The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-03-17


splitting roar of his motors as he
swishes past over our heads-we
popping futilely at the racing shad-
ow with our ass.
ION the eighth pass his tracers
found their target-there was the
kissing roar of gasoline, and from
every one of the many bullet holes
in the fuselage there billowed black
smoke, enveloping her completely.
But he made the great mistake Of
coming back just once again-maybe
only to see what he had done. But
for whatever reason, at this point
the antiaircraft opened up on him
through hole in the smoke. He
seemed to jump a little in the air,
and at the end of the run he didn't
chandelle as he usually did, but kept
on going and-'Look!' somebody
said. "A puff of smoke!' Sure enough
it was-only maybe he was only
clearing his engine-but three Sec
oflds later it was a definite black
trail behind him.
'We held our breath as he wob-
bled and wavered off like wounded
bird, and when he rolled over on one
wing down behind the horizon, nev-
er to rise again, we let out a cheer
that shook more dirt down the walls
Of our ditch. Because up to then it
had been all their Saturday.
"This seemed to signal the end of
the attack, for now the Nakajimas
and Zeros rose from the field like
crows from well-picked carcass
and, falling into formation, disap-
peared around Mount Arayat in the
direction of their carrier, which lay
somewhere out Of sight off Luzon
down under the horizon.
''Now we climbed out Of the ditch
and started back toward Operations
to report. But first we had to walk
around the wreckage Of the poor old
Fortress. We walked wide not only
because Of the shimmering heat, but
because it was shameful thing
we could hardly bear to watch,
which no one will understand who
doesn't love those big, beautiful B.
IT'S as we did. There she was in
her death agony-the plates had well
tered quickly, leaving only her max
ed skeleton shimmering in the heat,
and licked by oily flame. It made
you sick and you wanted to look the
other way.
'The rest of the field was Uttered
with charred skeletons of planes.
You'll remember the 10th lombard
ment Group had comprised thirty
five proud Flying Fortresses. A doz-
en- of them had been down at Del
Monte Field. in the southern island
Of Mindanao and so escaped this
attack. Colin Kelly, who had come
up from Australia, was flying one
of them. But Of all the rest which
had been here on Clark Field, only
five could be called airplanes any
more. Even these five were badly
damaged, and none of them could
fly. But by pooling the five wrecks,
replacing wing here, a tail there,
and taking two unchanged engines
from third, the Colonel hoped we
could salvage in all, Of the two doz-
en- which stood on the field that
morning, three planes which might
get into the air--when the runway
was cleared.
GAS for the boys who hadn't come
back from the hills yet, the Colonel
wasn't in the least worried. It's like
any good hunting dog he explained.
The first time you put steel across
him, of course he's scared. But aft
er that-well, those fellows that ran
away today will make as good SOL
diers as they come
at was now late in the day, and
he told me there was nothing I
could do, and it would be all right
to leave the target area until morn
ing-in fact we'd better, because the
Japs would probably be back to-
night.
Lieutenant Elmer Brown hap
pened to be standing there with me,
so we decided to go out together,
and I left my bike, because it
wouldn't be fair to Brownie. Brown
lie, who always has had a comforta-
BILE amount Of money, said he'd call
a taxi. But ! knew nothing would
come of that. The servants and al
most everybody else were back in
the hills, some of them still rum
ming, and anything you wanted done
that day you had to do for your
self. So we collected a bedding roll
apiece at the barracks and started
off down the road. We'd walked for
quite while when at a crossroads
we came on convoy Of trucks-it
was an antiaircraft outfit being
moved back into position, suppose
where they could better protect the
charred carcasses of our bombers.
$50 we hooked a ride on one of
these trucks, which was headed for
a little native village around the 9TH
er side of our field and reasonably
safe distance away. We got out
when they stopped and, going to the
nearest house, by signs asked the
owner if he had a room for the
NIGHT He WAS very nice fel1ow