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CHArTER CDAPTER CHAPTER XXVIWe XXVI XXVIWa Wa We figured ftgured tba that ' some Bome important importantannouncement importantennouncementwas importantannouncement announcement ennouncementwas was waB about to ba be mad mado made madand made.and madeand o . , and out out there in tn tha the hostel hoatel area areaeverything areaeverything areaeverything everything waa waB was quiet . . . Tha The amber amberUquld amberliquid amberliquid Uquld liquid wa was . divided among some forty fortymen fortymen fortymen men men . , , and each of ua us got a tew few tewdrop fewdrops fewdrops drop drops . In tn a ChlnesQ Chinese Chines * teacup-but teacup but teacup - - but It Itwas ! Itwas t twas was enough f for r tha the ceremonyThe ceremonyThe ceremony ceremonyTha Tha The General ' grinned gt'lnned gtlnned at us ua andsaid andaaid and aaid said aid . , ' . We'V WeV We've Weve ' ' got tha the . Japs .laps laps worriednow worried worriednow worriednow now , . we va ve ye hit everywhera everywhere exceptwhat except exceptwhat exceptwhat what he thought we'd wed we.d ' . ' attack . . To To- Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow - - morrow la Is the Day W We could hardly hard hardly hardly ly keep from trom chaertng cheering But wa we held heldup heldup heldup up our brimming cups and Justsaid justsaid lust Just said aid To "To 'To " ' you , . , General . . Tha The drops dropsnever dropsnever dropsnever never tasted betterThat betterThat better betterThat That night . , after tha the announce announce- announcement announcement announcement - - ment w we closed the post and keptall kept keptall keptall all men from going into town This Thiswould Thiswould Thiawould would cause talk in the right places placesColonel placesColonel placesColonel Colonel Cooper went into KweUln Kweilin KweUlnand Kweilinand Kwelllnand and discreetly passed out the news newsthat newsthat newsthat that w we were ready tor for tha the main mainattac mainattac mainattack attac $ . , Somehow he arranged for forJust forjust torjust Just the right Information to begin beginIts beginits beginits Its round about journey to the Jap Jap- Japanese Jap- Jap Japanese Japanese - - anese aneseThe The seed had now been ao sown . On November 27 tha the largest torce force torceot forceof toreof * ot of bombers bombera we w had ever used la In Chi China . na escorted by the largest force offighters of offighters offighters fighters rolled roUed down tha the runway at atKwellin atKweilin atKwellln Kwellin Kweilin There were fourteen fourteeo bomb bomb- bombers bombers - . ers ers erg . . , with twenty two P P-40's P 40's 40s P-4Ys 4Ys - . - 40's 40s ( ' tor for cc es- es escort ea.cort eacort - . cort sort . . . We bad had also left a strongforce strong strongforce strongtore force * on the ground at Kwei1ln Kwellln KwetUn , , , justin Just Justin justin in case the tb Jap tried something somethingwhile somethingwhile somethingwhll while we w * were away I led theheadquarters the theheadquarters thaheadquarters headquarters section of ot the fighter fighterescor fighterescort fighterescort escor\ escor escort escorand \ . , , and rnade made up tha the reserva reserve My Myposition Myposition Myposition position in the escort would be b three threethousand threethousand threethousand thousand feet above the bombersDown bombers bombersDown bombersDown Down below me a thousand feet teet wasJohnny was wasJohnny wasJohnny Johnny Allson Alison with bis his flight tllght at of ateight ofeight ofeight eight on the right flank ank of Morgan a s abombers sbombers sbombers bombers Colonel Bruce Holloway HollowayI Hollowayhad Hollowayhad Hollowaybad had the flight light on the left flank ank . , an another another another I other thousand feet lower Colonel ColonelCooper ColonelCooper ColonelCooper Cooper was ridmg riding In the lead bomb bomb- bomber bomber - - er as intelligence Intelllience : officer and thatday that thatday thatday day was going to demonstrate the theteamwork theteamwork theteamwork teamwork that he h had striven for forbetween forbetween forbetween between the fighters ghters and the bomb bomb- bombers bombers bombers - - I ersI ers ersCooper Cooper bad had been so anxious to ac accompany accompany accompany company our raids that he h seemedkeenly seemedkeenly seemed I seemedI | keenly disappointed whenever otherduties other otherduties