VOL. II NO. 19 REG NO. L5015 DELHI, THURSDAY JANUARY 20, 1944.
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For our money, screen newcomer Joan Lawrence is lots of lady, so we're giving her lots of space right here on
Page 1. The caption accompanying this picture says Joan got a screen contract the moment a producer saw her
in this dress. We have a sneaking suspicion we know why, don't you? Personally we're always interested
in dresses of this type. After all, what's happened to the Law of Gravitation? In other words - what
holds the darned thing up?
14TH AIR FORCE HQ. - For the second time in the war, Liberators of the 14th Air Force attacked the Japanese island of Formosa, 560 miles from Japan itself. In a night raid they dropped 12 tons of bombs on the aluminum plant at Takao. Large fires were observed. Intense anti-aircraft was encountered but all planes returned.
Other Liberators flew to Bangkok, in Thailand, dropping 15 tons of bombs on the Bangsue Railroad yards, sending smoke 5,000 feet into the air. All aircraft returned safely.
Earlier in the week, fighter-bombers attacked the railroad bridge and facilities at Kienchang, scoring direct hits on the railroad tracks, after which a train was bombed. The locomotive exploded and over 100 casualties were inflicted on the enemy. The same day, Mitchells, with fighter escort, on a sweep over the Yangtze River, destroyed a 75-foot launch, two 100-foot barges and bombed and strafed two gunboats. Then they hit the railroad bridge at Teian and the tracks 10 miles south of Kiukiang.
Leaving the target, the bombers were intercepted by Jap aircraft. One Zero was shot down, one probably destroyed and three damaged. Other Mitchells attacked three river tankers near Wusuoh, leaving them in flames. A 70-foot launch was also sunk. From this mission two American aircraft failed to return.
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On Jan. 11, three Japanese bombers, with fighter escort, attempted to bomb a forward base. All three bombers were shot down with no loss to American interceptors.
Several days later, Mitchells bombed four ships, ranging from 800 to 900 tons, near Fort Bayard on the Kwangchowwan Peninsula. One of the vessels blew up and the other three were damaged. Continuing on their mission, they bombed the warehouses at the Fort and strafed the cavalry barracks and radio station. Western Yunnan Province was also strafed and bombed by fighter-bombers. All planes returned.
On the same day, Liberators made a sea sweep of the South China Coast, probably sinking a 1,100-ton gun boat and a 2,700-ton freighter. Mitchells hit Japanese installations on Weighchow island in the Tung Ting Gulf.
Eisenhower Assumes Invasion Force Post
LONDON - Gen. Dwight Eisenhower has assumed his duties here as commander of the invasion forces. On his journey from the Mediterranean to London, he held a conference with President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
The suggestion was made at the Teheran Conference that Britain, Russia and the United States should each garrison one-third of Germany when Allied military forces, under Eisenhower, establish control of Germany, according to an article published in the Army and Navy Journal. It was not stated if the proposal had been accepted.
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
POLISH ACE TO JOIN FELLOW NATIONALS
CHINA - (OWI) - Now en route to Europe to rejoin his fellow Polish nationals is Maj. Witeld Urbanowicz, who arrived in China during October as a 14th Air Force volunteer, downed two Jap Zeros in the battle for Chang Teh, destroyed 15 enemy boats on Tung Ting lake and dropped food and ammunition to the besieged Chinese soldiers of Chang Teh.
Previous to joining the 14th Air Force, Urbanowicz downed 15 German planes during the Battle of Britain and also fought for Poland early in the war.
Designed at first for presentation only in the remote, upper Assam home base of its cast, the G.I. variety show Hump Happy has far overstepped its original plans. Having completed a tour of all India and Assam, the soldier show prepared this week to debark on its international jaunt to conqueror other worlds, spread laughs in other quarters and add to its growing popularity. Its future itinerary is indefinite, but its laughs are sure. The boys think they may hit the Middle East, North Africa, Italy... and the U.S.A.
