Chapter 49 Chapter Forty-eight

The front doorbell rang, and Janice was startled as she opened it.Victor.Henry stood there, back bent, eyes bewildered and tired.His face was as gray and white as his ill-fitting work uniform.He held a small wooden box and a bulging briefcase in his hands. "Kah." His tone was also confused and tired. She squeezed the open neckline of her casual clothes, and hurriedly said loudly: "Dad! Come in, come in! I can't imagine, the house is a mess, and I am too, but—" "I've called and I know the rules and don't let the ladies get caught off guard. But the phone doesn't work and I'm short on time. It took me a while to figure out where you've moved."

"I wrote to you." "I didn't get it." He glanced across the small sitting room, his eyes darting away from the picture of Warren on the wall. "The furniture seems a bit cramped." "Looks a bit run down? That's all Vic and I need right now." "Have you put my things away?" "No. Your things are in Vic's room." "That's fine. I need that navy blue uniform and coat." "How long can you live in Honolulu?" "a couple of hours." "Hey! Are you in such a hurry?" He shrugged his bushy eyebrows, and Janice noticed new spots of gray in them. "I've got orders to go back to Washington. First priority air ticket." He smiled bitterly and his nose twitched, all Warren's movements, and she couldn't help but wonder. "I squeezed an Australian newspaper editor out of his plane seat at the Naval Air Station in Noumea and drove him mad!"

"Why are you in such a hurry?" "I don't know." "Well, the closet is full of things you brought from home." "Excellent. I'll use what's here. The little wooden box is empty. Even the clothes are borrowed." Here she had an opportunity to say in a low voice: "I'm really sorry for the 'Northampton'." "Has the news appeared in the newspaper?" "Gossip." She showed embarrassment, and quickly continued: "How about eating these breakfasts?" "Oh, let me think about it." He sat down slumped and wiped his eyes with his hand. "I'd rather take a hot shower. I've been up three days and nights on a plane at the Naval Air Transport Station." Report to the Pacific Fleet Command at two o'clock, and my plane will not take off until five o'clock."

"My God, they're gonna kill you." "Where's the doll?" "Outside," she said, pointing to the French windows that opened onto the sunny garden. "But he's not a kid anymore. He's grown like a gorilla." "Jane, let me see him now, and then I'll take a shower. Rest a while before I pack up. Would you mind? Wake me up then. Give me some scrambled eggs at noon, and we can talk, and then—how La?" "No, nothing. That's fine." "Do you have anything else to do?" "No, no. That's what we do."

She picked up the phone as he walked out of the house toward the grassy yard.His grandson, in a pair of swimming shorts, teases an all-black Scottish terrier in the blazing sun.He told the puppy to jump up and bite a red ball.A little Hawaiian girl sat looking after the fat, tanned kid. "Hey, Vic, do you know me?" The child turned his head and looked him up and down, and then said, "Yes. You are grandpa." He threw the ball and asked the puppy to chase it.The child's eyes and jaw look exactly like Warren's.But the demeanor of calmly answering questions seemed to Pug exactly like Byron.

"Do you know anyone who has a puppy just like yours, Vic? President of the United States. What's your puppy's name?" "Toto" The puppy drives the ball under a clothesline.Janice's two-piece bathing suit dangled next to a pair of men's printed shorts.That's when Janice stepped out into the sunlight, pushing her thick blond hair back with her hands. "Well, what do you think he looks like?" "A giant of perfect standard size and intelligence." "Ah, you are really selfless. This is Lana." The little Hawaiian girl smiled and nodded. "She followed him all day, or rather, she always tried to follow him. Talk about the meal. Do you remember Lieutenant Commander Esther?"

"Remember." "We were going to have a picnic today. I was making sandwiches when you came. So—" "Then you'd better go ahead with the plan, Jane." "No, no. I decided not to go. The thing is, there's no answer to his room at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. He might be here when we're eating. That's okay, is it?" "Why cancel this picnic?" "Well, it's just a very ordinary date. We're only five minutes away from the hotel where he's staying. As you know, Submarine Command Pacific has taken over the hotel. Qatar was teaching Vic to swim yesterday, so for Thank you, and I'll suggest a second picnic. But we can go anytime."

