Word: java
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...Flying Fortress units in the Pacific, since July 11. He fought through the bitter days of plane losses on the ground and in the air to overwhelming Jap numbers. At last, after three weeks of uneven battle, rather than lose his remaining Fortresses and crews, he took them to Java...
There he sent them into brilliant but unavailing raids and battles over the Indies, the Java Sea, the Strait of Macassar. His fighter protection dwindled, almost vanished. Feb. 17, Brereton and Lieut. General George H. Brett, the top U.S. (and Allied) air commander in the southwest Pacific, agreed that Brett would take the remaining U.S. planes and crews to Australia; Brereton would fly with Britain's General Wavell to India, and there build a force to strike at Japan through China. It was a momentous decision, doubtless reached only after consultation with Washington and London...
Wavell, Brereton, a few other officers flew by night to Ceylon, then on to India. Brereton had with him a pistol, a few faded tropical uniforms which he had picked up from Australians in Java, and a blanket roll. He called the blanket roll "Baby," and it was precious: inside was $250,000 in U.S. currency. The money was to have paid and supplied U.S. troops who never arrived in Java. Like many another such bankroll, it had been handed out by Chief of Staff George C. Marshall in Washington, on the premise that you never could tell...
Brereton, in India, like MacArthur in Australia, cannot forget the men he had to leave behind, the ground men of his forces in Bataan, the pilots who died over Java. He never forgets that many of them died because he had to send them into battle with too little, too late. They were young, gay, brave. Says Lewis Brereton: "It just burns me up, night...
Only three weeks distant from the bitter air battles over Java, Air Corps Lieutenant Trenkle was one of four Air Officers to impress on 150 students in Emerson D last night the urgent need for a steady supply of officer material, especially for flying duty...