A dozen enlisted men and two officers now put on the show, which played 25 engagements in 30 days up the Ledo Road and in even the most remote spots of the Theater. Maj. Clark Robinson, a veteran entertainment figure, was behind the boys from their start and traveled with them. It was while doing advance work for the show that he met with a fatal accident. Lt. Jack Yule handles the advance details and Lt. Creth Lloyd travels with the troupe now.
Al Roth, for 12 years in the show business in New York, is Hump Happy's director and has surrounded himself with talented lads. The show lasts more than two hours and requires numerous costume changes and new faces for the boys - but they don't seem to mind. They enjoy G.I. laughter.
Brooklyn's George Davis is master of ceremonies and others in the cast are M/Sgt. John Cobb, S/Sgt. Dalton Savage, Sgt. John Newman, Sgt. John Sydow, Sgt. John Hupfel, Cpl. Winston Wenige, Cpl. Al Pestcoe, Pfc. Bob McCollum, Pfc. Al Holden, Pvt. Lawrence Fishman and the director, Roth.
Pictured above you see in No. 1 a scene of a burlesque of the well-known radio show, Court of Missing Heirs, Newman, Savage, Davis, McCollum and Hupfel. Pet line of Davis in No. 2 as he fondly strokes the "lovely miss" (Cobb) is: "But we had a nice time." (His pleas are unanswered). Newman, an operatic tenor, gives forth with "Begin the Beguine" in No. 3.
The featured Andrews sisters are hep to jive in No. 4, same being Hupfel, Cobb and Sydow. Memories of Texas came back with the cowboy quartet of Holden, Cobb, McCollum and Savage. Fashion parade, no less, is No. 6 with Davis serving as the "Madame" who describes the outfit worn by Roth. (Um, he ain't so bad, fellows).
Hupfel and Sydow add a dramatic scene with No. 7 and Wenige gets a going-over by Hupfel in the next scene, "Lost on a Desert Isle." The grand finale features the entire company, reading left to right: Pestcoe, Hupfel, McCollom, Davis, Cobb, Newman, Roth, Sydow and Savage.
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Brig. Gen. R. C. Hood, Jr., awards the Soldiers Medal by direction of the President, to Capt. Lewis W.
Bond, Jr., Lt. Amil C. Stafford and Sgt. Vernon E. Davis, all of the 14th Air Force. They were honored for heroism
in a transport crash near an airdrome in China on My 18, 1943. First to arrive at the scene of the accident, they
entered the plane, which was in flames, to save whatever equipment was removable. The men were finally driven from
the plane after all fire-fighting material was exhausted and the tank exploded, filling the plane with smoke and
phosgene gas.
58 NEW MEDALS AWARDED
TO 14TH AIR FORCE FLIERS
14TH A.F. HQ. - The 14th Air Force last week announced the award of 58 decorations, including the Silver Star, Soldier's Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Oak Leaf Cluster and the Purple Heart.
Col. Morris F. Taber and Lts. George T. Grottle, Willard L. Bolton and Francis H. Beck received the Silver Star. Taber was honored for displaying "outstanding gallantry in action while leading four medium bombardment planes in a low-level bombing mission on Kiungshaw harbor in occupied China. He remained over the harbor after being attacked by enemy planes in order to destroy as much equipment as possible and also caused the destruction of one twin-engine enemy plane."
Grottle, in addition to receiving the Silver Star, was awarded the Air Medal. He carried out low-level flying tactics to inflict heavy damage on the enemy in heavily defended areas without fighter escort. Only volunteers participated in these operations. Bolton, on a river sweep, continued to fight when he was justified in returning with his greatly damaged plane to his base.
In complete disregard of his personal safety, Beck continued on a mission after his fuselage tank was hit by enemy fire.
The Soldier's Medal was awarded to Maj. Lyman Lockwood for heroism at an American base in China when a transport plane caught fire after landing. He finally extinguished the flames and saved valuable equipment.
