Beyond the Call of Duty: Heart-warming stories of canine devotion and bravery. Isabel George
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as a joke but obviously it was true. The likely father was Duke, another Terrier. This one belonged to Bill’s friend, John Hembury, and there was sure to be lots of interest from his camp too. Bill decided to call the puppy Topper and Smoky proved to be a good and attentive mother. The men celebrated the arrival of Smoky’s puppy in style, thanks to a little help of a delivery by a B-25 Mitchell bomber (a Fat Cat). The B-25s were often used to test flying times and, in their stripped down form (with no armour plating and no weapons), they were filled with cargo such as cases of alcohol, fresh fruit and meat and all the other items it was impossible to acquire on Biak. Sometimes the plane was so full of goodies that the bomb doors would not close! It was a good job the latest drop was a generous one as people came from miles around to see the new arrival. They wondered how a dog that was only four pounds in weight herself could produce a pup. Everyone was happy to toast the youngster’s arrival with a class of homemade Cola made from Coke syrup, water and compressed aircraft oxygen tank. It was improvised and inspired. Everyone loved it and Topper was welcomed into the 26th Photo Squadron in style many times over. Smoky joined in each toast with an enthusiastic bark.
On 16 September 1944, Bill was informed that his flying status had been confirmed. As a graduate of aerial photo school, he was eligible for combat duty and this provided him with the opportunity to leave the photo lab and earn the required 300 combat hours (time spent ‘where enemy fire is probable and expected’). A young lieutenant from 3rd Emergency Rescue Squadron (3 ERS) needed a photographer to accompany him on a mission to find a pilot missing in action behind enemy lines. An aerial search was the best chance they had of pinpointing his location which would greatly assist the infantry in a rescue mission. Bill prepared himself for the flight by donning his summer flying overalls then his shoulder holster containing a .45-calibre automatic pistol a clip of bullets, some birdshot and a Bowie knife. In Bill’s opinion, the plane, a Stinson L-5 Sentinal, seemed too small for the task but once in the air Bill could see how it responded immediately to the pilot’s demands. At an altitude of 800 feet they had a clear view over the white coral landscape with its ridges and scrub growth right down to the flatter area where, at just 50 feet from the ground, the pilot could point out a crop of foxholes that had until the day before been occupied by Japanese soldiers. They had been cleared with grenades. Flying low and slow they picked up a mound with a crater in the centre and at the bottom an Allison engine. Debris was scattered all around. No one would have survived such an impact. Bill captured the scene on film before the pilot headed towards the ocean and there, in shallow water, was a Zero fighter plane lying on the ocean bed in perfect condition. There was no sign of the pilot although it was possible he had survived the descent. It was time to head back having clocked up thirty-five minutes combat time.
When back with the 26th, Bill recounted the details of the flight as he gave Smoky some much demanded attention. They were not often apart but it was going to be that way for some time now while Bill was in the air. But a random comment from one of the guys had Bill thinking differently: ‘Hey, Wynne, if you get knocked off, I can have Smoky, can’t I?’ It was something Bill had not thought about, or rather had not wanted to, but knowing Smoky’s fate had already been discussed in his absence made Bill sad and extremely angry. There was no way he was going to leave his dog’s life in anyone else’s hands. After all, he firmly believed that fate, God, or something had delivered Smoky to him and so it was his responsibility to look after her. He made the decision quickly and decisively: ‘From now on she goes with me. If it happens, we go down together.’ The men could see that he meant every word and said no more about it. Meanwhile, Bill took the canvas musette bag and checked the tie-down straps and the buckles and he could see how the bag’s shoulder strap could be fixed around his waist and not interfere with a parachute. The plan was complete. From now on, Smoky would be his flying buddy.
