The midland journal., 1945-04-06
CHAPTER XXI

When I finished the Job and pulled
up again, I could barely see the
last Of my fight several miles away.
I gradually climbed after them, for
got to look around, and just sat
there, dumb and happy" Just sat
there too long over enemy terri
tory, without looking around every
second. Without thinking about 1t, /
had become a straggler.
In a high-powered engine, as soon
as we 60 into combat we take mill
tary power from the engine-that Is,
we take as much boost as the en-
gine will stand without "detonat-
ing" put the prop in low pitch, high
speed position. AS you leave the
combat and the area, If you're
not too excited the hand automati-
cally pulls the prop controls to max
imum cruising position to save fuel
and to keep the engine from run
ming hot. I began subconsciously to
do this.
Just then, very dreamily, heard
-pop-pop-p p-pop-pop-pop. I raised my
head slightly, to try to see my 9TH
er fighters ahead, and pulled the
throttle back just little more.
That popping sounded like engine
detonation to me. Then ! tensed, for
had seen that my manifold pres
sure was barely 5 inches (on the
manometer gauge), and therefore I
could not be decorating from too
much boost. At the same instant I
heard again the pop-pop-pop, and
became all attention in flash; my
nose went DOWN. had been climb
ing-my prop went back to low pitch
and my throttle really went forward
enough to cause the engine to de-
tomato. A cold shiver went down
my spine, there in that hot glass
cage. l skidded the ship to the left
and locked around as my speed
built UP fast.
What I saw in the sun, ahead Of
me, chilled me more. I saw wink
ing lights and the blurred outline of
an airplane-and not SO far away.
Then / saw another, and ! guess
there were others. I could see the
orange lights winking down at me
even in the glare Of the sun. They
were Japs firing at me, and had
only slightly more than a thousand
feet.
Cold turkey and a straggler!
While I fu1nbled with my mike
button to my radio to call Holloway
and Baumler for help, realized the
futility Of it. / don't believe my
dry throat would have made sound
anyway. I just acted-and thank
the Lord, my refexes let me do
something. turned directly towards
the ships with my nose down, and
pulled up firing. know now that If
I had turned away from them they
would have shot me down in their
cross-fire. As it was, I surprised
them and went underneath them
very fast and into the sun. Thus,
when they looked around, I had the
sun in my favor, and from that time
on I was using it. But as I pulled
up firing, ] held the trigger down
and ''froze." I heard the cannon Of
the Zero-I felt the recoil of my six
guns-I felt things hit "Old Extermi-
nator" then ! saw a cloud of
black smoke in front of my nose. I
shut my eyes involuntarily and dove
again.
Something hit my ship with the
same sound you get when you sud-
denly fly into heavy rain. opened
my eyes and everything was dark.
/ smelled the smoke and cordite
and gasoline and thought / was on
fire. Just then I realized / was
still firing. / reached up, grabbed
the handle, rolled the canopy open
--and saw light. rolled it shut
again and realized that the black
ness had been caused mostly by oil
on my windshield. The speed Of my
dive had blown most Of that off
now, and though couldn't see very
well, / could make out the horizon.
With long sigh Of relief lev
eled the speeding ship over the rice
paddles, and as they say in the slang
of fighter stations, 81 took off like
scalded dog I S-ed and skidded
but tried not to lose speed. Looking
back, / saw the smoke and oil that
had gone through, and down un-
der the place where I had been
saw fire and a plume of smoke
one Jap that wouldn't fly again.
think / was halfway home before I
fully realized that / had shot it down
and hadn't run into it.
For twenty miles I SKINNED over
the paddles, linking to fool the en-
my who might be pursuing, skid
ding to make him miss, and watch
ing my boost read seventy inches Of
mercury. The engine heated up and
the coolant light came on to warn
me, before eased the throttle back
q little. called Ajax Baumler on
the radio and told him / was hit
had been intercepted, my engine
was heating up and ] didn't know
what all was the matter with the
ship. but I was on course for home