The Bluffton news. [volume], June 15, 1944, Image 7

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THURSDAY, JUNE 15, 1944
E-QUEENS
SYNOPSIS
CHAPTER I: The story of the famous
19th and 7th Bombardment Groups, of
Lieut. Col. Frank Kurtz and his Fortress
crew tn the tremendous air campaign
that saved the day for the United Nations
In the Southwest Pacific. Lieut. Kurtz,
who was pilot of the old Fortress, known
as '’The Swoose,” which escaped from
Clark Field, in the Philippines, tells of
that fatal day when the Japs struck. He
pedals to the wreck of Old §9. finds eight
of his crew lying in an irregular line.
CHAPTER II: Lieut. Kurtz tells how
orders to camouflage Old 99 were coun
termanded: instead they were to load
bombs. Then he was ordered to jerk the
bombs, reload with cameras and rush
the camouflage. Preparations made for
taking pictures of Formosa. Someone
shouts. Look at that pretty navy forma
tion." The "navy formation” happens to
be a flight of Jap planes.
CHAPTER III: "Bombs hit the mess
hall. The Japs move off. They hear
another hum. "P-40s.” they think, but
they prove to be Zeros coming in from
the direction of Corregidor. The boys
duck back into their foxholes.
CHAPTER IV: The pilots are given
their targets and towering above the
group is Colin Kelly, about to head out
on his first mission. Buzz Wagner is
chased by Japs in his P-40. He meets
Lieut. Russ Church and they bomb a
Jap field. Church fails to return. The
death of Colin Kelly.
CHAPTER V: Fortresses are kent tn
the air to save them from the Japs.
Through some mistake someone opens
fire on them. Japs begin photographing
the place. No longer safe to sleep in the
barracks, cots are moved into a corn
field. With no fighters left to defend
them, evacuation begins. Lieut. Kurtz
tells of last plane trip out in a patched
up plane. Japs land fight tanks at Apart.
Squadron commander Major Gibbs fails
to return from mission. U. S. forces flee
from Clark Field to Mindanao.
CHAPTER VI: Navigator Harry
Schreiber tells of a fight with Zeros In
which Shorty Wheless takes part. He
lands in a rice paddy and is surrounded
by Filipinos. The crew buys an outrigger
canoe and sail to the isle of Panay. Later
they take off for Australia.
CHAPTER VII: Lieut. Kurtz takes up
the story again. He describes the hot,
dry Christmas day in Australia, and how
U. S. fliers spent it. A report comes in
over CW radio. It was from Schaetzel
saying he'd be ih after dark with one
body aboard. Schaetzel gets in, his plane
a wreck. Gen. Brereton lands on the
field and the boys are summoned to a
meeting.
CHAPTER VID: U. S. fliers arrive at
the Dutch field, and shortly after start
on flight for Davao, in the Philippines,
but run short of gas and come home.
Gas up and take off at midnight for
Davao, but fail to make target. On third
trip over, Kdrtz sees tremendous concen
tration of ships, makes bomb run. Jap
fighters come up. "Bombs away!"
CHAPTER IX: Bombardier says they
had caught Jape flat-footed. At Malang
Field boys are briefed before dawn,
told about big concentration of Jap ships
N.E. of Borneo. They take off, but hit
a frightful tog. Cannot see plane right
ahead. Coming out of fog they see a
huge black cloud resembling tornado. It
was the Dutch burning their Borneo oiL
CHAPTER X: One of Kurtz’ motors is
hit as they approach target. He makes
direct hit on cruiser. Losing altitude
fast Tries to make Malang Field on
Java, but changes mind ana heads for
Surabaya Field. Sets her down safely on
short runway. Dutch get reinforcements
from U. S.—new E model Forts.
PROUDLY
CHAPTER XI: Bombardier tells bl
hazardous trip to Brazil when running
low on gas, and of sabotage on planes.
Gunner picks up the story, tells how E
model Fortresses tangled with the Japs.
CHAPITER XII: Lieut Kurtz tells of
bombing run on cruiser. Two hits scored.
Major Robinson radios to Skiles: “Radio
base at Malang to have ambulance
ready." Then Major Robinson’s plane
goes into a dive and crashes into sea.
CHAPTER XIH: A Jap transport hit
by U. S. bomb, goes up in confetti. Lieut.
