 presenting A Walk in the Sun, a radio adaptation of Harry Brown's current best selling book on the cavalcade of America sponsored by E.I. Dupont de Nemours and Company of Wilmington, Delaware, maker of better things for better living through chemistry. Before we begin our play here are some suggestions of vital interest to those who drive cars and know how essential it is to maintain transportation. The cooling system of your car fills gradually with rust, scale and scum and this causes overheating and sluggish performance. Therefore we suggest that you use Dupont cooling system cleanser every six months. It cleans out the rust and scum thoroughly without reverse flushing. Nan put in Dupont acid and rust inhibitor which prevents new rust forming. If you find any leaks use a bottle of Dupont cooling system sealer. It stops small leaks quickly and safely helps prevent other leaks developing later. And now for our play. There is a pin spot on the map of Italy that marks the locale of our story. The war has spread out and grown and moved beyond that point. But what happened on that point of earth and the six mile road leading to it is important. For on that point of earth and the road that led to it American soldiers passed six hours of their lives. Six hours of fear and uncertainty, struggle and death. We tell now of these men and of their walk in the sun. The Dupont Company presents the radio adaptation by Milton Wayne of Harry Brown's book A Walk in the Sun with Everett Sloane as Sergeant Porter, Frank Lovejoy as the narrator and Larry Haynes as Corporal Tyne on the cavalcade of America. At 0519 the barge carrying the platoon was still more than a mile from the Italian shore. A German shore battery decided something was wrong and sent over a couple of shells. One of our destroyers and a cruiser joined in. No one on the barge was interested except the lieutenant because the whole action was taking place about three miles away. The lieutenant had taken out his field glasses to find out what was going on. In the dark one of the shore batteries began moving its fire aimlessly over the sea. A couple of shells burst close to the barge but no one paid a great deal of attention. As far as the men were concerned the shells could take care of themselves and so could the lieutenant. The lieutenant was trying to adjust his field glasses when the third shell struck nearby. Something pinched his left cheek very hard. He dropped his glasses and slid slowly down to a sitting position. Sergeant Porter got to him first. He called Staff Sergeant Halvison and he groped his way to the stern looking for the first aidman. Here I am Sergeant. Want me? The lieutenant's heard up front, Mike. Sergeant Halvison said for you to go up. Oh, what's the matter with the lieutenant? Get up there and see. You want me to bring him down here? I was just asked. Hey Sergeant. Yeah, who are you? Rivera, a machine gunner of this platoon, remember? And what's the matter with the lieutenant? A shell splinter got him. A purgatory shell splinter. Oh, he did? Not yet. No, it's a purple heart. No question. Hey, Jake, how'd you like to have a purple heart? Depends where I got it. And the leg okay. That shell got him bad on the side of the head. In the head? No, I don't want a purple heart in the head, Rivera. Who'd know the difference? Is Sergeant Halvison in command now, Sergeant Porter? He knows what to do. I'll see you guys later. You know, Rivera, that Sergeant Porter's a very worrying type guy. Maybe he's afraid they're going to commission him. This platoon is very bad luck for lieutenants. Now ain't you very glad you're just an ammunition barrier of private freedmen? How is he, Halvison? He's bad. Are you taking over? I got to see the captain. As soon as we land, I've got to find him. I can't take over without seeing him. Well, you know what to do when we land? Yeah, Porter. There's a house, a farm. It's on the map. There's a road from the beach. Leads right past it. How far? Dog of a way. Six miles. That's all I know. How's he doing, Mac? We better get him to a doctor. Well, you stay with him, Mac. You can pick us up later. When it gets light, you'll see a road running from the beach. We'll be up that road. Well, can't we leave him here? I might get lost. Stay with him. It's almost time. All