Leo Disher & Mac Johnson | GSMC Classics: Soldiers of the Press

Welcome to GSMC Classics, your portal to the past where timeless tales come to life! Step back in time with us as we journey through the annals of history with "Soldiers of the Press," a riveting war drama series that held audiences spellbound from 1942 to 1945.  

Narrated by correspondents from the United Press, including the iconic voices of Walter Cronkike and Harrison Salisbury, "Soldiers of the Press" provided a unique perspective on the events unfolding on the battlefields of World War II. Each episode brought listeners up-to-date news and stories straight from the front lines, offering a glimpse into the lives of those who risked everything to report the truth.  

In this rebroadcast presented by GSMC Classics, we shine a spotlight on the extraordinary contributions of Leo Disher and Mac Johnson, two journalists whose courage and determination knew no bounds. Through their fearless reporting, they brought the realities of war into the homes of millions, painting a vivid picture of the triumphs and tragedies that defined a generation.  

Leo Disher, with his unflinching resolve to seek out the truth, and Mac Johnson, with his unparalleled ability to capture the human drama of conflict, stand as testament to the power of journalism in times of crisis. From the front lines to the newsroom, their stories resonate with a timeless relevance that continues to inspire us today.  

Join us as we pay homage to these unsung heroes of the press and explore the enduring legacy of their work. "GSMC Classics: Soldiers of the Press" invites you to embark on a journey through history like never before, as we celebrate the courage, sacrifice, and resilience of those who risked everything to bring the truth to light.  

Experience the magic of "Soldiers of the Press" on our YouTube channel, Apple Podcast, JioSaavn, and Deezer, and discover why classic radio continues to captivate audiences around the world.  

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Disclaimer: GSMC Podcast Network presents these shows as historical content and have brought them to you unedited. Remember that times have changed and some shows might not reflect the standards of today’s society. The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Golden State Media Concepts or the GSMC Podcast Network. Our goal is to entertain, educate, and give you a glimpse into the past.

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Golden State Media Concepts presents the GSMCClassic Series with episodes of some of your
favorites from a Day Gone By,a Time gone By. Join us as
we time travel to some of yourclassic favorites from yesteryear. The GSMC Podcast
Network invites you to sit back,relax, and enjoy the GSMC Classic Series

(00:26):
on the Golden State Media Concepts PodcastNetwork. Off this week Drama in the

(01:00):
Air. I can't see, Ican't see the matter loud? What's the
matter? What my eyes? Myeyes? Listen, listen to me.
I'm gonna hit the soup. I'mgoing to hit the s Don't jump,
don't jump, Give us another round, Joe, Okay, Lieutenant grey Coats

(01:29):
coming up, say Liud, Doyou ever hear the one about the man
who dropped his gun on the frontline? All right, go ahead,
Bill, get it off your chest. How about you, mister Dishart?
You United Press correspondents usually hear everything, but heared Phil Well, Sir.
This private drops his gun and beatsit back towards the rear seat. When
his sergeant grabs him and says,where you think you're going, Bud,
and the private says he's gone back, but there ain't so many bullets.

(01:51):
And the sergeant says, look,son, the bullet that hits you got
your name written all over it.If you duck, the bullet's gonna duck.
See, While the private splints oneeye at the sergeant and says,
listen, serge, he says,I ain't worried about the bullet that's got
my name on it. I'm worriedabout the ones that say to whom it
may concern, there's too damn manyof them. Say. Oh, boys,

(02:16):
better drink up. You're due offon another mission in two minutes.
That's right, thanks, Joe.Come on, finish up your cook pill.
We better go to the briefing.Is how mister dishes is button your
eye? Bill? Come on,Bill, another day, another Jerry,
Okay, so long, mister Disher. Along Bill, good luck live.
Hey. You know, mister Disher, the way those boys carry on,

(02:38):
you'd never think they'd risk them mixand a Mustang every blooming day over Germany.
That's war. Joe, Yeah,yeah, that's war, all right,
mister Disher. That's war, saidBill. Yep. I remember,

(03:01):
Lyle, I'm flying above you.I'll watch the ceiling. You watch out
below. Don't worry about me,billy boy. Well, mister Disher,

(03:32):
they're off again. That's right,Joe. All we've got to do is
to wait till they come back.Yeah, me and bartender, and you're
a newspaper man sweating it out.That's right. Ah, hellout, Captain
Tracy. Oh, Joe, Hi, Disha hunting the news. The United
Press is always looking for news.Kevin drink thanks, right, high ball,

(03:53):
Joe, right, high ball comingup? Well this year the boys
are on their way again. Yeah, Joe and I were just talking about
them. How would you like tocover the mission from the monitor room?
Suits me? Fine, Cavin,we'll be over the targets any minute now.
We'll give you a pretty good pictureof what's going on. I'd like
nothing better. Okay, break out, hide. How's it gone down there?

