The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-07-28
CHAPTER XXI

CHAPTER XXI
Because the real truth is he
said, our present Army fighters
don't climb fast enough, or high
enough-and they don't have the
range. Every Jap knows this, if
the people back home don't. Maybe
1t would hurt their morale to find it
out, but I'm only thinking Of the
morale of my pilots That's why he
wanted to come home. Poor guy"
Meanwhile Florida played on in
the sunshine" said Mango, "and !
was trying to write letters to some
of the other girls we knew whose
husbands would never come back.
Some Of the letters I wanted to
write / couldn't. For a while !
had been on exhibition because my
husband was supposed to be dead
in Java, and they'd look at me
and groan with patriotic sympathy,
and then get to work planning the
next golf tournament. I'd look at
those strong, healthy young golf pro-
fessionals, coaching flabby men on
the putting green's, and wonder why
they weren't in uniform. Only that
was the wrong attitude; they'd tell
you we need recreation now, more
than ever, to keep our morale up
during the war, I suppose it was
true, but kept wishing the weary
boys in uniform / knew could be
getting more of it, instead of these
Btagnant, contented men.
"There were some more names to
be added to that list of letters" said
Frank, "but with us the feeling had
changed. 1t was wonderful to be
able at last to smash them back,
as the fighters had done at Darwin.
And from it's base in North Austria
liza, the old 18th Bombardment Group
which included the 7th now-was
flying out over New Guinea and New
Britain islands, landing heavy
punches on them at Lac and Sala-
maua, and at Rabaul.
''Now the Jap lines of communica-
ton were as far extended as ours
had been; now we had something
like the equipment they had put
against us. We knew, of course,
they were busy digesting Java and
the Philippines. But we felt now
they could never knock us back on
our heels again, because we were
getting solidly dug in so we could
soak up their punches and put out a
few Of our own. TWAS nice feeling.
"Also the Japs were getting
healthy respect for the E-model
Forts.
''Net long after the Olympics, I
heard Kobi Ishi had entered the Jap
Air Force. After that I thought Of
them all as Kobi Ishi, pretty good
diver with some fair tricks and
toothy smile, but nothing you can't
handle if you train for it. Maybe
they're all fanatics, craving to die
for the Emperor, but I remember
story the 18th told me in Australia.
"Six of our Forts were coming in
over Rabaul to give the Japs a
pasting when one lone Zero showed
up. The six Forts were all brand
new E models, and the Japs had
learned about them. The Forts con-
tinued in formation, but keeping
their guns trained on the Zero. Now
most fighter pilots, whether they're
American, Jap, or German, are
nervous and quick like fox terriers.
There's no gap between thinking and
acting, so you can almost watch a
fighter plane and read it's pilots
mind. That's how it was with this
little Jap. He starts in, thinking
here's a chance to pick off a Fort,
and then suddenly he sees all those
guns and thinks how sweet and cute
his little almond-eyed geisha is back
home, and how nice it would be to
get back to her, so about half mile
away he pulls out in a turn, out of
range, and continues parallel with
the six Forts, thinking it over. Well,
the little geisha finally wins out
over the Emperor, because he
doesn't go in, but he thumbs his nose
at them in his way: flying alongside,
with all of our gang watching, he
starts doing Inmelmann turns. It's
half-loop, which brings you out
upside down only flying backward,
quickly followed by a half-roll,
which turns you right side up again.
And it's one of the hardest tricks in
the book if done properly-beautiful
flying, the boys said, and he kept
doing it over and over, just out Of
range, as much as to say, Boys,
I'm not coming in, but don't think
! can't fly Kept it up for fifteen
inmates in his latest-model super
charged Zero, and just as he tipped
of into q cloud, our gang waved
their applause for the flying circus,
and he gave them the high sign
back. To me he was Kobi Ishi. I'd
like to meet him after the war.
''In early April Port Moresby on
New Guinea was our problem child.