Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-05-10

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1t isn't because
Henry McLemore. Pollock doesn't
love the Flying Fortress. He does
and he has every reason to, because
they have carried him and. more
important, brought him back from
upwards of Is opera tional flights
over enemy territory. He has fought
| flax. Messers and Focke- Wulfs over
Saint Nazaire, Brest, Lorient, Will
| helmshaven, Bremen and the Ruhr
Valley and, before he reached this
theater, the Forts had borne him
through fighting in the Pacific.
Pollock doesn't look much like a
fighter. He is calm and easy-going,
| When I met him he was leaning
against a mantelpiece in the lounge
OF the Officers Club, drinking a coke
and rapturously studying a batch Of
pictures of the 6-month-old son he
has never seen. But he is a fighter.
The fact that he is still here after
50 many operations against the
enemy Is proof of that, as is his
Distinguished Flying Gross.
Knows Enemy's Tricks.
The reason for his wanting to
become fighter pilot is interesting,
but let him tell it.
mo one has a much better chance
to study enemy fighter tactics than
a gunner-navigator. You sit up in
the nose and can see everything.
l have seen so many German bilots
perform and shot at so many that
1 know all the tricks they have. I
nave seen them work at long range
and also so close that could plainly
see the face of the man in ths
cockpit.
Now I believe that this expert
ence would make me a good fighter
pilot. There is no better way to
get experience than to sit there In
the nose and watch the enemy try
to get you while you are trying to
get him. And don't think those
Jerry pilots don't use everything
they know when they attack a Fort,
because they have learned that it
takes only one mistake and they
won't live to make another
Could Time Attack.
1t. Pollock studied the baby pic
lures a while and passed them
around. Then told of another rea-
son why he would like To get be-
hind the controls Of a pursuit ship.
I'D like to have the initiative
against those Jerry fighters Just
once. When you're in a bomber you
have to wait for them to make the
attack. They have the first say.
They can float around our range
and not make move until thew
want to. Id like to be able to make
that first move and chase one Of
them all over the sky. 1t makes
you sore to sit there and be unable
| 10 take a crack at them until they
| decide the time has come to peel
| OH and take a crack at YOU"
Lit. Pollock admitted that there
was no lack of thrills in a Fort,
however. He recalled his first oper-
atlonal flight and how he laughed
at his bombardier when a bullet
went through his bombardier's
parachute. But he didn't laugh
when the bombardier said, well.
while you're laughing, take a look
around" Pollock did and saw
where a cannon shot had come
just a few inches behind him and
shattered his navigation table.
Guns Come First.
BY the way" Pollock said, when
you write anything about us, call us
gunner-navigators not navieators.
because We shoot first and navi-
gate second, being as we have found
out that if you don't put shooting
nrst you won't be around to navi-
gate
only few days ago someone In
his squadron shot down a fighter
VINO was dead ahead, making a
head-on attack and the pilot bailed
out to drift between the planes of
bomber formation. HE was SO
close the lieutenant said, that
could almost have reached out and
punched him in the nose as he
went by. I wish now I had tried it,"
The lieutenant asked me to tell
MS wife that the baby is the cutest
thing he ever saw and that he
noped 1t wouldn't be too long be-
fore he could pick him up and hsve
her-his wife-tell him he wasn't
holding the baby right.
distributed by McNaught Syndicate ,,,
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