Mission 19

January 20, 1943

    We were briefed at 1:00 o'clock for a raid on the docks at Tripoli. I wasn't scheduled to go but at the last minute O'Carrol told me to go with Calvert again. Took off at 10:30 assembled at 11:00 and flew to Biskra to pick up pursuit. They weren't in the air so we went on expecting them to catch up with us but they never did. We went on anyway and when we got there it was covered over, thank God. From there we went to Cabes to bomb a military camp and flatten it completely. I got one flak hole just as we dropped our bombs. We were over enemy territory 3½ hours and in the air 6½ and Brother I'm a tired Indian tonight. We got back with 150 gallons of gas. I've never flown such long hard formation as I did today.

January 21, 1943

    Had the day off today, didn't do anything but remodel our little home and help the boys load up with bombs and listen to a bull session.

January 23, 1943

    Routine. Missed another mission and it was a good one. One of my best friends, Hoerster, got hit in the back and punctured his right lung and broke three ribs. He was group navigator in the lead ship.

January 24, 1943

    Routine. Hoerster has passed crisis and is doing fine as far as we know.

January 25, 1943

    Routine. Almost froze to death all day, low overcast and drizzling rain all day and night.

January 30, 1943

    Went to Constantine yesterday. Calcote and I went up to try and get some supplies for our mess and to make a delivery. All we got was 5 pounds of baking powder and sore feet. There is nothing up there but a bunch of white collar boys and they don't know a darn thing about what is going on as usual.    Constantine is the largest city in North Africa that I've been in yet and very modern, but as usual, the town is completely sold out of everything.    This has certainly been an easy month for me, I've made only three raids.

February 4, 1943

    Completed my new home today and is it cozy. It took three tents to cover it after I got it dug out. I managed to borrow a cot and with my straw mattress, it is really comfortable and I am still 14 inches below the level of the ground.    It is lined with cardboard boxes and the bottom has about 3 inches of straw with cardboard on top of that.     I have ammunition cans filled with dirt all around the edges with the tents stretched over them.    I have a plank beam going the full length of the tent to prevent sag.

    It is almost tall enough for me to stand up in.