The Cavalcade of America, sponsored by DuPont, maker of better things for better living through chemistry, presents Randolph Scott in The Vengeance of Torpedo VIII. This evening with Randolph Scott as our star, DuPont presents The Vengeance of Torpedo VIII, based on the book Torpedo VIII by Ira Wolford. The Vengeance of Torpedo VIII, written by Milton Wayne and Robert L. Richards, is a story of courage out of the annals of our war in the Pacific. Randolph Scott appears on the Cavalcade tonight by the courtesy of Universal Pictures, which is now filming the Walter Wanger production, Gung Ho, starring Randolph Scott as Lieutenant Harold Larson on The Cavalcade of America. This is the story of vengeance and the story of a man. It is the story of a grim item of particulars presented to the enemy and collected in fullest measure by the men of the United States Navy Torpedo Squadron and by their skipper. The name of the squadron is Torpedo VIII. The name of the man is Swede Larson, and The Vengeance was on behalf of 42 of its men, men who were still alive only 18 months ago. It is a day in March 1942 at the Norfolk Naval Base, and Torpedo VIII is in the process of commissioning new TBF planes for the big job that still lies ahead. And carefully supervising every move is Torpedo VIII Skipper, Lieutenant Swede Larson. Larson to Ernest. Yes, Skipper. Hold it, I'll call you back. Here comes the captain. Well, Swede, how are they coming? Couldn't ask for better, sir. Look, Swede, I don't want to rush you, but, well, it would help to have a rough idea. How soon do you think your boys can get these planes into commission for combat? Well, I've been doing considerable thinking about that. Of course, you know there's a lot of work involved in a job like this. Sure, I know, but there's a war on, too. Yes, sir, that's why I was thinking. I figured we could do the job by May. May? Are you kidding? No, sir, but that's about the best we can do. Do you realize that May is only two months from now? Yes, sir. And that the Navy has never commissioned a new type of combat plane in two months in its life? Nor the Army? Nor any other service in any other country in the world? Well, no, sir, I didn't. Well, it's a fact. Do you still think you'll have these ships by May? Yes, sir, because these new ships are good. And the boys out there will need them, and the boys here know it. They'll have them ready. Okay, I'll put in my report. But there can't be much fooling around if you're going to have those planes out that fast. Don't worry, sir, we'll deliver them. The Army Hey, Jack. Yeah, Frenchy, what do you want? Hey, I want to go to that ball game. This guy Sweet is killing us. Well, why don't you put it up to him? Why not? All he can do is say no. Yeah, and he will. But tell him we'll all be dead before we ever fight at this rate. You're not kidding. I'm going to talk to him. The last I saw him, he was down there in the grease pit. Good luck, Frenchy. Hey, Sweet. Hey, Sweet. Yeah? Hi, you, Frenchy. Come on up for a minute. Let's have a cigarette. Be right with you. Sticky down there. Yeah. Thanks. Well, what's on your mind, kid? Well, Sweet, you see, the fellas were kind of thinking... There's something wrong? Oh, no, no, no. But you see, they've been working pretty hard lately, nights and all. Don't I know it. They're a great bunch of guys, Frenchy. Yeah. Well, you see, there's a ball game this afternoon. Yeah? And it would only be a couple of hours, and so they got the sort of thinking of... Boy, would I like to go and take the wife along, too. Hey, that's swell. Yeah, but you know we can as well as I do. Oh, Sweet, the war'll keep... Okay, okay, you're the boss. I know how you guys feel. My wife came all the way from Birmingham with the kids, and now I hardly ever see her. And you know how I feel about Missy. Well, maybe you ought to see more of her, Sweet. Maybe you ought to make the time. Maybe? Sit down, Frenchy. I want to tell you something. Yeah? What's on your mind? Look, Frenchy, I'm not a very smart guy. Well, I got the kind of brains that work slow. I found that out a long time ago. I found out that everything I did, I had to work awful hard. It's kind of the same way with this war. I'm never going to do anything smart. Oh, Sweet. Never going to dope out any fancy strategy. The only thing I know how to do is work and keep on working. And as long and as hard as I can on the job I got, you see what I mean? Sure, Skipper. Tell the guys I'm sorry about the ballgame. Ah, Skipper. They were only kidding. Who wants to see a lousy ballgame? We all do, kid. But the captain's got to