War Photographer's Notebook

Chapter 1715 Tabasco Hot Sauce
Amid the rustling sound of turning pages, the metal feather pen drew a picture on the pale yellow paper.

A figure wearing a U.S. military flight suit, with one hand holding a camera and the other holding a large keychain, on which hang safety pins, pull rings and ribbons.

Who is this?
Just as Wei Ran subconsciously began to be curious about this figure, the metal feather pen also quickly wrote lines of words:
Character identity: Freelance journalist Victor
Return mission: board the bomber at least three times with your partner, collect at least ten safety pin pull rings, alternate with your partner to complete at least two bombings, and take at least two photos of the bombing in the bomb bay.

Just twice?
Amid Wei Ran's vague but expectant mumblings, a strong white light swept over, and he also saw the props that could be used this time.

The first thing that appeared this time was the Pelikan fountain pen.

Then he saw the deluxe 1911 pistol and blues harmonica he had received when he served in the Pacific as a veterinarian in the Seabee Battalion, as well as the sailor bag and gas mask bag filled with various miscellaneous items he had received from the Johnston.

This was not the end. Next, he saw in the white light the American military backpack containing flushing equipment obtained during the Vietnam War.

“The danger level seems to be okay.”

As Wei Ran muttered to himself, everything before his eyes was gradually swallowed up by the intense white light.

Before the white light completely faded, he smelled the unique fishy smell of the sea breeze, as well as the faint smell of corpse mixed in the sea breeze, and of course, the slightly stuffy body temperature that could not be ignored.

He blinked hard to regain his vision, and when he saw everything around him, he couldn't help but take a step back, while also greeting that malicious ancestor.

At this moment, he was standing on the edge of a cliff. Even if he took a step back, his toes were less than half a meter away from the edge of the cliff!
It’s a good thing that I didn’t take a rash step forward just now, otherwise I wouldn’t know how I died!

Taking a deep breath, Wei Ran habitually looked around.

At this moment, less than 10 meters away from him, there were two blond white soldiers standing on the edge of the cliff, and one of them was taking a picture of the other.

Although they were some distance away, he still recognized that these two people were the brothers Brad Downey and Grant Downey whom he had seen in the photos before.

Without rushing over to say hello, Wei Ran looked down at himself.

The standard and familiar WWII American military tropical island attire, the only special thing is the MEDALIST camera hung around the neck, which is commonly used by US Navy war correspondents.

In addition to the camera, there were boxes of 620 film in several ammunition bags around his waist.

Before he could take a closer look, the older brother of the two brothers in the distance, Brad Downey, turned around and shouted enthusiastically, "Victor, how about coming over and taking a picture for us?"

"no problem!"

Wei Ran responded quickly, walked over and took the camera from Brad's hand. His camera was the same model as his, but he also had a Kodak 35RF around his neck.

"Brad, are you sure we really want to take pictures in a weird place like this?" Grant, who was about 22 or 23 years old, asked reluctantly.

"Of course! Of course I'm sure!"

Brad said confidently, "This place is very commemorative. Maybe it will become a tourist attraction like the Liberty Bell in the future."

"Who would come to such a damn place?" Grant muttered and finally stood with Brad.

At the same time, Brad pulled out his amulet from his neck, held it in his hand and held it in front of the two men.

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Wei Ran raised the medium format camera and took a photo of the two brothers, which he had only seen before entering this period of history.

While returning the camera to Brad, Wei Ran casually asked, "So gentlemen, can anyone explain what's so interesting here?"

"Let my brother explain."

Grant said helplessly, "I don't think this stinking cliff is anything to look at."

"This is where those cannibalistic nuclear recruits committed suicide by jumping off a cliff last year."

Brad fiddled with his camera and said regretfully, "Victor, we're just late. If we had been there when they jumped off the cliff, we would have been able to take more shocking photos, but now all that's left are the bodies of the babies stuck on the cliff."

“It’s really late”

Wei Ran, who had already heard where this place was, raised the winner's camera hanging around his neck while speaking.

"Is there something wrong with the two of you?"

Grant asked unhappily, "Brad, my dear brother, haven't you retired? Why are you here on the battlefield again?"

"Of course I'm worried about you."

Brad said as he took off the Kodak 35RF hanging around his neck and handed it to the other person, "I bought this camera for you. Remember to take more pictures."

“Are you a reporter now?”

Grant took the camera and asked unhappily, "I'm already tired from carrying shells every day. Do I have to help you with the work?"

“I’m not a reporter”

Brad sat on the edge of the cliff like a suicidal man and explained, "My friend joined the Philadelphia Inquirer and he needed a helper, so I came with him.