right. Hoistail. Hoistail. Hoistail. Hey, Porter. Where are you, Porter? Yeah, here I am. Who's that behind you? Corporal Tyne, Sergeant. Good. I want you in on this. Now here's a score, Porter. Take the men a hundred yards up from the barge and hit the dirt. I'll go find a captain and come back. That won't be so easy. The captain might be in any purgatory barge in the ocean. That I know. All you have to do, Porter, is take them up a hundred yards and hit dirt. I don't care if it's a pigpen. I don't care, Hal. It'll be like you say. In the dark, Sergeant Porter carefully paced off the hundred yards from the barge. In the dark, on the cold Italian earth, the men lay down and waited. As it grew lighter, they discovered they could see neither the beach nor the water. They ran a little hollow among a few scraggly trees. The area was alive with troops, but for all they knew it might have been a desert island. There was no firing, no shouting, no sound of motors, nothing. And the men waited. Maybe it's different with you, Rivera, but if they think I'm going to spend my life in Italy, they're crazy. Okay, so you don't like it. So take the subway home. Here's a nickel, Jake. The only one I got. Take it. It's worth it to get rid of you. Rivera, with remarks of that nature, I'm very afraid you won't live to make corporal. Baby, I just want to live to make civilian. You're a negative character, Rivera. You second the motion, Sergeant Porter? Oh, nuts. You guys kill me. Hey, Tyne, come over here with me. You too, Hoskins. What's up, Sarge? Look, something's wrong. I know something's wrong. Halverson shouldn't have taken so long to find the captain. And, well, all I know is what Halverson told me. We've got to go up a road for six miles till we run into a farmhouse. Six miles is a long way to walk. What's the house for? I don't know. Maybe it commands a road or something. That's all Halverson knows about it. Maybe that's all a lieutenant knew about it. There's no sense in it. No sense in it at all. If we hang around here any longer, we'll screw up the whole works. Jerry Plains will be able pretty soon. Sure, they will. And they'll send a few tanks along while we're still up in the air. Now, look, my idea is we move up there into the woods. We leave someone here in case Halverson shows up. Six miles is a long way. What do you guys think? It's up to you, Porter. And listen, you hear anything? I got. That's it, Tyne. Must be our ships shooting the planes. That's just the way it is. Come on. All right. Off and on. We're going over on the woods. Squad columns up to it. Who's going to stay here, Porter? Huh? Stay here for what? Halverson. Well, I don't know. I'll stay. I've got nothing to do. All right. Okay, Tyne. Okay. Come on. Get those squads moving. Spread them out. Yeah, you stay here, Tyne. We'll be over in the woods. Come on. Let's go. They left at 0817. At 0923 in the woods where they'd sought concealment. Two men were dead. And Corporal Hoskins had a bullet in the calf of his left leg. The platoon had got off easily. The pilot of the Messerschmitt had seen something gleam in the woods. If he hadn't run out of ammunition, there might have been worse. Now the platoon was spread out, sitting against the trees. Everything seemed to be going wrong. The men were afraid and restless. They didn't care where they went. They just wanted to be on the move. Sergeant Porter had just about made up his mind to move with the best thing. There was no sense in waiting for Halverson. There was a sound of someone coming through the bushes. Sergeant Porter pointed his carbine. Oh, who's there? Fine. Well, come on. Come on. Where have you been? Well, what happened? The machine gun got Halverson on the beach. It's bad. William's first aid is dead, too. The plane got him. The lieutenant died. Well, that does it. We better move for that farmhouse. I've got the lieutenant's map case. Here. Okay. I'll spread it out on the ground so you can all see it. It's just this to go, right? There's the road. Where's the farmhouse? Here, this must be it. The only house. Let's see. There's the scale. It's just about six miles, like they said. But there's no orders. Just this might have to do. That's to swallow the orders. Too many purgatory secrets in this lousy war. Hey, Porter, bring the map over here and let me