Evening star., 1943-03-08
Jopon's Best Fighter Pilots
Unable to Avert CONVOY Blow
Victorious U. S. Flyers Declare Enemy
Airmen Showed improvement in Quality
BY GEORGE WELLER.

BY GEORGE WELLER,
Foreign Correspondent of The Star and
Chicago Daily News
SOMEWHERE IN NEW GUINEA
March 4 Delayed Hundreds OF
blood -maddened sharks, coursine
through the lukewarm waters OF
Huon Gulf, scared the blue surface
with their fms, providing grisly
background, as single fortress and
a BIS pounded on Japan's last
floating destroyer and blasted it to
the bottom shortly after dawn this
morning
Two direct hits by the Fortress,
piloted by Capt. Fred Dollenberg of
Philadelphia and Capt. James Hayes
OF New York City, wiped the crippled
remnant of Japan's 22-ship convoy
from surface already traced with
oil slicks resembling the bloating
hair Of drowned man.
! Along the shores of New Guinea
between Lac and Finschhafen the
battle between Zeros and our long
range P-38 fighter ragged with en-
bittered vigor. While our losses yes
terday Of three fighters was nothing
compared to Japans positively con-
flrmed loss of 43 fighters yesterday,
today's interception by Zeros was
of vicious nature.
The writer, after talking with al
most all the pilots who participated
in today's unremitting battle from
several thousand feet level to Just
above the sea found them warmly
asserting that Jap pilots showed
they had improved rather than de-
Perforated in quality despite our one
sided victory.
Zeros Hard to Get in Sights.
These pilots we met today were
the best we have ever seen over New
Guinea" said one fighter to the
writer shortly after landing.
ANY idea that Jap pilots have
suddenly become easy meat is just
rubbish. Zeros were never harder
to get in your sights than right now. "
Testimony that the Japs are try
Ing with substantially reinforced
| fighter forces to reopen their sagging
umbrella over Lac and Salamaua
and Huon Gulf was furnished by
the Fortresses which, while pulver-
izing six giant Jap barges, were
set upon by Zeros. The Fortress
piloted by 1t. James Dieffenderfer
OF Sprigg, w. Va, received shells
through its nose, wounding three
members of the crew.
"A portion of Mr.. Weller's dis
patch at this point Uas delayed
in trdnsn1tsSion)
How one Fortress late last night,
with its dead commander fallen
over his controls, managed to reach
an alrdrome, was revealed tonight
as five unwounded members of the
crew spoke for their four wounded
comrades and dead captain.
Dead Pilot Lifted From Controls.
When the commander, who for the
present must be nameless, made a
run on Jap cargo vessel, a daring
Zero made single-handed direct
frontal attack, smashing the glass
with a squirt OF death which twice
pierced the pilots forehead and
once his side. The bombardie1
climbed from the bomb bay and
lifted the dying commanders arms
from the controls while the co-piloi
saved the diving giant.
The navigator began binding tht
wounded with the help of a waist
gunner sergeant. AS the plane stag.
gered to shore, with its entire fuse.
lage riddled, word was passet
through the interphone that {
sergeant had destroyed the Jap hal
a second after his suicidal burst
! The assistant radioman saw the Jar
fall to his death in the water.
With one huge tire blown out anc
the body riddled and the crewmer
still supporting their dead com.
mander, the plane landed on :
grassy field and returned today witt
the co-pilot, who had made only tw,
previous trips in a Bit, still at tn,
controls. They claimed two direc
hits on freighters in yesterday
annihilated convoy.
While Australian A-20 Boston.
were violently strafing and bombin1
the Jap-held villages OF Nina ant
: Dona, near Salamaua, American
A-20's, surnamed Havocs. were
strafing Lac and Malahang air,
dromes, making IL strong passes anc
causing large fires. Beaufighter
caught six zeros refueling at Mala
hang, blowing up their gasoline
truck and their Australian pilot
: made repeated loW-level attacks.
While fighters today managed Il
wipe six more Zeros, positively, from
the sky, with several probables, 1t
William D. Sells of Hoopeston, Ill
was being congratulated on his mar
row escape yesterday. Sells is tn,
pilot who attacked the Japs thre,
times till his guns jammed and h
managed to dive into cloud bu
came out going straight down La
airdrome runway 20 feet from tn
5 ground with all its ack lack concen
! trated on him.
Today former shipyard worker II
: Paul Stach. "a years old, of Runne
mede, N. j., who studied at the Uni
versity Of Richmond. got home will
| one engine in his P-3s afire and on
more Zero added to his two of yes
: terday, making three in two days
: Stach, who has singular flare -
close, accurate observation, describ