* * *
Bill’s next twelve missions would be in Catalina PBY-5As, otherwise known as Cats (army designation OA-10). These majestic flying boats were an integral part of 3rd Emergency Rescue Squad and flying at a maximum altitude of 13,000 feet Bill knew he could take Smoky with him as there would be no need for oxygen and he could still hide the dog in the musette bag without detection. After a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs, Bill and Smoky were ready for their first recon flight in a Catalina. A pre-flight briefing was a chance to remind the crews of the local dangers should they crash land. A ditched air crew was a valuable commodity in the jungle. Not all the villagers were friendly to the Allies: some were pro-Japanese. Others, in Dutch New Guinea, were known to have eaten at least three US airmen.
The crew of a Catalina numbered eight people: the pilot, co-pilot, navigator, engineer mechanic, radio operator, two medics and a waist gunner. Bill, as aerial photographer, was crew member number nine. He was positioned next to the gunner in the window blister, a .50 calibre machine gun at his side. The medics doubled as gunners. Smoky was a stowaway and delivering her best performance ever, staying still and quiet until Bill was able to divulge her presence. Everyone understood why he had brought her along and it was agreed she could stay and the safest place for her bag was to hang off the top bunk. It was within Bill’s reach and that was all that mattered.
It was 3 a.m. when they took off on the mission to rescue a squadron pilot missing in action. Although the plane was on a rescue and reconnaissance mission, it did not have distinctive Red Cross markings. It was marked up the same as an American war plane and was equipped to return fire. They were headed for the island of Ceram, west of the New Guinea coast and as dawn broke they entered their search area. Bill knew the lost pilot, had flown with him and that made the mission personal. He was determined to scour every inch of terrain for signs of life. But there was nothing. Suddenly and violently, the plane was pitched into a squall and everything went black. They were flying blind and being buffeted from all sides. Wrestling to keep control, the pilot climbed to 12,000 feet but the storm was still with him. The Catalina was now at the mercy of the storm and the search mission had become a matter of survival. Bill put his hand over the musette bag where Smoky was hopefully still asleep. He resisted the urge to look inside because he knew he would want to take her out and hold her but it was unsafe to do that while the plane was lurching and rolling. She was safer in the bag and while she was still and quiet, Bill was reassured. He couldn’t help wondering how long she could stay quiet and calm as the storm raged around them but he hoped it would be until they entered the home stretch. For four hours the pilot, co-pilot and the navigator worked flat out to get the crew of nine men and one dog home. What had started out as a routine search had become one more victory over the violent and unpredictable weather. They were exhausted and, thankfully, as they entered the skies over Biak, the clouds lifted giving them clearance to land.
Safely back on solid ground, the men sat in the plane for a while just allowing their minds and bodies to calm. Bill unhooked the strap of the musette bag from the top bunk and put the bag over his shoulder. He felt along the bottom seam of the canvas and it was warm. He could just about feel the rise and fall of her tiny breaths; she was fine. He thanked the Good Lord and anyone else watching over them all. It was Smoky’s first experience in the air and she had survived alongside Bill.
From that moment, they flew with many other crews and all of them welcomed Smoky as one of the team. It became routine that as Bill boarded the Catalina he would hang the canvas bag, with Smoky inside, on the edge of the upper bunk for the flight. On the longer flights, Bill would let her run around on the bunk for short periods just so she could stretch her legs and be reassured everything was fine. Sometimes the vibration and the loud hum of the engines was not a rhythmic comfort for her but just a loud noise that made her bark. But she was happy to be with Bill and sensing he was there made everything all right. Even when a flight turned out to be more hazardous than first thought, Bill would make sure Smoky was a happy passenger. He never took risks with his dog’s safety and, at the same time, would never have compromised the pilot or any other crew member during a mission. He need not have worried about upsetting anyone, everyone was glad to have her along for the ride. Those precious moments when she was allowed out to play were special for the entire crew. They provided a short, surreal interlude from reality. Smoky had the ability to make people smile when there was very little to smile about.
One night, the Catalina with Bill and Smoky on board was due to take off at 3 a.m. to cover a bombing attack on Borneo. The bombers to follow at 5 a.m. and the fighters at 7 a.m. but bad weather halted the second