European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 15, 1958, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I v it 5 copt Almes sophisticated Gizmo is slated to Cut 45 to 60 seconds off base s present scramble time. Sidi Slimane $ sophisticated Gizmo Thein Mali sikh Sci i Jilin Esplor s Atsidis Slimane air Lias Morocco Callist tin1  Tufit s i he name for a de vice thai should slice a Large chunk off the Squadron s scramble Lime. I Rno is an automatic Alert scramble system devised by diet Robert m. Almes h2 Ullh assistant flight commander. Accord ing to Himath officers several bases have primitive systems but this is a sophisticated  the 35-year-old Almes is an electronics Lii. During a seven and a half year Sling with the directorate of communications in the Pentagon Almes did the original design of an automatic teletype switching system now used by major relay centers. This work resulted in a commendation ribbon. Another decoration the air medal was t so pleasantly earned. In february 1056, Almes took off on a scramble from Mcguire fab n.j., and at 500 feet his Sabre jct s engine caught fire. He was Over u housing Arm. He Manngen to avoid it Landing in the open but smacked into a tree. Lie was severely burned before several men extricated him from the plane a few minutes before it exploded. Almes spent a year and a half in Hospital. Ills work on the Gizmo began in sep tember when maj Marvin Glasgow 324th commander asked if he could work out a by Paul Spiers staff writers a photos by Merle Hunter method of starting Power units automatically when a scramble sounded. Why not go will the Way Almes re plied. Let s make the whole system Auto mat  with the support of Glasgow and Apt Georke Dunn Squadron operations officer Alines has completed a mock up and expects to have Mie system operating soon. The f8 cd Squadron is required to have two planes off the ground within five minutes after a scramble is ordered. The 324 h betters five minutes and the Gimzo is expected to slice 45 to go seconds off the current time. Almes a 15-year Veteran from Saltsburg pa., explains the advantages of this sys tem at present when Oci ground control intercept gets an unknown it Calls on the Telephone to the Squadron hot room communications Cetner to scramble. The hot room1 pushes a Button and a Horn goes off in the Alert hangar. The to pilots on five minute Alert and their Crew chiefs run to their aircraft. The pilots get strapped in and the Crew chiefs turn on lights and Power generators and so Forth and you find "the1 Pilot sitting wait ing maybe 30 seconds before he can Roll. That s because it takes a full two minutes for electronic equipment to get warmed up. With the new system it might happen i hit the electronic system might be wait ing on the Pilot. You see by the time the Pilot s out of his seat in the lounge the Power unit is going. What the system really does is eliminate the middleman. It goes like this Sci pushes a scramble Button that cuts into the Alert hangar. It comes microwave from Sci to the base and then to the hangar by Telephone Cable. By pushing that Button the Alert Horn is set off hangar doors open lights go on and Power units Start. On the Wall in the hangar lounge is a control panel. The senior Alert Pilot using the panel can signal to pilots via lights he disposition of the aircraft. Normally two pilots and aircraft Are on five minute Alert and two Are on one hour Alert. When the two five minute pilots Are strapped in red and Green lights in the hangar will indicate whether one or two should Lake off. The idea of the system is twofold in crease our scramble efficiency and greater  that s pretty much the Story of the 324th since it was activated three years ago at Westover fab mass. Since then the Squadron has received excellent ratings in rocket deployment broken records in rocket firing Competition and received an a award from air de sense come. A it drive to ent my fabled glories of ancient Greece abound on Road to Peloponnesus by John m. Wright staff writer ruins Overlook Nau Plia and Argolis a. Is photos Wright greek big ditch die straight Corinth canal. Mycenae s a med lion Gate from rear. Intricate wiring inside Gizmo system is shown by Almes. Page 12 Almes electronic Whiz and crack Pilot too. The stars and stripes 1 Mycenae a myth of hate sin and blood i brought into reality by the excavations at ancient Mycenae one of the High lights crowding a Scenic drive from Athens West along the coastal Road to Corinth Nau Plia and Epidaurus into Greece s Peloponnesus. The trip can be made in one tiring Day but an overnight rest in Nau Plia will encourage further exploration into the Cradle of greek civilization. The Road from Athens to Corinth leads by the byzantine Chapel of Daphne so called after the laurels that surround it. Here we encounter our first myth Ono that accuses the Nymph Daphne of Chang ing into a Laurel tree to escape the Amo Rous pursuits of Apollo. The Chapel Rich in mosaics is consid ered one of the finest specimens of the byzantine Era and contains the Only partially naked figure which exists in byzantine Art a figure of Christ being baptized. From Daphne the Road Skirls the historic Bay of salamis where Terni stoles commander of an Allied greek Fleet Defeated the persians under xerxes in 480 . The