have these planes, and I promised him we'd have them ready. There they are, sir. Ready to go. Well, you made it, didn't you? It's a swell job, Sweet. Thank you, sir. Your boys ready to take them out to the coast? Yes, sir. They're in your hands, then. Brief them and drop in to see me before you shove off. Yes, sir. Wait. Hello, Missy. I was down at the shops. They said you were up here. Just looking at your crates over. You ready to come home? I sure am. Well, come on then. Ah, darling, think. Tomorrow's Sunday. We'll have it all to ourselves. Missy, I... And I got the most lovely turkey from the commissary. Missy, I... We won't have so many more Sundays than I thought we could sort of celebrate. Missy! What, Sweet? Look, honey, I won't be here tomorrow. Sweet! That's right, honey. I've got to leave tonight. Oh, Sweet, why didn't you tell me? I thought it was better this way. But we've had so little time, and now it's gone. Why didn't you tell me sooner? Well, I told you as soon as I let the others tell their wives. But why, darling, why? It's easier without long goodbyes. Oh, is it? Well, maybe they don't think so. But I... Maybe their wives and their children and their sweethearts don't think so. Well, I was going... Maybe they feel the way I do. That they want to know in time. So they can get ready for it a little. I want to tell you that... So they can take it and not... Oh, Sweet. I know, Missy. Oh, darling. Listen, honey. Do you remember when you were a kid and they used to tie a string around your tooth? Tie the other end to the doorknob and slam the door shut real quick so it wouldn't hurt so much? Mm-hmm. Maybe I'm wrong, but this is the way I see it, Missy. If a man went off to fight always wondering when he'd have to leave the people he loved. And then wondering when he got there, how soon he'd have to come back to them. It would hurt so much that he couldn't do the job at all. And then he never would come back. Don't you see, Missy? I'm thinking about their wives and their sweethearts too. Just the same as you are. I know. I'm sorry, darling. I know you've got the toughest job. Just waiting. I don't mind waiting, Sweet. I can wait a long, long time. Sweet, take care of yourself. Sure, I will. Missy. Yes, Sweet? I love you, darling. I love you too. Write to me often. Sure, but don't worry when you don't hear from me. I'll be there. I'll be there. I'll be there. I'll be there. I'll be there. But don't worry when you don't hear from me. I'll try to call you before I go. You be sure to now. I'll be waiting. Well, goodbye. Call me when you get there. All right. Goodbye now. Goodbye. Goodbye, Sweet. Goodbye. Goodbye. Hurry, Operator. I haven't got long. I'm trying to get your party now, Sir. OK, but hurry, please. Hello, Birmingham. This is the Birmingham operator. Would you try my party again, please? Mrs. Larson. One moment, please. Please hurry. I'm ringing your party now, Operator. I'm sorry, Sir. Can't you give me just a minute? It's my wife. I just want to say hello. Hello. Hello. Ship to shore, Operator. Hello. Hello. Mrs. Larson. Yes? Your husband was calling, Mrs. Larson. My husband? Sweet. Sweet, is that you? I'm sorry, Mrs. Larson, but he was disconnected. Well, how soon can you get the connection through again? I'm afraid we can't, Mrs. Larson. The connection has been broken. Oh. I see. I'm awful sorry, Mrs. Larson. I know how you feel. I got a guy out there, too. The last slender thread is cut, and Sweet Larson and the men of Torpedo 8 are out on the broad waters of the Pacific. Then Honolulu, Pearl Harbor. There's food enough for vengeance there, but they don't know what the word means yet. They can't know until they in their turn, like others who've gone before, have known the bitterness of sacrifice and death. That lies ahead, but now there's only waiting. Wait, wait, wait. Well, what do we do now, Sweet? Park it, sit on it, and wait some more. Any idea for how long? Take it easy, guys. Hitting's part of the war out here. You just have to get used to it. Lieutenant Larson, the Admiral would like to see you, sir. Right. Hey, maybe we're going to work. I'll try to get some action. Hold it on him, Sweet. I'll do everything but hit him. In here, please, Lieutenant. Admiral Norris, Lieutenant Larson. Come in, Larson. Come in. Sit down. Thank you, sir. Lieutenant Larson, I know it's been difficult for you, for all of you, waiting this way. But until we get more stuff out of here, we've got to save what we've got and make it count. I know, sir. I think we've got a chance to make it count now. Jeff is getting set to take a crack at Midway. We're