The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1944-11-30


They cleared the last plane, and
they were over the runway. They
settled slowly. The wheels touched
softly. And as the plane rolled on
down the runway the thousands Of
men around that vast field sudden
ly realized that they were weak and
that they could hear their hearts
pounding.
The last of the sunset died, and the
sky turned into blackness. which
would help the Germans If they
came on schedule with their
bombs. But nobody cared. Our 10
dead men were miraculously back
from the grave.
BRINGING THUNDERBIRD HOME
The 10 men who brought their Fly
ing Fortress home from a raid on
Tripoli, after they had been given
up for lost. undoubtedly will get
decorations. Nothing quite like It
has happened before in this war.
Here is the full story:
The Tripoli airdrome was heavily
defended, by both fighter planes
and antiaircraft guns. Flying into
that hailstorm, as one pilot said,
was like a mouse attacking a dozen
cats.
The Thunderbird-for that was the
name Of this Fortress-was first hit
just as it dropped its bomb load.
One engine went out. Then a few
moments later the other engine on
the same side went.
When both engines 60 out on
the same side 1t is usually fatal.
And therein lies the difference
of this feat from other instances
of bringing damaged bombers
home.
The Thunderbird was forced to
drop below the other F%ortresses.
And the moment a Fortress drops
down or lags behind, German fight.
ers are on it like vultures. The
boys don't know how many Ger.
mans were in the air, but they think
there must have been 80.
Our Lightning fighters, escorting
the Fortresses, stuck by the Thun.
derbird and fought as long as they
could, but finally they had to leave
or they wouldn't have had enough
fuel to make it home.
The last fighter left the crippled
Fortress about 40 miles from
Tripoli. Fortunately. the swarm OF
German fighters started home at
the same time, for their gas was
low too.
The Thunderbird few on an
other 20 miles. Then a single
German fighter appeared, and
dived at them. Its guns did great
damage to the already crippled
plane, but simply couldn't
knock it out of the air.
Finally the fighter ran out of am.
munition, and left. Our boys were
alone now with their grave troubles.
Two engines were gone. most Of the
guns were out Of commission, and
they we're still more than 400 miles
from home. The radio was out. They
were losing altitude. 500 feet a min
ute, and now they we're down to
1000.
The pilot called up his crew and
held a consultation. Did they want
to jump? They all said they would
ride the plane as long as it was
in the air. He decided to keep going.
The ship was completely out Of
trim. cooked over at a terrible
angle. But they gradually got it
trimmed so that it stopped losing
altitude.
By now they were down to 900
feet, and a solid wall of mountains
ahead barred the way homeward.
They flew along parallel to these
mountains for along time. but they
we're now miraculously gaining some
altitude. Finally they got the thing
to $500 feet.
Maybe it's as the pilot said: I'VE
didn't come over the mountains, we
came through them"
The co-pilot said: Il was blowing
on the windshield trying to push her
along. Once l almost wanted to
reach a foot down and sort of walk
US along over the pass"
And the navigator said:
''If had heen on tho uvip ofiD 7
could have touched the ground with
my hand when we went through
the pass"