Evening star., 1942-10-07
Bombers
Continued From First Page J

alive as we set off for home, leaving
death and destruction behind us in
Navarino Bay this sunny Saturday
afternoon.
We are in four -motored Console
dated B-24's of the heavy lombard
ment group whcih forms an i'm
portant part of Maj. Gen. Lewis H.
Brereton's air force in the Near East.
Seven war correspondents under
Maj. Robert H. Parham of Norman,
Okla, are on this raid. each in a
different plane. 1t is the first time
reporters have participated in mass
American air force mission.
It started this morning when we
went to the operations room which
looks like a country schoolhouse. In
place Of the blackboard Is a big map
and before it stands Maj John R.
cKillerD Kane Of Shreveport, La.
who will lead our planes.
Few schoolboys ever listened as
eagerly as we do while he tells his
airmen and us what the target will
be and traces the route on the map.
We are told at what heights we will
fly and how we will come in for the
kill. A time signal is given. Every
one sets his watch to the split sec
ond. Then we b to the planes.
Great Armada Of Planes.
Once we are all of the ground
we get into formation and soon are
winging over the sea or to our goal.
This is a great armada Of monster
planes that looks like naval Meet
which suddenly has sprouted wings.
For a long tine the sky Is clear
and the sun shines brightly on the
sparkling blue water beneath us.
Then we run into heavy cloud banks
which are rare in this region. SO
much to the good they screen us.
For hours we fly. Then, as we near
our goal we ascend to the designated
altitude. We all look little like
Mickey Mouses in the black snouts
which are oxygen masks. 1t Is cold
up here and I see that a ny which
has come with us has died for lack
of air
1t will not be long now. Our CO.
pilot. 1t. David S. Watt of Lancaster,
Pa, signals me- Then we see land.
land which embraces the almost
land locked bay of Navarino at the
southwest tip Of Greece.
We see ships in this bay: Wrecked
ships of previous raids. dummy ships
of concrete set In the water to
deceive us. We also see two real
ships moored almost side by side
big ships laden with supplies for
Rommel. Those are the ships we
want.
We go in.
Ugly Packages Of Death.
But our commander, Maj. Kane
is not satisfied with our formation
so we 60 out again. swerve around
in big circle and in again. This
time it is just what he wants.
The kill is on.
Around those two ships is a
geometric line and our job is tc
make all our bombs fall inside a
square formed by that line. We
have 80 many bombs to drop and
such big ones that II we all do this
the ships cannot escape.
Our bombardier. 1t. George j
Lyons of Conimicut, r. l., lets then
go. In quick succession, these big
ugly packages of death which we
have been carrying leave the plane
I am in the very last of man,
planes going over the target. Thi
means I have the best grandstant
seat OF all the correspondents. L
also means that our plane is tn,
likeliest to get attacked and tn,
likeliest to get into the way of ack
ack.
Below I can see the bombs splash
ing into the water all around tn,
ships. In the middle of one ship il
a great black blotch which may b,
smoke or gaping hole. Then
see a red tongue which looks lik,
fire. From this height and at thi
speed it Is difficult to see exactl,
what is happening below. / only
know that it must be hell for AM
one down there.
I see black bursts of ack-ack shells
am just thinking how glad 1 an
they are not near when a jolt almos
knocks me OIL my feet, then another
succeeds in doing So I see tw,
bursts as shells explode just be.
meath us.
Our pilot. First 1t. John r
Nuremberg Of Montclair. N. J.
swerves and dives to get out of the
ack-ack fire. The mountain peak,