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

Well, the lost leader looked at his
map and still couldn't see how he
was North of the course and really
past his destination. So he began
to argue again. The old Navy OPP
orator stood the pickering as long
as he could; then he "took over"
With the initiative he had devel-
oped, he gave off some of the most
classic advice that I've ever heard,
and he gave it straight from the
shoulder.
"Goddamit," he called, "who the
hell's lost, you or me? Now you fly
the course I'm telling you and we'll
meet you"
And so another man of the Occi-
dent failed to change the East, and
in failing learned a little and be-
came little more like the East. It
saved twenty-five airplanes.
People have asked me what made
me able to shoot down my first
Jap, and probably they expected me
to say that I had practised on tow
targets until I could put every shot
in the black. Or that I had been
to all the schools from Leavenworth
to Mount Holyoke, and had learned
tactics. Or perhaps that I was bet
ter at plotting than the Jap. I must
have disappointed them. For if any
pne thing more than another enabled
me to meet the Japanese fighter pi-
lots in the air and shoot them down
while I escaped, it was an American
girl.
First of all, ! don't know exactly
what democracy is, or the real, COM
nonsense meaning of a republic.
But as we used to talk things over
in China, we all used to agree that
we were fighting for The American
Girl. She to us was America, De-
mocracy, Coca Colas, Hamburgers,
Clean Places to Sleep, or The Amer
lean Way of Life.
Early one morning-July 81, 1912
Il took off from Running head
quarters to return to the eastern
theater at Kweilin and Hengyang.
High mountains are on this five
hundred-mile route to the East, and
I went on top of the overcast right
away. From my twenty-theusand-
foot altitude I kept looking down at
the solid cloud layer just below me,
and I guess that subconsciously
prayed there would be breaks at my
destination. There were mountains
at my destination too, and it's still
not the best feeling to have to dive
through overcast into hilly country
with fighter ship-or with any
ship, for that matter.
AS the minutes rolled by and the
miles spun behind the P-40, I still
didn't see the welcome shadow of
a hole in the clouds. In just little
over two hours I arrived over the
point above the clouds where Ling
ling should have been. You see this
point was in flat country, and be-
tween Kweilin and Hengyang. BY
Intentionally making an error to the
North knew at least what side of
Kweilin I was on, and knew further
more that could 60 down much
more safely there than farther South
in the mountains that surrounded
Kweilin.
I called Lingling over the radio.
but before I could get a reply, Sas-
ser, the operator at Kweilin, broke
in with an "alert" warning. He
said: "Chinese net reports noise of
enemy airplanes coming up the Can
ton-Hengyang Railway at high al
titude. Last report Section AS"
Looking at my map, which was
marked off in squares with letter
and numeral co-ordinates, saw that
/ was very close to that section.
But at the same time I was really
not oriented as to position, and was
into the last twenty or so gallons of
my fuel. Here was a chance at last
to intercept enemy planes; by the
time the P-40's from our fighter sta
tons could get there, the enemy
would have gone on with their mis-
sion. What was to do?
AS ] considered it for the second
that was necessary to make up INV
mind, / remember thinking that INV
loss of this ship would be justified
If shot Japanese ship down, and
if was out of fuel above the clouds
I could dive down and land in q
rice paddy. That would be an even
trade. But guess my ego thought
! could shoot the whole formation
down - and the exchange of the
Japanese flight for my one shin
would certainly be favorable to our
side.
Calling to Sasser, ! told him /
thought was just East of Lingling
and very close to the Jap formation.
and was going to try to intercept. /
dove down until ! was just over the
tops of the clouds, at 1850 feet.
] lodged in among the tops of the
fluffy curnulus, looking ahead for
the first sign of the black silhouette
OF an airplane. AS the enemy ships
had been reported heading North.
I estimated where they should now