"Yeah, okay," Henry said, "I'm going to take a hot shower now." In the hospital bed on Tulagi Island, or in the iron round-back seat of the plane, he used to dream of the "Northampton", and it was this nightmare that kept him from napping. woke up.He and Master Chief Stark were on board as the ship lurched dizzyingly toward the beam end, the black, warm water rushing across the decks, sucking them into knee-deep eddies.In the dream, his feeling of soaking in the water was real, just like soaking in a bathtub, without any discomfort.Pug woke with a start as the sergeant major slammed a sledgehammer on the hoops that held a lifeboat, his eyes bulging with horror.The knock of the hammer became a knock on the door.He was relieved to find that he was not wet, and that he was in bed.But for a moment he could not think how he had come to this yellow nursery decorated with pictures of animals.

"Papa? Papa? It's a quarter past twelve." "Ah, thank you, Jane." The mind suddenly cleared. "How's Esther?" "He has come and gone." He stepped into the courtyard wearing a white navy suit.The whole body is upright, neat and clean, and his complexion looks much better.The items on the clothesline have been removed.The Hawaiian girl sat next to Vic on the grass, and he ate half of his nose and chin from his plate of bright yellow polenta. "Has his appetite come back?" "Well, yes. Already recovered. Can I eat in the kitchen?"

"Great." He and Janice talked off and on for a while over eggs and sausage.There were so many disturbing topics—where was the missing Natalie, the sinking of the Northampton, Pug's own future was in doubt, Warren's death above all—that Janice had to Don't go on and on about her career.She is working for the Army.A colonel with a big title—the head of the Materiel Administration—spotted her at a dinner party and later poached her from Pacific Fleet Command.Martial law now reigns supreme in the territory, and the convivial atmosphere of Honolulu—garlands, brass bands, Hawaiian feasts, and stunning vistas—belays a ruthless dictatorship.Her colonel overwhelmed all the papers.Only he could decide such matters as how many white papers to import and which ones to distribute them, so newspaper editors had to grovel before him and the military governor.There is no criticism in the editorial.Military tribunals, known as gendarmerie courts, had powers above the law, passing bizarre judgments such as ordering lawbreakers to buy war bonds or donate blood.

