch was a very
low power light beacon and a
very low-power homer-radio
beacon -.
81 got home okay and found
the beaconS and landed 1t
was very dark and if I had not
been right on course and had
not noticed the sea coast when
I crossed it, I could easily nave
been out over the desert and
never known it.
Desert Looks Like Sea at Night
1.-THE coast, of course, was
blacked out and very difficult to
see-especially from anything
but a low altitude. The desert
locks just like the sea at night.
II don't know what happened
to Hatton, but it would be quite
possible that after his section
broke formation to come home
he got lost 1t is reasonable
to assume he flew over the
blackout coast without seeing it
and kept on roughly south until
he ran out of fuel. Remember,
we had very little experience at
that time .. ;"
In the archives of the Penta-
gon is a battle report by Capt.
Walsh who led the lead element
of 1t. Hatton's section.
Capt. Walsh said he reached
a point near the island of
Stromboli, but could not go on
to Naples because of engine
trouble. He turned toward the
secondary target of Crotone in
the inStep of Italy's boot. Over
Crotone. he dropped his bombs
in the general direction of a
freighter. There was no anti
aircraft fire and no fighters.
JettisOns His Bombs
1t. Feely, on whose wing Its
Hatton was flying, reported he
flew up the Italian coast at
$4,000 feet, but at $40 pm.
lost the super-charger on his
No. 2 engine (inboard leftD
He said he jettisoned his
bombs so he could stay with
the formation. Twenty minutes
later No. 3 engine conked out
and he turned homeward.
The man flying No. 3 posi-
tor was End 1t. Wright. 1t.
, Haitian should have been be-
tween Wright and 1t. Feely. 1t.
Wright's plane lost an engine
at 9:08 pm. and he dropped
, out. Near Africa he lost a
second engine but landed safely.
In neither report was the
Lady" mentioned: 1t was Gus
tomary in those days to note
, the departure of other aircraft
, from formation for any reason.
r The assumption is the Lady"
: was still flying and looking for
, a target in what was now a
5 dark, rainy night. Like Capt.
} Walsh, 1t. Hatton probably
= headed for Crotone, the secon-
= dairy target.
What happened thereafter is
pure guesSwork. Somewhere
along the line 1t. Hatton's
: navigator, End 1t. D. P. Hays,
{ apparently became extremely
nervous. When he started, Hays
was smoking his cigarettes
down to a nub. Later he was
taking only a drag or two before
t putting his cigarette out and
/ lighting another.
The ashtray at his position
e had the short butts on the bot
I tom, the longer ones on top.
At 1912 am, the last time
4 he was heard from, 1t. Hatton
:, was on a flight path that would
a have brought him close to'home
I Obviously, though, he missed
S the Soluch beacon and radio
; homer, not to mention the
= coast line. But there is no
Il record he sent a message that
he was in trouble or lost.
. The engines apparently be-
gan going out one by one.
Somewhere about 18 miles
= north OF blockhouSe rock, the
: crew bailed out.
Crew Uses ParachuteS
a The men jumped light. They
long since had stripped off
i their high-altitude flight gear
Y and hung it on pegs. When they
= jumped, they left their water
jugs and coffee TASKS. And 16
|, years later, Air Force investi-
= gators heated coffee from one
= of the jugs aboard the Lady
: and found it still good.
e Veteran desert pilots believe
= the plane was so thoroughly
lost the men thought they were
It going to land in water. Other
: wise, they surmise, the crew