otherduties duties interfered He H was threaten threate threaten- threatening threatening - ing today to take over one of the tur turrets turreta turrets rets reta in the lead bomber and shootdown shoot shootdown ahootdown down the first Jap I 1 joked with withCoop withCoop withCoop Coop on the way to our fighters that thatmorning thatmorning thatmorning morning and told him that we in thefighters the thefighters thefixhters fighters were so glad to have him himalong himalong himalong along that we were going to let one oneJap oneJap oneJap Jap through just so he could shoot It Itdown itdown itdown down and get the pilot s ears for his hislittle hislittle hislittle little boy We laughed as we separated separated sep I sepI rated arated ratedThe aratedThe The large formation-large formation large formation - large tor for usin us usin usin in China-assembled China assembled China - assembled over the airdrome air airI airdrome airdrome drome and tooka took a course North In Inthe inthe inthe I the direction of Hankow We want want- wanted wanted wanted - - ed reports from other spies In Kwei Kwel KweiI Kwei1m Kwelhn Kwellin I 1m hn to get started for this missionwas missionwas mission missionwas , was planned mainly to get the Jap JapAir JapAir Au Air Force into the ah- ah air ahwhere - where we wecould wecould wcould could get at it We usually evaded evadedtowns evadedtowns I Itowns towns as we began our attacks buttoday but buttoday buttoday today w we went low over KwelUn Kweilin KwelUnand Kweilinand KweiUnand and then to the th < North When we wewere wewere wewere were beyond the prying and ready readyears readyears readyears ears of an any , . spies we turned to a adirect adirect adirect direct heading for HongkongNow HongkongNow Hongkong HongkongNow Now we climbed abov above high over overcast overcast overcast cast to twenty thousand feet . . , andsettled and andsettled andsettled settled down tor for the three hundred hundredmiles hundredmiles hundredmiles miles ahead In fifty ftfty five minutes minutesthe minutesthe minutesthe the clouds began bean be an to break and scatter scat scat- scatter scatter - ter and we approached enemy ter territory territory territory ritory with a cloudless tky sky and per perfect perfeet perfeet fect feet visibility Over to the rightnow right rightnow rightnow now I caught the glint gHnt of the sun on onthe onthe onthe the junction of the three rivers thatmeet that thatmeet thatmeet meet near Canton In a figure flgure like a atrident atrident atrident trident . Far ahead I saw the hills hillsof hillsof billsof of Hongkong Island and the everpresent ever everpresent everpresent present fog banks out in the Pacific Pacijlc PacijlcWe PacificWe PacificWe We crossedl crossed the East River thatled that thatled thatled led down to Canton . , , and the bombers bomb bomb- bombers bombers - - ers turned ninety degrees to the theright theright theright right away from Hongkong-and Hongkong and Hongkong - and we weswept weswept weswept swept towards Canton For agam again agamwe againwe againwe we were going where the enemy enemywere enemywere enemywera were not expecting us The GeD Gm GeDeral Gmoral Genera eral oral ! was waa about to outguess the tb Japanese Japa Japanese Japanese nese aa as always alwaysI I could imagine the small aerial aerialscreen aerialscreen aerialscreen screen over Hongkong wa watching tching and andwaiting andwaiting andwaitlna waiting while on the ground at Kal Kai KalTak KaiTak KaiTak Tak in Kowloon . , on Sanchau Islandat Island Islandat Islandat at Tien Ho and White Cloud In Can Canton Canton Canton ton ton . , , the enemy Zeros were waiting to take off oft ' after we had passed Can- Can Cank Canton Can-son Can son - - k > ton n . . , to come ome and get u us . over Honi Hong Honikong Hongkong Hongkong kong or to Intercept us on the wayhome way wayhome wayhome home . . We bored to in towards our tar targetsshtppmg targetsshipping targets gets-shtppmg gets shtppmg gets-shipping shipping - - shipping on the East River at atCanton atCanton atCanton Canton and at Whangpoo wnangpoo Docks We Webad Wehad Webad bad had special spedal reports that two freight freleht- freleht frelehtera freightera freighters - ers era were unloading new Zeros and andspare andspare andspare spare airplane engines at Cantonthat Canton Cantonthat Cantonthat that morningJust morningJust morning morningJust Just South of Tien Tlen Ho