Evening star., 1945-04-29
BY W. H. Shipper, Jr.
Star War Correspondent.

BY W. H. Shippen, Jr.
Star War Correspondent.
GUAM (By airrnail delayed What
do the B-29 boys think about and how
do they function on the worlds longest
bombing run, all of $500 miles and more
from here to Tokyo and back?
I know only a little of the story,
picked up from only one mission as run
by a single crew of individuals whose
functioning was perfect-they did the
right thing at the right time, or 1
wouldn't be here-but whose thoughts I
could only guess at.
Anyhow, it's briefng time at pm.
The airmen are routed from their dusty
red tents under the coconut palms still
heavy-eyed with fatigue from their last
mission, an 18-hour strike at chemical
plant in Northern Japan. 1t was firing
mission, their first, and they had put
their wheels down on the home field
only hours previously.
Get the Bombs on the TARGET!
There's lot of detail to briefng on
such long, overwater jump ending up
over the strongly-defended areas around
the Japanese capital, but the gist of it
was this-get your bombs home on tar
get, not just any target, but your par
ticular target, or you'll have to go back
and do it again, probably at lower level.
Take-off time for us is pm. At 6:15
the men are checking personal gear and
loading it-map cases, instruments, par
achutes, flax suits, helmets, head sets,
automatics, survival vests, Mae Vests,
weather charts, loading lists. They're
checking with the ground crew also -
bombs, motors, controls. Hows that No.
! engine? Does it still torch a bit on
rich mixture?
Grew Climbs Aboard
It's 6:45 and the crew is climbing
aboard. Forward they close the floor
hatch and spread flack curtain over it.
6:55-"Pilot to engineer, OK to start
'em up, Dickie."
One by one the engines come to life
Therell be no stop, conductor" when
those fans get going.
6:57-"OK to taxi"
7:00-We get the green light from the
tower. The runway is outlined in lights
ahead. Motors thunder and the big
Super Fort surges against her brakes,
then jumps ahead. The o-pilot is read
Ing off the ground speed into his throat
mike. Thirty, forty, fifty" etc.
Load Is Heavy
What with the gas and incendiary
load We'll take off for Tokyo much
heavier than the designers intended for
such distance. But the pilot, a slen-
der, agile youth of 25, who seems too
young to be pulling million dollars
worth of Uncle Sans machinery into
the sky. is handling the controls like
an organist at a familiar keyboard.
The giant plane has passed the point
where the pilot can brake it to halt
on the runway. We are committed. The
co-pilot keeps calling off the air speed.
The runway end hurtles at us.
We're still on the ground Then
ciioOliAAy. "tIiloQI Joibs VIC lC oil .UClIl6.
But we used every inch of the runway
Tension is released as the wheels come
up. We could lose an engine now and
live through it.
We're on Our Way Singing
8 p.m.-We're on course at prescribed
altitude. The crew, led by the bombar-
dier in the nose, who sings into his
throat mike, roll out familiar chorus.
On the intercom there are solos. duets,
quartets and choruses. The bombardier
has pleasant tenor
They throw in few request numbers
for the tail gunner.
He's only 19 and bit lonely way back
there. But a good trigger man. An
Arkansas squirrel hunter. Watch out.
Japs.
S:10-Somebody broke a porcelain
sea marker by mistake Gilt billowed
into the navigators Office. He keeps
swearing, but the co-pilot thinks gilt be-
comes him. The navigator would make
a goh circus statue, the pilot says.
Over Two Jima
10:47-We're passing over Two Jima
in cold front that rocks the big bomb
er oAly gently.
IL midnight-The crew is singing
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" Star
Dust" and a spiritual about we "Aint
a-Goin' to Study War No More" Auto
matte pilot control lights flicker on the
panel and the three men forward are
outlined in the weird glow of their
luminous instrument dials.
12:15-Somebody says chow's ready,
but somehow we're not too hungry. It's
clear above but overcast below Won
der what's the weather over Japan?
12:30-"Quick, Dickie, douse that
dome light!' Lights out. The pilot