Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 8 October 1942 — Page 19

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Writer on Return Trip Sees Consolidated B-24s Fire | Two Ships in Navarino Bay; Helps Care

For Wounded

in His Plane.

bi By HENRY T. GORRELL United Press Stat Correspondent

AT A U. S. HEAVY BOMBARDMENT BASE IN THE * MIDDLE EAST, Oct. 3 (Delayed).—I returned to Greece

with the American air force

today, roughly retracing the

route along which 1 retreated with the British in April, 1941. .I saw the enemy draw Yankee blood at Navarino bay

‘ engined Consolidated B-24s - drove the Germans frantic ~ with an avalanche of 1000- |

pound bombs. Shipping was blown to hallelujah - thousands of feet below as the enemy, resorting to suicidal tactics, : atieuiptod to knock the big bombers out of the sky. They failed completely, losing four of five fighters in the attempt. The Hun was blind crazy about it. Once he shouted over the radio to our commandao er, Maj John is Kane of Shreve- . Gorrell ort La, to “get — ro off the air” because our ‘radio was interfering with the control of his Messerschmitt fighters. "What he really meant was “get ~ the hell. off the air because I'm trying to send a mess of planes up to get you.” I rode with Americans from nine states in - “The Witch” behind . “Snow White” and a lot of tough “dwarfs.” Our bomber got the , Worst of it because she was the last . to drop her bomb load. But she shot down a Messer- _ schmitt that made for her and then, , With three wounded men aboard and riddled with holes from enemy , cannon and machine gun fire, limped home over 100 miles of ocean. Before she left, she'd done her work’ well, dropping her bombs . square on the target in the face of heavy anti-aircraft fire.

Heavy Fires Started

The - communique said: “The Americans damaged = two large, supply-laden cargo vessels which resulted in violent explosions attended by fires.” We saw those fires as we watched the bombers that preceded us, “Snow White” and “the Jersey * Jerks,” go in on the targets. In the words of Maj. Bob Par-

- ham, a public relations officers from

Norman, Okla. ‘and a one-time : United Press ‘colleague ' of" mine,

“the view was very brief.”

The jerries were after us-and in a few minutes, three men aboard ‘were wounded. Two of them sattended the third—Gunner Norman Frost, a former Miami, Fla. bellboy, who got a slug in his knee. A Greek boy, 2d Lieut. Peter L. Vlahakes of Newark, N. J., was ' the plane’s navigator. The pilot .-was Lieut. Glade Jdrgensen, « blond, husky, square-jawed, trombone player from Ameérican Fork, Utah. The co-pilot was Lieut. Robert T. Goldberg of Blooming Prairie, Minn. We- flew in loose formation until about an hour, before we reached the target. There was little talking. But staff Sergt. Joseph T. Byrnes, radio operator-gunner from La Crosse, Wis, who wears a wisp of a goatee like L'il Abner’s pappy, found time to remark that he wanted “to get back early to listen to ° the world series.” Byrne was plenty busy later, pouring. 50-caliber machine gun bullets into a ME-109 like a veteran, al-

though it was the first time he ever|

had been within shooting range of the enemy. ‘With the tail gunner, staff Sergeant Donald S.: Allen of New York, he was credited with sending one Hun down in flames; Second Lieut. Henry M. Sparger of Mt. Airy, N, C, the bombardier + and the only married’ man aboard, also had a busy time. Then there was Frost, the right ‘waist gunner who took an enemy “slug in his right knee, who shouted over the communication phone, “We < got him,” and fired a dozen more ~ bursts at the German plane for good measure before he collapsed.

‘Wounded Help Wounde:l

‘First to reach Fros\ was Technical Sergeant Marvin .L. Breeding, ar“mored ‘gunner from Dallas, Tex. He ‘had a bullet splinter in his leg “but ‘his first concern was for his pal. : Technical Sergeant. Joseph B. Farmer of St. Charles, Va., also was

Soldier’ s Wife

"Refuses fo

; LOS ANGELES, Oct. 8 (U. P.).— fri agencies ‘offered help today fo Mrs, Grace Elizabeth Grotheer,

es wife, who | hd me AT benefactr .

ti-

RE ry ens cn wit a

De® army allotment Shecks Were de: layed. : :

.. (Pylos) and counted the toll as they paid heavily for it. "Two powerful waves of four-

hit by shrapnel, but luckily suffered only a scratch under his right eye.|

When Ve approached Navarino, Jorgensen ordered all hands to adjust lifebelts and don parachutes. We were climbing several hundred

feet a minute in perfect formation. At 10,000, Jorgensen ordered us to put on oxygen masks. We still were climbing. As we flew over the jagged Greek peninsulas, Jorgensen afked “Snow White,” to advise when she would drop her bombs, so that I could photograph them.

