Archbishop Francis J. Spellman of New York, on his recent tour of North African battlefronts, said mass for the men at the Fifty-seventh Fighter Group of the United States Army Ninth Air Force. This Air Force group is located "somewhere in Tunisia" and they are the boys who scored the biggest victory in the history of aviation, knocking almost 100 Axis transports and fighters out of the skies on one engagement. The archbishop held mass in a plane revetment at the Fifty-Seventh fighter base. The altar was set up and mass held on the spot. He said mass whenever and wherever there were boys who were interested in hearing one. Attendants at the mass were Major C.H. Logue, Catholic priest from Cleveland, Ohio, and Capptain J.E. McCarrity, Paulist priest from New York City and Air Force chaplain. They are seen in some of the pictures

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tunisia nitrate negatives ṭabarqah tunisia archbishop francis archbishop francis j spellman battlefronts mass men fifty seventh fighter group fifty seventh fighter group army ninth states army ninth air force air force group boys victory history aviation axis transports axis transports fighters skies engagement one engagement plane revetment plane revetment fifty seventh fighter base altar spot attendants major major c logue catholic priest catholic priest cleveland capptain capptain j mccarrity paulist paulist priest chaplain air force chaplain pictures farm security administration air force 1940 s usaf air force base us army united states history library of congress

01/01/1942

Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/

No known restrictions. For information, see U.S. Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information Black & White Photographs http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/071_fsab.html