Pearl Harbor
The newspapers are all howling over “our great victory at Midway.” Seems as though the Japs got a good pasting. That’s the first fight I’ve been in with them that my side won — all those scrambles in the East Indies always found us making a “strategic withdrawal.” The official announcements say we sank three Jap carriers and damaged two, sank one battleship and damaged another, and in general, tore hell out of cruiser, tankers and troop ships.
Most of our losses were aviation losses in the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. Rumor says the Marines out there were just about wiped out. Heard that Fleming and Fieberling both got it — I hope it isn’t true. To think that after all these months, I got to see them the night before they died.
Those poor damned Marines were flying Brewsters out there. The plane has proved inadequate in Britain, Libya and Singapore, where, in fact, they were named “30 second Brewsters” — 30 seconds to take off and get shot down again! Doesn’t this damned Navy ever learn? These Brewsters might’ve been put to excellent use as training ships, as they were considered easy to handle — but, no, the Navy had to put them out in a spot where they would eventually, without a doubt, be forced into action against Japanese Zero fighters — a plane that has shot down Brewsters all over Malaya and the East Indies.
The Marines also were flying SBDs and SB2Us – also old crates. The Navy was represented by F4Fs, PBY-5As and TBF-1s. The Army had the real damage-inflicting equipment with the B-17Es and B-26s.
Of the four PBYs that went out in the night torpedo attack, only two connected with the enemy and only one launched a torpedo (unsuccessful). We were the one that connected, but didn’t launch.
Went in to town this morning on the quiet and had a look at the Alexandrite rings the Mr. Klumpp of Wichmans got for me from the States. One was a beauty with an exquisite shade of green — the “turn” was an off shade of light reddish brown — not a real red, but still pleasant and definite, with no trace at the former vivid green. Was mounted in good taste with four baguettes in platinum. I bought it for $825.00 — now to find the girl! Left the ring with Wichmans as I have no place to keep it with me. Paid by check — the largest I’ve ever written! Hope that the day will come when I can write big checks more often. Cut back on the station with no one noticing my absence.
Talked to Phillips for awhile this evening. (He’s going out to the Saratoga in the morning — she just pulled in this afternoon with a load of TBFs and SBDs from the States.) He told me that the Navy was experimenting on the East Coast with PBY-5As pulling one or two fighters on a long cable for ferry hops. A good idea except for one thing — the fatigue of the fighter plane pilot after the first four hours!
Went down to the desk to look at the schedule and ran into Al Frank! He had just come in on the Sara with his old shadow – Bill Henry. Last time I saw those two was about ten months ago — last September to be exact, when I rode with them on an OS2U ferry hop from the New York (Floyd Bennett) to Chicago, via Philadelphia and Cleveland. A good pair of boys, especially Frank. He said he was married recently to some Florida girl.
Squadron called and said we could have tomorrow off.