see. Yeah, Hoskins. Had a leg given you trouble? Yeah, it will. On that bridge now. And what about it? You'll have to blow it. Yeah? They'll bring up stuff over that bridge. Grenades will do it all right. Take time, though. Your leg hurting now? Yeah. You better shovel off. You've got a long walk ahead of you. Sergeant, you want the men to get ready? Yeah. Okay, Tine. I'll tell them. You better hurry it up. How is it, Hos? It'll keep. I got it on ice. Take it easy, fella. I hate to leave you like this. Oh, forget it. Tine, you're a smart apple. Keep your head. I'm the boy. I mean it. Keep your head, you may need it. I always have. Oh, here's my canteen. Better hang on. Oh, I forgot. Yeah, thanks. Keep your eye on Porter. I think he's gonna crack. How do you know? I've seen guys crack. A good man, but had too much war. He's gonna crack. Got a lot on his mind. Keep your head on, kid. Okay, Hos. See you around. Yeah, kid. Around. They came out of the wood into the road under the hot sun. Shells were falling behind them along the beach and among the ships. The sun bothered Sergeant Porter. The six miles ahead of him became an infinity. Porter, what's the matter? Something wrong? I get a headache. A lousy headache. Oh, it's tough. You trust this operation, Tine? How do you mean? You know, I don't like the ring of it. Something funny about that farmhouse. We don't know what's there. And when we get there, here's the way I figure it. If we blow the bridge at the farmhouse, that means we're protecting the flank. Now, a fast moving small body a man can get through quicker and accomplish the mission. Yeah, that sounds all right. It's the only thing that makes sense. I've only made about two miles. Taken too long. Take it easy, Eddie. It's a long war. Well, I don't like the responsibility. It's not a sergeant's job. Everything's crazy. Nothing's gone right today. Not gonna get me better. There's nothing to worry about, Eddie. It'll go along. What was worse than other places? In other places, we knew where we were gone. Bill, I'm scared of the tanks. Why? I think catch us on this road. They got us cold like mackerel. Oh, there probably isn't a tank within five miles. They're all over where the noise is. Yeah, maybe you're right. Okay, let's keep moving. At 10.18 on the third mile of the road, the platoon heard a motorcycle coming from the direction of which they had come. How should I know? Where are you from? I'm looking for the 25th. 25th what? Infantry. Never heard of them. They were supposed to be up this road. There's some other roads running from the beach. Oh, I didn't know that. They just told me to go up the road. What are you looking for up here? Objectives of farmhouse. About three miles up this purgatory road. Anything up there? I think if I know. Want me to take a run up and see? Well, be darn nice if you scout a couple of miles. Take a lot off my mind. Okay. This is the first time I've been in Italy. I'd like to see the country. Okay, let's go. You are listening to a walk in the sun on the cavalcade of America sponsored by E. I. DuPont and the Morrison Company of Wilmington, Delaware, maker of better things for better living through chemistry. The infantry platoon landed in the dark on the Italian shore. Their mission was to seize an enemy held farmhouse in the interior. The platoon's lieutenant and staff sergeant are killed. Then, under the command of Sergeant Ed Porter, the platoon begins its six mile trek along a hazardous road. As our cavalcade play continues, Sergeant Porter and Corporal Tyn leading the platoon await the return of a motorcycle rider scouting the road ahead. Well, Tyn, you still think that motorcycle will be back? Stop worrying. He may have gone further than we thought. Maybe he got a flat. He didn't go too far and he didn't get a flat. He ran into trouble. Do you hear any firing? No, I didn't hear a thing. You ran into trouble. Pete's sake, Eddie. I don't know what's the matter with you or what you're thinking, but you'll be having everyone with their tongues hanging out if you don't snap out of it. What's the matter with you? I don't know. Where are you? Are you sick? I don't know. Leave me alone. Okay. Take a break. How long to take a break? I gotta lie down. I gotta lie down. The trouble with Sergeant Porter was just a piling up of