Kurtz, now in Batavia, gets word that
P-40*s are on way from Australia with
belly tanks. The p-40's arrive at Gnoro.
Japs move into Borneo and the Celebes,
and three waves of Jap bombers fly over
Java.
CHAPTER XIV: An American sub
sneaks through from Corregidor with 14
passengers aboard. Sergt. Boone, the
gunner, tells how Queens die.
CHAPTER XV: Java sea now full of
Jap carriers, continues Lieut. Kurtz. Japs
bombard helpless Dutch town. Scant
Dutch rations described. Japs come
over and blow up the kitchen a bomb
scores a direct hit on their supply of beer.
CHAPTER XVI
“The Dutch made us steel tripods
for them in a machine shop, but we
had a hell of a time getting anyone
to dig the holes. We were flying
missions and couldn’t do it our
selves. So Silva and I took the
thick and went into Madiun. On
the street corners we saw a bunch
of natives standing around picking
their teeth or scratching their bot
toms. We argued they must be Jap
sympathizers, or else they would
have been busy helping win the war.
So we pulled out our .45’s, and by a
coincidence they all got into that
truck, and dug us some of the nic
est foxholes you ever saw. After
that, when the alarm would go off
we could run to those foxholes and
swing a gun—we knocked down five
Zeros with them in the short time
we were there.
“We were fixing up our planes,
too. Our tail guns had finally cured
the Japs of making attacks from be
hind. Now they were coming in at
all directions, hunting for our soft
spots, feeling us out like we were
some dame on a sofa, but mostly
they were hitting us head-on, be
cause they discovered that in the
nose we had only a single little .30
caliber. I guess the designers, aft
er putting in those tail guns, had
figured they could rest on their lau
rels, but you can never do that long
in a war.
“So we got busy there on Madiun
Field. We mounted a big .50-caliber
down in the navigator’s compart
ment, rigging it so it would fire out
of the ventilator. And for good
measure we stuck in another .30
caliber.
“Since then they’re carrying out
this idea at the factory, but the only
way any factory can learn what is
needed is from the combat crews
themselves.
“Those Jap pilots were smart.
They’d fly their machines dressed
like natives, so if they bailed out
they could just walk away and min
gle with the crowd. But we weren’t
afraid of them—even flying in the
small numbers had to. In the
States a formation would be twenty
seven planes. Out there it was usu
ally three or six. Three of us.would
©.WHITB W.N.U.EEATUHW
die
be flying along^ fifteen or twenty
Zeros were hit, and we’d come back
with a score of eight or nine. May
be not all demolished, but hit so
they had to leave—we’d see them
going down in crazy spirals. We
learned some tricks about those nose
attacks. When we’d got to the tar
get and had separated, each picking
our transport, and the Zeros would
hit us head-on, the pilot would point
his plane directly at the Zero. This
cut down the Zero’s raking power,
because it gave him a smaller sil
houette. We were in his sights for
a shorter time. We’d get some
close shaves, though. I remember
one day off Bali—we were out there
bothering a Jap destroyer we could
glimpse from time to time as the
clouds sailed past—when all of a
sudden over the interphones: ‘Zeros
coming up!’ At first I heard noth
ing, and then our top turret gun
started hammering—old Red up
there couldn’t get his guns that far
down, but I guess he was just firing
for the hell of it. Then all of a
sudden—whoosh! a Zero came up
right square in front of my compart
ment window, so damned close I
could see his guns smoking as they
fired, even see the lands inside his
wing gun barrels—almost head-on.
He came up and over, and old Britt
got him as he turned down be
hind.
“But about the time we got those
new guns rigged in the nose, the.
Japs started staying away from us.
We’d be flying along pretty as you
please when a flock of Zeros would
come into view, but staying well out
of range—just looking us over. Then
one of our gunners might fire a burst
in their direction, just to let them
know we were on the )alls. Or some
times the Zeros might come in for
one or two wide, sweeping passes.
But mostly they’d go off with their
tails between their legs. Toward
the last they only tried to get us on
the ground. They knew we had no
protection there to speak of—no
fighters and no pom-poms. They’d
come in insolent as could be.’’
(Meaning the gunner a were in the ball
turrets ready to fire.)