When I was in Guam, I met Victor again. He also happened to be coming to Saipan for an interview, so we came together. ”

"what about your friends?"

Grant was obviously the younger brother, but he asked anxiously like a worried old father, "You didn't forget to tell your friends about coming to Saipan, did you?"

"I just came here to hang out as his assistant and take some photos for him. I mainly came to see if you were being bullied."

Brad waved his hand nonchalantly, "So don't worry, my friend won't care where I go, and I won't cause any trouble for him."

"You better do as you promised"

Grant shook his head tiredly. "Let's get away from the cliff now. We should go back. My superior only gave me half a day off to accept your interview. I don't want to waste it all in this kind of hell."

"Don't worry, I will ask Victor to help me compile a qualified interview transcript. Maybe you will become a hero in Philadelphia."

Brad, who seemed unreliable no matter how he looked at it, nonchalantly passed the blame to Wei Ran who was watching the show on the side.

"I will be content not to be the laughing stock of Philadelphia in your interview."

Grant realized the flaw in his words after he finished speaking, and quickly said to Wei Ran who was watching the fun, "Sorry, Victor, I'm not saying there's something wrong with your press release, I'm saying him, this bastard is only good at making trouble."

"It's ok"

Wei Ran waved his hand and followed the two brothers back with interest, saying, "I'm beginning to wonder what kind of trouble Brad has gotten himself into."

"It doesn't matter what trouble he has caused in the past, but you will soon see new trouble he has caused on this island." Grant said as if he had expected it, "You will definitely do so."

"I'm looking forward to it," Wei Ran said with a smile, and then high-fived Brad under Grant's astonished gaze.

"No wonder you two became friends."

Grant realized something belatedly, "Brad, no matter what trouble you plan to cause, don't let anyone know about our relationship!"

"We look a lot alike," Brad reminded his punching bag brother with a gloating look.

"Then cover up your nasty face!"

Grant gave a weak reminder and stepped into a Willys Jeep parked not far away.

“Remember to take more photos for me.”

As Brad spoke, he took out three cigars from his arms and gave one to Wei Ran and his brother respectively. He then roughly bit off one end of the cigar with his teeth and spit it out. Then he took out a lighter, lit it, and handed the lighter to Wei Ran.

"As long as you don't get into trouble, I'll help you take more pictures."

Grant finally made a promise reluctantly when Wei Ran handed him the used lighter, "But I'm just a shell carrier now."

"that's enough"

Brad was not a "picky eater", but he couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Grant, how did you become a shell carrier?"

"This job is at least much safer than being a crew member on a bomber"

Grant drove the car back and explained, "Since the first round of bombing on Tokyo last month, Big Cigar (LeMay's nickname) ordered the bombers to remove all the turrets except the tail in order to allow the bombers to carry more incendiary bombs, so I lost my job."

“Big cigars are still crazy”

Brad couldn't help but sigh, and then asked, "So now bombers only keep the tail turret for bombing?"

"The order to remove the turret has been issued, but there is no specific bombing mission yet."

Grant replied, "Otherwise I wouldn't have the time to take time off to come to this place and accept a shitty interview from a fake journalist like you."

"Excuse me, but what day is it today?"

Wei Ran, who was sitting behind the driver's seat, asked. At the same time, he glanced at the uniform hanging on the driver's seat of the Willys Jeep, which had the emblem of the 313th Bomb Wing of the United States on it.

"Number 7, what's wrong?" Grant answered subconsciously.

So it's March 3th.
Wei Ran, who had already determined the three key elements of time, place, and people, smiled and said, "Nothing, I've just been traveling a lot lately, and my life has been a bit chaotic. Mr. Donny, where are we going next?"

“Back to the airport, of course.”

Before Brad could speak, Grant said, "I don't have time to hang around on this island. Our crew has a training mission tonight. Although I can't participate, I should at least wait for them to return to the airport."

"I can see you're a little unhappy with the big cigars," Brad teased with a smile.

"I joined Big Cigar's bomber crew because I believed your lies!"

Grant complained, "Of course I'm unhappy. Not only am I assigned to the unfortunate position of a machine gunner, but I don't even have the chance to participate in combat. On the contrary, my friends have to take the risk of flying unarmed bombers over nuclear weapons and die."

"First of all, at least you don't have to take risks."

Brad said, "Secondly, you should trust Big Cigar, he."

"how about you?"

Grant asked subconsciously, "You believed in the big cigar, and what happened? You are the only one left alive in your crew. Forget it, just pretend I didn't say anything."

"Victor, do you have any friends in Saipan?" Brad changed the subject almost at the same time.

