The Wilmington morning star., 1945-08-27
NOTABLE Filler
BEING SOUGHT IN
JAPAN'S PRISON,
1872
BY FRED HAMPsoN
Associated Press
War Correspondent

DAN FRANCISCO. -lp- A..
patton of Japan and liber,,iooe eu,
war prisoners will solve un o.
mysteries of the Pacific W., many
all over this nation and all th,. ana
the war bases of the Pscific D .'
tors and ground crewmen 'wa'
served or are serving in the NJ, VINO
air wings will be watching nv M
solution to the mystery of ths No ~, .a'
OF one OF the wars tabulon, ,t .as
acters. ehah
He is Maj. Gregory Boyinst.,
the Japanese-taunting, barrel.css".aa.
ed, hell-for-leather ace Of the ' soIs
mons. N WI"
Everything about the fellow v,.
dramatic, even the manner =, 1 va
disappearance, After he disann n, a'
ed rumors about him cropped NJ,
from everywhere. N W
Boyington, a 31-year old ri,,,
from Okanogan, Wash, resia pao'
from the Marine corps betoras . NV
war and Joined Chennaults F% '
ing Tigers. He was such , hoi,'
ferrous, rough-and.tumble, h.rs'
living individual that even the rua,
ged people making up the soldisrs'
of-fortune Tigers were little atr,:s
OF him. He shot down-contirmsd
six Japanese before the rig.,.
were disbanded.
The Marine corps, in which \.
had made plenty of high.rankns
enemies since he cared not = VIII,
about rank for ranks sake soms
what reluctantly reinstated him =,
a major and sent him into tbs
Solomons in 1913.
They were short of fighter SQUAD,
rons so Boyington was commission.
ed to form a squadron from 70,
placements, extras, and odds.and.
ends of other units. The SQUADRON
was regarded as collection of mis-,
fits.
Boyington drilled them in the
two-plane section, double.sectOo
tactics, which became infalljble
against the japanese, until thew
were SO tired of training they were
ready to revolt. THEREAFTER re.
covering from fractured leo
from a wine-mess tussle-he led
them into action under the name
of the black sheep.
The squadron which had been
swept up from the replacement
tents of other squadrons promised
for while to win the war all alone,
Theyshot down so many japanese,
destroyed SO many on the ground
and knocked out so much shipping
they had everybody giddy. And
they did it with such roar and
flourish that you expected them
to land with plumes in their hel.
NETS. They took their cues from
the burly, restless, sWaggerirg
Boyington, who shot down 10 Jap.
anese personally during their rush
to glory.
Then at the peak Of the fight
on January 8, 1914, about week
before he was to have gone home
on leave-Boyington shot down his
26th japanese plane over Rabaul-
equalling the the-American record
-dived through a cloud on another
Japanese formation with his wing
man, and was never seen again,
The stunned black sheep searched
around the clock. He was reported
on New Ireland, on New Britain
on Green island, on Buka, a res
cued flier thought he saw him
GRASSLAND and swim ashore Or
some atoll. There were rumors
that he was in a Nipponese prison
camp at Rabaul, at Kavieng. Some
body heard they captured docu'
ments on Saipan, on Guam, on
| Palau which stated that he had
been taken to a prison camp in
Japan. You could never find any
confirmation.
The Black Sheep, despite their
terrific record, were disbandea
and the members reasSigned 70
other outfits. Boyington's personal
leadership was too much a parl
Of them. A substitute was out Oh
the question.
But the scattered members OF me
old squadron still hope. Why: BE-
cause he told them once-'f you
guys ever see me 60 down WIN
80 Japs on my tail don't worry
III meet you in San Diego Dat
six months after the war.
And that would be reunion WIN
all the throttle and prop-pltch sne