"It's all on the gentle side," she said. "The army really kept good order and took good care of us. There was no rationing of anything but booze and petrol. We ate like princes. Most people were carefree. But when you see military dictatorships You'd be disturbed if you could see all the inside activities of my country like I do. This isn't America, you know? Someday if there's a dictatorship over there on our mainland -- God forbid that -- It will take the form of a military emergency first and foremost." "Well, my dear," said her father-in-law.The only thing to be heard from his mouth during this conversation was the cooing.Maybe, she thought, he didn't like hearing criticism of the military.She was just looking for something to talk about.What she saw in him really hurt her.There was something dazed about this taciturn man, an air of despondency.His habitual silence now looked like a tattered cloak of misfortune.In spite of his dignified manner and the indomitable look on his gaunt face, she pitied him.Warren's father, who had previously appeared to be an imposing figure--this excellent naval officer, this Roosevelt confidant who had talked with Churchill, Hitler, Stalin, etc.--how now suddenly withered!He still looks good.Appetite is also good.It only took a while for his brain to recover from fatigue, which shows that he is still full of energy in his bones.He is unbreakable.But he is being squeezed mercilessly.That's all his daughter-in-law thinks, she still doesn't know his wife's betrayal of him. Over coffee she showed him Rhoda's last letter, which she hoped would cheer him up with its rambling chatter.Rhoda was busy with church affairs.The details of this, as well as some naval gossip, filled three pages of letterhead.A postscript at the end of the letter mentions that Madeleine's job in the film industry has blown and she has returned to New York for Hugh.Cleveland worked. Pug's face darkened as he read the letter. "This damned bastard girl." "I thought you'd be glad to hear from Madeleine. Hollywood's a sinkhole." He threw the letter on the table. "By the way. What's the name of the canal in front of your house?" "It's called the Allah Wai Canal, and it leads to the harbor for yachts." "Are there many mosquitoes here?" "You care. I don't. A lot of it, a lot." "Rhoda and I have lived in quite a few tropical houses. You'll see the difference." "Well, I got this house for almost nothing. A fighter pilot from Yorktown used to live here. His wife came home because—" Janice paused. "In fact, Toto is their dog." "Don't you want to go home?" "No. I think this is where I fought. I'll be here when you and Byron come back. You two can have a place by the sea. Vic will have a chance to get acquainted with you." "Yeah, that's good for Byron, Handsome B cleared his throat." As for me, I don't know.I think it's time for my ocean life to end, too. " - Why?It's not fair. " Another brief wry smile. "Why not? Military ranks change quickly in wartime. If you miss one step, you'll end up next to the ranks. I can continue to work in the Ordnance Department or the Naval Department." He drank his coffee, and continued to talk while thinking . "Today, at Fleet Headquarters Pacific, they may question my judgment on the line of fire. I'm not sure. Our casualties are small. However, I have fifty-eight letters in my briefcase. I wrote Letters to their loved ones. That's how I pass the time when flying here. I'm sorry for everyone we lost, but in one chase, we took two torpedoes. That's how it is. I Gonna go. Thank you for lunch." "Let me drive you to Pacific Fleet Command." "I borrowed a navy car." He ran into the bedroom and brought out the small wooden box and briefcase, and draped a blue coat with brass buttons that smelled strongly of camphor over his arm. "You know, a little over a year ago, I wore this coat on my first trip to Moscow, in the other direction. Around the world." He paused in front of Warren's photo, glanced twice, then Move your eyes to her. "I said, tell me something about Major Esther." "Qatar? Ah, he's becoming a famous submarine captain. His Squid sank 20,000 tons of enemy ships. Now he's going to put a new submarine, the Moray, into service. In fact , he has secured orders to transfer Byron to the Moray." "So, what is Este doing here? The newly built submarine should be in the country." "He got into a fight with the Ordnance Bureau to get some sort of radar, and he's flown here to try his hand at Subcommand Pacific. Qatar ain't hanging around here." "What was he like? I never knew much about him." "I don't know either. He's been nice to Vic and me." "Do you like him? That's not the question I should have asked." "You should ask." She clenched her teeth, her pancreatic eyes looking into the distance.Pug had seen that look on her face many times after Midway. "You're asking if I'm serious about my relationship with him, are you? No, I don't want to be a widow twice in one war." "In another year or so, he will be able to rotate as Lu Qin." "Oh, no!" she said immediately, with undisguised confidence. "Submarine Pacific Pacific sends captains with good records back to sea over and over again as much as they can. I'm a bit sorry to hear that Byron was sent aboard the Moray. Of course he's going to love this Work, but Qatar is too adventurous a man for me. Vic and I swim with him and sometimes he takes me dancing. I'm a widow and a back-up date when there's no more urgent war action .” Her smile showing crooked teeth is also beautiful. "OK?" "Okay. When did Byron arrive at Ester?" "never heard of that." "Well, I'm saying goodbye to the chief here." On a blanket spread out in the shade, Vic was sleeping soundly, with the red ball in his hands, and the puppy crouched at his feet.Hot weather.Lana Rong shook her head and dozed off with a magazine