January 6, Youks-les-Bains Yesterday excitement ran high wide
and handsome for quite some time. Just at dusk five or six
Junkers 88s came over and raised hell in general. Dave and I
heard 'em coming and headed for the hills but didn't get far
before the first bombs dropped, so we sought out the hole first
at hand and became intimate occupants of same, hugging the
floor and all that sort of thing. When we thought the planes
were not directly overhead we'd peek up and watch the show.
Very pretty, what with the tracers from our ack-ack guns making
beautiful arcs in the air, generally trailing the Junkers by
about one-half mile. Not much damage was done except by one
bomb which hit directly on the operations tent in which
Sergeant [Orel] Edwards was working. He died in the hospital. We lost
a darn good man. Three others were killed--happened to be near
General Doolittle's plane and bomb hit pretty close. The
general was in Tebessa.
Most of the 84th Squadron came in today via transport and
occupied the holes left vacant by the 15th. Quite a settlement
we will have when both squadrons get here.
January 7, Youks-les-Bains The rest or most of the rest of
the squadron came in today including all our pilots. Even
Captain Fielder arrived. Also we learned that headquarters is
going to be with us on this field, plus the 84th.
January 8, Youks-les-Bains The 84th brought in eight planes
today, but the P-38s have mostly gone and we only have about
eight P-40s so we figure more pea-shooters are needed.
Dave and I have our "Club Cabana" almost completed with
grass drapes. Quite cozy. But just the same we take a little
walk over the hill about dusk [a favored time for the Germans
to attack] and wait till after dark to come home.
January 9, Youks-les-Bains This evening I went duck hunting
with Captains Simpson, Miles, and Horner. All we had was two
decrepit twelve-gauge shotguns with eighteen-inch barrels. We
drove the jeep all over North Africa trying to find a marsh and
just at dusk located same. There were plenty of ducks but it
was too dark to see same so we came home empty handed.
January 12, Youks-les-Bains Put electric lights in Club
Cabana today. Will soon have all the modern conveniences.
January 13, Youks-les-Bains Got in four Beaufighters. The
P-40s shot down one by mistake.
January 15, Youks-les-Bains Most everyone was at breakfast
when two Messerschmitts came out of the clouds and started
shooting up the joint. Also they were carrying bombs which they
dropped. No one was hurt but one of our newly acquired fighters
was put out of commission temporarily.
This morning I flew Major Widerman over to Telergma to the
1st Armored Division headquarters. General McQuillan wanted to
fly around the countryside so I took him up for an hour and a
half. The amount of material they have up there is amazing.
Maybe the big push is about to start.
January 16, Youks-les-Bains The engineers are fixing our
field up with runways and taxi strips to such an extent that I
fear it will be entirely too easy to pick out from the air.
January 17, Youks-les-Bains Four of us ate twenty-three
eggs, one can Spam, three packages crackers, and one can jam.
January 18, Youks-les-Bains J.C. Simmons and I went to
Tebessa this afternoon to obtain some wrecked cars or trucks.
Major Fletcher is getting plumb eager and wants to set up a
bombing and gunnery range. We are all shivering in our boots,
figuring all this planning is going to lead to low-level
bombing. On the brighter side, got a package of cookies from
home today.
January 19, Youks-les-Bains Spent most of the day in Tebessa
talking the French into giving us a couple of wrecked trucks to
use for bombing targets. They figure the war should be over in
about a year. Sure made them happy to see all the tanks moving
up last night.
January 20, Youks-les-Bains This evening Simpson and I went
duck hunting. Ruined my new pair of pants in the mud, but got
two ducks in the process. Simpson got one. My golly what a guy
couldn't do with a good gun and a retriever.
January 22, Youks-les-Bains Yesterday to Algiers to pick up
some secret stuff and couldn't make it back so stayed overnight
at a hotel in town. Algiers is a most interesting city in all
respects. Plenty of French women, lots of shops, and very
pretty buildings. The town is built on a hill and everywhere
you go you have to climb stairs both outside and inside
buildings. Lots of the streets are very narrow and in places
the buildings have archways between them, crossing the street.
Got back here today just in time to see Captain Miles,
Bensley, and Simmons go out on a mission. Simpson and I ate the
ducks--very tasty.
January 25, Youks-les-Bains This morning we were roused out
of bed at an unreasonable hour to go on a mission but just as
we got our motors started up they called it off as the weather
was no good over our target.
January 28, Youks-les-Bains Just got off my tour of duty as
Officer of the Day this morning when I noticed a flight of
twelve A-20s taxiing out for takeoff, Simpson leading in a
DB-7. He started his roll and just got nicely into the air
when it looked as if his left motor quit. He went into a steep
left bank and about that time hit the ground. The ship blew up.
