Show gunner attempts to rf 0 bring home crippled bomber twelve fighter pilots of my squad addor roi had been out on a routine escort mission we were sent to escort a group of marine dive bombers on a foray against the jap held airfield at munda and were returning re turning to hende henderson r on guadalcanal Guadal canal major R L U S M C was telling a group ol of fighter pilots about mgt gilbert henze H enze an 18 year old gunner from state center iowa somehow in the fracas I 1 got separated n from my formation went on the major As I 1 headed homeward I 1 received a radio warning that one of our dive bombers was ie trouble ti il found it a good mile south oame of me at about feet the pilot hanging half way out of the bombers i A 1 I sergeant gilbert henze cockpit his helmet gone his clothes ripped to shreds 1 I asked by radio radio is your pilot alive 1 I dont know sirl he answered we got hit by a burst of shrapnel about 20 minutes ago and he has been that way ever since can you or have you ever flown a plane no sir he answered do you think that you can keep her level and follow my instructions yes sir I 1 sure can try in the first thing I 1 want you to do then is to release that 1000 pound bomb cant release bomb 1 I cant release it sir it can only be done from the front cockpit 1 I peered anxiously ahead below and just visible lay the shoreline of guadalcanal Guadal canal if we could make it I 1 could signal for a crash boat or any kind of a boat and then it if I 1 could get the kid to follow my instructions I 1 would try to bring him in by water then I 1 heard the kid shout over his radio my engine just sputtered then sir she must be out of gas the last word I 1 heard over my radio for suddenly it too went dead 1 I could see the kid working frantically on the stick as the bomber went into a sickening glide with my radio dead I 1 frantically signaled for the kid to jump it if he saw me he failed to notice then I 1 saw his head and shoulders emerge from the cockpit I 1 saw him clutching for his ripcord rip cord suddenly I 1 saw his body parachute and au all shoot upward as the trailing edge of the plane hit him no man could live under such an impact 1 I followed the chute downward in tight circles I 1 could see a huge vent in the shrouds the kids body dangled from the harness A few minutes later it hit the water with a splash 1 I brought my plane within a few feet of the water As I 1 passed over the spot where the kid had fallen all I 1 could see was his yellow mae west As I 1 headed tor for home I 1 prayed that the kid was unconscious when he hit at least this would spare him any suffering before he drowned 1 I happened to be sitting by our radio a few days later A flier had been picked up by some friendly natives he was conscious when found and though suffering from multiple wounds and fractures had hack a better than 50 50 chance to survive 1 I 1 learned later that the tail of the plane had severed his right leg below the knee lEdi editors lors note sergeant henze las returned to the states anti anil died at the U S naval hospital mare island california ile he tv tan a 3 buried at 1 hillside cern cemetery eatery state center iowa |