When The Kuni-Maipas Saved

Ten Yanks

The following article was pub- I lished in the June issue of The Papuan Villager, the monthly journal compiled by the Papua- I N Guinea Education Department I for the natives.

IN October, 1943, a 824 Bomber left Port Moresby to bomb the [Japanese in Rabaul. In the bomber there was a crew of ten Americans, i But one of the important ments in their aeroplane was not working properly. Near Lae, the pilot and navigator realized that the broken instrument had done a great deal of damage to the engines. They decided it would be impossible to get to Rabaul and back.

So they flew out over the sea and dropped all their bombs into the water where they could do no harm.

Then they began to try to get the damaged aeroplane back over the mountains to Port Moresby.

The engines became worse. Mount Yule was somewhere in front of them, but heavy rain clouds made it impossible to see.

The bomber was losing height.

Suddenly one engine caught fire.

Flames streamed out behind. The pilot swung the plane desperately to the right. Another mountain loomed out of the mist.

The pilot gave the word, and one by one the ten members of the crew, wearing their parachutes, jumped.

The pilot was the last to leave. Three or four seconds later the plane crashed into the mountain and burst into flames.

On the ground, one American air man had a broken back, but he was still alive. Some had broken ribs.

Three were missing.

This was in the Kuni-Maipa area.

Friendly natives soon arrived, and the Americans stood ten sticks in the ground. Each of the seven men then sat down beside a stick. In this way, the pilot was able to make the natives understand that three airmen were still missing.

They began to search and soon came back with the missing three men. The natives brought food, but the airmen would not eat it, think ing that it might be poisoned.

They kept on asking if there were any Europeans in the area. Always the natives made the same reply: ■“Babe, Marne, Puppapoo.” The Americans practised the words, but they did not mean anything to them.

They did not know that the Kuni-

Maipa Natives were trying to say “Father, Sister and little Father.”

THEN the three strongest Ameri cans decided to go with the natives. One quick-footed Kuni- Maipa woman went ahead and reached Father Wendling, at Kerau Mission outstation, three days later.

The three Americans reached Father Wendling shortly afterwards and a search party was organized.

Father Wendling, two native Sis ters and a crowd of carriers got back to the remaining airmen in 2\ days, with food and medicine. The man with the broken back was very ill and the others were weak from lack of food.

A rough stretcher was made for the injured man and the party started back for Kerau., They had to climb Mt, St. Mary, 12,000 feet high.

After eight days, the whole party reached Kerau, where they lived for more than a week, feasting on the green vegetables, meat, milk and butter that are produced there in plenty. They then set out for Tapihi, From Tapini, messages by radio were sent to American Headquarters.

American aeroplanes very soon arrived over Tapin, but they could not land on the tiny airstrip. They dropped plenty of medicine and hundreds of tins of cigarettes— enough for the Mission for three years. Then the planes flew back to Port Moresby. Next day, a Tiger Moth plane arrived and began tak ing the airmen one by one back to their base.

To Father Wendling and his Mis sion helpers, the 2i days walk from Kerau to Apoloto, and the eight day struggle back across mountains 12,000 feet high was all part of their ordinary work; but the Americans have never ceased to be grateful to Father Wendling and the Kuni- Maipa, Tauade and Goilala Natives for .their kindness and care.

After their return to America, they formed a club and sent a message to Father Wendling, telling him that when he had finished his ten years in Papua and was returning to France for a holiday, he must come first to them in America where they would look after him. One of the airmen is a rich man. He sent 1,000 dollars (£437 10s.) to pay Father Wendling’s fare.

The ten airmen are now thinking about sending a gift of a helicopter

(a plane which needs no airstrip) to help in the work of carrying sup plies across Mount St. Mary, 12,000 feet above the sea.