Mediterranean Algiers Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 28, 1943, Algiers, Algiers                                Saturday August 28, 1943 u0e 5 time oui for prayer nurse says a i do to Pilot in Tunisia by sgt. Paul s. Green stars and stripes staff writer soldiers Bow their Heads in solemn prayer at Church services held during1 the recent sicilian fighting before an abandoned farmhouse not far behind the front lines. The jeep in the background serves As a makeshift altar for the army chaplain conducting the services. First anniversary p-40 pilots browned off at Lack of Jerry resistance with american troops in Sicily it was the first anniversary of their tie up with the British 8th army and the a a old Many was complaining. The a a old Many was 27-year-old col. Arthur Salisbury of a famous american fighter group. A we be been in Sicily three weeks already. We be been sending out missions All Day Long a Over the combat area and we be come across Only one Jerry plane. The boys Are getting plenty a a browned off a he said. The boys Are a a browned off because they re used to shooting Down planes. These p-40 pilots were the ones who knocked Down 58 Ju-52�?Ts, 14 me-109�?Ts, and two me-110�?Ts, damaging 29 others on that Palm sunday last april Over Cape Bon. Eighty percent of the Jerry planes went Down flaming. That two hour show established a new world record for planes destroyed in a single  diary but the Squadron War diary is full of amazing records. As of last week they destroyed 158 German planes with 18 probables and 17 and a half More damaged. In addition they have knocked out 2,000 trucks three 5,000-ton ships and an unreleased number of barges naval vessels Siebel troop carrying ferries a a a boats and personnel they did All this in 517 missions. Like in a lot of other fighter outfits the a a old Many is not the map Reading stay at Home Type. It was on a div bombing strafing Mission in the Troina Nocosia sector several weeks ago when col. Salisbury spotted a Large Jerry truck and peeled off after it. He got the truck but a flak burst hit his motor and started it burning. By a sgt. Ralph g. Martin special to the stars and stripes other in the cockpit the a a old Many rolled the plane Over and fell out head first at 2,000 feet. His Chute brought him Down in supposed enemy territory. Luckily though the British had been pushing up fast and the colonel bumped into a British recon group. Next morning he hitchhiked Back to his  a old Many the a a old Many has been group commander a a since  before that he was Squadron commander of the fighting Cocks other squadrons in the group Are the exterminators and Black scorpion. The colonel is loaded Down with medals the american and British dec the legion of Merit the air medal and the flying Boot. At one time maj. Philip Cochran now colonel who has been showing up in a Terry and the pirates As flip Corkin was also fighting cock Squadron commander. In fact Cochran together with Milt Caniff Terry originator designed the Squadron insignia a cock with a piece of Shamrock around his neck and a Chip on his shoulder. But the exterminators and Black scorpions also have chips on their shoulders. All of them close racing each other on the total score Sheet of planes destroyed. The Black scorpions were on a sea sweep last week scoring direct hits on the docks in riposte Harbor when the Quot big Bossy scorpion maj. Buck Bilby found himself in a smoking plane. Finally after smoke got  kingly thick. Bilby bailed out into a a the  Bilby Hurt his right shoulder hitting the elevator Stabilizer on the planets left Side so when he landed in the water it was All he could do to blow up his emergency Dinghy climb in and wait. Just about five minutes later Walrus dropped Down several Hundred Yards away from him. But it Wasny to Bilby they were after they did no to even see limit was another p-40 Pilot 2nd it. Donald Hardwood Cincinati who had been swimming around after being hit on a previous Mission. Bilby finally did get spotted and picked up�?21 hours and 51 minutes later. So despite the utter Lack of Jerry air there has been no Lack of action of excitement of things to do. On their first big Day in Sicily the group sent out 19 separate missions on a shipping sweep strafing and bombing jobs with planes leaving every 15 minutes until dark. Advanced tunisian air base. Delayed a he was a flying Soldier. She was a flying nurse. And so they were married by a flying  at the first i wedding in Tunisia. It All began Way Back in january at Camp Kilmer n. J., just before the overseas trip got under Way. 2nd it. William g. Kautz of Lockport n. Y., paratrooper met 2nd it. Julia s. Riley of Oak Park 111. And from then on it was Only a matter of time. The eager 22-year-old paratrooper found he had lots in common with the pretty 23-year-old nurse attached to an air evacuation unit. They were both interested in aviation they both flew in c-47�?Ts, they both liked the same a a Tings including each other. Fortunately they went Over in the same Convoy but unfortunately they were in different ships. Once they got overseas they were pretty Well separated but thanks to air planes they kept in close touch very close. Kautz flew Down to Algiers several times from Morocco and when nurse Riley moved to Tunis she planed across country to see Lier  permission together titty sweated out the official of from Nat Ousa and finally the precious piece of paper arrived. In i language it noted that it. Kautz and it. Riley a a each being members of the United states armed forces and a person being subject to military Law have each been granted permission to marry the other after 20 August 1943.