Brisbane
When we got off the ship at Brisbane we were being transported out to Ascot race track. and one of the first things we spotted was a big billboard atop a building with the message "Drink Coca Cola"; now that was a pleasant sight to see. Looked like this was going to be a pretty good place to be. When we got to the track and got settled we were fed an evening meal prepared by the Aussies. All due respects to our hosts and allies, I'm glad we didn't depend on them for our food while over there. That meal consisted of mutton stew and and a big container of a hot drink. Looked to me like hot coffe with the cream already added. Turned out to be hot tea -- I can abide icedtea with lemom - I hate hot tea. We spent 10 days at Ascot unloading our equipment off the boat and onto RR cars.

Charters Towers
When everything was loaded and ready to go we boarded train pulled by steam locomotives. Took about three days to get to Charters Towers, weather was hot, windows were open and we had a pretty steady barrage of soot and cinders. The cars consisted of compartment that accomadated 6 people, on benches on either side of compartment. Luggage racks on either side where we kept barracks bags during the day. At nite we put the bags on the floor between benches. Two guys slept on the bags, one on each bench and one up on each luggage rack - not exactly Waldorf Astoria accomadations.

We were now, supposedly, in a combat zone so the first thing we did was dig slit trenches. By our tents, by our offices and any place else we were going to be. You didn't dig them in that ground, you used a pick ax for every inch of it. Once we got set up and ready to go we were ready to wage war -- but had nothing wage it with. Don't know if you are familiar with the 3rd Bomb. Gps. situation, but I will try to give it to you briefly. Having left our planes in Savannah along with the top brass, we sat there sans aircraft and a lot of our pilots. And unfortunately the powers that be failed to make arrangement for planes for us. In March '42 Col. John Davies and 42 of his officers, 62 of his enlisted men and 24 of their A-24 Dive Bombers that had been pulled out of the Phillipines and had been operating in Java were pulled out sent to C.T. and assigned to our Gp. Col. Davies took over as Gp. Commander and he assigned the A-24's to the 8th Sq. which had had them in Savannah. He got wind of some B-25's sitting in Brisbane. The Dutch had ordered them but didn't have anybody trained to fly them. Col. Davies went down with some pilots and mechanics, convinced the authoraties they were meant for the 3rd Bomb Gp. and flew them back to C.T. There were 24 of them and he assigned half to the 13th Sq. and half to the 90th Sq. -- and we were now in business with one Sq. of A-24's and two Sqs. of B-25's and the 89th Sq. went begging for a while.

The planes would fly to Port Moresby gas up, bomb up and fly their mission. They would return to Moresby, gas up and fly back to C.T. Moresby was a hot target for the Japs and we spent as little time there as possible. The last two or three months of '42 after we had gained a little air superiority we would send two Sqs. up for a two week period, then alternate the other two.

13th Sq. Operations Office Charters Towers		Conditions and operations were rather primitive. We existed in pyramidal tents on canvas cots, dirt floors and sleeping under mosquito bars (netting), cause the little critters were a constant source of annoyment and malaria. The 8th Sq. pulled its first combat mission,(also the first for the 3rd Bomb Gp.) April 1, 1942. The l3th & 90th pulled the first B-25 mission on Apr. 5 (Easter Sunday) 1942. And so started one of the longest continuous combat operations of any Gp. in the Air Force. They pulled their last mission from Okinawa over Japan in Aug. 1945.
B-25 Cockpit Taken while flying with Maj. Evanoff on a local training formation at Charters Towers. The only time I flew over there was when the Major wanted some, what I called 'glamour shots'. Never did fly any combat missions. The photo section only had three men on flying status and they only flew on special or recon missions.	I was still in the Operaions Office. In peace time Hq. Sq. was also a tactical Sq. In the summer of '42 in was deactivated as a tactical and made strictly a Hq. Sq. All the combat crewsl, mechanics, armorers etc. were transferred to the other four Sqs. They also decided they had more help in Operations than needed. Being the low man on the totem pole I was transferred to the 13th Sq. Operations office. Major Evanoff (the Mad Russian) was Sq. Commander and was an avid shutter bug. There was a 4x5 Speed Graphic kit in the operations office, but nobody knew how to use it. I wasted no time in letting the Maj. all I needed to use that was some film and the where-with-all to process it. He made a trip to Brisbane, came back with equipment for a complete dark room set up. He set myself and S/Sgt Culbreth who also had some photographic experienc up in the 13th Sq. Photo Shack. His rationale was that we needed someplace for the guys to have their film processed with out depending on the locals. Of course we were always at his beck and call also. So I was finally doing what I had joined up to to -- albeit very unofficial.

Shortly after I transferred back to Hq. Sq. and the Photo Section there was an opening. My section chief asked me if I wanted it - paid an extra 20%. I had already been over there a year and a half and had three tent mates fly off in those "Magnificen Flying Machines" and never come return. I told him thanx but no thanx; Mrs. Heyn didn't raise any heros, just a survivor. An eager beaver who had just joined us from stateside, with a wife and could use the extra money, took it. When I left the outfit he was still there. I sincerely hope he survived. Three other photographer friends of mine didn't

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