The Distinguished Flying Cross was awarded to Capts. William R. Crooks and Charles F. Whiffen, Jr., Lts. Winfree A. Sordelett, Davis G. Anderson, Fernand L. Harring, Jr., Harold E. Searle, Reuben W. Hendrickson and Edward J. Pawlowski, T/Sgts. Stanley L. Marshall, Robert M. Kirk, Joseph E. Mooney, Kenneth C. Prothe, S/Sgts. Mario R. Galluzzo and Charles E. Edwards, Pvt. Frank E. Norton.
Additional Air Medals: Capts. Cleve L. Bingham and Guy P. Baird, Jr., N. S. Nickles, Raymond J. Mazonowski; Lts. Edgar N. Gentry, Herbert F. Hempe, Ralph Kamhi, George E. Dykstra, Carl J. Levalle, T/Sgt. Frank E. Osborne, S/Sgts. Lorren Morris, Alfred B. Carraway, George A. Atack, Ray T. Hamilton. Golden M. Gallup.
The Purple Heart: Capt. Guy P. Baird, Lloyd J. Murphy, Don H. Milan; Lts. Curtis L. Scoville, Seaborn V. Howard, Francis C. Forbes, Harry W. Bingham, Herbert W. Oglesby, Jack E. Booth, James W. Funk, Frederick W. Breese; T/Sgts. Arthur J. Benko (missing in action), Lester A. Harned, Jr., Robert H. Chiarello; S/Sgts. Caspar J. Chirielsison, Albert N. Keene, William J. Holtz, Arthur B. Smith.
Oak Leaf Cluster: Capts. Guy P. Baird and Raymond J. Mazonowski.
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Weather Fails To Stop EAC Attacks On Japs
Weather continued to hamper activity in some sections of the Burma front this week, but the Eastern Air Command managed to maintain its sustained attacks on Japanese troop concentrations, supplies and communications lines.
On the night of Jan. 10-11, a large formation of U.S. heavy bombers of the Strategic Air Force, under Brig. Gen. Howard C. Davidson, went back to Bangkok to pound the Bansue railroad yards and the Don Muang air field, starting many fires. A smaller group picked on battered Akyab. On the day of Jan. 11 fighter-bombers swept over the Hukawng Valley, where American-trained Chinese troops have taken two more villages. Heavy damage to personnel, stores and transportation was caused in the Mogaung-Kamaing area. The next day mediums and fighter-bombers went to Southern Burma and hit the Letpadan marshalling yards, damaging warehouses, engine sheds, and auxiliary buildings. Fires also were started at nearby Myohaung landing ground.
BRIDGE HIT
On the 12th, mediums and fighter-bombers also hit a railroad bridge near Manywet, and the next day backed up ground troops by hitting Japanese troops and supplies on a large scale in the vicinity of Kamaing. Myitkyina airfield was subjected to a low-level attack by mediums and fighter-bombers the same day, and the railroad bridge near Namti also was damaged.
Myitkyina took it again on Jan. 16, when the center runway was rendered unserviceable, and the attacking planes rounded off their attack by destroying considerable shipping on the Irrawaddy. Large formations of fighter-bombers continued their support of ground forces with heavy attacks in the Sawnghka and Shadazup areas.
RAF ACTIVE
On Jan. 17, large formations of heavy and medium bombers of the Strategic Air Force dropped nearly 20 tons on Kyaukchaw, in the hills northwest of Pantha, with excellent results.
During the period the RAF also was active in all sectors, hacking away at shipping and communications lines and pounding Japanese concentrations.
Old 168 Sets 10th Air Force Mark; 100 Flights, No Turnbacks
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ASSAM AIR BASE - It is no longer uncommon for medium bombers of the 10th Air Force to pile up 100 combat missions over Burma - three alone in one outfit, the Skull and Wings, have done it - but the fact remains that the night "Old 168" was dropping her death and destruction on an enemy airfield she was also becoming the first medium in this theater to complete five-score missions without a turnback due to mechanical difficulty.
Until the reliable old craft chalked up her perfect mark, a three to five percent average in turnbacks had been among the lowest recorded.
