The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-05-12

| we Guile ny. rOur OF Cnem go In IOr
tail attacks and are shot into con-
fetti, SO the fifth is ssmart-he goes
home with the news. But for
while there it was tail-gunner's
/, heaven"
"You never forget your first battle
mission" said the Bombardier,
"only ] Of course had bomb-sight
angle on the whole picture.
"Just before we took off Major
Robinson called all pilots, bombar-
diers, radiomen, and navigators into
the hangar room for a critique. He
had new idea.
my plane is to be in his flight.
When we make our pass over the
target, my navigator is to watch
Robinson's bomb doors, and when
Robinson's bombs appear, then he
releases four of mine, I meanwhile
sighting the target. Then the planes
behind me release when I do. In
this way well make a wide pat
tern, and get away from the target
faster than by making double run.
"We have clear weather, climbing
for our altitude through few scat
tered clouds, and thirty minutes
away from the target we reach S0,-
600 feet and then level off, follow
ing the Borneo shore line of Ma
cassar Strait. We're all at battle
stations, fiddling with my bomb
sight. Presently we hear the top
turret gunner over the interphone.
'Planes!' he's calling. 'Forma-
ton of planes, right rear, high!'
They were coming down at us from
$4,000 or $4,000 feet, but from the
navigator's compartment I couldn't
see them yet.
"Then they peeled off for the at
tack, concentrating on Robinson's
plane. I could hear the gunners
calling these plays over the inter-
phones-couldn't see the Zeros my
self yet, but I could see their trac-
ers going into the tail of Robinson's
plane. Then we turned in on our
bomb run, and I'd catch glimpses
of the Zeros as they overshot Rob-
inson, some Of them coming fifty
feet from his plane.
"But I'm busy on my bombing
run. I've picked my first live tar
get, a row Of three transports,
broadside to our line of flight. Ev-
erything else seems to be going
smoothly. I can hear Charlie Britt
on the top turret guns, hammering
away at Zeros, and I cuss him
little because it shakes my bomb
sight.
"Now we're on the run, coming
in on the target, and I've set my
drift in the sight, plus our true alti-
tude and true air speed, so / can
put those cross hairs on the target.
''Now the pilot and I switch our
earphones over to command, so we
can listen to any orders Major Rob-
inson wants to give from his lead
plane, while the copilot stays on the
interphones, so he can pick up what
our gunners are doing.
"And in a minute I hear it. Ma
jor Robinson is calling.
Robinson to Flight. I've been
badly hit in the tail-having trouble
holding the nose of my plane down.
I'm turning the formation
''We had been coming in straight
at the coast of Borneo. Now, turn
ing, we go down the coast, the Zeros
swarming around us like flies around
hunk of rotten meat.
''The first one I really saw came
up from beneath us. I'd known he
was there, because tracers had been
coming up from under the ships bel
ly past my face, as if someone
down under there was throwing up
hatfuls of live, smoking Goals.
Gas he pulls up out from beneath
us and banks away, ! get in a
couple of good bursts at him with
the little .30-caliber machine gun we
have down there in the nose.
couldn't really see if I'd hit him
or not. Then:
Robinson to Skiles. Go ahead
"'Skiles answering Robinson
says our pilot.
"'Take the lead,' Robinson tells
him. i can't keep up with the for
nation. I'll drop behind. And slow
the formation down so I can keep
up
"We're still going down the coast,
remember. And now:
" 'Skiles to Robinson. Go ahead
comes over the interphones.
Robinson answering
edo you want to make another
pass at the target?' asks Skiles.
"'Yes, Skies, take the formation
over the target again.
'tWe make our turn, the rest fol-
lowing, and head back.
"Just then Zero dives down on
the formation from behind, going
between me and the plane on our
right wing-about a hundred feet
away-and then it levels off out in
front of me. ! happened to have the
gun in the right-hand socket of the
nose, so I can really lay it on
him with NV little .30-caIiber sew