| Show 1 I i. i i a 1 QUEENS DIE J PROUDLY WHIT WHITT ti LG TilE THE STORY THUS mus FAR FAtt LI nt Cal Cel Frank Kurtz Flying Fortress ss pilot tells of that fatal day when the Japs struck In fn Inthe Inthe the Philippines Eight of his m men n are arc killed In Old 99 before the Fort could getoff ret get off the ground round The step by step escape to Australla Australia Is described d and how Christmas Christmas Christ Christ- mas day Is spent by U. U S. S flyers In Australia Australla But nut Kurtz Is about two Forts Forti on a mission Radio report comes from saying hed he'd be In after dark with one body aboard and have bave ambulance ready General Brereton Brereton Brereton ton lands on Batchelor Field Fjeld and orders all bombers moved mo to Java at once Kurtz Kuru ruches reaches well camouflaged aed field In hi Java with load of bombs Describes Describe social system of the Dutch CHAPTER VIII Next day we headed out over the Java Sea toward Borneo and following Instructions found a likely looking river dropping down to low altitude and began following it back upcountry and then just on schedule schedule schedule sched sched- ule we made mD-de out Field FieldIn In the late-afternoon late sunlight in spite of its camouflage And it was the best job wed we'd ever seen better than Malang Wed We'd had practically no notime notime notime time for camouflage at all In the Philippines But here the Dutch had hewed this field out of the teeming teeming teeming teem teem- ing jungle uprooted jungle uprooted the stumps leveled it off olI planted It with grass and then covered it with wooden sawhorses sawhorses sawhorses saw- saw horses that would knock the stuffing stuffing stuffing stuff stuff- ing out of any plane that tried to toland toland toland land through them Only when you circled the field out came a crowd of natives on the run run run-I I suppose they were wild men of Borneo the Dutch had tamed They would remove remove remove re re- re- re move the sawhorses only from that particular runway you were supposed supposed supposed sup sup- posed to use and the minute your wheels touched the ground they'd start recovering the runway runway behind you Right away we went to pilots' pilots meeting where we lined out the mission for BayThe Bay The Japs we knew seldom flew at night but we were flying in a V of Vs V's Jim Connally George and I made up the third light flight which bich I 1 might point out is the dirty spot because In those days YOU could expect most Jap attacks from the rear Then we started that long climb for altitude which altitude which means safety for the Fortress a hell of a big and vulnerable target near the ground But while we are still climbing George deorge is lagging Engine rouble we later found out George drops out entirely which leaves J Jim m Connally and me alone to handle the dirty spot Presently the formation levels off ff and then ahead of us we see in an enormous black mass of weather n what is left of the dwindling twi- twi ight Its It's laid out horizontally right Across our path starting path starting at about feet it seems to go on up ore v erSo er So what do we do Our orders ire are to keep in formation so we can canall canall all hit at the same time and lot sot go over dispersed at Intervals there here the Zeros rising at the first alarm can slaughter the stragglers But If we go into this cloud bank maybe it goes on for miles and well we'll lose each other inside of it and never nev- nev T er r be able to assemble for the at at- lack ack The leader decides well we'll try to toSO toyo SO yo 0 around it so turning we fly parallel to it But it seems endless endless end- end less ess and after flying for forty-five forty minutes we see that in this attempted at- at empted tempted detour weve we've wasted precious precious precious pre pre- cious gasoline our gasoline our margin of safety safe safe- ty to get to the target and get home Is ls down to almost zero Which means we cant can't go o on We returned to landed landed landed land land- ed gassed up and then without any rest or sleep started to take tale off again for at midnight This time we were sure we wouldn't miss Again we run Into thick fog went on Frank when we go up next night My pilot co-pilot Collvin and andI I fly ny alternately our alternately our eyes smarting and streaming from the strain and staring through the windshield at those formation lights of the planes ahead not daring to lose sight of them for fear we will then be lost and alone in the night As dawn breaks I see Broadhurst's Fortress by the number on its tail It is too toolate toolate late ate to go on into just two of ot us so we turn and start mournfully mournfully mourn mourn- fully ully back bark to At one o'clock in the morning we again took off on the long flight to the target target between between four and five hours For the first few hours we Were lucky The clouds were well stratified and we flew between two layers ayers of them so we didn't have to o fly both weather and Instruments This time we arr arrive arre e at the previously previously previously pre pre- agreed point where we are to w make that