Credit for an excellent maintenance job must go to the ground crew headed by T/Sgt. David N. George of Rifle, Colo., and including Sgts. Jerome V. Bakunas of Cliffside, N.J. and Walter F. Skora of Chicago, Ill., plus Cpl. Al Van Hamilton of Cherryvale, Kans. George has been with the ship since its first mission almost a year ago and has nursed and tended her over many a rough spot. Bakunas is assistant crew chief and Hamilton the ship's armorer. The latter, too, has been with the plane through its record run.
DAY OF TRIUMPH
Flying "168" on her day of triumph were Capt. Robert A. Erdin, pilot, Columbia, S.C., Lt. George F. Smith, co-pilot, Wilmington, Del., Lt. John M. Schrader, navigator, Anchorage, Ky., Lt. Henry L. Gronininger, bombardier, Laureldale, pa., T/Sgt. Harry A. Shay, radio-gunner, St. Johnsville, N.Y., S/Sgt. Bernard hall, engineer-gunner, Philadelphia, Pa., and George, the crew chief, who would have been along on his ship's 100th mission had he been forced to stow away. Capt. E. C. Weatherly, now commanding officer of a sister outfit, was 168's pilot, staying with her through her first 47 flights.
Ack-ack over Chaulk last July almost permanently cut short 168's record-breaking activities. However, despite a badly shot-up wing, a bunged-up engine, and two damaged gas tanks, she managed to limp back to her home base for hospitalization. When she took to the air again it was with a new wing and new engine.
ONLY ONE CASUALTY
In all the time "Old 168" has been giving the Jap hell in Burma, only once was a crew member injured as a result of enemy action, that injury being little more than superficial. Thus she's been a lucky ship in more than one way.
From now on, every time 168 flies she will add to an already illustrious record.
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Lt. J. J. Daniels, center for QM jumps for the ball against Chungking's pivot man at the start of the international
game. No. 5 is Cpl. J. J. Chapman, coming in to take the tip.
Harold (Jug) McSpaden won the $12,500 Los Angeles Golf Tournament last week, but who wants to see that mug's picture?
Wouldn't you rather gaze at lovely Noel Neill, who was the tournament's official "Golf Girl?" She didn't distract
McSpaden, whose 278 set a new course record, but who'd want to play golf even for that money with folks like Noel around.
AMERICAN CAGERS TAKE CLOSE TRIUMPH
LATE RALLY BRINGS WIN OVER CHINESE 38-34
CHINA - basketball reached its peak here in an early January meeting between the Y-Force Quartermaster quintet and the Chungking All-Stars, a team of picked players from China's capital city, including men who represented this country in the 1936 Olympic Games at Berlin. The United States club rallied for a 38-34 victory.
The City Stadium court, a large outdoor arena, was surrounded by 4,000 cheering fans, watching the night game played by floodlights, from the side. Prior to the game, China's minister of education, Dr. Chung, presented each team with a large, silken Chinese banner and afterwards the two teams exchanged pennants in a token of friendship.
Chungking rolled up nine points in the first two minutes of play, but an American rally put the visitors ahead, 18-17, at intermission. Fast action in the second half kept the score close. (By T/5th John Uldrich).
NURSES BLAST OFFICERS IN SOFTBALL BATTLE
AIDED BY STRANGE, NOVEL UMPIRING, 15-12
WEST INDIAN HOSPITAL - Still a laughing subject here is the recent slap-happy softball games between the hospital nurses' and officers' teams. The nurses were victorious, 15-12, over the officers, who were selected either for sense of humor - or lack of practice - or both.
Darkness . . . and aching arches . . . halted the games, but not until the spectators were in pain . . . from belly-laughs galore. The weather was perfect, matching the nurses; the umpires were chivalrous - so the doctors had little chance. The overflowing crowd cheers the fems, booed the officers and umpires, who made up their own rules as the game grew older.
As an umpire, Capt. Kazar made a good master of ceremonies. He enjoyed his work immensely, called out the men at the slightest chance, helped the nurses around the bases, and personally collaborated in hidden ball tricks by slipping the ball to the females third baseman and then talking to the officer base runner until he coaxed him off the sack so he could be tagged out.
