U.S. forces down 25,000 enemy planes
Our loss is 6,900 since Pearl Harbor
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New liberal party to be organized
New York (UP) –
Organization of a new liberal party, which plans to name the first national ticket, headed by President Roosevelt, will be completed at a state convention opening tonight.
The ticket, including Vice President Henry A. Wallace, and Senator Robert F. Wagner (D-NY), will be named at tomorrow’s session of the convention, Dean Alfange, head of the Liberal and Labor Committee, which is organizing the party, predicted.
The new party is composed of former right-wing members of the American Labor Party and other liberal elements.
In Washington –
G.I. Bill differences due to be ironed out by Senate and House
Major points of disagreement are job compensation, education and loans
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House to approve Navy’s building
By Robert Taylor, Press Washington correspondent
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Roving Reporter
By Ernie Pyle
A B-26 base, somewhere in England – (by wireless)
At 12,000 feet up, it begins to get daylight before it does on the ground, and while we could not see each other plainly in our B-26, things were still darkly indistinct in England, far down there below us.
Now and then a light would flash on the ground – some kind of marker beacon for us. We passed over some airdromes with their runway lights still on. Far in the distance we could see one lone white light – probably a window some early-rising farmer had forgotten to black out.
“Red Dog” Arnold, the bombardier, was sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, since we weren’t carrying a co-pilot. The boys got me a tin box to sit on right behind Red Dog so I could get a better view. The sunrise was red and beautiful, and Red Dog kept pointing and remarking about it. “Chief” Collins, the pilot, got out some cigarettes and we all lit up except Red Dog, who doesn’t smoke.
We climbed higher, and at a certain place the whole group of B-26s made a turn and headed for the target. This wasn’t a mission over enemy territory, and there was no danger to it.
As we neared the target, Red Dog crawled forward through a little opening into the nose, where the bombardier usually sits. The entire nose is Plexiglas, and you can see straight down and all around. He motioned for me to come up with him.
I squeezed into the tiny compartment. There was barely room for the two of us. The motors made less noise up there. By now daylight had come and everything below was clear and spectacular.
I stayed in the nose until we were well on the way home, and then crawled back and sat in the co-pilot’s seat beside Chief Collins. The sun came out, and the air was smooth, and it was wonderful flying along there over England so early in the morning.
Down below the country was green, moist and enchanting in the warmth of the early dawn. Early-morning trains left rigidly straight trails of white smoke for a mile behind them. Now and then we would see a military convoy, but mostly the highways were empty and lonesome looking. The average man wasn’t out of bed yet.
Somehow you always feel good being up early in the morning. You feel a little ahead of the rest of the world and a little egotistical about it.
Lose altitude gradually
We lost altitude gradually, and kept clearing our ears by opening our mouths. Gradually it got warmer and warmer. Chief Collins talked now and then on the interphone to the rest of the crew. Other times I would notice his mouth working, and I think he must have been singing to himself. Two or three times, he leaned over and remarked on what an unusually nice formation they were flying this morning.
Once Red Dog turned and yelled back through the little door: “Did you see that supply dump we just passed? Biggest damn thing I ever saw in my life.”
Suddenly I remembered I had seen only four men in our crew, when I knew there were supposed to be five. I asked one of the gunners about it. He said, “Oh, Pruitt, he’s the tail gunner. He’s back there. He’s probably sound asleep.”
We came back over our home airdrome, peeled off one by one, and landed. Red Dog stayed up in the nose during the landing, so I stayed in the co-pilot’s seat. Landing is about the most dangerous part of flying, yet it’s the one sensation I love most, especially when riding up front.
Chief put the big plane down so easily we hardly knew when the wheels touched. I was shocked to learn later that we landed at the frightening speed of more than 100 miles an hour.
Asleep most of trip
We sat in the plane for a couple of minutes while Chief filled out some reports, and then opened the hatch in the floor and dropped out. I was the first one to hit the ground. As I did so a man in flying clothes looked at me startled-like and said:
Good Lord, I didn’t know you were with us. I’m the tail gunner. I recognize you from your picture, but I didn’t know you were along. I’ve been asleep most of the trip.
That was Sgt. Pruitt, and I’ll tell you more about him later.
A jeep carried us back to the locker room where we had left out gear. Then we headed for the mess hall.
“We’ll have another breakfast now,” Chief said.
It was just 7:30 a.m. So, for the second time in five hours we ate breakfast. Had real eggs again, too.
“It’s a tough war,” one of the boys laughed. But nobody is qualified to joke like that who hasn’t been scores of times across the Channel coast, in that other world of fighters and flak. And these boys all had. You felt good to be with them.