The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1945-03-09

the radio reports from Richardson
giving the latest positions of the
Japs. Reported over Changsha.
Then North of the field. Then all
was silent while we waited. In our
positions over the field we placed
ourselves down-moon-thati is, where
the bombers would have to fly be-
tween us and the moon and thus
silhouette themselves against the
full orange light.
Then I saw the five bonbers
against the moon. They were at
$4,000 feet. I know I swore be-
cause they were below me, and !
could imagine the cursing Of every
one Of the others who were at the
wrong altitude, for we could not
change altitude until the first at
tack. But they were at Johnny's
height, and listened for him to say
that he saw them. Down the field
they told us later that you could
hear the moan of one Allison engine
as P-40 moved in for the attack,
could hear it above the sound of the
ten radial engines on the enemy
bombers.
The seconds dragged, and then we
heard Johnny say, "Okay, see
'em." And now we saw their ex-
hausts, looking like ten bushel-bas-
kets of blue fire. For full second,
as the enemy bombers moved to-
wards the target that was our field,
all was quiet, and I wondered If
Johnny had lost them in the dark
ness. Then saw him, so close to
the enemy ships that he seemed to
be In formation with them-and
clearly over my radio heard John
ny Alison say, "Watch the fire.
| works"
Six lines of tracers went into one
of the bofnbers and glowed brighter
than the two bushel-baskets of ex-
haust fire. The first Jap bomber
trailed fire, slowly turned on its
back, and spun crafty towards
Hengyang, right over the town. Be-
low, I could see few flashes from
the exploding enemy bombs, but
most of them seemed short of the
target area and very scattered.
Johnny's tracers were still going
into the enemy ships and could
see their return fire now, but it
seemed to 60 in no certain direc-
ton. I had moved in closer, trying
to get to the altitude of the fight.
On the ground the mechanics and
the Chinese interpreters had a
grandstand seat for one Of the best
moving pictures that has ever been
except that this was real. They
too had heard Johnny say, "Watch
the fireworks" and had seen and
heard the heavy guns of the P-40.
They could see pieces of the bomber
coming off and going back into the
slipstream, rejecting the glow Of the
fire that came with the explosion.
Then the whole sky lighted as the
first one plunged to the earth, with
the fire making a queer sound as the
wreckage fell.
The lone fighter now was sliding
over behind the other bombers, and
the second one was exploding and
turning over. The third one tried to
turn, seemed to hang for seconds
against the full moon, then dove in
flames in pitch that got sleeper
and sleeper. Several thousand feet
below our level it exploded and
burning gasoline fell with it. The
light of the three burning bombers
combined with the brilliant moon
light to make the night like day.
The number four enemy ship had
turned back now, with an engine
shot out, but Ajax Baumler got it
ten miles North of the field. The
last enemy dove out and turned for
home when he saw his three leaders
burn, but Baumler followed him
thirty miles North and shot him
down in flames.
From the ground, the watchers
told us later, they could hear the
fifty-calibre guns above the noise Of
the smaller calibre Jap guns. With
in seconds after the attack, there
were three ships burning around the
city walls, and none of the forma.
ton got home.
But something was the matter
with Alison. We could see his ship
and it was not flying normally. Ev-
cry now and then it would stream
fire that was more than just back
fire. On the ground they could hear
his engine missing badly.
Alison called in that he was hit,
but would try to land his ship on
the field.
To land a crippled fighter in day
light is quite a feat but to attempt
to land one at night, one that has
been shot to pieces and may burst
into flames any second, is more than
that. We knew why Johnny was
taking the chance: we needed that
ship if he could get it on the field,
even If it was shot to bits we needed
the parts that could be salvaged. II
would have been perfectly all right
if the pilot had gone over the side