in her hand. The child was sweating.Victor.Henry looked at him for about a minute.Then he looked up at Janice.He noticed that tears were shining in her eyes, and the two of them looked at each other, as if they had spoken a thousand words. "I'm going to miss you," she said, walking with him to a gray navy sedan. "Say hello to my family for me. Tell them I'm doing well here, okay?" "Must do it." He got into the car and closed the door.Then she tapped on the glass window.He shook the glass down. "Anything else to say?" "If you see Byron, ask him to write to me. I love his letters very much." "I'll tell him." He drove off without mentioning Warren once.It didn't surprise her either.He had never mentioned the name of his dead son to her since Midway. Pug had no idea what to expect when he reported to Pacific Fleet Command.During the flight at three o'clock that morning, the co-pilot handed him a scrawled message: Passenger Victor (blank) U.S. Navy Captain Victor Henry was reporting to the duty officer at Pacific Fleet Command at fourteen o'clock.In the red beam of the torch, the words looked ominous.Pug has a long-loved mantra: "I've had a lot of things that bothered me in my life, and most of them didn't come true." But that spell, too, seems to be failing of late. The Pacific Fleet Command building is white and glistens in the sun.It sits high on the Makarapa Hills above the submarine base, and it also gives a glimpse of the battle going on.The building was completed quickly, and it is the crystallization of power and wealth.The promenade that wraps around the upper floors is an ingenious structure adapted to the tropics.Inside, the building still smells of fresh plaster, paint and tarpaulins.The bustling headquarters personnel—officers flaunting shoulder girdles, recruits in white uniforms, and many beautiful women volunteers—are brisk and brisk.These brisk steps represent the Battle of Midway, the Battle of Guadalcanal, and the new ships lined up in the docks.It hasn't turned into a triumphant gesture or even optimism, but the cheerful, confident look of the American people at work has returned.Gone were the sad looks after Pearl Harbor and the scrambling tension of the months before Midway. In the glass-enclosed cell of the officer on duty, among a large crowd of young officers and women volunteers, sat Victor.The youngest three-stripe officer Henry had ever seen.Long yellow hair, a creamy face that never seemed to have been razored. "A lieutenant colonel," thought Pug, "officer of the watch at Pacific Fleet Command? I'm really out of date." "My name is Victor Henry." "Ah, Victor. Colonel Henry, yes, sir." In his scrutinizing glance, as he said the name, Pug could see the blazing Northampton sinking. "Sit down, please." The young man pointed to a wooden chair and pulled the button of the intercom. "Stanton? See if the Chief of Staff is available. Victor. Colonel Henry is here." It appeared that the man who was interrogating him was Spruance.Difficult man; no old friendship at all.Presently there was a rattle on the intercom, and the officer on duty said, "Sir, Lieutenant General Spruance is in a meeting. Please wait a moment." Some sailors and women's volunteers hurried to and fro, and the duty officer sometimes answered the phone, sometimes called, or scribbled a few words in the journal.Victor.Henry sat in his chair and considered all the possible ways in which the interrogation might proceed.If Spruance had time to interview him, the topic would certainly be about the battle.From time to time the officer on duty cast him a pitiful look, and he felt as sick as a wasp sting.It was an anxious half hour before Spruance received him.The officer of the watch's long, smooth, girlish face, the pity he glanced at him surreptitiously, and the anxiety with which he waited, Pug would never forget. Spruance was signing papers at a standing desk by the window. "Hello, Pug. Just a moment, please," he said.He had never called him by the nickname Henry before.He hardly ever calls anyone by nicknames.Spruance looked very neat in a starched khaki uniform.Thin face, good complexion, flat stomach.Pug had often thought, and thought again now, that the hero of the Battle of Midway was no more in appearance or in appearance than the siege-jawed, stern-jawed, thick-browed, alternately haughty, alternately smiley Halsey. It's the actions that are so ordinary. "Okay," said Spruance, slipping the pen carefully into the case, and putting his hands on his hips, he stared at him. "What the hell happened off Tassafaronga?" "I know what happened to me, General. I don't know much about the rest." As soon as these two factual words came out, he felt regretful.An inappropriately flippant tone. "The loss of life aboard the 'Northampton' was minimal and you will be commended for that." "I never want to be praised for something like this." "We will be able to repair the other three heavy cruisers." "That would be great. I wished I could have sailed back to port, General. I did my best." "Where did this campaign go wrong?" "Sir, we were torpedoed after we started firing at a distance of twelve thousand yards. This area of ​​water was supposed to be out of torpedo range. Either we were ambushed by submarines - due to our destroyer screen force Quite large, it seems impossible for that to happen—or the Japanese have a torpedo that is far beyond the range of our torpedoes. We had intelligence on this weapon before." "I recall your memorandum to the Bureau of Naval Ships concerning the situation, and your proposals for the installation of mine-proof barriers on ships of the line." Victor.Henry was grateful from the bottom of his heart and smiled unconsciously. "Yes, General, I have now personally experienced several attacks with these weapons. They do exist." "In this case, our