Evening star., 1942-06-11
Air Force Passes Palm of GLORY
For Midway Heroisn to Marines
Continued From First Page.)

then led it over our anti-aircraft
which shot 1t down. Then he did
the same stunt with another Jap.
Before the fight started we were
boasting with Marine dive bomber
pilots-it was just beer talk-over
what we would do to the Japs. They
told us: Well cripple every one OF
their carriers and you sink them
AS 1t turned out we hit the Japs
first. But when those Marine pilots
came back they told us they had
kept their word and hit every single
carrier they had sighted"
Marines Cool and Determined.
Another Army pilot said:
When We landed after bombing
the Jap feet the morning of June
we found Midway had been attacked.
Many of the Marines we're dead, but
the survivors were the coolest and
most determined bunch OF men I
ever saw.
"Gunners were sitting around pat
ting their guns. picking their teeth,
glaring skyward and saying to one
another: Il wish those - would
come back soon
I'VE expected them back at any
moment and were hurrying to get
oil again. We knew if we made it
we would be okay. But those ma
rines weren't going anywhere. 1t
was their job to stick and fight. if
necessary to the death. There's
never been anything the like"
Army men also were deeply i'm
pressed by the bravery of Navy fiy-
ers in small patrol craft. Flying far
to the sea, the patrol planes located
enemy ships and stayed over them
for many hours transmitting posi-
tional reports to their bases. Some
OF those patrol planes didn't get
home
Shell Hit Flying Fortress.
An explosive anti ti-aircraft shell hit
a Flying Fortress piloted by 1t, Jack
D. Whidden, Is. of Van Nuys, Calf.
and 1t. Chuck r. Crowell, %, Free
port. ILL.,. but they pressed home
their attack, hit and proba bly, sank
Japanese destroyer In the battle
Of Midway.
Jack and Chuck told about 1t in
these words:
We saw our first action in the
war the morning of June 4. when
with our squadron we attacked the
Japanese battle fleet $50 miles of
Midway.
I'VE saw among other ships two
heavy cruisers and three carriers,
one OF them very large, with manv
destroyers weaving about. Actually
we have to confess that the sight of
the ships was a complete surprise
to U.S."
Jack: I'VE were flying along fol-
lowing our squadron leader through
the clouds. He ordered our plane
to prepare to drop bombs I thought
that we were about to land or least
wise getting somewhere near bases
and that the bombs were to be re-
leased to tighten the load so We
could make it home okay. Our
gasoline wasn't any too high at
that point. Anyway we got ready
to let the bombs 60 and just then
we burst through the clouds and
there were some 20 or IS ships be-
meath us and all of them blazing
away at U.S."
Too Mad to BE Scared"
Chuck: That ack-ack was plenty
thick. In fact, very, very thick.
We were down real low for planes
Of our type-Fortresses. felt pretty
scared"
Jack: so did I feel scared for
few minutes. We saw the first
burst of anti-aircraft shot of to
the right and threw up my right
arm instinctively to cover my face
as if boxing. Then I got mad. So
did Chuck. And from then on we
were too mad to be scared"
Chuck: That Is, until We got
back home and began thinking the
whole thing over"
Jack: Anyway. this stuff was
getting pretty thick. We were fly
ing right through it. Then an ex-
plosive shell hit our left wing. 1t
cut the main spar and wrecked the
flaps and damaged the ailerons.
The cockpit suddenly filled up with
smoke. 1t smelled like firecrackers.
We thought for awhile that We were
on fire. That shell knocked down
our rear gunner, but he got up again
and told me over the phone he could
see lot of holes in our left wing"
Chuck: Il remember the sound OF
that shell. 1t went .ker-poom and
waves of hot air came up our legs"