The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1945-07-26
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GOD is MY
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Col. Robert L. Scott wsu RELEASE
Col. Robert l.. Scott VIM RsLeAss

fighters, rolled down the runway at
kwellin. There were fourteen bomb
ers, with twenty-five P-40's for es-
cort. We had also left a strong
force on the ground at Kweilin, just
In case the Jap tried something
while we were away. led the
headquarters section of the fighter
escort and made up the reserve. My
position in the escort would be three
thousand feet above the bombers.
Down below me thousand feet was
Johnny Alison with his fight of
eight, on the right flank of Morgan's
bombers. Colonel Bruce Holloway
had the flight on the left flank, an
other thousand feet lower. Colonel
Cooper was riding in the lead bomb
er as intelligence officer, and that
day was going to demonstrate the
teamwork that he had striven for,
between the fighters and the bomb
ers.
Cooper had been so anxious to ac-
company our raids that he seemed
keenly disappointed whenever other
duties interfered. He was threaten
ing today to take over one of the tur-
rets In the lead bomber and shoot
down the first Jap. I joked with
Coop on the way to our fighters that
morning, and told him that we in the
fighters were so glad to have him
along that we were going to let one
Jap through, just so he could shoot it
down and get the pilots ears for his
little boy. We laughed as we sep
arated.
The large formation-large for us
In China-assembled over the air
drome and took a course North in
the direction of Hankow. We want
ed reports from other spies in Kwei-
lin to get started, for this mission
was planned mainly to get the Jap
Air Force into the air where we
could get at il. We usually evaded
towns as we began our attacks, but
today we went low over Kweilin,
and then 10 the North. When we
were beyond the prying and ready
ears of any spies, we turned TO a
direct heading for Hongkong.
Now we climbed above high over
cast to twenty-thousand feet, and
settled down for the three hundred
miles ahead. In fifty-fve minutes
the clouds began to break and scat
ter. and we approached enemy ter
ritory with cloudless sky and per-
feet visibility. Over to the right
now caught the CLINT of the sun on
the junction of the three rivers that
meet near Canton in a figure like a
trident. Far ahead I saw the hills
of Hongkong Island and the ever
present fog banks out in the Pacific.
We crossed the East River that
led down to Canton, and the bomb
ers turned ninety degrees to the
right, away from Hongkong-andw we
swept towards Canton. For again
we were going where the enemy
were not expecting us. The Gen.
eral was about to outguess the Japa-
nese as always.
| could imagine the small aerial
screen over Hongkong watching and
waiting, while on the ground at Kai
TAX in Kowloon, on Sanchau Island.
at Tien Ho and White Cloud in Can
ton, the enemy Zeros were waiting
to take off after we had passed Can
ton, to come and get us over Hong
kong or to intercept us on the way
home. We bored in towards our tar
gets-shipping on the East River at
Canton and at Whangpoo Docks. We
had special reports that two freight
ers were unloading new Zeros and
spare airplane engines at Canton
that morning.
Just South of Tien Ho airdrome,
we split the bomber formation, and
one of the fighter echelons went with
each of the three bomber flights,
each with an assigned target. My
flight stayed with the lead bomber
formation, and / saw our target, an
8,000-ton freighter surrounded by
many lighters, there in the river.
The smoke from the single stack
was lazily going straight up. Nor
gan's bombardier was bending
tensely over his bomb-sight now,
keeping the cross-hairs on the tar
get. I knew the A.F.C.E. was fly
ing the lead bomber as we went on
the straight bombing run towards
our target.
I saw the string of bombs bracket
the freighter perfectly, and later
photos showed four direct hits from
the first flight. The lighters around
the doomed vessel were blown high
and In all directions. Down to our
left, Holloway, escorting the other
flight whose target was a freighter,
saw the vessel hit, then saw the
smoke. Alison had his fighter force
with the third flight; they had al
ready bombed the docks and were
fighting Zeros from getting to the
bombers. I heard the bomber COM
manders call that bombs were
away, and give orders to close the
bombay doors. AS we wheeled
over our targets, turned from West
to North, and started home, heard
Morgan call California" which
was my signal that he was on the
way home with the big ships.
Then, under the lead flight of
bombers, I saw the enemy fighters
coming up and knew we had them. !.
All the enemy planes were below
US, climbing steeply for the bellies
of the bombers. They had waited
on the ground too long, had waited
for us to pass Canton and go on to
Hongkong. Now we had every adj
vantage. General Chennault had
foxed them again, and I had an idea
that We were in for profitable day.
/ called directions to the Group as