going to make him pay. That's where Torpedo 8 comes in. That's what we've been waiting for, sir. I want six crews to take off for Midway right away. We'll be ready at once, sir. There's not going to be any picnic, Larson. You better tell your men that. It'll be a one-way trip for them. Well, more of them than I care to estimate. Yes, sir. Can I pick any other five crews I want to go with me? I'm afraid you'll have to pick six, Larson. You're staying here. Staying? Where? Here. I need you. But Admiral Norris, Torpedo 8 is my job. These are my boys. I can't send them off to something I won't want myself. I'm afraid you have no alternative, Lieutenant. Wait a minute, sir. I've had more training than anyone in the whole squadron. I put those ships into commission myself, I know every turn and twist of every one of them. If anybody goes to Midway, I... Lieutenant Larson, you may select your crews in any way you like. You will remain here at your post. That's an order. Yes, sir. Is that all, sir? That's all. Hey, Sweet, what's the pitch? Did we get the job? Get the men together. Hey, guys, come on in. Big news. Papa's going to put us on the first team. Oh, hey, what's up? What is it? Okay, pipe down. I got some news. There's a job to do. Six crews are going to Midway. It's going to be tough all the way. A lot of the men who go won't come back. All I can promise is that you'll be in a position to dish out more than you take. I'll call for volunteers. All right, quiet. I'll pick the crews myself. I'm staying here. You? Staying? Orders. I'll pick six flight officers and they can choose their own crews. Jogerson. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. Don't thank me. Osaddy. Yes, sir. McMahan. Yes, sir. Levine. Yes, sir. Johnson. Yes, sir. Ernest. Yes, sir. That's all dismissed. Any news yet, Sparks? Nothing new, Lieutenant Larson. There's been a fight at Midway all right and torpedo eight was in it. There's nothing more. Let me know as soon as anything breaks, will you? Yes, sir. Oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute, sir. What? Getting it, sir. Right now. What is it? Oh, it's not so good, sir. What is it? Well, only one got back, sir. Only one? Yes, sir. Who was it? Lieutenant Ernest. You are listening to Randolph Scott as Lieutenant Swede Larson in the vengeance of torpedo eight on the cavalcade of America presented by DuPont. Lieutenant Larson has just learned that five of the six of his torpedo squadron that he sent to Midway are lost. He is waiting now for the return of the sixth, Lieutenant Ernest. Well, Swede, I made it. Yeah, I heard about it, Ernie. Oh, look, Ernie, don't talk about it if you don't want to. I don't mind. I wish I could have been there. So do I, Swede. We all did. It was tough, huh? It was plenty. Did you do any good before? The best we could. How did it happen? We didn't have enough to put up, that's all. We didn't have any fire protection. We didn't have any dive bombers to break up their ground fire. They just sat upstairs and waited for us. Swede, we were like a raw egg thrown into an electric fan. That bad. Yeah. Better get some sleep, kid. We'll make it up, Swede. Yeah, we'll make it, kid. That's a promise. I can't tell you men much about what's happened. You know it by now. We sent 44 men to Midway and only two came back. That's in the past. That's a job that's been done. We don't have time to talk about that. The men of torpedo 8 are standing at attention. The men who are left. About 150 of them. Boys from Kentucky and Oregon and Jersey and California. From rich homes and poor homes. From big towns and little ones. From farms and from factories. From the CIO and the AFL and Wall Street and store counters and the docks. Boys from all over America. But they're not boys anymore. They've been through it now. They never will be young again, these boys. And they're waiting for their skipper. For Swede Larson to tell them about what's passed. And the ones who are no longer there. And about the future and the job ahead. That's our job we've got to get ready for. That's what I have in mind now and I think you have too. We're going to work at our job the way none of us have ever worked at anything before. And we're going to like it. Because we're going to hit the jab wherever we can. And as hard as we can and as often as we can. We're going to make him pay for midway. Over and over and over again until he lies down and quits coal rather than pay anymore. The motto of Torpedo 8 has always been attack. But from today it's going to be something more. It's going to be attack and vengeance. We're going to make