Purs by Enemy

Then we banked and the ships looked like pencils thousands of feet below. Ack-ack was bursting around us in bldck puffs and “Snow White” and “the Jersey Jerks” were

dropping their bombs. We went in and, ages afterwards, Sparger said, “I think it's all over.” Then ' the squadron commander tuned in on the inter-plane -communications = system—‘“pursuit approaching.” Jorgensen saw them and I got a split-second view of three or four enemy fighters diving at our star board quarter. Jorgensen put the B-24 through acrobatics to escape, but it was hard to shake the fighters, hecause we were the last bomber. It seemed we were over the land endlessly, but it was really only about 15 minutes until we rejoined our squadron, It appeared that we eluded pursuit, but suddenly I saw the “jerks” tail gun fire and then Jorgensen was ducking tracer bullets, : Oxygen Tank Pierced

We were losing altitude and all our guns were . going. Suddenly, over the interphone: “I got him, sir.” It was Frost reporting victory. Then a moment later: “I'm afraid I've been shot, sir.” I saw both pilots taking off their oxygen masks. They were of no further use for our oxygen tank had been hit. I tore mine off and went back to help Frost.

He was lying on his back, bleed-|

badly. I cut his trouser leg and unlaced his shoe. I applied a tourniquet, but my fingers were numb. The first aid kit was flaked with frost and the iodine swabs were frozen solid,

“I've Been Hit, Too”

Then, as we eased Frost's pain, and gave him a cigaret, Breeding, the first at Frost's side, said: - “Would you mind looking at my leg, sir. I think I've been hit, too.” I took a quick look and saw it was a ‘flesh wound, so I applied iodine. The squadron leader, advised then that we had wounded aboard, gave us permission to. go ahead for medical aid. Ir the sunset, our bomber, now a hospital ship, sped home, with two of its superchargers shot away, its auto. matic steering gear out, its hydraulics damaged, its self-sealing gas tank hit and one of its ailerons knocked out.

SEND U. S. CHECK ON PLANE WING FLAP

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (U. P.). —President Roosevelt yesterday re-

ceived a check for $70,000 written]

on the wood and metal wing flap of a Japanese airplane which was downed over Pearl Harbor, The rfom workers at the Pearl Harbor navy yard. It represented their wages for Labor day. Mr. Roosevelt turned the ‘check over to the treasury. The check, drawn on the Pearl Harbor branch of the Bank of Hawali, was two feet long and a foot pide, One request accompanied the check—that a Pearl Harbo: nameplate be placed on one of the navy’s speedy, destructive motor torpedo boats. ‘The resident immediately sent word to the workers that such

torpedo boat.

Destitute, ‘Sell’ Children

‘Then the wealthy woman, whose

nanie plate would be affixed to a

her bail and offered her a fine home. She was grateful, she told the court, until the woman offered an

a 0 e J and Mary.

Her alternative was a return fo],

Jail to await a hearing. Mrs,

| Grotheer chose to keep the chil]

mM dren—and wert ‘tack jail Sat-

LE te Rion 00

unusual contribution came

name WAS not disclosed, furnished|.

STEWART-WARNER

vs

Radio-Phonograph Console With "Slide-Out" Automatic Record Changer

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With 3-Tube Power Amplifier 29. DE

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STEWART-WARNER 6-TUBE TABLE RADIO

29.95

The natural beauty of real wood in modern design. European Transverse Vernier -Dial, 5 tubes including rectifier and.2 multi-pur-pose tubes to yield 8 tube functions. AC-DC Superheterodyne A. V. C. and built-in Magic Antenna. Width 13 inches.

NEW TREADLE SEWING MACHINE

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or:

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4 Qt. Oven Proof DUTCH OVEN

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17.98

SMALL DEPOSIT WILL HOLD FOR FUTURE DELIVERY

AC G— (S——— | (mo at, Sonomm—wa.___ ww

ORDER BLANK

THE WM. H. BLOCK CO., Indianapolis, Ind. Please accept my order for 109-pe. Fiesta Din-

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[J All cash included.

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O My regular 30-day charge.

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rm ———

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5 Models of the Famous

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