Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 1944
PROUDLY XJF*
©.WHITE ‘v'vrja.wAirs. W.N.U.TEATUREf
CHAPTER XIX
“When I said I hadn’t got it, he
said if it ever did come through, I
wasn’t to open it until he got back,
or something like that. He’d meant
every word of it, and yet now it
seemed he didn’t want me to see it.
I couldn’t understand. But it didn’t
seem to matter. Because what did
any letter matter, now that we could
talk, all we wanted to, around the
world?”
“It was long after midnight when
we finished,” said Frank. “But it
was some satisfaction to know it
would cost the Japanese maybe five
hundred dollars, and I only hoped
I’d be out of Java so they couldn’t
collect from me.
“Then I got back to work on the
Dutch military, who of course were
up all that night. They knew what
was coming tomorrow even if the
civilians were only beginning to sus
pect. It was two o’clock in the
morning when I got Major Fisher
out of bed with the news that al
ready the landing barges of one
flank of this invasion force had been
sighted right off the beach.
“After a final desperate call to
the Dutch General van Oeyen, he
agreed our boys might leave, turn
ing their P-40’s over to the Dutch
fighter pilots, provided that before
they went they strafed the Jap land
ing barges. Without verbal orders
from the Dutch commander, they
would not have gong.
“So I rustled two cars and a truck
to transport them, and by four
o’clock we were headed for Gnoro.
We got there a few minutes before
dawn, to find our boys were up and
out on that final mission, although
they did not know it was their last.
“Again we telephoned Van Oeyen
in Surabaya to tell him the orders
had been obeyed, and he told us re
luctantly to bid them Godspeed and
good luck; they had fought the good
fight, a’.,d those who returned from
this mission were now free to go to
Australia. If there was a way.
“I hoped there still would be. The
Colonel had told me the day before
that if I could get them across Java
—to Jockstrap—by noon, they would
find three Fortresses which he had
ordered back from Australia to pick
them up. However, he couldn’t guar
antee that these Forts would dare
wait on that field beyond noon.
“As we stood on the Gnoro Field
of course I got tense. Would those
kids come back alive and in time to
get across Java by noon? If we were
late, would the bomber pilots get
jittery and maybe pull out without
us? Not that I’d blame them, for
today no plane would be safe on any
field in Java.
“The Dutch pilots are grave, but
they make us welcome.
“Then comes the roar of P-40’s
and here is the first flight—in out of
the Rising Sun as though fleeing
from it. Jack Dale is, its leader.
We grab them. What happened?
“It looks bad, they tell us. There
were so many barges. And when
they started spraying them, the
barges threw up horrible cones of
fire, in great masses. There was a
cross fire, too—from Jap shore bat
teries, already landed. At last they
had set their ugly, crooked teeth
into the fair white coastline of Java.
Jack said, however, that he could
see his bullets taking effect as the
Japs spread out, either diving or be
ing blown off their barges. But he
said he found he was flying so low
that his own propeller was picking
up the water splashes of his bullets
ahead, so he had to pull up.
“Just as he did this, he noticed
his wing man was also pulling up,
and out to the right, and letting his
wheels down—now he could see his
wing man was on fire. Jack called
out to him to bail out quick, not to
try to come in on the beach. But
then things were happening to Jack
so fast he couldn’t watch what hap
pened elsewhere, for he had to pull
out for his next pass.
“Then Jack said, in a low voice,
‘When in hell will we get out of
here, Frank?’
“I said I had news for him, but
just then the next flight comes roar
ing in—it’s three Hurricanes flown
by Dutch pilots, all that is left of
the Dutch Air Force this final day,
except of course they had plane
less pilots who were to take up our
abandoned P-40’s. They bounce out
of their planes, Hurricanes, still ex
cited from the strafing party. But
when we question them, they say
yes, they had done some little dam
age, but it had not been worth it.
“Now here’s the third|flight, buzz
ing in low—P-40’s this time, and the
American boys still have their old
spirit left because they buzz up the
drome, come roaring in right over
the roof of the operations office—for
a fighter pilot it’s like knocking at
the door. They’re still the old 17th
Pursuit Group—or what’'’ left of
them.
“Because the wing man on this
flight had been caught in what the
other two said was a ‘furious’ cross
fire of beach and barge guns—it’s
a word fighter pilots don’t use often
—and had dropped into the sea
among the barges.