“All my friends are in Guam”

Wei Ran seemed to have not heard the argument between the two brothers just now, "Guam was conquered by them."

"You participated in the Battle of Guam?" Grant, who seemed to be eager to change the subject, turned around and asked in surprise. "Soldier, please look ahead."

Wei Ran smiled, took a puff of his cigar, let the thick smoke swirl in his mouth and then blew it out, then he said, "I was in the Seabee Camp at the time, and my friends were also in the Seabee Camp."

“So you are now.”

"I retired after the Battle of Guam," Wei Ran slowed down the camera in his hand, "I'm a freelance journalist now."

"You do look more like a reporter than my brother," Grant couldn't help but say.

Wei Ran smiled and did not continue the topic. Instead, he curiously asked Brad beside him, "Brad, when you took the photo just now, was that a gold coin in your hand?"

"Victor, you asked a good question that will make my brother orgasm." Grant teased wantonly.

“This is my lucky charm.”

Brad reached out and slapped Grant on the back of his head, neither too hard nor too light, then pulled out his amulet from his collar, took it off and handed it proudly to Wei Ran.

This amulet is indeed the gold coin shown in the photo by the gentleman named Grant Downey in later generations.

This gold coin is surrounded by a thick cowhide protective cover, which only allows the Statue of Liberty wearing a crown on her head to be revealed, while the surrounding area and even the other side are tightly wrapped in the cowhide protective cover.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

"I found it in a Liberty coin bank I bought for 17 cents the summer I was 20 while working at my dad's pawn shop."

Brad said proudly, "Since then it has become my lucky charm. Thanks to the blessing of the Statue of Liberty, I have survived several fatal situations."

"I hope the Statue of Liberty will always keep you safe," Wei Ran said, returning the amulet to the other party.

"Thank you"

Brad took the gold coin and hung it around his neck again, while asking, "Grant, can you introduce your friend to us tonight when it's convenient for you?"

"What are you going to do now?" Grant asked warily.

"Of course it's to make friends, what else could it be?" Brad answered with a playful smile.

"Do you really want to die on the battlefield so much?" Grant asked abruptly.

"Stop asking stupid questions like this."

Brad took a long puff of the boss's cigar and asked, "Who wants to die on the battlefield?"

This time, Grant didn't say anything. He just stepped on the accelerator to increase the speed of the car, and drove them towards the airport of the island.

While speculating about the two brothers, especially Brad's previous experiences, Wei Ran was also looking at everything he saw along the way on the island.

This is Saipan, but it is very different from the resort in later generations.

Along the way, he could see coconut trees and palm trees that had been burnt, blown off, but were sprouting again, as well as traces of burns hidden in the lush weeds and sugarcane fields, the wreckage of some Japanese weapons and equipment along the way that had not yet been covered by the weeds, and the ruins of bunkers that had been blackened by flamethrowers.

Of course, there were also the bodies of the Japanese soldiers that no one had buried and were almost broken into pieces, as well as some small villages and towns that we occasionally passed along the way.

"You really participated in the Battle of Guam?"

Just as they were about to drive into the airport, Brad, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly asked Wei Ran.

"That's right," Wei Ran nodded, "and I made a lot of friends."

"Were you a sapper at the time?"

"Medic," Wei Ran answered casually.

"Ha! Medic?" Brad looked at Wei Ran in surprise.

"Don't they look alike?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

"I just didn't expect it." Brad spread his hands.

"What about you?"

Wei Ran followed up the topic and asked, "You used to be..."

"The bombardier"

Brad seemed unwilling to answer this question. He turned his head to look at the bombers parked at the airport and answered vaguely, "In Europe, the Third Air Division, the Third Air Division commanded by Big Cigar."

By this point in the conversation, the Willys Jeep driven by Grant had already entered the airport and finally stopped at the door of a pointed-roof wooden house.

"This house is yours now, your luggage is in it, and this car is also left for you to use."

Grant had already jumped out of the car as he spoke, "Victor, keep an eye on my brother and don't let him get into trouble."

"Don't worry," Wei Ran promised with a smile.

After watching Grant, who looked extremely reliable, ride away on a motorcycle and disappear, Wei Ran and Brad beside him looked at each other, and they both turned around and went into the not-so-big wooden house.

The layout here was exceptionally simple, and not much different from the barracks that the Americans would build in Vietnam decades later.

In the only large room, there were two iron beds and two tables against the wall, as well as a toilet and a bathroom. In addition to these, there were two iron cabinets against the wall.

Of course, compared to the layout of the room, what caught Wei Ran's attention was a huge aerial camera placed on the table.

