28 Sep 1943

My aircraft was sent back to Marrakech, French Morocco, for overhaul, and I am on temporary tower duty. I had just cleared T/Sgt Goff's ship for take-off on a local flight. The bird lost power immediately after becoming airborne and crashed shortly afterward. #41-8808 was severely damaged, but no crewmembers suffered serious injury. (Goff was my old crew chief.)

29 Sep 1943

Sgt. Frank Foy had been my best buddy since Hamilton. We had been billeted together in England; shared a leaky pup tent in the mud at Tafaroui, and were tent mates from then on. "Pop" started out as a mechanic in the Motor Pool; cross-trained to aircraft mechanic, and was recently upgraded to crew chief. The tower radio was out, and I had just given his pilot the green light for take-off. As his aircraft became airborne, a Martin B-26 Marauder decided to buzz the field, after hedge-hopping across Sicily, and we in the tower never saw him until it was too late.

The fast bomber overtook the climbing C-47, its props shearing off 27 feet of the transport's right wing. Like the B-17, the C-47 was a sturdy aircraft that could fly after suffering terrific damage. Unable to turn, the pilot nevertheless maintained control of the stricken C-47, managing to hold it on course until he could make a successful crash landing in an open field about ten miles from the base. The B-26 suffered no apparent damage, and I heard no more about it, but I'm sure Col. Cerny launched an immediate investigation.

Clipped Wings. Comiso Airbase, Sicily, September 1943. Between flights, I was detailed to act as an aircraft controller, in a make-shift tower -- a table, radio, Aldis Lamp, and flare gun -- on the roof of the 64th Group Headquarters building. I had cleared this 35th TCS aircraft for takeoff, which was never accomplished. It seems that the elevator cables had been reversed when re-strung during maintenance. A shock to the pilot, no doubt. (James A. Moran, 17th TCS)

30 Sep 1943

I and several other crewmembers signed up to make a parachute jump over the base. I had taken a flight back to Tunisia, but a "stick" of 17th EM were fitted out with jump boots and parachutes by the 82nd, who gave them a short course in jumping. They jumped as efficiently as the 82nd, with only minor injuries. The squadron bulletin board carried a notice that afternoon that only squadron parachute riggers would jump thereafter.

2 Oct 1943

A mini-hurricane roared into Comiso only moments after I was relieved of duty in the tower. Most of the squadron tents were demolished, including the dispensary and both the EM and Officers' messes. The protective tarp on the tower acted as a parachute, lifting the tower off its foundation and toppling it to the ground in a heap of shattered timbers. My relief RO suffered a fractured hip, and the Airdrome Officer a broken arm. The elevator of two of our ships were ripped off, and the instrument panels were smashed by the freed yokes. The tower is moved to the roof of the headquarters building, the only permanent structure not destroyed by bombs.

6 Oct 1943

Tower is rebuilt beside the runway.

9 Oct 1943

Hollywood star Adolph Menjou visits the base, as dapper as he always was on screen. After an interesting performance, he praised the 64th and the airborne troops as being the unsung heroes of the war, "doing the most dangerous work with utmost calm." He finished by promising to provide us with better movies in the future. A nice thought, anyway.

22 Oct 1943

Tower duty is never boring! The 313th TCG came over today, towing 60 CG-4A gliders, which they are delivering to Comiso. Not being a trained aircraft controller, I had my hands full directing traffic; advising the tow planes where to drop their cables, and notifying them in rare instances when the cables remained attached; assuring that gliders land safely, and were towed to designated parking areas. This went on for hours, and I was hard-pressed to maintain a decent log. I'd rather be flying

23-24 Oct 1943

As if I am not having my hands full with local traffic, a B-17 group from North Africa decides to use Comiso as a staging base while conducting leap-frog bombing missions over Germany. Fifty of them arrive during the first day; refuel, and take off on bombing runs before returning. They RON two nights, draining our fuel supplies, and eating us out of house and home! I was happy to see them go back to Africa, and looked forward to an easy, normal life.