route continues through Olive Groves to the Village of Megara and on to the Corinth canal. This die straight Cut through the sterile crust of Argolis Sepa rates the Peloponnesus from the main land and makes the playground of the gods an Island joined to Attica by the 260-foot-High Corinth Bridge. The canal was started by the roman emperor Nero who put 6,000 jewish slaves to work on it. At the ground breaking ceremony Nero fiddled with a Golden shovel while the workmen from Judaea burned. French and greek companies finished the three mile Long canal and opened it to navigation in 1893. It is 81 feet wide at the waterline and is maintained to a depth of 26 feet. The Road follows the South Bank of the canal to Corinth a far cry today from its boisterous ancestor that was visited by St. Paul before he wrote his two epistles to the corinthians. A slight Detour beyond the town leads to the ruins of this immortal City. Not much is left of this ancient Metropolis noted for its Independent wealthy trading Center but the imposing pillars of a Temple to Apollo parts of roman streets two fountains plaques identify ing the Market place where St. Paul most Likely spoke and the remnants of an open air theater. Dominating the ruins the town and the Pavilion from a High and Rocky Hill is acro Corinth a formidable fortress which bears the imprint of its occupants Clown through the Ages. This is the historic Rock where aphrodite known to the romans As Venus the goddess of love and Beauty was Wor shipped. It was not enough that she was the Mother of cupid and could select victims for his arrows but history says her Temple in acro Corinth was served by More than 1,000 priestesses dedicated to the world s oldest  toward Argos the Road crosses the Plain of Nemea and emerges at the pass of Derven aka. Beyond the pass the Pano Rama of the Argolis Plain fans into View. The mountains dominating Mycenae Are visible on the left. Directly ahead across Rich land the acropolis of Argos is a com manding sight. A turn to the left at the Village of Pic Tia across the Railroad and up a Hill brings us to Mycenae and the myth of hate that concerns our hero Hercules. Hera wife of zeus detested the Strong boy and imposed the famous twelve la Bors on him in her efforts to destroy his strength. The first of hit herculean tasks was to Slaughter the monstrous demean lion whose Lair was in the mountains nearby. Sin and blood enter the legend when the sons of. Pelops committed heinous crimes in their rivalry for the mycenaean Crown. King agamemnon finally brought some order from he chaos but fell Vic Tim to a mycenaean murderess his wife when he returned victorious bearing Cas Sandra from the Battles of Troy. Mycenae is the beginning of greek civilization. Excavation begun in the last Century still goes on. A tourist Pavilion set on a Hill at the Side of the Road makes a Good place to sit and read a Guidebook. Lunch overnight or a weekend depend ing upon your time is a must in Nau Plia. The town situated along the Shore of the Bay of Argolis is one of the most Beautiful in Greece. It was the country s first capital following the War of Independence in 1832. Several Fine hotels notably the deluxe Mph Ilion and bound offer accommodations and pleasant atmosphere to match the pocketbook. The Bour i an old Vene Tian fortress converted to modern taste is out in the Bay. Again Nau Plia should be seen with a Guidebook in hand and a drive should include an exploratory trip through the narrow streets leading up to the City of rocks the ancient acropolis with its curious clock Tower and the fortress that is in use As a prison today. Directly across from the acropolis dominating the City is the imposing Pala Midi seven fortresses in Ono. More than 800 Steps Lead from the town up a sheer Cliff to the top or the Summit can be reached by a new Road that goes out through the Village of Pronia. In Pronia there Are several interesting sights among them the lion of Bavaria ordered built by Ludwig father of Greece s first King in memory of the bavarian soldiers who died in the War for greek Independence. Eighteen Miles East is Epidaurus whose open air theater is considered the most perfect remaining from Antiquity. The acoustics Are so extraordinary that a visitor sitting on the top tier can hear a Coin dropped in the Center of the Cir Cular stage far below. In ancient times Epidaurus was a Sanctuary dedicated to Aesculapius god of Medicine and health. The area covers a Large Grove including the ruins of a stadium several elaborate temples and a modern museum. Workmen Are restoring the theater and give a Good example of How ancient greeks carved their heavy Stone blocks and columns. According to legend Hippocrates the father of modern Medicine was the 17th descendant of Aesculapius. The Serpent was the family Symbol and just As the Serpent Sheds his skin and regenerates a new one so does Man regenerate himself after being cured of his illness. That is Why according to legend the Snake is the Symbol of Medicine the world Over. The entire drive is less than 225 Miles round trip an easy two Days to see tin places frequently mentioned in ancient history and mythology. Ancient greek theater at Epidaurus ranked As most perfect remaining from Antiquity. Saturday november 15, 1958 up the stars and stripes Page 13