degree turn and como come directly in on and as ase asye we ye e swing up and over for that sharp bank ank I get my only glimpse of the target garget which ordinarily the pilot never sees in detail From where he he e sits he can only see the sky and ande he e distant horizon ahead Its It's the bombardier who can look straight wn and s w 1 1 41 t i i a little ahead who pulls ic plane in m over that tiny pinpoint I top be bc attacked But now Im I'm about 9 see it for or myself just myself just one look 1001 when hen en my wing is cocked high in the theAnd air And then I get my only glimpse out 1 o of I the tilted side window the tit city till tall asleep the upper Bay of silver In the first dawn light and then then then-oh oh lovely lovely sight sight sight- a big boat sitting well offshore surrounded surrounded surrounded sur sur- rounded by a protecting circle of ot destroyers all of ot them motionless not a wisp of ot smoke coming from a funnel tunnel Weve We've caught them asleep with no steam up the Japs are arc snoring ing like lag like so many Pearl Harbor hats brass hats brass this is what weve we've been waiting for forI But now comes a n change Over my I hear Stone bombardier bom- bom bardier hardier of the lead plane calling to Combs who Is leading us Do you mind if we change over sir he asks I see our real target now Weve now roared in almost to our release bomb-release line linc but Combs agrees We bank up and change changeover over now heading apparently for lower Harbor Peering out of the window on the bank I get one glimpse of it and now understand the reason for the change the change the most tremendous concentration concentration con con- of ships I ever saw in my life Everything big boys bos cruisers of all sizes transports submarines destroyers gunboats bunched in there dotting the water so thick we couldn't possibly miss miss but but now I were we're on our bomb run and Im I'm steadying the plane down to go on the Pilots Pilot's direction instrument ment To you its it's just one of many wavering needles on this big Instrument instrument In in- strument panel But its it's hooked booked up with the bomb sight in the compart- compart r 11 a I w Up came n a pretty blonde Dutch nurse In a Red Cross uniform ment below The bombardier has his sensitive fingers on those controls keeping the target ahead framed inthe in inthe inthe the cross hairs Every time he moves them a fraction of an inch the change is registered in that needle on my instrument panel I cant can't see the target of course but if I follow the needle I cant can't miss it Now our nerves are tightening up I glance fleetingly ahead and see Cecil Combs In the lead plane going over the target Since were we're bringing up the rear Cecil Is about nine miles away and his big Fortress Fortress Fortress For For- tress looks about the size of a wren That sky shy ahead is filled tilled with dirty soot-gray soot ack-ack ack puffs purrs making a spotty layer above him The Japs Japson on the ground have cut their fuses just a little too long to pick off Cecil but I know that in B R very few seconds more Im I'm going to get a closer view of this ack I pray Cecils Cecil's bombardier wont won't miss although although although al al- al- al though hes he's too far ahead for us to see his bombs leave Damn it Stone now lay em down the alley boy boyi I But that kid wont won't miss hes he's one of the best bombardiers In the business Now hes he's laying his train Pearl Harbor style on those Japs who are lying there without steam up only up-only only aga again n Im I'm raging Here we weare weare weare are with a Pearl Harbor setup for fora a target but only ten of us while the Japs Saps hit Hawaii with many scores My navigator has laid aside his tools in the compartment below and now comes crawling up through the trapdoor to squeeze back through the bomb bays between the rows of bombs and gas tanks into the radio compartment where hell he'll man a machine gun against Jap fighters Theres no interphone talking now except between gunners Weve We've broken radio silence the silence the hell with it now We see sec them down there and of course they see us up here Any Anything thin we can do to bring the formation for lor- mation In right is okay So now the earphones crackle with the excited cross talk of machine-gunners machine all peering out their windows on the lookout for or Zeros I I take tale a quick glance out of the side window to make sure Im I'm not ahead of Jim Ive I've got to stay even with him so my gunners can protect protect protest pro pro- test his tail tall and his gunners can protect mine And I wonder how In hell that first flight has done but dont don't dare look up to see If Combs has turned off the target yet I must stay glued to that needle needle needle-my my pilot co-pilot is glued to it too giving me methe methe methe the corrections on my run It must be as carefully timed as asa asa a violin duet My bombardier below below below be be- low there needs the gentle genUe touch of ofa a violinist on his controls and I must follow with equally gentle pressures on the rudder If It he gets excited and