Evening star., 1943-07-21
By LEE ERICKSON.

layed A young American fighter
pilot, shot down behind the enemy's
lines in New Georgia, struggled five
days in the jungle and aided by a
life-jacket swan Is hours to escape
the japanese who sometimes were
so close he could hear them talking
Through phenomenal luck and
tenacious courage, First 1t. Edward
Whitman, jr., 25, Garrison. Md, at
last neared Marine outpost.
| The Marines sighted 1t. Whitman n
! and two sailor survivors of the de-
stroyer Strong, the only American
warship lost in the early phases of
landing operations in the New
Georgia group. The three men.
weakened by exposure and worn by
strain, we're drifting in small boat
when they were rescued.
With poise and matter of fact
assurance. 1t. Whitman told the
story of his experience tonight at
the quarters of the general COM
manding Army fighter plane units
in the Solomons. His broken left
arm was braced in a case. His right
cheekbone was fractured and his
! right eye blackened
Ready to Fight.
The P-39 fighter pilot grinned
with enthsuiasm when he told of
his rescue.
III never forget seeing that Ma
rine,s red head sticking out of the
patrol boat when they came to pick
us up he said.
Until he could see the Marines
read hair, he and his two sailor
companions feared that the patrol
boat putting out from shore might
have been japanese
Wed decided we were going to
fight it out" the injured pilot added
We weren't going to be taken pris-
oners. We had our rifles ready
Flying in fighter patrol covering
American invasion troops on Rem
dova Island, 1t Whitman was shot
down the afternoon of July II after
knocking out a japanese Zero in
his first air combat.
Plane was smoking.
Il saw the Zero I had hit falling
away smoking" he related. Then
my plane shuddered just as if I were
shooting, but wasn't. The seat got
hot as hell, and I could see my plane
start smoking
1t. Whitman didn't know what
had hit his plane, but later he
learned that three Zeros had closed
in behind MIN. He bailed out at
10000 feet but didn't open his para
chute until he reached about 1000
feet because he didn't want to give
the japanese chance to strafe him
Hung up in trees by his chute, 1t.
Whitman cut himself loose with a
jungle knife. The vines he clung to
broke and he fell 20 feet to the
ground, breaking his arm. A cheek
bone previously had been fractured
and an eye bruised by the shrouds
when his parachute jerked open
! after the drop of several thousand
| feet
The pilot estimated he had landed
five or six miles south of Bairoko
Harbor. a Japanese-held inlet on
the north coast of New Georgia Is
land. He started walking through
the root and vine tangled jungle and
progressed two tortuous miles before
reaching narrow trail.
Heard japanese Voices.
On the trail 1t. Whitman often
had to stop to rest. When he rested
he could crawl little way into the
thick growth and lie down.
1T was lucky I did that" he said
"One time while I was lying down
two Japs came down the trail.
lay as still as possible. They went
on"
1t. Whitman slept that night in
the jungle The next afternoon
July IL, he reached the east shore Of
Bsiroko Harbor
Il got my directions mixed he
said Il thought the American
troops would have Bairoko cleaned
up, and l decided to swim west
Initiating his life jacket, the flyer
started out directly toward the Japa.
nese jungle positions. Baroes passed
nearby and he could hear Japanese
| jabbering." He craWled ashore into
dense underground and slept there
second night. He then made q
decision to stay not in the jungle
but on water in the hope he nigh,
be picked up by Navy ply rescue
planes
Anyhow, it was easier on my
broken arm in the water" When.
ever I got tired. I would lie in the
lifebelt until was rested.
! - Hailed Two Men.
The only thing that got me-" ht
explained, was that I didn't have
any water to drink. The salt watel
splashing in my mouth made me al
the thirstier.
In the later afternoon I saw Z
boat ahead with two men in it.
yelled. BY that time I didn't car.
whether Japs or Americans were II
the boat. The two men paddlet