combat theory should be revised accordingly." Those big eyes looked at Pug.His standing desk prevents the conversation from dragging on, Pug thought to himself.He's trying to avoid shifting his weight from one leg to the other, and he's made up his mind that if his time ever becomes worthwhile, he'll get a standing desk too. "Should talk to Admiral Nimitz," Spruance said. "let's go!" Victor.Henry hurriedly followed Spruance down the corridor to an office door with two tall royal blue doors decorated with four gold stars.He remembers Admiral Kimmel meeting him in a similar office in the old office building, when he was in good spirits, with a brave smile on his face, and his bombed fleet in the sun outside the window There was a lot of smoke.Pug was calm and confident when he went in to meet Kimmel.And now, he was trembling.why?Because he is now in the position that Kimmel was at that time.He is also a man who has lost battles. They go straight in.Nimitz stood alone at the window, his hands folded across his chest.It looked like he was totally basking in the sun.The handshake was hearty, the square tanned face cheerful.The sun lit up his white hair, making his piercing blue eyes a blue-gray color.In that kindly, almost gentle face, those stern eyes, half lit by sunlight and half hidden in shadow, made Victor.Henry was even more uneasy. "Colonel Henry said the Japanese had a destroyer torpedo with a very long range," said Spruance. "He explained Tassa Faronga in this way." "How far is far?" Nimitz asked Pug. "About twenty thousand yards or so, General." "How do we deal with it?" Pug felt his throat tighten, and he replied in a hoarse voice: "In future naval battles, General, after our destroyers launch a torpedo attack, the entire front should open fire immediately, so that the artillery fire can reach a much greater distance, and Make evasive sharp turns when engaged." "Did you make an evasive sharp turn after seeing the other heavy cruisers get hit?" Nimitz said slowly in a calm, thick Texas accent, but his demeanor did not calm Pug. . "No." "why?" Victor.Henry must now answer before the commander of the Pacific Fleet the question on which his personal career depended.He had tried to answer that question in his fifteen-page combat report. "General, this was a mistake at the climax of the battle. My cannons are all aimed at the enemy. I am pinching the enemy. I want to avenge the three cruisers that were hit by the enemy and set ablaze." "Have you achieved your goal of revenge?" "I don't know. My firing officer claimed two hits on two cruisers." "Is it confirmed?" "No, sir. We'll have to wait for the task force's report. Even with such a report, I'm personally skeptical. Firing officers are often distracted by imagination." Nimitz winked at Spruance. "Any other comments?" "In my report I set out a few points, sir." "For example?" "General, gunpowder that does not produce muzzle flames was a program of the Bureau of Ordnance in 1937, when I was still there. To this day we don't have it. The enemy has it. We don't approve of it in night battles." Searchlights were used so that the enemy would not be aware of our position, but we only had to fire a few volleys to give away our position, angle of approach, and speed of advance. Our front that night looked like four volcanoes had erupted. A magnificent sight, Sir, it gives people great spiritual satisfaction. But it also solves the problem of launching torpedoes for the Japanese." Nimitz turned to Spruance. "Send a dispatch to the Ordnance Bureau today about the powder without muzzle flash, and immediately send a personal letter to Spike Brandy." "Yes, sir." "Nimitz stretched out a veiny hand with a missing finger, wiped his square chin, and said: "Our own destroyer's attack has also completely failed. What is the reason for this?"They use radar for surprise effect, right?They get ahead of each other. " Pug felt—so to speak—as if he were back in torpedo waters.This question is likely to be a key issue in the Tassafaronga Inquiry Court. "General, this is a reverse operation. The enemy and us are moving in opposite directions. The relative speed of approach is fifty knots or faster. The problem of launching torpedoes developed rapidly. When the destroyer captain asked permission to launch torpedoes Admiral Wright preferred to wait until he was closer to the target. By the time he agreed to fire, the enemy was close to the stern. So it became a decisive shot at maximum range. This is what happened on the Northampton What you see." "The enemy, however, had the exact same problem, and they did a great job." "They won the torpedo battle without difficulty, General." After an uncomfortable silence, Nimitz said, "Okay." He moved away from the window and held out his hand to Pug. "I know at Midway you lost a pilot son who served in battle. You also have a son who served in submarines." He looked down at the Dolphin medal on his own khaki shirt. "Yes, General." Chester.Nimitz held Pug's hand for a long time, looked him in the eyes affectionately, and said, "Bon trip, Henry," in a sad and kind voice. "Thank you, sir." Spruance took him into the crowded, smoky war room. "That was your battle," he pointed to a map of Guadalcanal full of symbols on the wall, "that we reconstructed according to the battle situation." Sitting down on the sofa, "'Northampton' is a beautiful warship," Spruance said. "But it's questionable about its stability." "I can't blame my hazard control officer, Admiral. We were unlucky, we got two torpedoes in the stern part of the ship where the armor plates are. I shouldn't have fought. Get out of there at once, like Honolulu. Maybe I You can also keep my warship." "Well, the intensity of the fight was a factor. You were emotional. You gotta turn the tide." Victor.Henry didn't express an