| Show U. U S. S S Air Assault of Crete Aims To Knock Nazi Isle Out of War WarBy By EDWARD KENNEDY OVER CRETE WITH THE U. U S. S AIR FORCE Jan 2 Delayed Delayed De- De ayed We lP We We are bombing Crete today as part of a great effort to knock that island out as a G German a air r base We have a number of points to to prove One On is that the Germans were vere not so smart as they thought they hey were when they hey took the island with parachutists parachutists para- para S so they could use it as asan s an n offensive air base ase against the middle east S We are trying 5 to o do to Crete I the lie very thing k they hey attempted to o do to Malta a x tew ew months ago tand t l 1 rt J h. h and and failed We took off Ken Kennedy edy from froma rom roma a 8 secret assembling assembling as- as embling point somewhere In the middle east in a a. large Jarge formation of B 2 B 24 Liberators This raid is highly strategic We are to go over their main main- fighter air field at Kastella southeast of Candia and smash up their runway runway runway run run- way so no fighters can take off Then medium bombers bombers B B 25 Mitchells are are to come in at a aI I much nuch lower Jower altitude and destroy I their heir planes on the field The man man who planned this raid must have had imagination He happens lappens to be piloting the plane I am ann in Lieutenant In-Lieutenant Colonel A A. F. F Kalberer of Lafayette Ind md He was an air line pilot in the United States and then became chief pilot for tor K L M the Dutch air line He kept that job after the he invasion of Holland as K L M continued to operate operate and and to be one of the best air lines in the world despite world despite the collapse of its home country He went to America at his own expense to join the U. U S S. S air force and speaking of coincidences arrived arrived ar ar- ar- ar rived the day the Japanese attacked at at- tacked Pearl Harbor He led the first raid of American planes from the middle east against the Rumanian Ru Ru- manian Janian oil fields He also led Jed the second raid which was against the Italian fleet and nd highly successful Strike Out for Crete Orete Colonel George F. F McGuire of Coffeyville Kan is leading this raid and Kalberer is in command of the final formation of our planes We take off We get in position and then we strike out over the sea stra straight for Crete We ascend We are so high now that no creature can live without oxygen at this height No eagle or any other bird has ever flown so high as v we e are We Weare Weare Weare are going to to fool them this time by coming i in higher than they expect expect ex ex- us to It is hard to see much at this height but we can see mountains and valleys of Crete and above all aU we can see one thing we want to see which is that runway and it stands out like a sore thumb We go across it and let the bombs drop Do we get that runway runway runway run run- way way We not only get it but we get a fighter plane taking off on it That plane will never take takeoff takeoff takeoff off on any runway again Our own plane Babe the Big Blue Ox hangs a little behind In case there is any part of that runway the others have missed we weare weare weare are going to get it We find one gap on a a. little stretch they missed We go for that and smash it up We have done our job and all aU we have to do now is to run home as fast as aa we can which is very I fast Some ack-ack ack bursts but butI I not very near to our plane One I plane Poison Ivy gets a burst under the right wing and the blast lifts its wing almost vertical but it gets po no holes It straightens out and comes along home with us Medium Bombers Below V Just as we leave we see the medium medium medium me me- bombers going in much below below be be- low Jow us That is their affair We dont don't know it at the time but those five which hovered above us and did not attack attack attack at at- tack us went after the mediums The mediums had a rough time and shot down one fighter On that field were 20 fighters several bombers and night fighters Most of them are arc smashed up now and no fighters can get off that runway to resist other bombings by the R A F which also took of off for Crete today and is over Tunisia Tunisia Tunisia Tu Tu- Tu- Tu nisia too Soon we see land again We Weare Weare Weare are over the Nile delta looking down at farmers plowing those marvelously fertile fields It is very green and looks good |
