The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1945-04-05
Col. Robert l-.ScOff
W.N.U. r EL.EASE


organized, initiated, and activated
in combat. When took over things
at Running there were three fighter
squadrons and one headquarters
squadron. Major Tex Hill had one
squadron at Hengyang, China, and
with him were such deputy leaders
as Maj. Gil Bright, Maj. Johnny
Alison, and Capt. Ajax Baumler.
Maj. Ed Rector had another squad
ron at Kweilin with Capt. Charlie
Sawyer for his assistant in leader
ship. These outlying stations are
about five hundred miles in the di-
rection of Japan from our head
quarters on the plateau of Yunnan
at Running. The third unit was
the squadron under Maj. Frank
Schiel, who was very busy training
the most junior members of this
new, fighter group in the way Of
fighter aviation. I got the Group
headquarters to running and stood
by for orders to begin leading the
fighter forces in action to the East.
On July 10, Tex Hill led small
fight, including Baumler, Alison,
, Lieut.. Lee Minor, and Lieut..
Elias, up on the Yangtse. Their
prime job was to escort a few BIS
medium bombers against the docks
of Hankow. This objective of mis-
sion with our China force was new
er all we considered to be the duty
of our fighters, for if any other tar
get presented itself after the bomb
ers were on the way home, we'd
have some fun. Tex Hill led his
flight along with the bombers, who
were led by Col. c. v. Haynes. After
the bombs had been released and
the B-25's were heading back for
base with their bombay doors
closed, Tex called for an attack by
the fighters on the enemy shipping
in the river.
One of the bomber pilots said that
Tex rolled his ship over from six
teen thousand feet and streaked
down for the Jap gunbsats below.
The little gunboats were shooting
everything they had at the Ameri-
can fghters-but that, I've learned
since, was what Hill liked. Tex
Hills guns were firing even as he
pulled out right on the water, and
they swept the decks of the enemy
gunboats. The bomber pilot said
that as the fighter ships would turn
low to the water and come in, each
concentrating on one of the little
Jap warships, he could see the six
lines of fifty-calibre tracers cutting
across the water. AT long range
they seemed to meet out in front of
the fighter and then fan out and cov-
or the deck of the target. Then, as
the speed of the fighter narrowed
the range, the point where the fire
crossed-the zero or convergence
point of the guns-was right at the
waterline of the Jap boat, and 1t
must have knocked in a hole that
crippled the boat right away. On
the second attack one of these gun
boats was sinking and on fire. Hills
four fighters sank all four of the lit
tie metal gunboats.
Next day, on another flight such
as this one, Hill led eight fighters,
four with wing bombs, for dive
bombing Nanchang. While these
four went down with their bombs,
Hill was to stay aloft with the other
four to act as top-cover-just in case
some Zeros tried to surprise the
dive-bombers. Ajax Baumler said
that he saw the whole thing: Johnny
Petack dove for his target, one of
the gunboats on the lake, but as his
bomb hit the boat the P-40 was seen
to explode, evidently hit by ground
fire. Ajax followed the burning ship
almost to the ground and saw it
strike in rice paddy near a Bud
dhist temple.
So Petack, one of the AVG who
had stayed for the extra two weeks,
was killed in action. It's peculiar
how a man could fight all through
those last nine months and then go
down from lucky anti-aircraft shot.
John Petack had remained for the
purpose of training the new pilots
and his job was that of airdrome
defense. He was killed on this Of
fensive mission. 1t was one that he
could have refused with honor; in
stead, he had volunteered for this
dive-bombing flight and had been
killed in carrying it out. 1t was the
most inspiring thing he could have
done.
1 kept sweating out the organiza-
ton of the Group, and finally on July
II, l received orders from the Gen.
eral to proceed to Kweilin area and
take charge of fighter operations.
know my heart nearly beat my ribs
to pieces, for I was at last being or
dered to go out and lead the fight
ing. Just as / landed on this air.
drome in the Kwansi province I
saw the rom ainder of fha AVG oat