Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

- ~.-U1R=iI.FG
__. iii - - I 81 ,
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Burma. ~ai:;a hcndhuntcr- 1iH'e1 in a tall.
talized st.itc for ,e\cral \\ceb after .\,\"
pLIlK" 1>er;:11lappc;nilll; ill tlieir skic-. ThC\.
could never r;d closc enough to dctcrnnnc
the ,iz,e or tcmpeLnncnt of the winl;cd
creatllfe" 'J'lie I;r(';lt '1l1estioll in N;n;a so.
cictv became. "Vvlicrc do the warbirds
sleep?" 'Thcv seemed rather hlg to roost 1I1
trees. Tlie 1'\al:;;ls sellt ;1 xront on the Jonl:;
trek to all :\:\I! .urba «: in Assam, and there
he found the am\\Trs to all hi, quest ions.
illcilidilig tIle 1>il:;l:;nt ,mpri,se tll:lt the sndJ,
est of t lu- w.nhirr}, had \\'inr;s vix 'pear, ill
length, lie \\'a, so thrilled .md :mlazed that
tlie cOllIlll;llIding officer of a fighter grollp
a,ked the n.rt ivc if he want cc] to t.ik« a ride.
The vi-at or \\':IS invu ltrr]. "TIle '\:If,;:IS,"
he s:lid l);/lIghhh, "ar c 1:1\\' ;Ibidinr; pcople.
It is not our custom to go up in the air."
I::ngland. On D plus 1 the Britisll Bro1(l
ostlllg COIllP:Ill\' wcnt :lbont its job witlt
such uurclcnt iut; casnalllc" that it :illilost
it-elf got 1>litzc'e], .\t:1 flight cont ro] st.it iou
011 the co",t IIcr\T, \\Tre still slLnp, Plotter,
were temch' tr:lcking airrruft acro" the
ch.mm-! .md np .md d 01\'1 I the CherbolHg
l'c-ninsul:r. Fighter rout rolk-r-, \\'('fC still
vedoring their pLme, over \'el\' Ilir;h Frcqlll'nc\'
r.ulio to t"rgd, Oil Ihc lx-nchhc.nl
.vbout t li.rt t imc t lu- BBC m.ul« itself
heard. \\-itli uc-vlv stepped np tr.mxm ivsiou.
it bc.uuccl out in the directioll of t hc in.
'''sioll, hoomin£; into the control station's
\'111: ()lIC of'tlie cOlltrollers \\,:IS hronglit
np sliort I", COll\CrS:ltioll Oil his Iic':It!sl'l tll,lt
\\'as dhtilllth 1I0t IVT. "I Ie 11 0, \LlrI,
horongh. \ Ln:lhorongli. is t h:lt \'on:" >aid an
;Igit:ltccl "(lice> .. ' I'here'" ~()1l1Ct-Iiill~ \\T()11L';
\\ith OlH \'llli .\11 \\C gd is ,onlC gill
singillg 'her\tl'ill£; I ILln' Is Yoms'." ,\
n]()llIent later, Illore fnriollS-"C:'II't \\e £;et
tl"lt t!:llIllIed hoogic \\oor;ic off Ihc air:"
\lId from thc 'Clolld Llbid controller:
"1\10\\' it np' \'cdor ,olllchoeh' OI'cr there
:llId tell hilll to llit itl" l'ortnn:lteh' for
I\BC, the\ fonlld :1 hctter way. .
Sicily. \"hen Lt, Robert 1. Gr;letz \\';lS
forccd to clileh hi, .\ ,() in the :\lcditer-
r.mc.m. his back-pack dingl,,' snnk and he
swam for 1, hour. hefore draggmg hllllSelf
nlJ:1l1Sted npoll a beach. The fir,t .Vmc riClm
Cractz, nut were two \ II'" One
\\ .ir ucc] him gran'h' that he \\'as ont of uuiform.
:\0 necktie. The ot hcr cautioned
Cradz, of the d:mger' wh ich mlf;ht lx-i.ill
hun while goillg wit h ont his hclnut.
Hawaii. Pvt. Clcnn Bricker of Plul.idclphi»
cooks for :1 colruul Oil :111ivl.uul 1r:l'C,
J'illislllllg brc.rkfuvt one 1I101llillg, the colonel
left 1m office. :11,,1 Brickcr lru;:lll tlchlllg np
:1ron IIlJ t lu pl.ic« \\'hcII he pro£;rcssed to
tire colollcl', bedroom, he deCided th.it .:
little 11:11'conld do 110 h:11II1. IIi, lint cont.ut
wit l: t lu: \\':lnill£; world \\:IS thc colollel.
