Evening star., 1954-11-08
No Warning Given
As MICS DoWned
Big OFF Japan
CONTINUED from FIRST Page.)

lConC1nued FROM FIRST FageJ i
Hokkaido. Japan's northern
most island. His plane. he
added. was at about 1900 feet
and just of the Hokkaido coast.
southwest Of the easternmost
tip Of the Nemuro Isthmus.
This would put the plane well
to the south and west on the
japanese side Of the narrow
strait that separates Hokkaido
from the Soviet-held islands.
Asked II the Russian planes
at any time intruded inside the
three-mile limit marking jap
,anese waters, Capt. Feith said:
"Yes, I would say they were
on their last pass"
Capt. Feith said when the
MICS were first spotted rising
from about 10000 feet he told
his crew, II don't think they
will attack"
But moments later Airman 2fc
Walter Lentz Of Astoria, N. Y,
shouted:
They're firing"
The MICS made two passes
each, blasting at the big RB-29
with both cannon and machine
guns.
Capt. Feith said his plane
1urched. Flames, touched of by
gasoline spewing from a wing
tank, enveloped part Of the craft.
Bullets Miss Gunner.
Airman SIC Earl e. Weimer of
Elkins, w. Va, the tail gunner,
said bullet holes suddenly ap-
peared 18 inches above his head.
Il was scared" he said, adding
that the MICS came straight In
on the tail. When they started
firing I was looking straight up
the MICS intake pipes and the
cannons underneath the pipes" !"
Moments later Capt. Feith or
dered the crew to bail out.
Every one cleared the ship"
he said.
Although the RB-29 was
armed, Capt. Feith said he could
see no advantage in returning
the fire. His co-pilot, lst 1t.
David N. Oliver, Corvallis, Greg,
said:
II don't like getting shot at. I
was mad. But like the captain
said. there was nothing to be
gained by shooting at them"
1t. Oliver said just before the
bailout he broke radio silence to
announce the plane had been at
tackled.
Crashed IS Miles Away.
The crew members said the
mass bailout occurred over a 10
mile strip as the burning plane
f1oundered inland. It crashed
about 35 miles from the attack
area, scene of several clashes be-
tween United States and Soviet
planes in past months.
All but one OF. the men were
picked up, the 18th. the second
man out of the plane, was found
drowned, tangled in his chute.
His name was withheld.
In Tokyo, Gen. Hull released
this angry statement:
with utmost indignation I
must denounce the shooting
down by two Soviet MIG fighter
planes Of a United States pho
tographic plane yesterday.
Without provocation these
piratical planes pounced without
warning upon an American air
craft which was peacefully en-
gagged in a routine mission. Any
claim by the Soviet attackers
that our plane was over what
they consider their territory Is
completely negated by the fall
of the plane and Of the surviv-
ors who parachuted from it on
Hokkaido SOIL"
Sundays incident came Just
two months after the Russians
shot down a United States Navy
Neptune some $50 miles to the
east in what the United States
called "wanton and unprovoked
attack"
In July, 1853, a United States
B-50 disappeared over the Sea Of
Japan and the United States
charged the Russians with shoot
ing 1t down.
Another big plane, a B-29
Superfort, disappeared October
z. 1852 in the same general area
as Sundays incident. japanese
fishermen later said they saw
Russian planes shoot it down.
LOST.