“I looked at the P-40’s. They are
so full of holes they should be con
demned—there is hardly one the
Dutch would dare take up again. We
were leaving them little enough.
“Now my boys are gulping coffee.
They grab an apple each and sand
wiches to take along, and cram
things in their bags, and I suppose
it’s time for goodbys. Captain Ana
maet, leader of the Dutch fighters,
tall, thin, dark-haired, with a finely
chiseled face, nervous like many
fighters, is standing silent at one
side. His Dutch boys are with him.
“What can we say? Our American
boys have fought with them like
brothers for weeks. We’re now mak
ing a dash for safety. We can’t
say what we don’t mean, but how
can we say we’ll hope to see them
again, when all know we never will?
Or wish them good luck, which all
know they can’t have? I stand there,
tongue-tied.
“Anamaet is the courageous one.
He walks forward, puts up his hand,
and says simply, without a quaver,
‘Thanks for all you have done. We
have tried, but we are finished.’
Gravely, and with no bitterness.
“I ask him why he and all his
boys don’t come out with us. We’ll
find room for him in the planes.
Then we can continue the war from
Australia. He shakes his head. His
place is here.
“Now our boys are loaded in the
truck, and presently we’re out on
the main highway, headed across
Java, but just then we hear a fa
miliar drone—Jap dive bombers.
Smelling their way into Java,
they’ve finally found this field. It’s
only luck they hadn’t found it be
fore. Our boys crowd against the
tail gate of the truck to watch them
peel off one by one, assume that
40-degree angle toward the ground,
let go the little egg, pull out of their
dives and then—r-r-r-umpf, the bomb
takes hold. It punctuates the les
son we’d been trying for days to
It. was two o’clock in the morning
when I got Major Fisher out of bed.
drive home to the Dutch infantry
generals—that the field was now un
tenable. It was only the weather
which kept the Japs out of it yes
terday.
“But now we have worries of our
own. There are seventy-six of us
in this little caravan—fifteen of
them pilots. We have only one road
map, so the drivers’ instructions are
to drive carefully and stay to
gether. It’s a long drive at the
speed we can make. A close squeeze
to make it by noon. Then, in spite
of the road map, we get lost—not
badly, but two or three times we
must backtrack. Then I see we’ll
never make it by noon. The boys,
tired from many weeks of fighting,
try to doze standing up in that jolt
ing truck. I don’t sleep, but I
have nightmares. At every cross
roads I wonder if lightning-fast light
Jap tanks mayn’t come sliding in
on us. Even if we had time to turn
and run before they open fire with
their turret guns, they would have
cut off our escape to Jockstrap.
“My wrist-watch hour hand seems
to race. These tired boys, bounc
ing in that truck, trust me. The Air
Corps got them in here; now the Air
Corps is getting what is left of them
out. They don’t doubt that a big s
bomber will be waiting with its door
open on the Jockstrap runway to
take them to Australia. Suppose we
get there to find the bomber pilots
have waited past the rendezvous
hours, and then gone on back to
Australia empty—and we look at a
THE JACKSON HERALD, JEFFERSON, GEORGIA
vacant field knowing the Japs are
closing in behind us?
“My watch hand races toward
noon and we’re still hours from
Jockstrap, but I have an idea. We're
not far from what shows on my
map as a fair-sized town which
should have telephones from which,
while the boys have lunch, I can
call the Colonel and tell him we’re
on our way—that those bombers
must wait.
“The town is a sleepy little place
built round what at a quick glance
one might mistake for a Middle
Western courthouse square. War
hasn’t touched it, and you’d think
could never come. In the hotel they
stare at our uniforms—they’re the
first American ones they’ve seen.
The boys order, while I hunt a tele
phone to call the Colonel at Jock
strap.
“But minutes tick by and they
can’t locate him. Nor anyone else
who can deliver a message that we
are coming, and those bombers
must wait.
“Do I waste more time calling?
Or do we hurry on, hoping we’ll
get there before they are frightened
from the field? That seems more
sensible, so we forge on. I haven’t
the heart to tell them I couldn’t
reach the Colonel.
“They’re all tired in the cars,
there’s no wrestling or kidding,
which is amazing for fighter pilots.
Finally I know from the map we
must be approaching Jockstrap.
But on what side of the town is the
field? We can’t waste precious min
utes uselessly fighting its narrow
streets.
“Then, to one side, I see leaping
flames and a column of smoke.