“That was the week I got into
something way over my head in this
liaison work,’’ said Frank, “but first
you ought to look at that big de luxe
hotel which was the unofficial capi
tal of Java. Its lobby, bar, and din
ing room were crowded with uni
forms—British, Dutch, and Ameri
can. It looked like a Hollywood cos
tume parade.
“It was an enormous high
ceilinged spacious thing, open to the
soft Javanese air—little tropical
birds would fly in and out of the
dining room and roost on the gleam
ing chandeliers.
r,The Dutch are great eaters, and
they have something they call reis
taffel. You order it and then sit
back and eat while twenty-three
waiters line up and walk by your ta
ble, each carrying a different sauce
or fish or bowl of relish or rice.
I tried it once and managed to live
by eating only every other course,
but your true colonial Dutchman will
stoke in all twenty-three into his big
pot, drenching the layers down with
mugs of beer.
“In the bar you might see the
boys of Patrol Wing 10 in from re
connaissance, drinking Daiquiris
(this hotel was Navy billeting head
quarters), and often I would see my
old Hollywood High School classmate
John Robertson sitting there in his
off hours, very handsome in his Na
val pilot’s uniform, and with him
was the most beautiful girl in Sura
baya.
“She had dark hair, and an almost
ghostly pale face that was sad in re
pose. Then a smile would quickly
light it up, and you’d wonder how
you could ever have thought that.
And the most beautiful legs in the
city. When she’d walk through tfce
bar clinging to John’s arm and look
ing up at him, even the oldest and
crabbiest admiral would rustle a lit
tle in his chair and lean out to give
them a formal inspection. The
younger Naval pilots envied John to
the point where they would have hat
ed his guts if they hadn’t liked him
so much.
“John was very busy and I don’t
think he gave her much thought,
but still it’s nice to have the most
beautiful girl in town crazy about
you, to the point where it even both
ers the admirals.
“She was, so they said, a very
high Dutch socialite and had lots of
money, which you might guess by
how simple and expensive her eve
ning dresses were. In the daytime
she wore a beautifully tailored uni
form of one of the woman’s volun
teer organizations. I think she drove
a car for the Dutch General Staff.
“Meanwhile my job was growing
by leaps and jumps. In that hotel
dining room you might see General
Wavell, the British Commander in
Chief, or Admiral Hart, or General
Brett, who commanded the United
Nations Air Force, or Van Oeyen,
the Dutch Commander in Chief. I
was circulating among the tables,
and my brief case was so crammed
with hot information I wouldn’t trust
it in a checkroom.
“There was a feeling of tension.
Refugees had been crowding in from
Singapore and Sumatra. Now there
was a feeling that maybe they’d be
crowding out soon. Lots of the na
tives had already left, and those ser
vants who remained you knew were
staying only because they were very
loyal. But to whom? Maybe to the
Dutch. Or maybe to someone else
—staying around to watch us, re
laying information we knew not how,
or to whom. You couldn’t be sure of
anything.
‘‘Except that 1 knew they were
watching me, maybe only out of idle
curiosity as I circulated from one
table to the other, and kept that
brief case leaning against my leg
when I sat at my own table.
"That hotel certainly wasn’t built
to keep military secrets. The big
high-ceilinged bedrooms had only
swinging half-doors like barrooms—
open to the air above and below.
The barefooted native servants
looked after them, only I’d catch
them slipping in and out of mine at
queer times of the day. But I
thought I only imagined it. I also
suspected they were listening in
the corridor outside. One evening a
couple of the pilots were down from
Malang—going back the same night
—sitting on my bed while we talked
over new orders, and somehow a
feeling grew on me we were being
watched. I whispered to the others
to go on talking, slipped off my
shoes, tiptoed to the door. Just as
I opened it I caught a glimpse of a
white robe flitting around the corner.
When I got cut into the blacked-out
corridor, I could see nothing. But
then I was sure.
“That night I slept with my brief
case under my pillow. In addition
every bed was provided with a Dutch
widow. At first the American pilots
didn’t know what to make of this
and would kick them out on the floor.
I should maybe explain that a Dutch
widow is a long padded bolster, and
if you sleep with it between your
knees, it keeps your legs from press
ing together and sweating in the
tropical heat. After a while the
pilots began to like them.