�?� and so the great Day arrived. It. Riley a sister Nurr so All of them in air evacuation work too a bustled about preparing the scene which was the Back Steps of the Villa where they lived. They covered the Steps and the Wall with spotless White bed sheets. Over the sheets on the stairs titty placed a Bright red carpet beg Glt a or borrowed from a French Chapel in town. A Dresser also disguised in a Sheet served As the altar. On top of the Dresser the nurses arranged four Golden candelabra and four vases of Flowers were set on the ground two on each Side of the altar. The usual last minute delays came up. It. Kautz discovered to his dismay that the ring he had bought in Morocco was too Small. So his two buddies 1st it. Hugh de Lury of Corry pa., and 1st it. Ernest t. Siegel of Malone n. Y., had to save the Day. They haunted the jewelry shops in town until the ring was adjusted. Then on the morning of the big Day the bridegroom lost his Wallet. De Lury and Siegel rushed Over to a general and pleaded with him until he let Kautz draw partial  for next month. Finally de Lury who was to be Best Man and Siegel who was to give the Bride away discovered they had forgotten to get leave for the marriage. The two paratroopers took off anyway. No . On Earth could hold an awol of that kind against  As his last hours of single blessedness Drew to a close Kautz paced the ground nervously in his High boots a a it s worse than jumping a he muttered. A this time the Chute better  the flying nurses the pilots and the flying medics took their places ass sgt. Howard Godwin of Beverly Hills cal., coaxed music out of a tinny French Organ and the inevitable a a of Promise me was Sung by sgt. Jimmy Lightbourne of Burlington n. C. Chaplain Roy m. Terry of Danbury Conn., opened the Book As the bridegroom walked up the Steps towards him. Chaplain Terry was right at Home in this flying atmosphere he has soloed several times. Around the Side of the Villa the Bride appeared on the Arm of it. Siegel preceded by the bridesmaid it. Agnes k. Smith of Detroit Mich. In the words of the society Page writers the Bride looked breathtaking in one of those snazzy Light summer outfits that nurses Wear. The ceremony was Short from the chaplains first words to the twin �?�1 does a spoken in voices so Low they could hardly be heard. Then the newly married couple swept Down the Steps As they were hit by an old fashioned Rice barrage. The nurses armed either with handkerchiefs or cameras used them to advantage. The pair started married life in Fine style they were driven off in a shiny Black Carriage lined with White sheets and led by two Chestnut mares with White bows on their reins and a freshly washed Driver in clean suit and a Black Derby hat secured god knows where. No the horses did not sprout wings As the flying couple began a two Day honeymoon that was sure to Fly by. Medals for record Breakers with one foot in the Wing and an the British sea Rescue plane the an advanced b-26 based under a blazing tunisian Sun 307 officers and men of the Field filed by one at a time As decorations were pinned on the men by the commanding general of the Wing. Twenty three of the men All gunners were particularly Happy about it All because two Short Days before that they had broken All records for shooting Down enemy fighters in one Day. The record breaking began last saturday when another marauder group destroyed 22 me-109�?Ts in a raid on Villa lit Emo North of Naples. The next Day the first group topped the Mark by blasting 24 me-109�?Ts out of the sky. On saturday Tail gunner Charlie position was jumped by at least 30 mess. Sgt. Vernon b. Tomlinson of Yakima wash., got one of the nazi ships and a few seconds later another was sent Down in flames by sgt. Hewitt l. Ellison of Temple Texas. The Tail gun of sgt. Carl e. Tackmann of Columbus Ohio was out of action so he manned one of the Waist guns and got a third me. A Bombardier on another marauder it. Charles r. Beatty of Chicago 111., took time out from Bomba Diering to bag himself a plane too. The group that bagged 24 the next Day is the oldest medium bomber unit in this theater. They arrived Here late in 1942 but they took themselves out of action for awhile to get a Well deserved rest. On the big Day they started out for the marshalling Yards at Salerno. Five minutes away from the target the sky suddenly was covered with enemy planes. It was in this ruckus that a sgt. Thomas Roike of Newark Ohio got two planes. He was the Only one during both Days to get a double order of mess. A the air was full of enemy planes a sgt. Roike related. Quot they came through the solid Wall of fire of our guns. I was mighty glad i got two of them. That Means two less to bother  sgt. G. M. Miller of Pine Grove pa., kept his head As the enemy fighters flashed by. He noticed a plane coming into the left Wing and he called to his Pilot a How about dropping that left Wing. I need a Little  the Pilot obliged and another me bit the dust with one Wing missing. . American Fichter aces in North Africa 1st it. William Sloan Richmond a. P-38�? 12 victories. F o Frank Hurlbut Salt Lake City Utah p-38 �?5 victories. 1st it. Waldon Walker 2nd it. Lee Wiseman Stamford Conn. P-40�? grand rapid Mick. P-38 6 victories. �?o5 victories. Cap. Ralph Taylor Durham n. C. P-40�? 6 victories. 1st it. Ward Kuentzel Delano Calif. P-38�? 7 victories