That’s all the marker you need to
find an airdrome at this stage of a
war. I tell the driver to steer for
the smoke and he’ll find the field.
“And at first it seems all to
have been for nothing. There are
the hangars, split wide open—six or
seven Forts burning merrily. Also
the water tower is hit. Profession
ally, I admire it as one of the best
bomb runs I’ve ever seen. The Japs
seem to have made a perfect job of
cutting off our retreat —but no!
There remains a single Fortress!
“It seems Lieutenant Vandevan
ter managed in the nick of time to
get her off the ground, and flew out
to sea until the raid was over. Luck
ily they sent only bombers, and no
Zeros which could shoot him down.
Here he is now, perched on the edge
of the field.
“But at the utmost he can carry
only a third of us. I dispatch about
fifty in the trucks to Madiun Field,
hoping it isn’t blown up, and that
two Forts the Colonel tells me are
due in from Australia can get them
out.
“And now we have a bonfire of
everything we couldn’t take with us,
but which we don’t want the Japs
to have—all our photographs, every
official paper, the entire records of
the 17th Pursuit Group for the Java
and Philippine wars. It all goes
up in those flames on Jockstrap
Field forever —except what the few
remaining boys standing around that
fire can remember of what the oth
ers did. We even chuck in a few
bomb sights that were kicking
around—for luck, and for kindling
mostly.
“But just as the flames were leap
ing highest, the air-raid siren start
ed to scream. We dived for a drain
age ditch, and I think I got my
worst scare of the war. Because
up above were two Zeros approach
ing, and down here on the field was
our solitary Fortress our last
chance to escape—sitting in front of
God and everybody (including those
Japs) mother-naked and defense
less. How long I held my breath,
staring up into the sky, I couldn’t
say now. But for some reason they
hadn’t dived on us yet, and then
when one rolled up to let the other
take a picture I realized it was only
a recco to take the damage
they’d done a few hours before.
“I began loading the boys into
that plane. But I did one final thing.
I couldn’t forget Captain Anamaet,
standing there on that Gnoro Field
watching us pull out, and if I’d
wanted to, the others wouldn’t have
let me. So with the Dutch liaison
officer there at Jockstrap, we made
artengements that if tomorrow night
we could get any planes through
from Australia, they would circle our
old bomber field at Malang. The
liaison officer was to notify Ana
maet, so that if his Dutch fighter
pilots could get there, and Malang
wasn’t by then in Jap hands, they
would light a bonfire on its field as
a signal that it was safe for our
Forts to come in and pick them up
and take them out to Australia,
where we’d have another chance to
fight the war together.
“We kept the date. The next night
Captains Bill Bohnaker and Eddie
Green slipped through to Malang.
For forty-five minutes they circled
our old field. But there was no
bonfire. Maybe Anamaet’s boys had
died during the day, giving their all
for Java. Maybe they’d got to the
GEORGIA’S REVISED
CONSTITUTION NOW
TAKING SHAPE
The commission appointed by
Governor Arnall to revise the state’s
67-year-old Constitution has ad
journed until about the middle of
September, but in its four days of
intensely busy sessions it achieved a
great deal toward changing Geor
gia's basic law.
One provision adopted would pro
hibit the state from going into debt.
This stipulation would make it il
legal for any state official to pay
out money or contract any obliga
tion not approved by the State
Budget Commission and for which
money was not already available.
Another action was for abolition
of the exemption of new industries
from local taxation for five years.
A clause was inserted that present
contracts would not be effected
during their lifetime.
Rewritten wje|re present provi
sions allowing a $2,000 exemption
for real property to provide that no
exemption be allowed on real estate
unless actually and entirely oc
cupied for residential purposes.
Levy of a poll tax would be ren
dered optional and limited to one
dollar a year, and ruled out was
the section requiring such proceeds
to go exclusively for educational
purposes.
Another would limit pensions to
Confederate widows to those who
remain unmarried.
The commission took action also
to streamline judicial procedure so
that the six members of the Court
of Appeals would sit as a body in
stead of being divided into two
courts of three each.
Another provision would tax ex
emptions for trusts established for
charitable purposes from which
donors continued to receive income.
School superintendents would be
appointed by school boards instead
of elected, and nearly two thou
sand rural school districts abolished
to eliminate the overhead expense
and place the schools on a county
wide basis.
Acting on request of the Georgia
Education Association, the commis
sion increased the maximum county
tax levy for school purposes from 10
to 15 mills, and stipulated that the
school tax must not be less than five
mills nor more than 15.