(04:21):
Line? Old boy, it isa fiddle billy. We'll be over
the target soon. You better contactTed Quarters. Huh, I can't.
We got plenty of time. Besides, you want to surprise as Jerry's Yeah,
we'll surprise him, all right,we'll surprise him. And this mister

(04:46):
Disher is on monitor control room.I've wanted to see this for a long
time. Cavin. The squadron willbe over the targets any moment. Now,
I'll try them again. Startan redX calling black cat, right calling
black Cat. That's them, Thisis black Cat. Go ahead, over
the targets, over the targets,and I mean Flack opening up. Maybe

(05:11):
he's coming up fast, coming thatgang. What do you mean about babies?
Can enemy fighters? This year enemyfighters bay and they are really pouring
it off. He goes one.Bill, good boy, I'll give it
talk. It's strange to be listeningto you a fight going on hundreds of
miles away. I know, butyou get used to it. It can't

(05:31):
help, but at least you canhear what's going on. Black Cat,
the red Ex, black Cat,the red EGGX. This is red EGGX.
Oh a hit black Cat? Howthe things look? I mean,
flack, funny, babies, watchit file black Cat, the red eggs,
black Cat, the red Ex blackCat. He's hit Captain file File.

(05:55):
I can't see, Bill, Ican't see. What's the matter,
Lile, what's the matter? Linemy line? Listen, listen to me.
I'm gonna hit the silk, Bill, I'm gonna hit the soil.
Now, don't jump, don't jumpblack cat the red eggs. Bail out,
bail out like, can't bail outlike? Canna be damn tight.

(06:17):
I can't get out, law,I'm right above him, can you seen
the can't say anything? My eyessteady line, steady with this thick hemmy
listen, I'll listen carefully. Iam listen carefully. Yeah. Yeah,
go ahead, Bill, you're gonnamake it back. I understand. Staying

(06:41):
there now, keep your feet steadyon the rudder bars, steady with the
stick. Remember I'm right above him. Okay, yeah, what a bus
steady dick ste as long as youcan feel loud, you're okay. Keep

(07:03):
it up, Captain. He's flyingblind and never make it. He's got
to make it. Come on,lyle come on boy, come on here,
just statching so seen Leo dish aroundJoe the United Press guy. Yeah,

(07:27):
that's right. Sure, he andthe captain are monitoring to fly.
Hey, fellas, something's going onin the monitoring room. Come on,
it's amazing adition. They're still up. Yeah, but can they make it?
Captain? I don't know. Listeasy now, easy, little on

(07:47):
the left righter, Okay, Bill, good boy, how do you feel
a kid? My eyes I can'tsee. Pull it up an let up,
live going boys staying with him?You're okay now, boy, and
you tell your all tude? Yeah, I guess so would I do?

(08:11):
I feel lighter. Let's feel heavy, a good boy. Just remember that
you'll be okay. Red Ex toblack Cat, Red Ex to black Cat,
this is black Cat, Red Eggs. Go ahead. We're well over
the channel. You're gonna try totalk to me. Okay, Bill,
watch him, You've got to gethim across the channel, doing the best

(08:33):
I can. Cat Eddie with yourright runner. It's Eddy, Eddy tirant,
film my eyes. I gotta stickline. Will some be home,
Get the mechanics ready and call anambulance in a hurry. Red Ex,

(08:54):
black Cat, Red Ex and blackCat. Go ahead, red Ex,
we're coming in, so I meansaid, all set, come ahead,
all right, loud, it's justabout home now. I'll never make it
to I can't see. Don't youunderstand all I understand what you will make.
You're gonna land that plain of yourseyes and no eyes. You understand

(09:16):
it's no use. Remember laying righta buck. Just do what I said.
You'll be okay, I'll set,I'll see all your flaps. Okay,
I just be drop your landing gear. They're coming in this ship.