He was one of my best friends and a regular fellow. Sergeants
Glen, Vorphal, and Grado were also killed. As yet not enough of
Simpson has been found even to verify his existence.
More bad news concerning the 85th Squadron came in today.
Seems Captain Maxwell had two of the boys out when they were
jumped by some Messerschmitts. All were shot down but some of
the crews got out okay. At least the French are bringing some
of them back.
January 30, Youks-les-Bains Led a six-ship mission out today
to bomb a column of tanks between Maknassy and Sidi bou Zid and
really screwed up the detail. My compass was way off due to
some additional armor plate which I installed in the plane so I
missed Maknassy by quite a ways. Stooged around between Gabes
and Sfax for quite a while and ended up bombing what we think
was our own column, although they shot down one P-39 which was
flying low and strafing. Do better next time I hope. [They were
enemy trucks, near the Faid Pass.]
January 31, Youks-les-Bains Henricks and Vance came in today
which makes our squadron almost complete except for Pew and the
boys. Miles led a flight out today and really had a good
mission. They bombed an area just east of Maknassy and set
quite a bit of fuel on fire. The fires were still burning at
5:30 this evening. Our big drive seems to be going right along
on schedule.
February 2, Youks-les-Bains Camille's Christmas package came
yesterday and contained two books. Today Dave and I frequented
Club Cabana almost continuously. I read Captain Blood and
Dave started Uncle Newt.
The war is not going so good from our angle. The Germans are
putting up a stiff resistance and our forces are not gaining
any ground. The German air force has been bolstered by a lot of
fighters. Today a flight of six P-40s took off from Thelepte
and only one got back. Yesterday we lost three P-40s from this
field. In my estimation the men responsible for putting our
boys in P-40s to fight should be investigated.
February 3, Youks-les-Bains J.C. Simmons led a mission out
today and did a good job of it. We took Senid again but not
Faid Pass as yet.
February 4, Youks-les-Bains The armored force got pushed
clear back to Gafsa which is only forty miles from Thelepte.
Not so good. Our big drive backfired.
February 5, Youks-les-Bains Simmons, Van Dusen, Maddox, Sid,
and I went over in the hills to cut some logs this afternoon.
Got enough to last us quite a while--all winter, I figure. No
missions.
Looks like rain or snow.
February 6, Youks-les-Bains Sure enough it rained. This
afternoon Simmons and I went over to the Arab village and
traded cigarettes for eggs and came home with about sixty. This
evening Van, Dave, Simmons, and I decided we should celebrate
Simmons's first wedding anniversary so we drank Dave's quart of
Scotch. Such a happy bunch of guys I've never seen. Today also
marks my being an officer and gentleman for one year. Hope to
see many more.
February 7, Youks-les-Bains Ha! Had an air raid today which
again caught us flat-footed. Six Messerschmitts came out of the
sun, dropped their cargo, shot a few rounds, and continued on
their way unharmed. They must have glided in from a pretty good
altitude because no one heard them till they started shooting.
I was caught out in the middle of nowhere so fell flat on my
face but soon decided that I should be in a hole. I figure that
during an air raid Jesse Owens would be eating my heel dust.
February 8, Youks-les-Bains Captain Miles led a flight out
today and bombed the Faid Pass. Ran into some heavy flak but no
one hit.
Van, John, Dave, and I went in and had a swell bath today.
Afterward we drove back into the hills and ran onto a real Arab
village. The houses are all made of stone and clay. The roofs
are covered with dirt which is packed down to almost cement
hardness.
February 10, Youks-les-Bains No missions. It's getting so
lately that I dread the thought of a mission. Funny how daily
missions don't bother you at all but these weekly ones sure get
under your hide. All the boys feel the same way.
February 11, Youks-les-Bains Woke up this morning and
thought the atmosphere uncommonly cold even for North Africa.
Upon peeking out the door found the ground covered with a thin
layer of snow. Desert warfare!
Dave has just come in cussing and blowing. Seems like he
very carefully arranged his overshoes so that they would be
easy to come off, then just before reaching our door his feet
slipped clear into them. Now he is struggling valiantly to get
them off without getting mud all over the place. There is about
three inches of the messiest mud you ever saw clinging to the
bottom. He presents a most amusing sight struggling around on
one foot.
