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Show ir irAMERICA AMERICAIN AMERICAI AMERICA I IN ACTION ACTIONGnOUND ACTIONGROUND GnOUND GROUND CttCWS CRIWS VILEWS ! ; ' . INGENUITY INGENUinrU INGENUITYIS IS WHAT WIIAT K.i Ki UEI.FK UEIFK KELPS . : . ! Ell EM FLYINGThe FLYING FLYINGTha Tha The unsung undecorated soldiers soldierswho soldierswho saldierawho . " ' " . of the theann thearmy thaanny who keep am em fiying-men fiying men flytng-men flytng flying - men ann army , . air force forces * ground crews- crews crewswould crewswould craws-would craws would - - would hava have their full fun share of ae- ae ac- ac aeclaltn acclaim ac acclaim - - : claim claltn An " " 1 i medals meOuls meells If tt 11 the fliers tiers filers ! who whoman whoman whoman man America a s warplanes had bad 1elr their 1elrway theirway theirway way , , the war department dlsC'losedThe disclosedThe disclosed dlsC'losed dlsClosed disclosedThe ' The unassumine unassuming efficiency and In IngenuJty Ingenuity Ingenulty genuJty genuity of the ground crewmen was washailed washailed washailed hailed by fliers who hava have returned returnedto returnedto returnedto to the United States after months monthsof monthsof monthsof of service aervice in battle zoneq zone " around the theworld theworld theworld world Stationed temporarily at the thearmy thearmy thaarmy army air forces redistribution sta sta- station sta- sta station station - - tion No 1 I Atlantic City N J they theycited theycited theycited cited instance after atter instance In which whichmechanics whichmechanics whichmechanics mechanics earned tha the right to as asmt asmtch aanil mt mtch ch credit for the success of our ourmlS ourmissions ourmissions mlS missions lOns as those of at us who fly Oy the thephnes theplines theplinei theplineiWhen phnes plines phnesWhen plinesWhen When there are no tools suitable suitablefor suitablefor suitabiafor for doing a job the ground crewmen crewmenImprovISe crewmenImprovise crewmenimprovite ImprovISe them or work mechan mechanleal mechanical mechanleal leal ical miracles with hammer and andwrench andwrench andwrench wrench When there are no parts partsthey partsthey partsthey they lalvage salvage them from wreckedaircraft wrecked wreckedaircraft wreckedaircraft aircraft including the enemy sand sandwhen s a andwhen and when there Is no sheet metal they theypa theypatch theypatch pa patch tch flak riddled airships with C Cration Cration Cration ration cansAnd cansAnd cans cansAnd And there wera were occasions Ute tjie Utefilers tjiefliers theliers filers fliers ( recall , , when men of the theground thaground ground < round crews stationed close to the thefront thefront thafront front lines temporarily discarded discardedpliers discardedpliers discardedpliers pliers and screwdrivers tor for rifles and andtommy andtommy andtommy tommy guns to fight fleht beside ground groundforces groundforces groundforces forces troopsTypical troopsTypical troops troopsTypical Typical of tha the comments was that thatof thatof thatof of Col Cot William Momyer who commands com com- corn- corn commands cornmands - mands a P-40 P 40 P.40 P40 - . - fighter ghter group and holds holdsthe holdsthe holdsthe the Distinguished Service Cross Crosl He Hehad Hehad Hehad had Uttia little to aay say ay of that and other otherdecorations otherdecorations otherdacorations decorations but said of at the ground groundcrews groundcrews groundcrews groundcrewsI crews crewsI I can t speak too highly blghly of them themThey themThey themThey They did work that they were not nottrained nottrained nottrained trained to do and were not normallyrequired normally normallyrequired normallyrequired required to do They made re- re repairs repairs re repairs - - pairs ordinarily made tar far behind the thelinel thelines thalines linel lines by specialists'Take specialists'Take specialists specialistsTake ' ' Take 'Take our landing at Port Lyautey LyauteyMorocco LyauteyMorocco LyauteyMorocco Morocco when tha the Allies Invaded InvadedNorth InvadedNorth InvadedNorth North Africa Soma Some of our men went wentin wentin wentin in with the first rst waves of ot landmg landing landmgboats landingboats landingboats boats and helped storm a fort After Aftera a coupla couple of days fighting in wh ch chsome chsome chsome some wera were wounded they moved In Inat inat inat at tha the alrdroma airdrome and filled in holes holesIn holesin holesIn In tha the field Then they went to work workon workon workon on our planes which had landed landedfrom landedfrom landedfrom from carriersThere carriers carriersThere carriersThere There wera were no factories to fall fail fallback failback fallback back on tor for parts If a delicate In Instrument instrument instrument strument failed faUed they just made itwork It Itwork Itwork work Our ground crews were al always always always ways within 50 miles of the front frontThey frontThey frontThey They were bombed constantly At AtSalerno AtSalerno AtSalerno Salerno tor for example we were with within withIn within in artillery range lor for five flve or six sixdays sixdays sixdays sixdaysFirst days daysFirst First Lieut Lleut Martin E Kesten Kestenbaum Kestenbaum Kcstenbaum baum credited tha the caving saving of a tall tail tallgunner tailgunner tailgunner gunner s life to the tbe Ingenuity of a aground aground aground ground crew chief who had nceed rigged a asystem asystem asystem system of inter plane signal lights to tosupplement tosupplement tosupplement supplement tha the bell alarm system sysiem on onthe onthe onthe the Flying rlylng rlythg Fortress under his care careDuring careDuring careDuring During a later mission the ta 1 I gun gunner gunnec e"nner enner " ner nec s oxygen equipment ta fa Ia led T 0 o 0weak oweak oweak weak to ask assistance over the theinterphone theinterphone theinterphone interphone ha he managed to leanagainst lean leanagainst leanagainst against the signal light switch ThE Thepilot Thepilot ' pilot sent help and the distressed distressedman distressedman distressedman man s oxygen supply was restoredDespite restoredDespite restored restoredi i Despite sandstorms and the stressof stress stressof stressof of combat flying which frequently frequentlyUmlt frequentlylimit frequentlylimit Umlt limit aircraft engine life to 25 to 50 50hours 50hours 50hours hours ground crews of his Marauder Marauderbomber Marauderbomber Marauderbomber bomber squadron kept engines engmes opcrating op- op operating op operating - - erating crating for 200 hours said Capt CaptGeorge CaptGeorge CaptGeorge George V LaneAnother LaneAnother Lane LaneAnother Another efficiency etbciency aid was turned turnedout turnedout turnedout out by a parachute repair man on onNew onNew onNew New Guinea who replaced the foot foottreadle foottreadle toottreadle treadle on his sewing machine machme with witha witha a small motor taken from a useless uselessairplane uselessairplane uselessairplaneR airplane airplaneReleaaed airplaneReleased Releaaed Released la * eJ by kyWffm W"atem Watem Western " Newspaper N w a r Union UaJ a |