opinion, but he was relieved to hear Spruance's words.He took a deep breath and sighed heavily. Spruance continued, "What's next?" "I've been ordered to return to Naval Personnel for a new assignment, Admiral." "Last time you were here, you tried to avoid a staff assignment. I need a deputy chief of staff for planning and operations now." Victor.Henry couldn't control his excitement at this moment, he blurted out like a child: "Me?" "As long as you are willing." "God." Pug put a hand over his eyes involuntarily.Judging by the momentum of the rapid development of the Pacific Fleet, Spruance now gave him a golden opportunity.A leap to the rank of admiral, a leap into the ranks of great men, the second chance he'd told Janice he couldn't dream of.Now away from Victor.It was less than three weeks before Henry struggled in slop, naked and desperately swam to a packed lifeboat, his flaming warship sinking behind him.After thinking for a moment, he said in a hoarse voice, "You're a real surprise, General. I want to do it." "Well, let's hope Naval Personnel has no objections. We've got some serious operational problems to solve, Pug. You should think about it right away. Come on!" Victor.Henry, a little deaf and dazed, followed Spruance back to the war room and walked over to a large yellow and blue tabletop map of the Pacific Ocean.Spruance began with uncharacteristically half-pedantic, half-martial enthusiasm: "During your military academy years, did you ever study the old problem—how to recover the Philippines after the 'Tangerine' invaded and occupied the Philippines?" Lost ground? This is a bit similar to the battle we are facing now." "No, sir. We were working on the Wake Island problem." "Ah, yes. Well, in the end there are two ways of attacking. Geography forces us to do so. One is to cross the middle of the Pacific Ocean, conquer some of the Japanese island strongholds, and consolidate the position in Mariana so that we can attack Lu Song Yuejin." Spruance gestured with his right hand on the map as he spoke, illustrating an offensive across thousands of nautical miles that swept past the Marshall Islands, the Marianas, and the Caroline Islands toward the Philippines. "The other is an offensive northward from Australia—New Guinea, Morota, Mindanao, Luzon." Moving forward from Australia, across New Guinea with his left hand, his fingers traced slowly across the map Crawling, it seemed to imitate--evoked a clear association in Pug's mind--the image of troops marching hard through the tropical mountains. "General MacArthur was naturally keen on the second tactic. A man used to fighting on land. But by water, you can make a maneuverable flank attack on the enemy's supply lines, making them elusive. They don't know where you're jumping next. Where. Then the enemy will be forced to disperse his forces. On land, it will be a frontal attack through the mountains and dense forest. The Japanese fleet is on your side, and the Japanese army is in front of you. " Spruance said The little urchin gave Pug that look. "Honestly, the general is eager to teach the Japanese Army a lesson." Spruance now pokes an island off New Guinea with his right index finger. "However, even he admits that this Rabaul is a stumbling block in the way forward. That's how he sees the Guadalcanal operation as a stumbling block to Rabaul. Anyway, we are in Here is the rallying point for the Central Pacific. We will make a major effort. In the meantime, MacArthur will, of course, carry out his offensive." Victor.This sudden change in Henry's career shocked him a lot, and the prospect before him was infinitely beautiful.He foresaw the transition from the narrow task of commanding a cruiser to the work of planning a large-scale naval battle.All the problems and studies of the Pacific that he had been exposed to at the Naval Academy came to his mind.They seemed in those days to be shallow abstractions, nothing more than algebraic games about impossible forces and situations.Today, these forces and circumstances are becoming a living, blazing reality.An exciting idea rose from his heart, that he was in an unknown corner, and had a global battle as his mission; what else could he desire? Spruance tapped the Guadalcanal section of the map. "You know, Tassafaronga was a really poignant tune for Halsey after that brilliant comeback. Have you ever met him?" "Yes, sir. He will see me when I pass through Nouméa." "How is he?" "Brute. He put everyone in the South Pacific Fleet at risk. I can tell that when I got to his office, he was yelling about something. Everyone was in a ball. But in a blink of an eye He became clergymanly when he was talking to me. He was sympathetic to the Northampton." After a moment's hesitation, Pug said, "He said I at least gave the bastards a good beating." "What about Warren's wife?" "I saw her just now. Handsome B's throat got thicker." She's doing fine.She is working for the military government. " "Where's the wife of your son on the submarine? Has she left Europe?" "I look forward to hearing from her when I get home, sir." "Warren's a great fighter." Spruance held out his hand to shake him goodbye. "I'll never forget him." Victor.Henry burst out "Thank you, General", turned around and left.It was less than an hour before the plane took off.He returned the car to the garage office and hired a taxi to the Naval Air Service airport.There he bought a copy of the Honolulu Advertiser at the newsstand inside the shed, which he hadn't read in months.The eye-catching headlines on the banners reported that the Allied forces broke through in Morocco, Rommel fled, and the German army fell into a siege in Stalingrad.He had seen these news on the posting column of typed telegrams in the Pacific Fleet Headquarters, but the wording was not so hot.版面下端一条较小的标题却使他当头挨了一棒；埃里斯特。塔茨伯利在阿拉伯牺牲！