airdrome airdromewe we split spUt spilt the bomber formation tormatloD " , and andone andone , one of at the fighter tigbter echelons went with witheach witheach witheach each of the three bomber ftJght flights flightseach flightseach . each with aa an assigned target . . Myflight My Mylight Uyflight light flight stayed atayed with the lead bomberformation bomber bomberformaUon bomberformation formaUon formation , . , and Isaw I . saw .aw aw our target tariet . , an , I 8t00p.ton 8t00pton 8OO.ton 8OOton , , OOQ.ton OOQton ( ) . . . "trelgbtct trelgbtct " freigbtct ( tr lgbtc ; liurraunded OUtded ) ' by bi bimany bymany i many lighters igbtgrs ubt , r . , thera there In to I ha e dver rlyer rlv < r.Tba rTba . , . be The ' ! amoka mnoke smoke ' from t'tom ttom taa the thr Ingle IlnalO single ltack stack ltackwaf stackwas tackwaa waf was lazily 18z111 lOin going . tralghf .trallb trallb straight . up tap b Mal M Uorgan'a Uorgana r-- r - . rea , * ea gar's gars ' . bombardier bofibatdi r wall War wa ben41.n1 ben41n1 bending ben41.n1tense bendingtensely bendingtensely . tense tensely ovr over hta his hl bomb-tight bomb tight bomb-sllbt sllbt bombsight - - , aow now . , | Ifeping seeping etplnl tha tie e crahalra crosshrirs cr crossh cra nI'aln nIaln -halra halra - . ) ' > rirs on n tha the tb , ta tal ' tar'I tarI gat eet get . . I knew tha tho the A r 11 F ' C E . E , waa wall w . . l dy Ji # dying . ing inS tha the lead bomber . as , w we weD went went QD QDthe Pff Pffthe oatha the atralght .tralgbt tralgbt atraight . bombing bcunb1nl bombingrun . , , nr nQ ) towardsou towafda towards towafdaoU tawardji , ou owe oU ; ; target tareet . . j jI ' I saw aaW sate tha the Hiring .trlna trlna string . of bombs bomb . bracket brackettho bracketthe brackettha tho the ' freighter fl'elehter flelehter perfectly pertectb ' , tx1d and an * latex latexphotoa lat latarDhotoa f fphoto photo photoa , . showed Ihowe4 four fuur direct dltect kilta bJta hits trom from tromtho fromth0 fromtha tho th0 first rt drbt , flight JeM fght . . , Tba The 'l l ' e lighter Uhter lighters , * . around aroundthe aroundthe aroundtha the doomed vssel ve.et veet vessel . . wera were wef . blown high highand highand highand and in all aU direction dtrecUon directions * . ' " Oowi Down ta to our ourleft ourleft ourleft left . left . , Holloway , excorting escqrUna escQrtind tha th\ th the thotber ' \ otber other otberftlght otherflight aiberflight ftlght flight whose targat taraet target was wa was . a frelah freighter t ' . , saw aw tha the vessel hit hit . , thea then . saw .w w . the thesmoke thesmoke thasmoka smoke Allson Alison had hi his . fighter ftghter force forcewith forcewith ! with tha the third thud flight tught tughtbe ; \be be \ they , had at al- al already al.ready already . - I Iready ready bombed tha the docks docka and werl were werefighting weraaghting & ftgbtlnS fighting Zeros from getting aett1r . to the theI thebomberB thebombers thebombars thebombarsThen I bomberB bombers I IThen bombersThen Then , . under tha the lead iead flight ftlgbt ofbombers of ofbombers : bombers I saw law tha the enemy enern ) ' ftgbter fighters fighterscoming flgbteracoming . I Icoming coming up and I knew we had theltt them them.All themAll . AU All the enemy planes plane . wara were below belowus balowus ! us climbing cUmbing steeply ateeply tor for the beUle bellies belliesof belliesof . , of tha the bombers The They , bad had waited waitedon I Ion on tha the ground too to * long had hed waitedtor waited waitedfor waitedfor for ua us to pass Canton and go on to toI toHongkong toHongkong toHongkong I Hongkong Now we bad had every ad- ad advantage advantage ad-vantaee ad vantaee - vantage General Chennault had hadfoxed hadfoxed hadfoxed foxed them again . , and I had an Idea Ideathat ideathat ideathat that wa we were in tor for a profitable dayI day dayI I I 1 called directions to tha the Group as asthe aatha i ithe the bombers closed up and I J started startedI starteddown starteddown starteddown I down . . . Allson AlIson was waa even now shootTb shoot- shoot - - . N Nr r : 4 s sThe ; The Th Tb " Flytag Flying Tiger of t tka the AVO AVG AVOjumpa AVGjumps AVOJamas jumpa jumps thrwagh throuih through tha the Chines Chinese * 8nn Sum aai and andtears andtears aaateara tears Jay Jap flaglog flag flaging ing log down.eros down Zeros /.eros .eros Leros / . , around tha the last for for- formation formation |