The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-04-21
W.N.u.FEArupvs


the corrections on my run.
ut must be as carefully timed as
a violin duet My bombardier be-
low there needs the gentle touch of
violinist on his controls and I
must follow with equally gentle
pressures on the rudder. If he gets
excited, and in correcting an error,
moves his controls too far, then,
following that weaving needle, I'll
push pedal too far and we'll throw
the Fortress out of her groove.
''I'm almost praying he won't do
this. Come on, boy l mutter to
him, don't let it run down your
leg, now!-don't overcorrect!'
''Now I take the risk Of just one
glance away from the needle
through the windshield to see the
second flight just going in on its
bomb-release line. The ack-ack fire,
which for the first flight was too
high, is now breaking below the Sec
ond flight. That means they'll see
they've bfacketed us, and next time
they make change In fuses down
below-about the time our third
flight Is going over-they'll have US
square.
"Just then hear a gunner shout
ing over the interphones:
Fighters, coming up at nine
o'clock!' I can't see them yet-won-
der where they're coming from.
Maybe off carrier. Then why
didn't we make run on that? May
be Cecil did, and missed. Maybe
my bombardier sees it and we are
making our run on 1t. No, think,
they're probably off the ground. The
Japs have probably got the country
side around Davao laced with land
ing strips by this time-the enter
prising little so-and-sos.
(Lay your sUatch do,Un on the table in
front Of you. At ttoelUe o'clock the hour
hand points straight ahead. At three
o'clock it points to the right. At nine
o'clock IL points to the left.)
Nov my own gunners are talk.
ing: They're coming up in long,
slow spiral, like hornets out of a
nest-coming up so straight you can
even see their bellies. get the first
rumble of the antiaircraft fire as
the ship futters. A quick glance
ahead shows the puffs are right on
our level now.
"Then I get mad again. Because
1t said in our schoolbooks that the
Jap antiaircraft fire couldn't hit any,
thing above $4,000. Here we are,
laying it to them from almost twice,
that altitude, and they're putting it
right back up to us.
''Then I get a feeling Of exulta.
ton. Because down under us and
not far ahead now is that Jap Pearl
Harbor setup-big ships with stone-
cold boilers. Now they must be rum
ming frantically around the engine
rooms trying to stoke the fires and
get steam up, knowing while they're
hurrying that it's too late-just as
they knew at Pearl Harbor, but all
you can do is hurry. so you do it
anyway. Well, we've got them where
we wanted them, even il there are
only ten of us-got them where they
had Old SO just about a month ago.
'Then I jump, for the ship quiv-
ers from a burst Of fire from our
own .50-caliber guns. Then quickly
another and another. Zeros COM
ing up, banking to come in and rake
us with their fire? But when nothing
is said of them over the interphones,
I know my boys are only firing lit.
tie bursts to warm the oil in their
guns, making sure the guns won't
jam when we are really hit by fight
ers.
Suddenly the planes nose lurches
upward and to the left. and hardly
have Strengthened her out onto
even keel when she tries to make
another twist. It's the blast from
the ack-ack fire-invisible pillows of
air sent out by each explosion, and
now it's as rough as though we were
bouncing in a Model T over a Mis-
souri, dirt road three days after
rain.
'At my side my copilot, who has
been looking out through the wind
shield, hollers: 'Jim's bombs are on
their way I don't dare take my
eye from the needle.
"Just then ! get the click from
my own bombardier. Our bomb
bay doors are open now-I feel the
slight drag on the plane. and with
my rudder correct for it, and then
that double click on the interphone
which means he's telling me: Ship
level, Frank, please And I don't
answer except with my feet so firm-
ly but gently on the rudders, giving
him that absolutely level bombing
platform he has to have il we're to
hit the target.
"And at last the precious amber
light CLOVIS on my instrument panel,
which means he's now actually flick
ing the bombs off, one by one, and
keep my feet so softly on the
rudders that they hardly touch, so
as not to give the tiniest sidewise
throw to the bombs. Up in the cock
pit we hold our breath. We know
le,,,., I,aIox,y fha honoha rider 10 A;cIr