(09:45):
They're coming in, and he's takingit. He's making it. Hunt your
honors, Loud. I can't makeit be like ahead, Loud. I'm
playing right a bucket now straight now, hey yeah, hey, oh lord,
if you ever did help a guy, help Lyle right, comeing in,

(10:07):
Come on, dishaff, let's goout in the fight. The Captain
and I stood there on the fieldas the blind that land team impassed.
We watched breathlessly as his plane kissedthe servants of the field, bounced and
settled, and taxing smoothly to ahall. He made it. Mechanics were

(10:31):
already rushing through Lieutenant Lyle Wright's craftedas lieutenants Bill stocked and cut his own
landing short, jumped from his Mustangand ran over to the planet who's life
he had saved. You did it, Lyle, You did it. It
was youthful. It was your eyes. Thanks. Thanks, And that's the

(11:05):
heartwarming story of how Lieutenant Lyle Wright, using the eyes of his pal Lieutenant
Bill Stockton, blew home blind fromGermany. They took Lyle to a hospital
where I later learned he would recoversome of his sight. A wonderful ending
to our wonderful story. Like Leodisher, United Press correspondents the world over are

(11:41):
covering the battle fronts, giving youan intimate, humanized picture of the men
in uniform and a stark insight onthe enemy behind the lines. Daily,
the United Press correspondents record exciting storiesof bravery and darren. We will bring
you another thrilling story of these soldiersof the press suit sort of listen.
Listen to your United Press news onthe air. Look for your nuitted Press

(12:03):
dispatches in your favorite newspapers. Theyare your guarantee of the world's best coverage
of the world's biggest news. Olderof the first this week target Tokyo.

(12:45):
This is Matt Johnson of the UnitedPress, departing from Saipan on the story
of Revenge. Story that began onApril eighteenth, nineteen forty two Army flyers
headed by Major General James Doolittle havebon military objectives in Tokyo and four other
Japanese cities. Americans were jubilants,but the jubilants was changed to horror a
few days later when the Japanese radioannounced the sacred side of Japan has been

(13:11):
defied by American fires, several Americanfires. Response for these outrage has been
toptured and shut. The United Statesgovernment made vigorous representations to Japan, but
it's in human treatment the prisoners ofwar. But out here in the Pacific,
the pilots, the bombardiers, thenavigators, and the gunners of our

(13:33):
Army Air Corps were not thinking aboutrepresentations. They were thinking, remember,
remember those dead comrades. When youget a jet zero in your sight,
have their sacrifice before you, whenyou line up your bond side upon a
Japanese face, remember and let youranswer be the destruction of Japan. Yes,

(14:03):
the men of our armed services rememberthey remember when they smashed the Jap
invasion fleet in the Carl c Rememberwhen they invaded the Solomon, the Gilberts,
New Britain, the marshals pushing inexorablythrough the enemies, out of defenses,
smashing, driving closer to Japan.Yes, on the day of revenge
was at hand when we invaded theMarianas and captured Saipan, sixteen hundred miles
from Tokyo. The Americans speak ofrevenge when they are sixteen hundred miles from

(14:31):
our sacred soil fruits. They havefound by now that mariannas are a massive
coraral. It is impassive to construct. If he's there for long distance Bubbas,
we Japanese dare the Americans to tryit, We de them. Get

(15:07):
a move on, your engineers,It goes trucks going. We got work
to do, man, I'm notlosing much time, are your clonel?
Oh hello Johnson, what's new inthe United Press today? Well, that's
what Justin I was going to askyou. You know, we've only been
in five fans six days and withthe fighting was still going on. Your
engineers, Yes, my engineers arebusy preparing a little surprise for those sons
of Heaven. Around a few weeks, I'll show you something that'll knock your

(15:28):
eye out. Don't worry, Kennel, I'm not going anywhere. Oh thank
god, it's finished. It last. What do you think of it,
Johnson? Well, it can't bereal, Konel, Yeah, but it
is. You're looking at a beachtwenty nine airfield. Yeah, runway,

(15:52):
it's terrific. How long would yousay it is? Well, it looks
like it runs all the way acrossthe island. That runway, Johnson,
is exactly so mile long, sevenmiles every bit of it. Those big
superportresses need plenty of leeway to takeoff. Why do you realize that one
B twenty nine carries one full tankcar of fuel oil? Super portosses B

(16:14):
twenty Nine's say, jolonel, whatare you cooking up? Now? You
tell me, Johnson, You tellme. I didn't have to tell the
colonel. All of us on Saipanknew what was coming, knew that most
of the credit would go to thosehard working aviation engineers. They accomplished the

(16:37):
impossible. They moved four million squareyards of rock carl. They moved one
entire block to car a B twentynine runway, virtually the distance of the
island. A few days later,from the east came the drone of a
mighty armada of plains. Well,Johnson, there's your answer for United Press,

