lOE'SMOB'-'SETS
ENVIABLE RECORD
H TUNISIA SKIES
p 40 Fighter Squadron Has
Downed 79 of Luftwaffe
in Guarding Bombers.
Br Donald Co
United Press Correspondent
An Advance American Air
drome Somewhere in Tunisia,
ADril S U.PJ Col. William
Wallace Momyer, 26-year-old
commander ol the American
p-40 fighter squadron stationed
here, is the kind of. man who
thinks 79 confirmed victories
over the Luftwaffe is more or
less incidental. ,
He points but that his men
' only happened to accomplish
that while carrying out their
real job escorting bombers and
protecting ground forces.
No Bombers Lost
Not one of the hundreds of
bombers escorted by Momyer's
fighters ever has been lost. Dur
ing the first fortnight after the
allied ofensive started March 20,
they knocked down 40 enemy
craft while doing that type of
work.
"God, how those kids like to
fly and fight," Momyer re
marked. They're just a bunch of hard
hitting kids looking for trouble
and getting it; looking for it on
the theory that the sooner they
not trouble and give it the
works, the sooner we will get
the hell out of here and go
home.
Although much of his job is
taken up with ground strategy
these days, Momyer has found
time to hang up an ace s record
for himself. He is credited offi
cially with eight Nazi planes
shot down, but he undoubtedly
has destroyed or damaged many
others.
As often as possible he climbs
lnta a P-40 - and roars off with
his men popularly known as
"Moe s mob on escort flights,
or to provide an air umbrella
for land troops, simultaneously
strafing enemy positions and gun
posts and hammering at; Axis
supply and communication lines.
Is U. of V. Orad -Momyer's
flying career started
five years ago when he decided
after graduating from the Uni
'. varsity of Washington, Seattle,
!to become "the best fighter pilot
ifai the business. His home has
'been at Seattle since his iamily
moved there from Muskogee,
Okla., when he was eight years
old.
His wife, "Pat," and five-year-old
daughter, Jean, were visiting
friends at Hempstead, L. I.,
when last he heard from them.
Decorations on his chest in
clude the silver star for gallant
ry, with the cluster; the air
medal with three clusters; the
distinguished Flying Cross and
the Croix da Guerre Avec
Palms.
While the writer was talking
to him, word came from the field
control tower that three planes
were returning to the base in
distress. Jumping into jeep,
he raced across the field to the
tower to supervise crash landing
preparations himself.
Two of the damaged planes,
which had been shot up badly
in a low-altitude attack on re
treating enemy columns, landed
safely, but the third still circled
over the field unable to get its
wheels down.
After one low pass over the
runway to pick a spot, the pilot
juggled his ship in, almost drag
ging its tail on the ground as he
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD. OREGON, THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 1943
Jelled to lose flying speed.
There was a great cloud of dust
harsh noises of metal scraping
cross the hard earth, then si
lence. But the next instant the pilot
climbed out unscathed and
calmly asked for a cigarette. In
spection showed that his plane
was a total loss, perforated with
hundreds of bullet holes. Mom
yer commented merely: "Well
the plane's gone, but the kid's
okay."
Momyer's biggest day In the
air came when be shot down
four Stukas into the laps of al
lied ground troops and damaged
eight others.
'That was fun and then again,
it wasn't," he said. .
"I went down after a cluster
of Stukas there must have been
at least 18 of them and got
some good shooting, but it wasn't
as easy as all that. While I was
cutting myself a piece of Stuka
cake, there were two Messer
schmitts trying to cut me up.
Stukas Gang Up
''But the Stukas ganging up to
try to cover each other provided
me with some very good cover,
too. I kept banging away and
then when the Messerschmitts
moved In to take a crack at me,
I would slide in among the Stu
kas and-sometimes below them
to dodge the heat. -
"I finally got four and dam
aged eight others, some of which
probably went all the way
down. I also managed to cripple
one Messerschmidt and then just
outran the other all the way
home."
JACK ROOT NOW
John M. (Jack) Root, who
formerly operated the Southern
Oregon Travel Bureau in Med
ford, is now a quartermaster in
the United States army trans
port service. Mr. and Mrs.
Root arrived in Medford a
couple of weeks ago from Seat
tle and after a week's stay here
Mr. Root returned north to re
port for duty. Mrs. Root, the
former Nila Green, is remaining
here at the home of her par
ents, Mr. and Mrs.. W. D.
Green, 1014 West Tenth street,'
for the duration.
Mr. Root has had previous sea
experience, having been a cadet
officer with the American Man
line operating between Seattle
and the Orient before coming
to Medford. He resigned a posi
tion as passenger traffic man
ager of the Dowell Construc
tion company, which is building
the Alaskan highway, to enter
the transDort service. His father,
Lee F. Root, also a former Med
ford resident, is now employed
at the navy's Smith Cove base
in a civilian capacity.
Dr. Orval Nease
Opens Revival at
Nazarene Church
Dr. Orval J. Nease. of Pasa
dena, Cal., opened the pre-Easter
revival convention unaer aus
pices of the Medford Church of
the Nazarene, Holly at First, last
nleht. A fine attendance Ereeted
his initial service. Special music
was a feature under direction of
QUICK WELCOME
RELIEF FOR
UPSET STOMACH
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r amass STUART TABUTS MWi tooootr
btarodMot, to oltoo ud b? doctor! to bfloe
nick woloomo tolloi boot ooH-lodloootJom
3j,ll,M wod b MCM otonoch 001019
Hot ootlov of drfoklng. Doltdoos uomooj
hit to Itio. Nobofllo; HlUW '"Tf"
dorial bio I rollol from oscoao odd ajior
uirir li-o" STUART TABLETS -t.kojj
doW Al oU dne Moroi 2So, cSOo od S1.2S
Mdor soWo Btosovboek noM&to.
PAGE THREE
HEAR
Pr. Orval J.
NEASE
General superintendent.
Church of the Nasarene
SPEAKING
EVERY NIGHT
and Sat. 7:30
In the
MEDFORD CHURCH
of the IIAZAREIIE
Holly at First April 11-25
Pre-Eatter Revival - Convention. College
President Editor Pulpit Genius 0 Human
ly sympathetic Served in the Air Corps of
World War One. God's messenger for these
tragic day. Music by Radio tinging ttaff and
other. John Eby, director.
Fred M. Wtatherfonf, Pastor.
' ' J
'4.. f- M
-ML-
John Eby and his chorus choir.
or. Nease drew his text from
Mark 10:48 and John 9:4. The
first text pertaining to the heal
ing of blind Bartinaeus: the lat
ter text referring to Christ the
Worker.
Dr. Nease is a veteran of
World War. I, having served in
the air corps.
His topics up to and Including
Sunday are:
Tonight, "Does Prayer Bring
Returns?"
rriday, "What Is Religion?"
Saturday, "Is Faith Practi
cal?" Sunday a. m, "Christian
Consecration."
Sunday night, "A Cure for
Fear."
Each service is held at 7:30
p. m.
Men in service and the public
at large are cordially invited. -
Hollywood. Cal. (U.PJ When
Danish actor Preben Storm went
to the hospital for an appended- the Hollywood cowboys had to
omy, Hollywood cowboys under I carry up on horses 4,000 pounds
the leadership of Johnny Mack of feed for the farm s 3,000
Brown, another actor .saved
6.000 animals on Storm's ranch.
Storm's 200-acre farm is located
on the top of a mountain and
chickens, 1.000 turkeys, 450
pigs, 20 cows and assorted stock.
Western studios supplied the
horses.
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