Two PM went to a briefing and 7:00 to another briefing for our hop to Dakar. Took off last night at 10:35 to fly the South Atlantic. Right now it is 8:03 AM on March 8 and we are about 1:07 out of Dakar (I hope). Up all night flying and working.

Everyone at Fortaleza bought boots - except me - almost everyone had sore feet - except me too. Saw Ed Lampich again at Fortaleza.

Well we finally s out the Coast of Africa. We had a wind shift or something because my ETA was way off the beam. However we did come in about where we were supposed to. We landed at Eknes Field, Dakar, for the first time on steel mat runways which make a screeching noise. First off we noticed the red clammy earth. Something new. The place was very dusty and windy. They had a black native soldier guarding the planes. He was the blackest that I had ever seen. He wore khaki shorts - OD coat with leg straps. He had on a red fez and carried a long rifle with a long pointed bayonet. I had my picture taken with him and Boles - the co-pilot. When we landed most of us were very tired, as we were working all nite. We all were thankful to get across safely. I was especially!!

They met us in trucks and took us to operations where we checked in and I turned in my maps. Then a captain drove Fish and I to the center of camp where all the activity was. It was way the heck out - just like Blythe, Cal. and all the soil was red dirt. There was the PX, barber, post office, mess halls, Officers' Club, barracks, and transient headquarters where we were assigned beds. Our barracks were formerly used by the French Foreign Legion and the walls were lined with small round holes (14" diam) for windows. All cots had mattresses and mosquito nets. We went to the PX which was a large affair containing a restaurant separate and ate. I had hot dogs and a can of grapefruit juice. No American money could be used for exchange here. We had to turn in Washington bills for francs. No silver, but everything was in paper bills, even 1 franc which equalled 2 cents. Later we bought chocolate ice cream and cokes. In the PX they had little native barefoot boys giving free shoe shines - probably as an inducement for customers as the whole place was no beauty. After our 2 meetings in the afternoon and early evening we went to the Officers' Club which was nothing more than a few card rooms, pool table, porch and bar which only serves cokes, fruit juice, wine and brandy. I went to sleep about 9:30 after writing to Mom and my Honey.

Slept pretty soundly until about 5:00 AM when someone tried to wake me - finally did. The toilets here (joke) are lulus. No plumbing at all just wooden holes - some fun - reminds me of good old Fort Niagara.

We took off this AM about 8:00 and climbed to 9000 feet where we headed north to the next stop which is Marrakesh, N. Africa. We just passed over the town of Tindouf and are now heading for the coastline to get around a bunch of the high mountain ranges (17,000 feet) on our way to Marrakesh. We are smack in the middle of the Sahara Desert right now. On all sides as far as the eye can see stretches nothing but endless flat red sandy soil. Earlier before the sun was so high, the sand dunes made excellent picture studies as their deep shadows were contrasted against the light of the earth in many symmetrical patterns. We just turned in toward Marrakesh. We should be there in about 26 minutes. Next hop will probably be to England - I hope not.