The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1944-04-20
CHAPTER TX

II poured on every ounce OF power
we had, and was about to turn for
the getaway when / saw, just in
time, that old Jim, who had dropped
his bombs before ! did, had al
ready started his turn to get off the
target few seconds before me. He
had his plane reefed in to turn so
tight that his wing was practically
vertical, and had to cock mine up
practically the same way to keep
out of his way.
$50 then when we got disentangled
we put our planes into slight dive
to outrun the pursuit behind us.
Those Zeros had started late of the
ground, but Zero can climb fast
it has practically no weight at all
and can climb better than 5000
feet minute. So we went into this
inclining dive to pick up speed and
stretch our distance from the target
fast.
"The next thing / did was to call
down to the bombardier and the nav
igator to come on up and tell me
what we'd done to the Japs. Gulp-
ing coffee and between chews OF
sandwiches, they told me and my
co-pilot just how it had looked. Ly-
ing on their bellies and looking down
and back, they'd been able to see
the target some minutes after we'd
left it.
"They said it had been a sight to
watch. A few of the Jap cruisers
and destroyers had managed to get
under way, and their wakes laced
the water in great spirals and sworls
as they tried to dodge the bombs.
Aside from these few, they said,
we'd caught the Japs absolutely fiat
footed. II there had been enough
of us, we could have blown q chunk
out Of their feet they would never
have recovered from.
"As it was, they had watched four
direct hits on Jap battleship, seen
pieces Of debris flying in every di-
rection and smoke starting to bill
low up. In addition to this, our
squadron had sunk three smaller
craft-two cruisers and transport.
''They said it was beautiful to
watch. One Of the ships was keel
ing slowly, another's nose was tilt
ing up from a direct hit on her stern,
which was already under before we
went out of sight.
'They said our bomb pattern had
churned the whole area white with
spouts Of foam, and what few ships
had their power up were running
around like crazy. They said thou
sands of skilled personnel had been
killed or drowned, and also that
we had torn hell out of the dock
workers and docks at Davao Harbor.
''Only ! don't have time to gloat
long, for something approaching US
from ahead catches my eye through
the windshield. It's practically fly
ing our course and our altitude, ex-
cept that it's off to the left. But am
/ seeing a ghost? 1t can't be what I
think it is, a Messerschmitt ITO, the
kind that Ernst Udet told me all
about in Berlin when I visited there
in 1894. There can't be Messer-
schmitt 10 in this hemisphere,
but what else could it be with that
split tail?
anyway there it is, coming near
er and nearer. The Messerschmitt
1l0's have plenty Of range, SO the
Japs must be using her as a scout
plane. We've altered our course
from the phony one to the real one
which will bring us home. And now
this flying nightmare-out of its con-
tinent and its hemisphere-has un-
doubtedly seen us and can surely
figure out that we're headed for Bor-
neo, where we must be based. And
just now is approaching us at an
anole where, if I dare to, could
-a.se... Il q