February 14, St. Valentine's Day, Youks-les-Bains Yesterday
morning Roby came up and told Bensley and me to pack our
bedrolls--we were going to a rest camp. It was for a duration
of twenty-four hours and the camp was located in Tebessa,
target of almost nightly bombings. My gosh, what an idea! But
it turned out to be pretty good, soft chairs to sit in, a table
to eat at, etc. The place used to be the Governor General's
mansion. Then last night we were fortunate enough to accompany
Captain Warling up to the evacuation hospital where no less
than twenty-one nurses are employed. Real honest-to-goodness
girls from the States! A swell bunch they are too--living in
tents such as those we occupied in North Carolina. Sure would
like to line up a dance somewhere.
We came back at noon today and had a mission late this
evening. Took off at 5 p.m. and bombed Maknassy. Had several
Spitfires for cover. Ran into a lot of ground fire and flak but
not accurate. Got back just at dark. The squadron got three
missions today. Germans seem to be kicking hell out of us in
general on this front.
Got letters from both Wilma and Camille with three pictures
from Camille taken in the snow. Hot dawg.
This is the diary's first mention of Wilma, a friend from
Berkeley, when he'd worked as a bus-boy in her sorority house. In
a letter home, he called her "my blonde beauty from Dunsmuir."
Camille was evidently another sweetheart.
The February 14 missions were flown in response to a major
German breakout. According to an American communique: "The 12th
Air Force, in conjunction with the Royal Air Force, has been
providing instant airborne support to our ground troops by
rapidly attacking along and behind the enemy front to disrupt the
offensive and give our ground troops time to organize and begin a
massive counter-offense." But the Afrika Korps rolled on, for its
last success in what had become a forlorn defense of Tunisia. On
February 16, German tanks were within cannon-shot of the American
airfield at Thelepte.
February 17, Youks-les-Bains Yesterday the 85th moved up here
and this morning all the pursuiters left Thelepte. They left
lots of equipment and had to burn several planes, etc. Fourteen
A-20s were left--what a blow! The Germans now occupy the place
as well as Sbeitla. I understand the 1st Armored Division is
just about wiped out. The Jerries are plenty tough.
This afternoon the 85th led a mission out with three of
their ships and three 84th boys--low level, just above Feriana.
Captain Maxwell got shot up and made a crash landing just
inside enemy lines and we haven't heard from him yet. Russell
had to land wheels up out here and two other planes are pretty
well shot up. Some party.
February 18, Youks-les-Bains Just learned that J.P. Ford got
sort of shot up on the ground the other day trying to get his
Spit into the air. He's in the hospital which they moved down
here to Youks-les-Bains, so Simmons and I went in to see him
today. He's getting along okay.
Captain Maxwell and crew got back this morning all safe and
more or less sound. Max has a broken nose.
February 19, Youks-les-Bains I understand the Jerries have
planes on the Thelepte field already. If that is so we'll
really have a hot time.
February 20, Telergma Captain Akers, Kuhlman, and I left
today via transport for Casablanca to pick up three replacement
A-20s. Landed here in the rain so didn't take off again.
February 22, Casablanca Got off this morning in fine style
and had a swell trip. No one knows anything about us or our
planes.
February 23, Casablanca Got a line on the planes at last. We
are taking three that belong to the 27th. They are all
outfitted with four guns in the nose.
The 27th Bomb Group had flown across the South Atlantic and up
the west coast of Africa, reaching Algeria about the same time as
the 47th. Instead of going into combat, they went through a long
and ill-advised program to toughen their A-20s for low-level
attack: two fifty-caliber machineguns were mounted in the
bombardier's compartment of each plane, and the plexiglass panels
were painted over. About the time the work was finished, the 12th
Air Force decided to reequip the group with a dive-bomber version
of the North American Mustang, so the A-20 gunships became
replacements for those lost by Colonel Terrell's outfit.
Colonel Terrell, meanwhile, was losing more planes, in what
would be remembered as the Battle of Kasserine Pass. Among the
pilots shot down were Captain Miles and J.C. Simmons of the 86th
Bomb Squadron.
February 25, Algiers Got off about 11 a.m. and had a most
interesting flight. Morocco is very pretty with all its
cultivated fields. Ran into a little weather but made it to
[illegible], where we picked up another ship. Left about 4:30
and landed here where we proceeded to town, ate, and got
billeted in this apartment house, now furnished with army cots.
Hot and cold running water!
February 26, Algiers Spent most all day browsing about in
the rain, buying souvenirs, etc. Got re-billeted in the Central
Touring Hotel where we have real beds but no hot water.
Heard that Miles and Simmons were shot down in the Kasserine
Pass area. They had one hectic day sending out planes singly
and in twos and threes. The Jerries were coming and had to be
stopped. We lost eleven A-20s in one day's operation but the
German drive was stopped and they are now in reverse.
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