Evening star., 1942-11-02
u. 5. Flyers Attack
Hong Kong in P-4G's
|As Dive bombers
Big Merchant Ship Fired !,
Neur-Misses Scored on
Two Other Vessels
BY J. REILLY O'sULLIvAN,
Asene4e TAD prnea W. = fsnrrasrnvAA,,t =.

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WITH AMERICAN FORCES IN
CHINA, Oct. 81 Delayed .-Ameri-
can airmen flying shark-nosed
P-40s. known hereabouts rs pea
shooters. introduced a new trick
in their air warfare with . dive
bombing assault on Hong Kong
last Wednesday.
One big merchant ship was left
In flames by direct hit. and near
misses were scored against two 9TH
ers In this third raid within 4 week
on the japanese occupied British
crown colony.
(The japanese radio reported
seven bombers raided Hong
Kong Wednesday, but said no
damage was inflicted and that
one raider was shot down.
P-4es Used for Everything.
This diye-bombing assault was
the first In this theater by the Cur
tiss P-40s, built originally as fight-
ers but now become jacks of all
trades In the hands of the resource
full Americans. Out here at the
ehd Of the United States Army's
longest supply line they make the
best Of what equipment Is at hand
and then some.
I'VE are using them for about
everything except submarines, Col.
Robert L. Scott OF Macon, Ga, a
pursuit group commander, said Of
the Pea shooters, which have filled
the role Of escorts for regular
bombers, chasers, intercepters, level
bomberS and reconnaissance planes.
In one eight-day period they
unloaded so tons Of bombs on Nam
chang, Hankow and Linchwan In
China and Haipong, French Indio-
China.
The dive-bombing mission against
Hong Kong, carried out at dawn
Wednesday, was led by Maj. B. K.
Holloway Of Knoxville. Tenn. The
small attacking formation was es-
corted by other Pea shooters in their
regular role as escorters.
1t. Dallas A. Ginger, Etna, Wyo.,
strafed a 10,000-ton freighter and
silenced one anti-aircraft gun en-
placement.
On the way home 1t. r. H.
Mooney Of Kansas City gave a brick
building on the island a going over
In a straf1ng attack.
Japs Using Messerschmitts.
One American plane was shot
down close to the water after nm
ishing its bombing run. There were
no other losses or casualties.
The attacking pilots expressed the
belief that challenging Japanese
pilots were flying German Messer-
schmitt- as we'll as their own
Zeros. This was the first indica ton
here that the Nazi-type fighters
were in action in the China theater
The Wednesday attack followed
smashing blows at Hong Kong last
Sunday night and early Monday by
Billy Mitchell B-25 medium bomb
ers, the kind that raided Japan on
April 49,
The Kowloon water front was set
ablaze from end to end and the
main Hong Kong power, station nat
tened in these raids. t-' sa..4..-
From a study of photographs and
reports Of participating pilots it was
determined that the two 2 ,500-ton
tankers were sunk and a 3,00O-to
freighter severely damaged and pos
sibly sunk.
The Kowloon railroad station
yards and storage areas, wharves
and nearby warehouses. large mill
tary stores around Hollis Wharf. the
old British Navy mine and torpedo
station, naval supplies close to the
main ferry terminal and a big Japa
nese barrack all were heavily dam
aged and probably wiped out by fires
and explosions caused by the Ameri.
can bombs.