Joe E. Brown took over the umpiring duties in the sixth and the nurses still had a friend to aid them, if they needed aid. Brown took time out to pose for pictures, squelched would-be hecklers into a deep crimson color, and otherwise enlivened the tilt.
Brown's first decision made him pause after the ball crossed the plate. He turned to the batter, "What's your rank?"
"Colonel," shouted the batter.
"Ball," yelled Brown, opening his mouth to about three-quarters size, or just a bit larger than an overgrown pumpkin.
But mixed in with all of this, there were flashes of good playing. The nurses slammed four homers, two by Yavorsky and one each by Elder and Coggeshall, among their 14 hits. Brown and Scott homered for the men, who got 16 safeties. Hymes and Jordan banged out three hits each for the losers and Seederly, of the ARC, obtained under lend-lease by the nurses, hit safely on both trips to the plate.
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These pretty nurses recently proved better softballers than the doctors at a West Indian Hospital sports
extravaganza. The gals won, 15-12, showing plenty of class. Left to right on this all-American lineup are: Gostovich,
Weymouth, Britz, McCullough, Elder, Houtma, Conklin, Sweigert and Yavorsky . . . Yes we said nurses softball team,
not the Fordham grid club, regardless of what you think.
A PARODY WITH APOLOGIES (After Wordsworth's "The World is Too Much With Us.") Assam is too much with us, night and noon. Leasing and lending we lay waste our powers; Each minute in India seems like hours - Our once black hair more grey with each monsoon. The Indian folk who think the soldiers are a boon, The jackals that are howling at all hours, The buzzards brooding on the distant towers - For this, for everything, we are out of tune. It gets too hot. Snafu, I'd rather be Back home in that dear land where I was born; Broadway and Times Square mean the world to me And Brooklyn, too (do I see smiling scorn?) To see the Lady known as Liberty, And hear our Harry blow his frantic horn. - By Pvt. JOSEPH SCOPP. I watched him glide in all directions - He'll land or leave were my detections; He dove in low and buzzed my brow. I swung and thought, "I've got him now." But he's quite fast as I could see A five-fingered mark's all that happened to me. At last he did it - on my chubby wrist. A landing field was on his list. I dared not move for fear he'd go Without first seeing the three-star show. First, I'd take a careful aim Intending to kill and not just maim. Second, I'd swing a powerful right To finish one pest, at least for tonight. Eternal sleep, the third would be And he'd never bite you and none the less me. At last this heroic bout was won A righteous task so honorably done. And now that fattened insect's gone To mosquito heaven to do no more harm. - By Lt. MIRIAM WARTELL, ANC |
May Peterson should strike a responsive chord in hearts of CBI-landers, for the lovely Washington, D.C. dancer
is willing to be a pin-up girl ONLY for overseas G.I.'s. She is sponsored by Curly Caminita (Washington, D.C.
Press Club), who edits the Capital Roundup, a lively, uninhibited gossipy fishwrapper sent to servicemen in
all parts of the world. If you want a pin-up picture of May inscribed with tender sentiments, drop a note to Curly.
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Which of these two lovely lasses do you think was recently selected "Miss Advertising Pin-Up Girl" by the Chicago
Federated Advertising Club? Surprise, surprise! The winner is the one you haven't looked at yet, in the
demur plaid dress and pigtails, whose name is Marilyn Sobyn. The lady in the glorified rompers is Dee Turnell,
a model for paper dolls.
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HOME-GROWN SOLDIER SHOW
WOWS 'EM AT ASSAM BASE
UPPER ASSAM BASE - Hurry Up and Wait, an all-G.I. variety show, brought Broadway to an Upper Assam base in a recent performance before 1,000 enlisted men, officers and nurses. A Special Service Unit production, the show was smoothly professional in material and presentation, featuring several well-known entertainers know in khaki.
