European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 19, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Verne Williams the flight control sergeant on a heavy bomber Field sees a lot of funny but one of the biggest surprises i Ever had came the night Jeremiah Cartwright ii was flight control when i saw the majors name on the operations schedule i figured that any Guy with a name like that was a but that night when we were sweating that last Liberator in from the bombing Range i sort of changed my when i came Back from in the other end of base it was about 7 Oclock on one of those lat summer evenings in the major was sitting with his feet propped on the looking at the fortresses on the theres a front moving in from the i and the weather officer says Well have gusts of 35 to 50 Miles an the major knew being just Back from the Aleu and i could Tell he didst like the he Call the control Tower and Tell them the Field is closed until further i clicked the intercom set and yelled up to the wac in the then the major wanted to know where All our ships he could have seen the Wal High blackboard with the missions All chalked out As Well As i but he was looking out through the window at the Cloud in the first on the Board were a couple of b24s flying a formation round Robin to Kansas but they we rent due in for More than four a b17 was coming in from but he was Well behind this local front moving across but there was a Liberator that had left at an hour for the badlands gunnery and bombing i called them All off to Jeremiah Cartwright and he stood there look ing Cut the window at the blackness creeping Down from the Ever see a sergeant he still looking out at the sky above the narrow con Crete Landing strips that ran like White ribbons across a dark Green i weve had some close ones since Ive been but the boys always got them Down in one the major was looking North at the fading and i could Tell he was thinking of something maybe a Long Way it was Tricky up in the he that where these fronts weather offi cers can Only guess and pilots can Only youd aim your wheels for the strip of mud we called a and then youd Pray for the wind to be quiet a couple of seconds while your wheels skidded onto the Mats at 100 Miles an hour then the intercom set clicked and i never heard the the was voice came Over the speaker from up in the control Tower and i knew that flight control was in for ship she requests permission to return to the one motor that was the Liberator loaded with bombs for the bad lands practice the major had trouble All a four engined bomber cant land on just any and the rest of our Kansas Fields were As closed As we but the major turned to me and said have the Tower give him the weather and Tell Hirn to Fly above it until were open i yelled it up to the but i had a Hunch it want going to be As easy As the major stood outside glaring at the North As though he could turn that Ink Lack pile of cumulonimbus Back to the Bering the ground Crews were running All Over the tying Down the parked forts and libera when the Tower wac snapped through again on the intercom ship 1330 reports inboard port motor on Hes about 30 minutes out from the and weather had said that the would hit us in about half an the major  turn a Liberator full of 500 Pound demolition stuff Loose on the and if she piled up out there on the there  be anything left but a big Hole and pieces of Liberator scattered a around i went out where the major was holding silent communion with the storm and told him the sad that was my first Jeremiah Cartwright ii turned a Pale Green and sagged like id slugged him in the he was in a Tough but it was tougher for the 10 men sitting All alone in the sky with a fire breathing Down their necks and a Load of 500pound live bombs under them for seat the thick Cloud Sheet to the North leaned Over the Field like a heavy Blanket being drawn Over a the major turned from the North to the South a couple of As if he were watching a Tennis and the lines in his face were too heavy for a Man in his he walked into operations and came Back with the weather they stood outside look ing at the sky As though they didst believe the cold numbers on the charts hanging under the big Blue fluorescent in the weather officer was waving his hands at places in the leaning Cloud Sheet and looking at the he didst need to Tell the major what was inside one of those Thunder Heads they were old acquaintances of Jeremiah Cartwright then there was a ripping crash of Thunder out on the North Edge of the and our lights were id seen that happen before and i knew id be probably working by flashlight the rest of the i could still make out the ship numbers and stuff chalked on the Wall Black but the storm had absorbed the still hour High Sun until you  even Tell its direction out across the pretty soon weather went hurriedly Back to his charts and the major came walking slowly i figured his mind was made and it he slowly like a order the Pilot to have his Crew bail and he for the hell need him at the other wheel when that Black thing outside gets hold of the i passed Iton to the i figured the major didst give the pilots even a 5050 Chance of getting her Down in one piece when he ordered the Crew to float out All Over the Kansas coun i could see that he was thinking what might be left of one of those numerous Little Kansas towns if that flying bomb were abandoned to Hunt its own Landing we stood there at the Cartwright and sweating that ship in from the South and watching the storm flanking us from the the majors face was drawn and and then his lips i thought it sounded the colonel would want it that and i wondered if he were talking to sir i by the surprised look on his face i knew hed been talking to himself without realizing to my Jeremiah cart he was killed at Gettysburg leading a hopeless charge against the Union he left a line to his son scrawled with a Saber tip in the dirt where he fell soldiers never no cart Wright Ever i didst see what the colonel had to do with the problem we then we heard the Siren wailing and we knew the Tower must have picked up the ship Down in the the major and t ran we  see anything but dark Clouds to the d big drops of rain spattered in our faces when we turned the ambulance went wailing out to the Edge of the North South runway and behind it came the heavy foam truck with its huge then came the procession of crash the fire engines and the looking like Little headings flashed brightly among the hang ars up and Down the line As ground crewmen climbed into jeeps and Rode out among the parked planes to watch the i could see men scurrying out from the hangars by the Blue sort of Light that was still left in the but it was inky Black overhead and in the the major and i had to stay there in front of flight control in Case the Tower called but i thought for a minute that he was going to Flag Down a jeep that came flashing headed for the procession of headlights lined up like a spectators gallery at the far Edge of the red warning lights flashed from ail the trucks waiting out they be streaking for the bomber almost before it touched the then i noticed that the major was looking intently into the blackness Over the he see there by that lighter Patch of Cloud int that a ships red running Light that was no ships running Light that was a motor and half a Wing glowing like the Coil in an electric before i Felt it i could hear the wind pelting the big drops of rain on the tin hangar roofs in a staccato drum it moaned through the props and mooring lines of the parked planes and hit the Field like a right the Flash ing red lights on the Edge of the ramp began to move toward the South Edge of the then stopped the ship didst make any approach turn but came sliding Down out of the sky like a falling and then the major was running like mad toward the runway 300 Yards out and i was trailing crazily after dodging the Wing tip of a parked i didst see the ship when it pulled up and levelled off neatly at the end of the but i Felt the wind Slacken and the air grow the major stopped and i saw his lips moving As if he were talking to the i watched that Liberator with the blazing red Eye in the port Wing come into a sea of dead Calm she sat Down heavily with a Little lurch As if she were glad to be and a big sigh went up All Over that but it was Only the wind coming Back As if it had never been and it took Over the Field with a screaming the foam truck landed on the blazing motor with a White Frothy steam almost before the ship had stopped and the major stood there in the darkness with his shirt bullying full of air and the far off look in his eyes a Little later i sat in the silent office by the big copying from the liberators flight plan into the emergency Landing Book we had to i figured id better enter the co pilots name As Well As the and i shone the flashlight Down the Crew then i understood something i haunt understood Clear and Plain in the flashlights glow i Jerry Cartwright 2d i could almost see what Cartwright son would look like tall and straight and born to