in correcting an error moves his controls too far then following that weaving needle Ill I'll push a pedal too far and well we'll throw the Fortress out of her groove Im almost praying he wont won't do this Come on boy I mutter to him dont let it run down your leg now now now-don't don't dont Now I take the risk of just one glance away from the needle through the windshield to see the second flight just going In on on its release bomb-release line The ack-ack ack fire which for the first flight was too high Is now breaking below the second second second sec sec- ond flight That means they'll see they've bracketed us and next time they make a change In fuses down below below about about the time our third flight Is going over over they'll they'll have us square Just then I hear a gunner shouting shouting shout shout- ing over o the Fighters coming up at nine o'clock I cant can't see them yet yet won won wonder der where they're coming from Maybe oft off a carrier Then why didn't we make a run on that Maybe Maybe Maybe May May- be Cecil did and missed Maybe my bombardier sees it and we are making our run on it No I think they're probably oft off of the ground The Japs have probably got the countryside countryside countryside country country- side around laced aced with landing landing landing land land- ing strips by this time time the the enterprising enterprising enter enter- little sO- sO and so Lay your watch down doun on the table in front of you At twelve o'clock the thc hour hand points straight trai ahead At three o'clock it points to the right At nine o'clock it points to the left Now my own gunners are talking talkIng talking talk- talk Ing They're coming up in a long slow spiral like hornets out of a anest nest nest coming coming up so straight you can even see their bellies I get the first rumble of the antiaircraft fire as the ship flutters A quick glance ahead shows the puffs pulIs are right on our level nowThen nowThen nowThen now Then I get mad again Because It said In our schoolbooks that the Jap antiaircraft fire couldn't hit anything anything any any- thing above Here we are laying it to them diem from almost twice that altitude arid and they're putting It right back up to us Then I get a feeling of tion Because down under us and not far tar ahead now Is that Jap Pearl Harbor setup setup big big ships with stone stone- cold boilers Now they must be running running running run run- ning frantically around the engine rooms trying to stoke the fires and get steam up knowing while they're hurrying that its it's too late late just just as they knew at Pearl Harbor but all you can do Is hurry so you do It anyway Well weve we've got them where we wanted them even If there are only ten of us got us-got got them where they had Old 99 just about a month ago Then I jump for the ship quivers quivers quivers ers from a burst of fire from our own caliber 50 guns Then quickly another and another Zeros comIng coming coming com com- ing up banking to come In and rake us with their fire But when nothing Is said of them over the I know my boys are only firing little little little lit lit- tle bursts to warm the oil in their guns making sure the guns wont won't jam when we are really hit by fight fight- ers Suddenly the planes plane's nose lurches upward and to the left and hardly have I straightened her out onto even keel when she tries to make another twist Its It's the blast from the ack-ack ack fire invisible fire invisible billows of air sent out by each explosion and now Its It's as rough as though we were bouncing in a Model T over a Missouri Missouri Missouri Mis Mis- dirt road three days after a rain At my side my copilot who has been looking out through the windshield windshield wind wind- shield hollers holters Jims bombs are on their way I dont don't dare take my eye from the needle Just then I get the click from my own bombardier Our bomb- bomb bay doors are open now now now-I I feel the slight drag on the plane and nd with my rudder correct for it and then that double click on the interphone which means hes he's telling me Ship level Frank please And I dont don't answer except with my feet so 50 firmly firmly firmly firm firm- ly but gently on the rudders giving him him that absolutely level bombing platform he has to have If were we're to hit the target And at last the precious amber light glows' glows on my instrument panel which m means ans hes he's now actually flickIng flicking flicking flick- flick Ing the bombs ofT off one by one and andI I keep keep- my feet so softly on the rudders that they hardly touch so as not to give the tiniest sidewise throw to the bombs Up In the cockpit cockpit cockpit cock cock- pit we hold our breath We know down below the bombardier Is flicking flicking flick flick- ing them off four off four GOO at second half intervals Then as he calls Bombs away at that split second we quit working for the Government and begin to work for our wives and families Because that means the last bomb has left the piano Plana and we can now close the bomb bay doors and our objective Is now only to get home hom safely ITO TO DE BE CONTINUED |