The Constitution now provdies
for a five-mill county and five
mill district tax, but the revised
document would abolish school dis
tricts and the creation of an ad
ditional independent school system.
field just ahead of the Japs and
were now prisoners, unable to light
their bonfire but listening in the
darkness as Bill and Eddie circled
and circled above them. What hap
pened we never knew. But I’m
glad we couldn't have foreseen that
darkened field at Malang as we all
climbed into our own Fortress,
turned off the Jockstrap field, and
headed east for Australia, flying into
a rising moon.”
“Nothing much was going to hap
pen on that flight to Australia,” con
tinued Frank, “although we couldn't
know it. All had to cram forward
for the takeoff, of course, for with
that big load in the rear we’d never
have got her tail up. We manned
battle stations, and only after we
were halfway across the ocean did
the gunners leave their turrets. I
rode up in the pilot’s compartment,
and there were at least seven of
us there, three sitting on the floor.
“At two o’clock in the morning we
sight the coast in the moonlight,
which gives it a ghostly hue. It's
just flat desert, but finally we find
the little town of Broome. We cir
cle it and finally a flare path breaks
out below—they’re tossing kerosene
flares out of a moving auto to show
us the runway, so we circle and
come in.
“In peacetime a little airline
makes monthly trips up to this field
—there are no railroads, and a sea
voyage from Melbourne takes weeks
—so part of us slept in its hangar
shack, and the rest in the plane. That
hangar and field reminded me of
the Middle West in the old barn
storming days of the twenties.
“I couldn’t sleep. The mosquitoes
were making me groggy, and also I
was thinking of our planes circling
Malang Field for Anamaet. After
a while I got up and looked out the
hangar door. The first pale dawn
was breaking over Broome, which
I could now see consisted of a gen
eral store, a gas station, two houses,
and this hangar shack—perched out
here on the edge of nothing, where
the red sand desert of Australia
meets the blue salt desert of the sea.
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STATE NEGROES
FILE VOTE SUIT
A group of Georgia Negroes have
begun a federal court test of state
Democratic party regulations bar
ring members of their race from
participating in primary elections.
The suit was brought in the name
of Primus E. King, Negro minister
and barber, against 11 members of
the Muscogee County Democratic
executive committee and asked $5,-
000 damages for alleged violation of
civil rights.
“The suit was filed on behalf of
a group of prominent Muscogee
County Negroes,” said Oscar D.
Smith, attorney for King, “to ascer
tain if the United States Supreme
Court decision on the Texas Demo
cratic primary applies to the Demo
cratic primary in Georgia.
“Our plan is to carry the case to
the United States Supreme Court if
necessary.”
King in his petition claimed the
committee in denying him the right
to vote in the state primary on
July 4, violated Sections One and
Two of Article I, and the 14th, 15th
and 17th amendments to the United
States Constitution.
LEGAL NOTICES
CITATION
Dismission from Administration
Georgia, Jackson County.
WHEREAS, Mrs. Reba Jackson
Smith, Administrator of Beulah M.
Smith, represents to the Court in
his petition, duly filed and entered
on record, that he has fully admin
istered Beulah Jackson’s estate:
This is, therefore, to cite all per
sons, kindred and creditors, to show
cause, if any they can, why said Ad
ministrator should not be discharged
from his administration, and receive
Letters of Dismission on the first
Monday, Sept 4th, 1944
L. B. MOON, Ordinary.
CITATION
Dismission from Administration
Georgia, Jackson County.
WHEREAS, E. H. Merk, Adminis
trator of Mollie Merk, represents to
the court in his petition, duly filed
and entered on record, that he has
fully administered Mollie Merk’s
estate:
This is, therefore, to cite all per
sons concerned, kindred and credi
tors, to show cause, if any they can,
why said Administrator should not.
be discharged from his administra
tion, and receive Letters of Dismis
sion on the first Monday, Septem
ber 4th, 1944.
L. B. MOON Ordinary.
ADMINISTRATOR'S SALE
Georgia, Jackson County.
By virtue of an order of the Court
! of Ordinary of Jackson County,
| granted upon application of Mrs.
| Beatrice Hendrix, as administratrix
j of the estate of C. O. Wood, deceas-
I ed, late of said county, to sell the
lands and buildings of the said C. O.