the Jap remember the day that motto was born. And we're going to make him remember those men and whose names it was taken. The name of Oscar Jorgerson. Of Frank Osadde. Of Patrick McMayan. Harry Levine. George Church. From the day that Sweet Lawson spoke to them. From that day on the men of Torpedo 8 committed themselves to vengeance. They stepped with their minds out of their old familiar world. Into a world in which their dead could live with them more fiercely. Vengeance was their job. When they got to Guadalcanal they worked at it relentlessly. They're aboard the carrier Hornet now. And the first flight of Avengers of Torpedo 8 take to the air over Guadalcanal. Lawson to squadron. Lawson to squadron. Okay Skipper. Go ahead Skipper. Here's the setup. We flat headed. Come in as low as we can. Drop one bomb to a pass. We keep radio silence until we hit the Jap. Then we tear in and mess him up. Got it? Gotcha Skipper. Go. They hit the Jap at point Purvis. The Jap headquarters goes up in smoke and flames. Call number two on the list for the day is Langa Langa Harbor. Do a job on the docks, the floats and the storing boats. Linos inland. Knock off a gasoline dump. Day after day. Week after week they have a bill of vengeance to present and collect. Ernest, Frenchy, where are you guys? Right up above you, sweet. I'm down below, sweet. Looking things over. You see those trucks coming out of the woods down there? I see them. Go get them, Frenchy. On my way, sweet. How many did you get? How many burning? Can't see. My wind is busted. Did you make them pay for it? I don't know yet. Wait a minute. Yeah. I see three, four, seven trucks burning. All burning. Hey, sweet. This is Ernest. Chips, about 11 o'clock. See him? I got you. Let's go. Torpedo 8 had a bill of vengeance to present and to collect. And they were collecting with interest. The Hornet had put out to sea. And they were working out of Henderson Field when the big day came that they'd all been expecting and hoping for. Sweet got his squadron together in the briefing room. Everybody here? Yes, sir. Well, boys, the dope has just come in. It's what we've all been waiting for and it's our meat. The Jap is getting ready to throw his Sunday punch. He's heading for Guadalcanal. And not with just little stuff. He's got a whole fleet. We'll take off right away. Yes, sir. Just one thing. Yes, sir. This is it. This is our chance to collect in a big way for Midway. And a lot of other things. Torpedo 8 has got just one job to do. For every man in the squadron, get a torpedo into one of those ships and get it in right. Any of you guys sight the target yet? Not yet, sweet. Any new orders? No, same course. Keep a close watch. Hey, sweet, sweet. I got you, Ernest. What is it? Down there about two o'clock. That's it, guys. Squadron attention. Target sighted. Target sighted two o'clock. Steaming southwest. What a sight. What a sight. Isn't that something cruises battleships transports? Here they go, the guns. They've spotted us. Okay, guys, let's go. Follow me. Sweet. Sweet, you're going right into their guns. I'm taking that cruiser wherever I'm going. Look at him go. He's crazy. Sweet, sweet. Look out. Look out. I got him. I got him. Sink you. Sink. Sweet, pull out of it. Get out of there. Not without that cruiser. Why doesn't she sink? You got us, sweet. She's listing and burning. Why doesn't she sink? Sweet, you're losing oil. Pull out. Pull out. I'm going into strafing. You can't do it, sweet. You're hit bad. It's crazy strafing. Your woman's sinking. I'm going in. You'll never get through that fire, sweet. Don't do it. You guys stay where you are. Sweet, sweet. Look at him go. Sweet, you'll never make it. Come on. Let's go. We can't let the guy go alone. Got you. Look, she's going. Sweet, you got her. She's going. Her magazines are blown. She's gone, sweet. She's gone. Pull out. Sweet. Yeah, I hear you. Did you see her go, sweet? I saw her. You did it, kid. Yeah. Well, that shovel. Vengeance. A bill to be presented and collected. An itemized account. One Japanese battleship. Two Japanese cruisers. Five heavy cruisers. Four light cruisers. One destroyer. One transport. Millions of dollars in Japanese equipment and materiel. And 4,800 Japanese dead. For Lieutenant Oscar Jorgerson. For Lieutenant Frank Orsatti. For Lieutenant Patrick McMahan. For Lieutenant Harry Levine. For Lieutenant George Johnson. To all men living and dead who once made up torpedo 8 salute. Thank you, Randolph Scott. Ladies and gentlemen, in just a few moments, Mr. Scott will return to the microphone. Meanwhile, here is Gaine Whitman with a message