“But that night I went to sleep
wondering about the white shape
I’d seen flit around the corner. It
seemed about the same size as the
waiter who had been staring at me
in the dining room for the past three
days. Only staring isn’t quite the
word. Because this particular little
chili-picker had glassy eyes like a
turtle. I could never catch them di-
The same fist which held the flash
light also held a steel knife.
rectly on me, but I had the feeling it
was I he was interested in.
“Two nights later Lieutenant Jac
quet came up from Malang. By the
time we had finished work it was so
late I suggested he’d better spend
the night with me. I put my brief
case under my pillow as usual. On
this particular night it contained
something so important I don’t even
like to talk about it now. Maybe
that was why I slept uneasily. Or
maybe because the whole outlook
for the war was so bad. I realized
in the Philippines I had only been
lucky, and I might never get out of
Java. It was very hot, and in the
distance a thunderstorm w’as mut
tering as it moved toward the city.
“Anyway, I’d been lightly asleep
for about an hour when a glare
awoke me. It was a flashlight, held
very close—a jiaje of yellow light
coming through the mosquito net
ting over my face. But in this haze
I could see that the same fist which
held the flashlight also held a steel
knife, and that its point stuck down
into the yellow cone of that flash
light. The other hand was just touch
ing the edge of my pillow.
“I gave a yell 'and dived through
that netting like a cat, but the yel
low light instantly winked out, and I
was standing there alone in the
darkness, while Jacquet rolled out
on the other side. He hadn’t been
as nervous as I, and was sleeping
more deeply. But just then a blue
lightning flash lit up the room, and
by its quick glare I saw the door
into the corridor closing (I was sure
I had locked it). But when I got
out into the corridor it seemed
empty.
“Why hadn’t he stabbed me? I
think because he was surprised to
find Jacquet there. One of us would
surely have been able to make an
outcry. And I thought to myself,
‘Well, stranger, for a newcomer
you’re sure getting into a lot of
things, because you never thought
some guy you didn’t know and had
never bothered would ever try to
kill you through mosquito netting in
a place called Java.’ The brief case
was okay.’’
“And the queer thing was,” said
Margo, “that just at this time the
report got back to America that
Frank was dead. He^d been killed in
a flying accident in Java. I was
down in Florida by then, and the
only man I could really talk to was
Cliff Jensen, an Air Corps boy we
had know’n at March and Albuquer
que, and later at Morrison Field.
“He was stationed near by, and
now was working twenty-one hours
a day for the rest of the gang who
were fighting in Java. I could real
ly, talk tn. Cliff—we understood, each
THE BLIFFTON NEWS, BLUFFTON, OHIO
Now is the time for all good men
to come to the aid of their country—
buy another $100 War Bond today
the war is still on and some
of Bluffton’s young blades realized
it when gas rationing pinched and
they went by bus to Russell’s Point
Sunday night and speaking of
rationing meatmarkets here are hav
ing plenty of trouble trying to keep
a supply of ham on hand since the
points were taken off some folks
have gone on a regular ham-jag if
you know what we mean and
when it comes to headaches there’s
the school board—they were in ses
sion until way after midnight Mon
day with budget troubles—that’s an
other way of saying they were trying
to make ends meet which re
minds us that strawberries are 40
cents a quart bananas more
plentiful—that bunch hanging in
front of Charlie’s place Tuesday
looked like old times and Ralph
Stearns and Jack Berry of the post
office celebrated birthdays on Tues
day .... summer not yet officially
here—but Nightwatch Murray re
ports seeing the first firefly of the
season Sunday night sonii of
the boys planning to be out bright
and early on Friday first day of
open bass season—others will be up
all night just to be sure of an early
start and then there was the
funeral of the Left Bower, mourned
by the faithful few and slacks
and swimming trunks coming back
after a week of chilly weather
and don’t forget that extra War Bond
you intended to buy.
Speaking of war bonds, a solicitor
said the other day that there should
be more emphasis put on the fact
that when you buy a bond, that’s
only half of your duty—the other
half is to keep it. To illustrate the
point he told the story about the
soldier who dreamed he was out in
New Guinea in a fox hole under
heavy Jap fire w’hen a sergeant took
away his gun. “You see”, the serg
eant explained'“the guy who loaned
the money for this gun wants to
cash his bond and get his money
back.”