war. Certainly he had had a lot of it. And Tabessa, beserting in the hills of Sicily. Some men are good for only one action. Others can stand it for years. When a man gets too much of it, there's only one thing to do. Pull him out of the line, ship him back where the stake grow on trees. And the only noise is that of the sunset gun. Sergeant Porter was a good man, but now he was for the cleaners. Ed listened to me. I sent Arch down the road to look for that motorcycle guy, so stop worrying. Try to rest, will you? I don't know what's the matter with me. I never felt like this before. Look, my hands are shaking. Call Ward over here, will you? Yes, you. Hey, Ward. Yeah. What's the matter, Porter? Feeling bad? Feels lousy. Yeah, a guy can pick up anything in this kind of country. Hey, Ward, if I can't go on with you, mind if Tyne took over? It'll make no difference to me. Tyne's a good man. I know he is. You can go on, Eddie. I don't know. I don't know. I feel funny. You ever feel like you wanted to lie down and never get up? Sure, sure I have. That's the way I feel. Like I want to lie here and never get up. Head for the trees, fast. Come on, Ed. Come on. Leave me alone. Ed. Ed, come on. Leave me alone. We can leave him here. He's got cover. Come on, Tyne. Okay, I'm coming. Hey, Sarge, that was close. Hey, Sarge. Leave him alone, aren't you sick? Just that one on the road? Yeah, I guess so. I almost threw a grenade at it. The thing you didn't. What do you think, Ward? I don't know. I don't like it, none. Sarge, go up the road away again and keep your eyes open. Okay. That car is coming backward. We won't have much time. If we're lucky, we can knock it off with the grenades. Use the machine gun on the tires. We better get portering on this. Eddie. Eddie. Leave me alone. Nothing we can do, Tyne. Nothing. Let's get on the car. Now, remember, men, you'll go on a whistle. And so help me, the first lug that throws before he gets the whistle will get a grenade right between the teeth. As soon as the grenades go, Rivera starts using his gun. You got that on the whistle. Yeah, I got it. Okay. Take cover. Well, Ward, we know what happened to that motorcycle rider. Sure do. You better pick yourself a tree. All right, you guys. Show's over. Nothing in that car you haven't seen before. Andrew. Yeah, stay here with Sergeant Porter. Got to make time now. Make it fast. We'll have to do it through the woods. Can't take any more chances. The sun was soaring toward the highest reaches of heaven. It blazed down malevolently. Their helmets became like ovens and their clothes stuck to their bodies. No halts were called. At 1147, they came to a rise at the end of the woods. Below an open field began and ran 150 yards to the objective to a farmhouse with a red tiled roof. The men crawled forward and stopped. How's it look, time? Quiet. But I don't like it. It's too quiet. If there's anyone there, we won't take any chances, Ward. We'll send up a trollop first. Four or five guys. I'll take it. Okay, Ward. Pick yourself four men. I'll go. No, you won't, Rivera. I need your little machine done. Set it up here. You keep your eye on the farmhouse and the road at the same time. You got that, Tophet? In my head. I want four volunteers. Four prospective Congressional Medal of Honor with 10 oak leaf cluster volunteers. I'll go. Come with you. Help me in. There's out the purple hearts, mother. Everyone get back time. Oh, but too tough. Ward, we've really got a job on our hands. Yeah. There's no more surprise. They've probably got a machine gun in every window of that farmhouse. No one can get near enough to use a grenade. How about waiting till dawn? No, we can't wait. Gotta get in there and get in there fast. How about the river? How about just crawling down and waiting along the bank that we get to the bridge and blower? That's an idea. We're working. You cut yourself a tough job, Tyne. Suicide. I'm a hero. This will mean a good conduct medal. It might be a breeze. It might be, but I don't think so. Time's getting short. Let's lay this out. Okay, guys, this is the way it'll go. Ward will take two patrols around to the farmhouse by way of the river. They'll blow the bridge. I'll take the rest of the platoon below to the edge of the field. When you hear the whistle, synchronize your watches at 