Wood, deceased, for the purpose of
paying debts and distribution, there
will be sold on the premises in Com
merce, Ga., at public outcry, to the
highest and best bidder, in the town
of Commerce, Jackson County, Ga.,
between the legal hours of sale, on
the first Tuesday in September, 1944
as the property of C. O. Wood, de
ceased, the following described
property to-wit:
All that tract or parcel of land
lying and being in the City ,of Com
merce, Jackson County, Ga., 255th
district G. M. beginning at a point
on the North side of the right of
way of the Southern Railway poin
ing the building belonging to D. R.
Hendrix on North Broad Street and
running in a north easterly direc
tion to an iron pin 100 feet from the
right of way of Southern Railway,
thence in a northerly direction 42
feet to an iron pin, thence in a west
erly direction 100 feet to iron pin,
thence 42 feet along Southern Rail
way right of way to beginning cor
ner. The said lot having a brick
building approximately 42 feet wide
and 81 feet long being the building
formerly occupied by C. O. Wool.
Also, all that tract or parcel of
land lying and being in Commerce,
Jackson County, Ga., 255th district
G. M. beginning at the corner of,
brick building formerly occupied j
by the late C. O. Wood on the Nortn !
side of the right of way of Southern j
Railway and running in a north j
easterly direction 100 feet to an iron j
pin. thence in a northerly direction j
68 feet to Dales corner, thence in a j
westerly direction along Dales line i
100 feet to right of way of Southern |
PAGE SEVEN
Railway, thence along said right
of way down North Broad Street,
53 feet to the beginning corner. This
lot contains small wooden building.
The above two tracks to be sold
seperate then together and the right
is reserved to sell as to the best
interest of the estate.
Terms of sale cash .
Mrs. Beatrice Hendricks,
Administratrix C. O. Wood,
deceased.
CITATION
Year**: Support
Georgia, Jackson County.
To all whom it may concern:
Notice is hereby given, that the
appraisers appointed to set apart
and assign a year’s support to Lizzie
Veil Mathis ,the widow of Robert
Mathis, deceased, have filed their
award, and unless good and suffici
ent cause is shown, the same will be
made the judgment of the court
at the September Term, 1944, of
the Court of Ordinary.
This, August 7th, 1944.
L. B. MOON, Ordinary.
CITATION
Dismission from Administration
Georgia, Jackson County.
WHEREAS, C. T. Storey, Ad
ministrator of C. C. Bailey, repre
sents to the court in his petition,
duly filed and entered on record,
that he has fully administered C. C-
Bailey’s estate:
This is, therefore, to cite all per
sons concerned, kindred and credi
tors, to show cause, if any they
can, why said Administrator should
not be discharged from his adminis
tration, and receive Letters of Dis
mission on the first Monday in Sep
tember, 1944.
L. B. MOON, Ordinary.
PETITION FOR INCORPORATION
GRANTED
Georgia, Jackson County.
To the Superior Court of said coun
ty:
The petition of J. C. Harris, Lonie
Reese Couch Harris and Beulah
East, the post office address of each
being Carrollton, Georgia, shows:
1.
That they desire to be incorporat
ed for a period of thirty-five years
under the name of “EMPIRE 5c to
$5.00 STORES, INC.,” the object
of which is pecuniary gain.
2.
The corporation will begin busi
ness with a capital of $10,000.00,
common stock, divided into shares of
par value of SIOO.OO each; the right
to increase the common stock to
the amount of $50,000.00, and to
issue perferred stock to the amount
of $50,000.00, of the par value of
SIOO.OO per share, each, if desired
4.
The business of the corporation
will be that of dealing generally as
jobber, wholesaler or retailer, in
any and all kinds of merchandise.
WHEREFORE, petitioners pray
that said corporation be created and
clothed with all of the rights herin
before mentioned and such other
rights as are granted similar cor
porations by the laws of Georgia.
KIMBALL & PIERCE,
Counsel for Petitioners.
IT APPEARING that the fore
going application is within the pur
view of the laws of Georgia, and
that all requirements of the laws
pertaining thereto have ben com
plied with, the same is hereby
granted, and the said corporation,
EMPIRE 5c to $5.00 STORES, INC.,
is hereby created, with all of the
rights prayed. This, August 7th,
1944.
CLIFFORD PRATT,
As Judge of the Superior
Court of said county.
Jefferson Insurance Agency,
General Insurance,
Jefferson, Georgia.
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