If the farmer residing near Ada
who lost a fox terrier dog in Bluff
ton on Saturday reads this column,
he will be glad to know that the dog
was picked up Monday and is await
ing its owner at the city building.
Mrs. Wm. B. Augsburger was right
when she got a folder for her
family’s ration books last Friday
other. The rumor that Frank was
dead somehow reached Australia,
and of course the Air Corps is a
small place. In a few days Colonel
Truesdell in California heard it from
one of the ferry pilots, and a few
days later Cliff heard of it. He
didn’t tell me, because he wasn’t
quite sure, but some people thought
it had really happened.
“I could feel the difference. They
were looking at me queerly now.
They would say what a fine boy
Frank ‘had been.’ Or that they were
praying for his safe return. They
never understand. They can’t see
that what you’re anxious about is
not the distant future, but this very
night. Is he hungry? Must he go
out on a mission? Maybe he’s been
badly hurt during the day, and you
don’t know it yet.
"Praying that everything will be
all right during those weeks and
months to come scares you—it’s ask
ing too much, you’re afraid. You
just pray he’s all right tonight, and
isn’t wounded, and will get enough
sleep, so he’ll be strong and alert
and have a good chance tomorrow.
You don’t dare ask more.
"Also those strong plump sun
burned men who could leave their
business for months to lie around
on the Florida sands were very ‘real
istic’ about the war—sure it was all
a terrible mess and everything was
going to pieces, offering me lots of
sympathy. But what had any of
them ever done to get us a decent
Air Force in the past? Or what good
were they or their ‘realism’ doing
anyone now? I liked Cliff’s better.
He knew what the boys were up
against and was up half the night
trying to hurry reinforcements. Out
of the little we had (and he knew
how little), so they could hold what
they could. Cliff made sense. The
rest was a nightmare.”
"When we’d first hit Java,” said
Frank, “we’d been full of the offen
sive spirit—sure we were going to
roll the Japs back off the Philippines
onto Formosa with those thousand
planes which, according to rumor,
were coming within three months.
The second month was almost up
now, Java was unsteady under our
feet, and we’d so far received about
two dozen P-40’s, maybe a few more
Forts than that, and seven dive
bombers. Hardly fifty planes in all.
"Now we knew the offensive was
out for the time being. What we
prayed for was fighters—to defend
what was left of our Forts and those
beautifully camouflaged Dutch air
fields. With fighters to hold them
off, we knew wc could hold Java.
"All right, suppose the Japs had
moved into Timor and cut the jugu
lar vein from Australia, so that our
P-40’s could no longer hop on the
island chain to us on their belly
tanks? Why not a carrier? Couldn’t
the Navy spare just one—which
could load up with P-40’s in Austra
lia and then, when it was still
several hundred miles from Java
and out of range of the Jap bombers,
it could turn the P-40’s loose, let
them fly on in to us, and go bach
for another load?
and remarked "Now if I lose one, I
will lose them all”. She lost them
all Monday.
Navy Recruiting Sergeant Sanzen
bacher in Bluffton the other day
told one of the youth who applied at
the Lima office for navy enlistment.
Asked whether he was a high school
graduate the youth replied he would
have finished last month except he
had not written six themes in his
English composition course. “Any
way”, he said “what good would
English do me in the navy.” “Just
this” answered the sergeant “You
know that Admiral King, the navy’s
big boss had a 25,000 word theme to
write when he made his report to
the secretary of the navy the other
day, which is something more than
your half-dozen themes of 300 words
each.” The boy got the point,
finished his themes and is now in
training for the navy—and who
knows, maybe a future admiral’s
post.
A bracelet and necklace of fire
opals was received Monday by Mrs.
Albert Benroth from her son James
who is in the India-Burma sector
with an American air unit. The
bracelet and nacklace were fashioned
by native Indian jewelers.
Alexander Flythe of Hampton, Ya.,
a supervisor in the big shipbuilding
yards at Newport News, where
battleships are constructed, is spend
ing the week with his father, Roland
Flythe and his sister, Mrs. Oscar
Wenger and family. This is his first
visit to Ohio and he likes the
country, except for the absence of
hot biscuits, a part of every southern
meal.