1215. Five minutes later on the dot, we go up the field. Rivera, you and Friedman stay here. Give us cover 15 seconds before we go. I'll give you the whistle of fire. Hope your ammo holds out. Any questions? Everybody got that? All right, we're going all the way. Let's go. Good luck, Dofer. Same deal, Corporal. Rivera, Tyne really cut himself a piece of cake. Yeah. Jake, I'm gonna cut that house right in two. If the ammo holds out, the ammo better hold out. How do you feel about things, Rivera? It's a long war, but maybe we can sleep all day tomorrow. Maybe Germany will surrender tomorrow. Who knows, Jake? Yeah, Rivera, who knows how much time much 18 seconds before we go. Three seconds for Rivera. Check. Check. He's on the nose, Tyne. Here we go, gents. Eight, nine, ten. Rivera's gun sure sings sweet. 12. 13. The bridge. Our guys got to the bridge. 15. All the way. Come on. How's the ammo, Jake? It's running low. Rivera, the gun's jammed. I know, I'll get it. How's it down there now? How's it look down there? Not good. Bad, huh? How bad? Mike, we'll be getting a whole new platoon pretty soon. At 12. 37, the platoon had come to the end of its mission. The platoon had finished its walk. A walk in the sun. Thank you, Everett Sloan, Frank Lovejoy, Larry Haynes, and members of the Cavalcade Cast. Now, here is Ted Pearson speaking for the DuPont Company with an interesting story about the B-29 Superfortress. The B-29 Superfortress planes that are bombing Japan sometimes fly six miles high, so high that the Japanese attack gunners can't even see them. For a plane flying that high, all sorts of problems have to be solved that don't give any trouble at all in a plane flying at 10 or 15,000 feet. The DuPont Company, for instance, has developed a special strong laminated plastic for the enclosures or the blisters that serve the Superfortress gunners as windows. The B-29s that bombed Japan were among the first Superforts to use it. It's made on the same principle as the shatterproof windshield of your car, except that no glass is used at all. A layer of soft resin is sandwiched between two layers of Lucite methyl methacrylate resin. The air is so thin at 30,000 feet that Superfortress cabins are pressurized. The cabin is sealed and a pumping system keeps the air inside at about the same pressure as the air we breathe down. Most of the time, the men in the crew don't have to wear oxygen masks. They don't even need to wear their heavy flying clothes except when they're over Jap territory. That gives us an edge over the enemy. Our flyers can move around faster and keep the ship in better fighting trim. They are more efficient in the air. And with these new enclosures of laminated Lucite plastic, there are other advantages as well. The new laminated plastic tends to seal itself when it's hit by enemy machine gun bullets. The bullet holes closing themselves almost completely because of the rubber-like nature of the middle layer of the sandwich. And now, too, the plastic gunner's blisters can be sealed with a patch in the same manner as the metal body of the plane itself is patched so that the pressure cabin doesn't lose its pressure if it's pierced by bullets. Enclosures of standard DuPont Lucite are used on all types of planes. The new superfortress, the liberator, the marauder and mosquito, the lightning, the Avenger, the Mustang, and the night flying Black Widow. All have enclosures of this DuPont plastic. Sometimes as many as 25 enclosure parts on a single plane. As clear as the finest glass, weather resistant, and only half the weight of Duraluminum, Lucite is one of the DuPont company's better things for better living, through chemistry. Next Monday evening, Cavalcade presents Shirley Booth and Helen Clare in The Gals They Left Behind. Based on the book of the same title, our play is a true account of the humorous and touching experiences of two American girls who worked out a new pattern of living on a main farm when their homes were disrupted by their men going off to war. The Cavalcade orchestra and musical score were under the direction of Donald Vorhees. As Roland Winters sending best wishes from Cavalcade sponsor E.I. DuPont de Nemours and company of Wilmington, Delaware. The Cavalcade of America came to you from New York. This is the national broadcasting company.