Vol. I—No. 10
U. S. Navy Pre-Flight School, Chapel Hill, N. C.
Saturday, November 21, 1942
5c a Copy
Who dood Iff
Out of the Public Relations Office
mail bag come two letters received
during the past week, directing a
strange and pleading mess,age to all
lieutenants of the station.
Said the first letter, dated Nov. 16:
“Gentlemen:
“While in your town attending the
Duke-Carolina game on Saturday, Nov.
14,1 met a lieutena,nt in the Navy, with
whom I made a $10 bet on the game.
“At the end of the game we were un
able to get in touch with each other,
A friend of mine advised me to write
to your school, thinking perhaps that
you could help me with the matter.
“My being the winner of the $20
involved, I am anxious to get in touch
with this man, or see if I can find out
something concerning same.
“Will you please let me have an an
swer? I am enclosing a three-cent
stamp.”
Then came the second letter, dated
Nov. 17:
“Gentlemen:
“On yestei’day a letter was mailed to
you concerning a bet that was made
on the Duke-Carolina game.
“This letter was not personally sign
ed by me, and on reading copy of Siame
this morning, I found a mistake that
Was made by the writer. The lieuten
ant referred to was only holding the
money for a civilian and myself. In
other words, we each gave him $10 to
hold until the finish of the game.
‘I hope that this will make things
clearer for you.”
The lieutenant who is holding the
ante may return it to the writer of
these letters through the Public Rela
tions Office.
Next Smoker Nov. 25
The next station Smoker will be
held Wednesday, Nov. 25, in Memorial
Hall, starting at 1915, according to
Lieut. Frank Gillespie, assistant wel
fare officer. Future Smokers will be
held in Memorial Hall instead of Wool
len Gymnasium until further notice,
he said.
Cloudbuster-Seahawk
Game Cancelled
The Pre-Flight football game sched
uled to be played at Chapel Hill on
I^ecember 12 between the Iowa Sea-
hawks and the Cloudbusters has been
Cancelled because of transportation
difficulties, Comdr. 0. 0. Kessing, com
manding officer of the station an
nounced last Thursday.
Coming Events
Nov. 21—Free movie at Village The
atre, “South of Tahiti” with Brian
lionlevy, Bred Crawford and Maria
^ontez. Feature begins at 1330, 1455,
1920 and 2045.
^*^ov. 22 Free movie at Village The
atre, “The Glass Key” with Veronica
Lake and Brian Donlevy. Feature be
gins at 1300 and 1435.
Nov. 25—Smoker in Memorial Hall,
starting at 1915.
Other Weekend Movies
Nov. 21—Carolina Theatre, “You
^ere Never Lovelier” with Rita Hay
worth and Fred Astaire.
Nov. 21—Pick Theatre, “Bells of
Capistrano” with Gene Autry and
Smiley Burnette.
Nov. 22—Carolina Theatre, “Road
Morocco” with Bob Hope, Bing
Crosby and Dorothy Lamour.
America’s Flying Ace Says:
Aviation to Play Key Role in Victory
MARINE FLYING ACES back from the war in thePacific are shown above as photographed during their
visit to the Pre-Flight School last weekend. Pictured from left to right in the top photo are Capt. T. E. Hicks,
Jr USMCR of headquarters Marine Corps, who accompanied the fliers to Chapel Hill from Washington; Capt.
Marion E. Carl, USMC, who has just returned from the fight in the Pacific; Lt. Col. Richard C. Mangrum,
USMC commander of a dive bomber squadron who has had much experience with the training of aviation
cadets-' Lt Comdr. John P. GralT, USN (Ret.), executive officer of the Pre-Flight School; First Lieut. Chris
topher'Dale USMCR, who heads the Marine Detachment assigned to this station; and Maj. John L. Smith,
USMC 27-year-old ace who has 19 Jap planes to his credit.
In the bottom picture, Maj. Smith is shown chatting with nine 13th Battalion cadets from Pennsylvania.
From left to right: Jack Williams of Llanerch; James Moir of East Lansdowne; Carl Schulten of Philadelphia;
Ed^Cawley of Philadelphia; John Habbersett of Media; Maj. Smith; Karl E. Goslin of Lansdowne; Roy H.
Seifert of Philadelphia; John Larkin of Philadelphia, and Robert C. De Giovanni of Philadelphia.
Six Pre-Flight
Officers Detached
Six Pre-Flight officers have received
detachment orders recently transfer
ring them to duty elsewhere.
Lt. (jg) Joseph J. Crowe, Jr., and
Lt. (jg) Clarence 0. Sapp, platoon of
ficers, were detached on Nov. 16 for
duty at the Navjal Reserve Aviation
Base, Ottumwa, la. Both officers had
been here on temporary duty for six
weeks.
Lieut. William P. Patterson, instruc
tor in nomenclature and recognition,
was transferred Nov. 14 to the Naval
Training School for Recognition, Ohio
State University, Columbus, 0.