(17:06):
Silver confesses, page twenty nine.Johnson, the greatest long distance bombers
in the world. Hell, lookat those babies. Hello? Why yes,
clefic landing? Yes, Thank God'slad. They can land on sidepan,
they can take off side pans.Come on, let's go meet the

(17:27):
pilots pluck well. Men. Wediscussed the preliminaries of this reconnaissance plate last
night, so I need to goover these details again. However, let
me review it briefly. Make straightfor the target, Oh, roving around

(17:48):
looking for a fight. You haveone job to do. Photograph strategic targets
in Tokyo and get back here toside Pan as fast as you can.
The route out will be directed.Wrote back direct any questions. Good flying
gentlemen, and a hurry back.Gratulations. Major on a fine job.

(18:19):
Thank you. I want you tomeet Mac Johnson if you United Press.
Congratulations Major, Thanks say Grannel.How does the photos come on? Oh?
Thank a look for yourself you too, Johnson? Yeah, amazing,
not bad, not bad at all. I'm bad for your information. Major,
those photos you took at the bestpictures of enemy targets ever taken.
Thank you, sir. Do youhave any trouble on the flight, Major,

(18:41):
but not like serious. A coupleof heros jumples, but we chase
them off. Maybe it'd be differentnext time they channel You're I guess as
good as mine Johnson, But Iknow how you can find out. Yeah,
huh, our day is coming assooner the better, sir. All
the men are anxious. Yeah,i'd you like to come along Johnson for
the ride? You mean these UnitedPress correspondence catching on quick? Everybody here,

(19:17):
Major, Yes, sir? Where'sJohnson? May not a press overhead?
All right, man, your attention, please, your attention. You
all have the details of the formation. First squadron forming. The leading element
will take off at zero six andforty group assembly will be over reference point
James seven thousand feet reconnaissance indicated.We can expect a warm reception from anti
aircraft fire and fighter. If you'reforced down, you know what to do.

(19:42):
The main objective, gentlemen, isto get the tokyo and bomb hell
out of your targets. Any questions, that's all, then go get them.
I'm hold on, gentle You're ingood hands. John The Major in

(20:10):
one of our best bet twenty ninepilot sip vega, good luck. Major,
hit him one for two little men, we'll hit him plenty, sir.
All right, Johnson, we go, hey, Major Barnie Foy nine
six oh seven from tower. Playersto taxi to number one runway and take

(20:30):
off when ready. Players to taxiand take off go ahead. Wel goo,
Roger, hang on your head,Johnson, we're on our way to
tek you okay, major light navigator, how are we doing? Right on

(21:03):
course? Wins constant compass heading twentytwo No drift e t A two minutes.
Hear that gang. We'll be inon the target in two minutes.
Two gangs is coming in fast fromsix o'clock. Watch him. We're gunner.
I'm on, I'm on here here, come and get it. Nice

(21:30):
work, gutter, just get himup. Where's the other one? He's
gone too, I think yeah,all Clearskiver, nice work. We're coming
in now. We'll be bombing fromtwenty five thousand. Hey, Johnson is
the United Bristol willis, Yes,sir, stand by everybody approaching target.

(21:52):
Betta get sends, okay, takeover, bob, doors open? How
do you want it by minere andshe knows down a few twenty five thousand
checked, twenty five pounds check brownsme one seven zero check one seven zero
check. It's all yours left onetwo degrees Eddy, Eddy bounds away right

(22:27):
down the button, good right,yes, way, and i'd have rested.
Good work, Badia, good work. The first Peat twenty nine rate

(22:48):
on Tokyo was a smashing success.The barbaric treatment of General Doolittle's courageous fliers
had been avenged. One of ourleaders summed it up when he said,
that's very sp twenty nine raid onTokyo. With a calculated extension of our
ear power, No part of theJapanese Empire is now out of our range,
no war factory to remote to feelthe fury of our bounds. The

(23:11):
battle for Japan has been joined.You have been listening to Mac Johnson's dramatic

(23:33):
account of Target Tokyo, the storyof the first B twenty nine raid on
the Japanese capital. We will presentanother in this series in the near future.
Be sure to listen. Meanwhile,remember to listen for United Press News
on the air. Look for UnitedPrest dispatches in your favorite newspapers. They
are your guarantee of the world's bestcoverage of the world's biggest news. You've

(24:00):
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(24:21):
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(24:44):
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