The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1945-03-02

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WNU Service, Union Trust Building,
Washington, ID. G.
How would you like to bomb the
Yawata steel works in flying for
tress?
did 1t without moving from my
classroom seat in Orlando, Fla, in
one Of the courses attended at the
army air force school of applied tao
tics. It is part Of the "post gradu-
ate" instruction of the high officers
Of the army and it really is realis-
tic "briefing." When ! had finished
that demonstration, as it is called,
actually felt as if had been on
that bombing mission which started
at an unnamed base in China and
few straight to target, which is as
clearly pictured in my mind as It /
had made the trip.
I'll try to reenact 1t for you.
First, imagine great map
stretching across the room in which
you are sitting with two black lines
on it. The lower line runs, with
few slight deviations, straight to
the target in Japan. Then there is a
short leg running north and the Sec
ond line, little above the other,
running back to the base. This is the
| course we took.
"Now, men," says the officer
standing with pointer in his hand,
''you are going to bomb the steel
works at Yawata. Daylight precision
bombing and naturally you'll meet a
little more opposition. But you know
the Importance of steel. I don't need
| to talk about that. You have been
selected for your record last time.
Keep up that record.
GAS you know this is the first
time for the new stagger formation.
You've practiced it. ! won't 60 into
that. We have just As minutes to
check the whole plan. We start at
$50 and the first ship goes down
the runway at 700."
military clocks theoretically run
"a hours. II the number Is above IL,
subtract IL. For instance 1880 is
4:30 in the afternoon-1630 minus
IL equals 4:30.)
Then came some directions about
assembly" (where this group joins
the formation) which I won't 60 into
here since space isn't adequate, but
anyhow the assembly point Is
Chengtu.
LeveI or
For Bomb Rum
1--WE must be at Chengtu at 800.
Climb at 100 miles an hour to this
point here (the pointer taps the
map) :. to $500 feet and level off.
200 miles per hour this juno
ton (another tap) $40; then swing
on course 81 degrees
(the pointer swishes out along the
black line) to the coast.
''Here is your second climb
1912 100 miles per hour
300 feet a minute to bombing
altitude, at check point of island at
1245 (the pointer touches a little
island off the Jap coast) -. it will
look like an inverted pyramid
then level off to the 1P." (That Is
the point of entry which must be
definitely established, for the flight
from there on is directly to the tar
get and careful experimentation
with the other planes must be
made.)
"Show a yellow-yellow flare so
we'n know you've reached the Up
if dark, toggle four-and-a-half
over the bomb run, then to the
rally point, IA miles north Of target.
eff you are crippled going over
the target, try to cut short your
| turn.
I'll explain that: you see normal
ly the planes would 60 north from
the target and then turn at a right
angle to the assembly point. Then
another right angle back toward
home, SO If a plane had been hit
and couldn't last long, it must try to
catch up with the others and make
known its condition. If the plane
lags behind, 1t may be located by
the group leader who will make con-
tinuous s-turns, looping back, trying
to locate any stragglers. Mean
while Gas I forgot to explain) there
is a friendly submarine loafing
somewhere within radio call for two
purposes. First, to try to locate
any plane that has been forced down
into the water; second, to pick up
information concerning any enemy
ships which the planes may have
spotted so the sub can 60 over and
take poke at them.
/ cannot In this space give you
fraction of the detail of this brief