It is indeed huge. It is a Fairchild K18 high-altitude reconnaissance camera. It is even equipped with an A245 film box that can take 8 shots and a necessary leather strap.

In addition to this huge camera, there was also a high-altitude flight suit and two suitcases placed on each of the two beds.

"Where did you get this from?" Wei Ran asked with pretended curiosity.

“Of course I applied for it.”

Brad said, "My friend is still working for Big Cigar. Thanks to him, I would not have the opportunity to come to Saipan."

"So what exactly are you doing here?"

Wei Ran deliberately fell behind and waited until Brad occupied one bed and was busy opening the suitcase before he sat down on the other bed.

"Come and see my brother Grant"

Brad said again, "I'm worried that he will die here. If necessary, I may be able to take his place."

This sentence is false
Wei Ran made the judgment almost instantly.

However, before he could continue asking, Brad had already taken out a towel from the suitcase and walked into the bathroom.

Seeing this, Wei Ran also opened his own suitcase. However, there was nothing else in the suitcase except a few bottles of Coke and beer, a lot of Lucky Strike cigarettes, and a tripod for the Kodak Tank around his neck.

Casually taking out a pack of cigarettes and putting it in his pocket, Wei Ran took out a gas mask bag and a back bag from the metal notebook and put them in the box, and checked the contents one by one.

The gas mask bag is filled with various small items accumulated over the years.

However, in the backpack obtained from the Vietnam War, although all kinds of film developing chemicals and the light meter were there, the Nikon half-frame camera and related accessories that were ahead of their time were gone.

Not only that, all the spare films in the back bag have been changed to 620 films suitable for the camera on the neck, and there is also a handheld disposable flash light, several boxes of flash bulbs and even batteries in the bag.

This special code really fell into the large camera family bucket
Wei Ran cursed inwardly. Although this Kodak Tank could only take eight photos per roll, the photos it produced were medium format.

As for the K18 on the table, let alone the 9x18-inch negative film, it is completely prepared for high-altitude reconnaissance. It is really amazing that Brad could get such a good thing.

But correspondingly, this behemoth is not light in weight. Holding it in the bomb bay to take pictures will definitely be a very exciting experience.

"You have to do the whole job, otherwise it's a waste of time"

Wei Ran muttered to himself, put away everything he took out of the metal book, then lit a cigarette and left the wooden house alone, driving out in the Willys Jeep parked at the door.

While strolling along the way, he would stop from time to time, and enthusiastically raised his camera again and again to take pictures of the B29 bombers, the crew members he met occasionally, the ground crew, and even the pet dogs and goats that no one knew who owned.

After using up two rolls of film, he followed the smell and drove to the field kitchen on the edge of the airport.

At this moment, in this busy kitchen, some black chefs were preparing today's dinner. Not far away, a few white people were chatting together with Coke in their hands.

"Gentlemen, I'm Victor, a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer."

Wei Ran walked to the kitchen door holding the camera that was almost equivalent to a press card, and enthusiastically asked the black chef inside, "Can I take some pictures of you?"

"We are black," one of the young kitchen helpers who was closest to him "hinted".

"So do you mind?" Wei Ran asked with a smile, "I will develop the film tonight and send it to you tomorrow morning. You can send it to your mother or girlfriend."

"Of course we don't mind, if you don't mind wasting film on us," another kitchen helper said immediately.

"The world in the lens is fair. Everyone has the right to take pictures and be photographed." Wei Ran said, raising his camera towards the black man who agreed first. "Friend, what's your name?"

"Nick!" The black kitchen helper with beads of sweat on his face immediately answered, "Nick Brandt!"

"You will get your photo negatives tonight," Wei Ran said, and pressed the shutter button as the other party smiled.

After taking photos of the kitchen helpers one by one and then taking a group photo, Wei Ran casually asked, "Do you have chili powder or chili sauce?"

"Of course!"

Nick immediately pointed to a cabinet not far away and said, "We have a lot of Tabasco hot sauce, but it's too hot here and we rarely have the chance to use it."

"You don't mind if I take some, do you?" Wei Ran asked with a smile.

"Of course, Mr. Victor." Nick said quickly, "It doesn't matter if you take them all."

“I can’t use that much.”

As Wei Ran spoke, he had already opened the cabinet and took out four or five bottles of hot sauce from it and held them in his arms. Then he took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed them to Nick. "These are enough. I'll bring the negatives to you later."

"That hot sauce is very spicy," another black kitchen helper kindly reminded.

"I'm just using some at the BBQ. Bye, friends."

As he said that, Wei Ran left the cafeteria with a few bottles of hot sauce, and got back into the Willys Jeep with a smile on his face.

Chef Li's spicy barbecue, ready to eat.