from DuPont. Rainbow-colored signal smokes, red, orange, yellow, green, and violet hues, erupt from tiny canisters, enabling American tanks and vehicles to operate in areas of intense air activity without danger from attack by their own planes. The panzer type of warfare, in which swift-moving tanks are supported by squadrons of planes, made some sort of precaution imperative. This was evidenced by a savage attack on a German tank division by Nazi dive bombers, who from their high altitude thought they were attacking British tanks. Various schemes for identification were proposed. Painted emblems, signal flags, flares, but none proved successful. It was then suggested that colored smokes might solve the problem. At the time, no practical colored smokes were available. But the knowledge gained in peacetime by DuPont, along with other dye stuffs manufacturers, was made available to the Chemical Warfare Service and contributed to the solution of the problem. The specifications were rigid. There had to be several colors to permit code variations. The colors had to be brilliant, dense, and absolutely uniform. Finally, and most difficult, they had to withstand high temperatures, since the heat from the burning charge destroyed the color of ordinary dyes. After literally hundreds of tests, suitable colors and techniques were worked out. Before leaving for Africa, Lieutenant General George Patton sought to it that his force embarked for Africa with a plentiful supply of this new life-saving munition. All possible uses for colored smokes have not yet been worked out in detail, and some cannot be disclosed at present. It may be said, however, that various smoke colors can be used to identify command posts to friendly aircraft, that one airplane may signal another by use of a distinctive color, while canisters attached to a small parachute may be dropped from observation planes to point out enemy targets to artillery by means of colored smoke. Further research has developed special canisters that can also be used on water, while still another kind of canister produces a brilliant white light, which, like the colored smokes used in daylight, can be seen at night from altitudes of 10,000 feet. From the thousands of different dyes developed for use on textiles and other materials, has come this interesting wartime use for one of DuPont's peacetime, Better Things for Better Living through Chemistry. You have just heard of the use of DuPont colors in military operations. Another DuPont product which involves color and which does not contain vital materials needed in the war effort is Speed Easy, one of the things DuPont makes for better living today. Speed Easy is a wall paint that covers dingy wallpaper and other interior walls in one quick coat. Although Speed Easy thins with water, it is a resin oil paint, not a calcimine. Speed Easy dries in an hour, comes in eight cheerful pastel colors. You can make your home more livable during these war days by redecorating with Speed Easy, made by DuPont. And here is the star of tonight's cavalcade, Randolph Scott. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. This account of Torpeter VIII brings us all face to face with the great sacrifices our men made against desperate odds in the early days of the war and gives us a clearer understanding of what we're up against today. For most of us, the war is a distant terror until it's brought forcefully home by those very close to our own lives. Let's match their efforts at the front with ours at home. Back the attack with war bonds. Next week, Cavalcade brings you another popular star of the stage screen and radio, Basil Rathbone. Our play, The Hated Hero of 76, is the story of the brilliant figure of the days of the American Revolution, Tom Paine, whose fight to instill men with the ideal of liberty remains our heritage today. DuPont invites you to be its guest again next week when we bring you The Hated Hero of 76, a story of courage and confidence in the destiny of the United States starring Basil Rathbone as Tom Paine. Tonight's musical score was composed and conducted by Robert Ambruster. Cavalcade is pleased to advise its listeners that Randolph Scott can soon be seen in the Howard Hawks Universal Production, Corvette K-225. Tonight's play was based on fact. With the exception of Lieutenant Larsen and Lieutenant Ernst, all other names were fictitious. This is James Bannon sending best wishes from Cavalcade sponsor, the DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware. The Cavalcade of America came to you from Hollywood. This is the National Broadcasting Company.
