Finish Forty and Home: The Untold World War II Story of B-24s in the Pacific (Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Series) by Phil Scearce

Author:Phil Scearce [Scearce, Phil]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HIS027100, HIS027140
ISBN: 9781574414370
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Published: 2012-09-30T21:00:00+00:00

Joe Deasy’s assumption of command of the 42nd signaled a change in the squadron, subtle but profound, from a seat-of-the-pants outfit improvising a response to Japan’s offensive to a more businesslike and deliberate role in the American campaign. Cooper’s legendary exploits were a part of the Army Air Forces, which was already fading into history, and Captain Joe Deasy was well-suited to assume command from him. The squadron’s new mission as a training unit seemed tailor-made for Deasy, an instructor pilot back in the States before his assignment to a crew, and now a leader who was among the Liberator pilots most experienced with the unique demands of over-water flying in the Pacific. He could customize the training to meet the special needs of that part of the war, helping green crews fresh from the States have a better chance of survival.

Deasy took command of the 42nd on January 17, 1944, and Capt. Jesse Stay was named operations officer in Deasy’s place.25 Cooper received a well-deserved assignment in the States, far from the front.26 In January there was not much flying on the schedule to keep Sergeant Scearce busy, so when he learned that a volunteer crew was needed to go to Tarawa to get Charlie Pratte’s Belle of Texas and fly it back to Hickam, he was glad to take the assignment. Pratte’s crew was buddies with Joe Deasy’s crew, and Pratte’s radio man Joe Hyson was a friend, so Scearce saw it as doing them a good turn. “Detached Service” (DS) it was called, when men from the squadron were separated from their outfit for some special duty. The volunteer crew going to get Belle of Texas left on January 26 with the parts on CASU-16’s list. They expected to be DS to Tarawa no more than a day or two while the Navy men there finished the repair job.

Six officers and six enlisted men made the trip to Tarawa: two pilots, two co-pilots, and two navigators, with three enlisted crewmen for each aircraft.27 The crews were four men short because there was no need for bombardiers or gunners on this trip. Lt. Jordan Churchill was the lead pilot on the flight, his co-pilot Lt. Frank Angel. Lt. Charlie Pratte, co-pilot Lt. Reginald Spence, and navigator Lt. Randolph Ball were along to fly Belle of Texas back to Hickam once it was ready.

As Churchill banked on final approach to Mullinnix Field, Lieutenant Pratte leaned into the cockpit over the flight engineer’s shoulder to watch. Churchill grinned at Pratte and said, “Maybe we won’t need our ‘chutes this time, Charlie!” The now-famous landing with parachute brakes had ratcheted up the level of respect that other men felt for Pratte and his crew, respect which manifested itself in little deferential comments like this one and belied high esteem for a fellow warrior who had run the gauntlet and come through unscathed.

At Mullinnix Field the twelve Air Corps men walked past Belle of Texas on their way to Navy jeeps waiting to take them to CASU-16’s mess hall.

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