Kenneth DeLong

HOMEWARD TRIP

Tues. 3/16/43 Up at 0300 ... breakfast at 0330 ... rode GI truck to Heliopolis 0415 ... baggage weighed in at 50 lbs ... received tickets straight to Miami, Florida. Boarded DC-3 #120115 with 25 other officers and men ... Crew had difficulty with spark plugs in one engine, but finally took off at 0820 ... 1anded at Khartoum (Sudan) at 1415 ... stayed overnight.

Wed. 3/17/43 Up at 0230. Took off at in dark at 0400 ... Landed at El Fasher (Sudan)at 0720 and refueled.

Took off at 0940 .... 1anded at Fort Lamy (Chad) at 1240.

Took off at 1255 .... landed Maiduguri at 1350 ... refueled and ate lunch(Nigeria Took off at 1425 ... 1anded Kano(Nigeria)at 1625 ... stayed overnight.

Thurs. 3/18/43 Up at 0600. Took off at 0730 ... 1anded in Accra (Ghana) at 1205 ... extremely hot!! Removed baggage from plane ... assigned to tent ... shopped at modern PX ... Met Capt. Uhrich and Lt. Postelle at the Transient Tent ... gave Capt. Uhrich the service records of the five enlisted men in our group ... departure lists were posted ... enlisted men were on first plane out--officers on second.

Fri. 3/19/43 Took off in C-87 #123852 at 0025 ... was one of 15 passengers ... flew SW over Atlantic Ocean ... couldn't sleep, it was very cold ... landed at Ascension Island at 0725 ... sweated that landing ... runway was covered with cloud of dust and was at the top of a sheer cliff .... the pilot made 4 passes before putting down ... mountainous place ... ate breakfast, in mess hall. 

Took off at 0935 on long flight to South America ... Pilot reported problem with landing gear ... circled 30 minutes before landing at Natal(Brazil) at 1720 ... stayed overnight.

Sat. 3/20/43 Took off at 1105 in C-53 #2258 ... was one of 18 passengers ... Flew northwest alternately over land and water ... through heavy wind and rain storms ... really bounced about ... we were glad to touch down at Belem (Brazil) at 1635 ... stayed overnight.

SUN. 3/21/43 Up at 0330 ... ate breakfast ... took off at 0455 in plane #E-2258(C-47) .... flew north through more bad storms ... plane was tossed about like a feather … landed at Atkanson Field, Georgetown(then British Guiana--now, Guyana) ... ate lunch there in mess hall on stilts, 10 feet above the ground.

Took off at 1115 .... had to "sweat out" more very turbulent weather before landing at Puerto Rico in clear weather at U.S. Base ... time: 1715 ... assigned to 3rd floor of permanent barracks ... very nice .... feasted on ice cream and cokes! stayed overnight.

Mon. 3/22/43 Up at 0530 .... ate breakfast in mess hall … took off at 0700 in same plane(C-47) ... flew through more squally weather before landing at 36th St. Airport in Miami, Florida, U.S. A. at 1300. How great it was to be back home!!! Passed through Customs with no difficulty.

The Adjutant's Office in Miami put us up at a local hotel. They had no record of Captain Urich's arrival. We checked with them daily with negative results ... on Tues. 3/30, they put us on a train for Morrison Field, West Palm Beach ...