nate .md noi-v Ire'ick Ium. "\\-h:lt's thi,?'the
officer w:I'recl. ;iltho'H,;1i it \\;1, prdh ',Ip'
p.mut t h.r! tlie pr iv.it c \\':1' :lskep iu bi,
lx«]. "Srr. J muvt h.ivr bCllI t ind." Bricker
1I111111bke!. Then his mind bcg:lIl to click,
"I \\orked 1:11' int o t lu. lIi~llt "II '''1I1l' (lIS
t:1lC1 pies--' he .iddcd. Thc col"nel's voi.c
11:,,1,,,ftc III ,1 uot icciblv :IS the pr iv.it c g"t to
his feet. "Tho-«. pic, had better lx good,"
l«. "lie!. T1Il'\ \\Tle, .md the C;;'C \\;l, ('l(l\ld,
At Sea. The ;ton gocs that a :\'aH PBY
ill IJlllllho "'en-icc: :1 lJi~ld:. c'tCl ill~'(l 'l';1
1(.'"CllL' ()r~;llli/;lti{)ll. :-,p{)t-tl'd ;\ 111;111 ;!t!Iift
in a r.if t .u«] illllncdi:llc'h set .rbout t o pic k
him np, Thc\ flc'\\' OITr lmu , hilt t h« 1I1:111
did 1I0t look np or \\:I\T Ihl' IIstL;] grc cIIJI~',
TI,c\ ].;lIC\\' he \\':1, ;J1i\T, lie,,\( \(1, 'Ibn'
conl.] ,ee huu nlO,ill£; hi-, :IfIIIS, hu-ilv CII1.
plmed wit h 'Olllethillg ill t lu: water. 'I he:
]'IlY l.md.d :md t:mccl t ow.u c] the r.if t ,
whcnupon the 11I:1ll beg:lll \\:nill£; thcm
:'\\'a\' and lI]()tioning for quiet. The rc-cuc
crcw. \\'ho could ,ee t lic fhlT" -\nm \\ m",
.mcl kh.ik: xhirt , tholl£;ht lie 1I111't Ire Sllnl~--
IIlg from ,bock "r the ]ICIt. \\'hell thcv
I"llled alonr;siele bis Lift, the m.m got
l'lghh indigllallt. It \\:IS t lun thn lI"ti~ecl
tlI:l! lie \\':1, 11'lllg llis ellllTgCIIC\ t:lcklc ;md
1ud :llre:le], Clllght Olle: fIsh, ~-\t the mo.
64 GOT ANY GOOO STORIES? SEND 'EM IN!
ment he \\'as after something really big. and
didn't want to be rescllcd juvt vet I Ic pre.
fence]' hc said. to wait for the ncx! Dumbo.
Rather p.rt icutlv, tire PBY pilot explained
that \\'lrile Dumbo scrvic« \\'a, dependable,
it didn't run quite so re£;lIhrh' a, a com-
1I111ter's train. Rcluct.mt lv the ..\,\F man
got .rboarr] anel the ])lIlnhc') took off,
1', S, \\'c dout belie\e t h i, either,
Italy. Latest to attack the ..\.\1< mst rt unon
of thing pa\ IS an organization of Filt h
.Vnuv Ch who wr ot c : "1 !:I\'ing crawled
thwngh all the in ncl ;mel clu-t in Italv, we
w.rut extra 1':1\ for '\OT fl\ing," '
France. One of the b:l,ic divt intt ions be.
t wc cn pcnu.mcut .iucl tcrupor.uv r.mk \\'as
rlcenth chrilled I" \1:Jj, John L \IcCinn
ef Long Beach. C:J1if.. a \lmt:lIlg s'ln:ldron
k.ndcr. Th.it ;Iftellloon the III:lJor had been
c'ii\ing on .m \11,: 1lI') \\hcn .in im por.rt ivc
voirc blur ted in his r.ulio. "C;et :1\\':1\' from
tl.crc: Don't sli",,! hun ' lle-', lIlme~'" The
il'::jor pullcc] IIJl .n«] ouc: of hi, pilot». l st
Lt. John R. I :skridgc of lImorc Cit v. Okla.
dl\ ((I dO\\11 .rn.] ,k'!rm cd t lu: (;nlll:111. lip,
ell retmning 10 hi, b:lse \ l.ijor :\ Ic-Cinn jok
j"e:h' pointed out Fskridge :IS a m.m holding
I l«. pc nu.iucnt r.uik "f l icut cu.rut.
U.S.A. This account ek:l], with thc fir,t
p:n:llronpcr ever hor n in :1 p.rr.rchutc. The
Let t hut it \\:IS :1 j"ge()]1 p:ll:l!ro"per oulx
slie:lith ClilllS Ihe lustre of the: t.ilc. It xccmv
tlr.it iucu \\ ho tLIIII Imci, .rt tlie ,\\1: Tnct ic;;]
Ccnt or III OrLilldo. ILL, iu.rk« ccr t.un
111:lt 110 novit« plgcolls :IIT sellt over-cas.
'I lie Cllles ,ekctld :IS pigeoll p:ILJtroopers
1':1\(' :illl':lch completed ;ldY:1l1c'l'll flight
!LlIlIille: :llId :Ill' klIO\\11 to be stIllC!" dc
pllle!:ll;k birds, Thc\ :IIC £;i\l'n pLldice
JllIlIl" 1I11ti! thc\ (;In hit tlie silk like :I
st lIlIt jlllllpeL their l()]lIpkte eOl11pOSllfe
\":1' dClllomtLlted recc'nth' \\hell :1 COllt:lilln
of tlllTe Imds \\':lS lost :dtn beill£; droppe:eL
I 0111 d:I", !:ltn the pi£;eom \n'fe: fC)]l11el,1m
milled bllt hllll£;r\', Tlin h:ld Cltell part
ell the str:I\\' flooring of their eOllt:liller. :llld
111 Ol1e e()flln the fc-llJ:i!e of the p:nh h:ld
!:lid :In e£;£;, \\hell h:llehed. th:lt - little
jllgCOll \\'()]j't llccd to ask IllS eLidch \\'ILlt he
did ill the \\:11'. ,t,. '
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