Orden Smucker, former Bluffton
high school instructor and son Jan,
not yet four, now living in Columbus
are both attending Ohio State uni
versity this summer and carry
identical tuition receipts excepting
Jan’s is for the kindergarden and his
father’s for the graduate school. They
start out together every morning at
9 o’clock for the campus and Jan
is left at the University School
kindergarden while his father goes
on to the Commerce building where
he is teaching and working for his
doctor’s degree.
You can join the navy to see the
world—but when it comes to hair
cuts, you’ll have to wait just as they
do in civilian life. Gerald “Tuffy”
Swank, former Bluffton barber who
is now in the navy doing barbering
for the service men at Neptune
Beach, Florida, says he usually has
from 15 to 25 waiting their turn.
Homer Gratz, Jr., stopped into his
shop the other day and was un
recognizable in all his flying togs.
Homer takes off every day for air
plane gunnery practise. Also seen
recently was Cloyce Diefendeifer and
Mrs. Nell Doty and two sons of
Jacksonville, former Bluffton resi
dents. One of her sons, Bernard
Doty is chief in a navy ship repair
unit.
The Harold Stonehills who expect
ed to leave Monday to make their
home in Phoenix, Arizona, are delay
ed several days because of a case of
mumps which their son developed the
first of the week.
Charles Gazette, captain of the
first zone teain to complete its house-
to-house solicitation in the last War
Loan drive, is willing to stack up
his four fellow solicitors against eny
number other teams may have. At
last week’s organization meeting to
prepare for the Fifth War Loan
campaign opening Monday, Gazette
refused additional solicitors who were
available, with the remark, “We can
handle our work all right without
more help.” On the team with him
are R. K. Cooney, M. M. Murray,
George Rauenbuhler and Amos
Tschiegg.
It was a high spot of adventure
last week for little Sarah Jane Over
holt, aged six when she traveled
alone from Bluffton to Akron return
ing to her home after visiting her
aunt, Mrs. Millen Geiger. The little
Miss made the trip over the A. C. &
Y. railroad making direct connection
between Bluffton and Akron, in care
of Brakeman Thomas.
Cull dairy cows usually have ex
cellent appetites.
Sheet Metal Work
of all Kinds
Roof Repair, Spout
ing, Furnace Repair
Come in and get acquainted
All work guaranteed
satisfactory
J. A. LEATHERMAN
One Block North of Traffic
Light
BEAVERDAM, OHIO
25 MEN WANTED
The Waf Department and Navy are pressing us hard for maximum
production of tires, tubes, life belts, landing boats and pontoons.
Experience Not Necessary—Paid While You Learn
GOOD WAGES—STEADY WORK
Time and Half After 40 Hours
WANTED
WHOLE MILK
for the manufacture of Spray Powder
AND
As our production is essential war work we invite
4-F MEN OR 1-A-L MEN
who are not now in essential war work
GOOD PROSPECTS FOR REGULAR
EMPLOYMENT AFTER THE WAR
All applicants must comply with W. M. C.
stabilization program.
THE COOPER CORPORATION
SOUR CREAM
FINDLAY, OHIO
All Hiring Done Through the
for the manufacture of Butter
Highest Prices Paid for
All Dairy Products
THE PAGE DAIRY CO.
BLUFFTON, OHIO
PHONE 489-W
United States Employment Service
216 South Main St, Findlay, Ohio
PAGE SEVEN
New’ Jersey entomologists say that
effective control of the European corn
borer also reduces smut infestations
by 30 per cent.
WANTED: Man
wanted to learn tire
retreading. Here is
an opportunity to
learn a trade that
will continue when
war is over. No
Sunday or holiday
work. Good salary.
Apply to Manager,
Firestone Stores,
5 0 2 West High,
Lima, Ohio. Phone
40081.
THE A. C. & Y.
RAILROAD HEEDS
BRAKEMEN
BOILERMAKERS
MACHINISTS
CAR REPAIRMEN
SECTIONMEN
TELEGRAPH OPERATORS
BRIDGE AND BUILDING
CARPENTERS
Must meet WMC requirements.
These are full wartime jobs and
good possibilities for postwar
work. Liberal railroad retirement
and unemployment benefits.
Call at the nearest A. C. & Y.
station and the agent will give
you complete information.
The Akron, Canton &
Youngstown Railroad Co.