Lt. (jg) E. Shelton Fisher, instruc
tor in essentials of naval service, was
transferred to the same station on Nov.
4, while Lieut. J. P. Ginley, assistant
coach in hand-to-hand combat, was as
signed to a training center in Miami,
Fla.
Ens. George D. Matson, former SKBc
the disbursing office, has been sent
Charleston, S. C., for instruction in
the Supply School.
Montgomery Commissioned
William F. Montgomery, former
PhM2c, was commissioned as an en
sign Nov. 14. Ens. Montgomery will
be here on temporary duty until early
December.
Speaks Tonight
Ralph A. Bard
Naval officers, cadets, enlisted men
and their friends are invited to hear
Assistant Secretary of the Navy,
Ralph A. Bard when he speaks tonight
from the stage of Memorial Hall start
ing at 2015. His topic, as announced
by Dick Railey, chairman of the Caro
lina Political Union which is bringing
the noted personality to the campus,
will be “The Tenders of the Navy—
the Unsung Heroes.”
Former Secretary of the Navy Jose
phus Daniels will introduce the speaker.
Pre-Flight Movie
To Be Shown at Local
Theatre Next Week
Grantland Rice’s Sportlight, featur
ing the Pre-Flight program here, will
be shown at the Carolina Theater on
next Wednesday, Thursday and Sat
urday, Manager E. C. Smith announced
yesterday.
“Usually a short such aiS this is
shown but two days,” Mr. Smith said.
“However, we know that the cadets
will want to see it so we are bringing
it back on Saturday.”
The feature picture on Wednesday
and Thursday is “Seven Sweethearts,”
staring Van Heflin. “Tish” will be
shown on Saturday.
Pictures of the Pre-Flight program
were photographed in August by Rod
Warren and Russ Erwin. On the film
Ted Husing does the narrating.
Both Mr. Warren and Mr. Erwin
were at the station this past week.
Last Monday night the film was shown
before an assembly of Pre-Flight of
ficers in Gerrard Hall.
Exhibitions at Art Gallery
Visual aids in Army education and
modern French paintings are the sub
jects of exhibitions currently on dis
play at the University’s Person Hall
Art Gallery. Hours: weekdays and
Saturday, 1000-1700; Sunday, 1200-
1700.
Maj. John Smith
Tells Experience
Bagging 19 Planes
“When the war is won by the United
States, aviation will have played the
key role,” America’s No. 1 air ace,
Maj. John L. Smith of the United
States Marine Corps told a Cloud-
BUSTER reporter in a special interview
last weekend.
Here to speak before the cadets and
also to appear on the Kate Smith pro
gram, the lean, handsome Marine of
ficer declared that, “You cannot ovei*-
estimate the importance of aviation in
this conflict.”
Maj. Smith, who at the age of 27 is
one of the youngest men in the U. S.
fighting forces to earn the privilege of
wearing the gold embroidered leaves
of a major, was piloting a fighter plane
over Guadalcanal only a month ago.
He left the island on Oct. 14, along
with two other Marine officers—Lieut.
Col. R. M. Mangrum, of Seattle, Wash.,
and Capt. M. E, Carl, of Oregon. They
reached the United States by plane sev
eral days before appearing here.
Maj. Smith has since been awarded
the coveted Navy Cross with this cita
tion: “For extra-ordinary heroism in
aerial combat with the enemy as com
manding officer during the Solomon
Islands Campaign of 1942—^in the
name of the President of the United
States, the Commander in Chief of the
United States, Pacific Fleet, takes
pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross
to Major John Smith, United States
Marine Corps.”
Maj. Smith was born in Oklahoma,
the youngest of three sons of a rural
mail carrier. He entered the Marine
Corps in 1936 and three years later
was made a naval aviator. Then fol
lowed a year of service and promotion
to the rank of captain.
He was made a temporary major in
August of this year while on active
duty in the Solomons. On Guadal
canal a few months ago he shot down
four Japanese Zero fighters in less
than 15 minutes. And before leaving
the island on Oct. 14, he set the record
of 19 planes shot down to boost him to
the top as the nation’s No. 1 air ace.
Asked how he managed to bag four
Jap planes in 15 minutes, Maj. Smith
described the action as follows:
“I blasted the first Zero trom the
rear and that was one Jap that never
knew what hit him. Then I saw
another Jap attacking my wing man
so that I banked sharply and was
lucky enough to catch a Zero full in
sight. My third Zero came right up
under the belly of my plane sowing bul
lets up and down the fuselage. I drop
ped the nose of my plane and came
at him head-on. One of his bullets hit
my windshield right in front of my own
nose but it missed me. My own bullets
were tearing him apart by this time
and huge chunks of his plane were
dropping all over the place. When I
looked over my shoulder he had lost
control and was spinning down. I saw
the pilot unload but don’t know if
his ’chute opened. Then I headed for
home, since my gas was low and I only
had a few rounds of ammunition left.
“As I skimmed over the tops of the
See FLYING ACE, page 6