The original songs for the show, Gee I Love You, Babe, I'm Just an Old Barracks Bag and I See the Captain, were written by Cpl. Ray Hulse, rotund Baltimore radio and night club personality, and arranged by Cpl. Dave Tamburri, noted Pittsburg purveyor of boogie-woogie. Master of Ceremonies was glib Pvt. Bob Swearingen, also of Baltimore. Pfc. Rolly Beck, diminutive Broadway comedian, who is one of the funniest guys in or out of uniform, panicked the audience with his fast-breaking routine. Even the Indian gate-crashers loved it, without understanding a word.
The musical highlight of Hurry Up and Wait was the playing of Pvt. Rolando Valdes Blain, famed Cuban concert guitarist, who was a Carnegie Hall and N.B.C. soloist prior to his induction, and Pvt. Anastasio Castillo, skilled guitarist interpreter of Latin-American folk rhythms. Pvt. Murray Minister, a pre-war radio announcer in Pittsburgh, won applause for his portrayal of the female character in a skit involving an off-center matron and a butcher boy.
Other standouts were Pfc. Frank Romano, half of a celebrated Broadway dance team, and Pvt. John Shoepperle of Short Hills, N.J., a magician with Shakesperean overtones - vestiges of an earlier stage career. Only non-G.I. to appear in the show was Don Barclay, the Hollywood caricaturist.
Hurry up and Wait was produced and directed by Cpl. Gerald Hanchett, one-time associate of Shirley Booth, the star of "My Sister Eilieen." The entire production was under the supervision of T/5 James P. Freeman, of Washington, D.C.
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FORMED IN C.B.I. BY CORPORAL IN CHINA
By Lt. FRANK S. WRIGHT
CHINA - It all happened at a rest camp "somewhere in China."
Freed of the cares of his clerical duties and spared the routine of daily military life, Cpl. Klyne F. Pearcy, of a fighter organization in the land of the chop-stick, had only to rest and rest and rest - and dream and dream and dream.
It was too good an opportunity to resist, so why not, he mused, be realistic about those dreams - why not write Dorothy June how madly in love he is with her and how she must meet him at the boat after the war ends, so they can hasten to the parson.
But there was Mary Ann, too, whom Pearcy dreamed he loved madly, and so hw must write and suggest to her that eternal happiness would be his if she would but consent to be his bride.
And so both letter were written in Pearcy's most gallant style. The word literally dripped with honey as he bathed his superlatives in the language of the Goddess of Love. The two letters sailed away for the homeland.
Surely, time and fortune would be good to him. There was a 50-50 chance one would accept. If both should, he reasoned, he somehow could manage. It was important now that he plan positively for the future and be assured of at least one sweet woman when he reached home.
"Tis a sad, sad story. Pearcy sleeps restlessly these nights. Came a letter the other day. It was from Dorothy June. But lo, she had received the letter which Pearcy had written to Mary Ann.
Perhaps he really intended to marry both girls - just a bigamist at heart. Now he's in the hottest romantic stew that an ambitious Dan Cupid ever conceived.
And so I nominate Pearcy to be the founder of a new and exclusive G.I. organization - The "I Put My Foot Into It From Over Here Club," and the membership will be limited to those who fogged up from this side of the world, who can't put the blame on some civilian back home for swiping his girl's affections - just for G.I.'s (and officers too) who fumbled the romance from "Somewhere in the CBI Theater."
Just step up, men, those of you who can qualify - address your griefs to the unintentional founder of the club, Cpl. Pearcy, c/o of a fighter group, APO 627.
The C.B.I. Roundup is a weekly newspaper published by and for the men of the United States Army Forces in China, Burma, and India, from news and pictures supplied by staff members, soldier correspondents, the United Press, and the War Department. The Roundup is published Thursday of each week and is printed by The Statesman in New Delhi, India. Editorial matter should be sent directly to Lt. Floyd Walter, Rear Echelon Hq., U.S.A.F., C.B.I., New Delhi, and should arrive not later than Monday in order to make that week's issue. Pictures must arrive by Sunday and must be negatives or enlargements. Stories should contain full name and organization of sender.
JANUARY 20, 1944
Original issue of C.B.I. Roundup shared by Ruth Canney, widow of CBI veteran John Canney.
Copyright © 2007 Carl Warren Weidenburner
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