Air Force Page #8

That PT boat was right.

Looks like an invasion fleet.

- What's in it?

- There's a transport and a tanker.

- Got a battleship or cruiser and destroyers.

- Where?

Forty miles off Lingayen

last time I saw them.

I didn't have much time to stick around.

Sky suddenly got full of Zeros.

So I headed for home.

I marked their position

and course on this chart.

Right here. A flight of Boeing B-17s

could give them a nice party, sir.

- We haven't got a flight of B-17s.

- You've got one, sir, loading up now.

- You wanna tackle it?

- Yes, sir.

All right, study this first.

Take your time, don't take any chances.

Moran will give you the dope

and good luck.

Excuse me, sir. There's one thing more.

I told our crew chief I'd find out

about his son, Lt. White.

Danny White. Can you tell me

anything about him, sir?

Yeah, I can. He was killed the first day.

That's a shame.

Give these to old Robbie, will you?

I've known him for a long time.

How did it happen, sir?

Capt. Anderson in the other office

can tell you more than I can.

He saw the whole thing happen.

Yes, sir.

Did you find out anything, sir?

How'd it happen?

He was trying to take his flight off

during the first raid.

Before he could get off...

...they hit the runway

right in front of him with a big one.

Didn't even get into the air.

It's not much to show for 20 years,

is it, sir?

Get that airplane off the ground.

- All right, sergeant, let's go.

- Yes, sir.

Pull that dolly out.

- Close the bomb bay.

- How many loaded?

- Three, sir. All big ones.

- Thousand pounders?

- Yes, sir.

- Good.

Come on, let's get this thing out of here.

Take it away.

Doors are closed. Everything all set, sir.

Wheels up.

- Wheels up.

- Monk?

- Go ahead.

- What do you make it?

Three-thirty-one, Irish.

Okay, 331.

- You better put on your chute, Robbie.

- Yes, sir.

Navigator to pilot.

- Go ahead.

- We're about 30 miles off the coast.

You better go down

and take a look.

Okay. Going down.

Fighters.

Pilot to crew.

There's a flock of Zeros ahead.

Two o'clock at about 3000 feet above us.

There's another bunch at 10 o'clock.

Take your time.

Sing out if they get on our tail

and I'll kick her around.

Make it count.

We've got a lot to get even for.

Here they come.

Coming over.

Did you see that?

They break up in little pieces.

Winocki, one at 9 o'clock even.

Coming down.

Coming over.

Great.

Kick it left.

Take it to the right.

Hey, Joe. Fried Jap going down.

Gas line on two.

Gas line on two.

- Oil line's burning.

- Yeah.

It looks like we'll have to bail out.

Pilot to crew.

Are you hurt, Irish?

Yeah.

Pilot to crew. Abandon ship.

All right, come on, kids.

Tommy, get rid of your sight. You and Monk

go out through the bomb bay.

- I know...

- I'll use the escape hatch.

- But you're hurt.

- Go on.

They'll have to drag

the bottom of the ocean to get this.

- Open the escape hatch. I'll throw it out.

- Right.

- Irish, you...

- Go on, get out.

You're about 15 or 20 miles

northwest of the field. Get out.

Yes, sir. Go ahead, Peterson.

- Weinberg.

- I don't think I'm gonna like this.

Go on.

All right, kid.

- Winocki.

- Go ahead, I'm coming.

Okay.

05564 to Clark Field.

Emergency landing. Emergency landing.

- There she is, sir. One engine's burning.

- Get your wheels down.

I can't do it. Gear's jammed.

It won't come down.

- Well, Joe?

- I just had a look at that B-17, sir.

What about her?

I counted over a hundred

bullet holes in her.

Two motors hit, props are bent,

controls in a mess, wheels damaged...

...fuel tanks are punctured,

one wing's gone.

At least the tip.

- I don't see how they brought her down.

- Neither do I.

I suppose if we had 10 days

and plenty of spare parts...

...we might make her fly again.

I don't know that we'll have 24 hours.

- We'll have to write off the Mary Ann.

- All right, we'll destroy her.

No use lighting any fires tonight.

They'd only hit us again.

Joe, send out a demolition squad

in the morning.

- All right, sir.

- So long.

- What about the crew?

- They all got back all right, sir.

- Where are they now?

- Over at the hospital.

- Quincannon asked to see them.

- How's he?

That's too bad.

Yeah.

It's good to see you.

What are you...?

What are you doing with that rifle, Tex?

Picked up too many slugs

in the P-39, Irish.

I'm a foot soldier now.

They finally got him where he belongs.

Anyway, we was using up

Japs so fast...

...they was afraid

there wouldn't be none left to surrender.

- Winocki?

- Yes, sir.

- They told me you brought her in.

- He did, sir.

She came in herself. I just sat there.

It was a good job.

She's all right, huh?

She's all right, isn't she?

- Robbie.

- Yes, sir?

- She's all right, she'll fly again?

- Sure she will, skipper.

What's wrong with her?

- She's gonna be all right.

- Tell me.

- Props, gear, wing tip.

- Just a tip?

It's a wing tip, sir.

Couple of days...

- Two days?

- Two days. Yes, sir.

But she will fly again?

- Yeah.

- That's fine.

Get as many men as you need, Robbie.

The colonel will give them to you.

I'll get a clearance.

We'll leave right away.

- We gotta hurry.

- Nurse.

Easy, easy, Irish.

- Get the doctor right away.

- Oh, no. No, the doctor can't go.

Regulations.

Besides, we already got one passenger.

Is he here, that pursuit pilot?

- Here, sir.

- Okay, start them, Bill.

Sure, Irish.

Everybody in, chief?

All in, sir.

- Doors closed?

- Yes, sir.

Here we go.

- Lock them.

- Locked.

Wheels up.

- Coming up.

- They sound like they're gonna run all right.

- Robbie?

- Yes, sir.

- Pilot to navigator.

- Go ahead.

Monk.

- Monk, what's our course?

- Due east, skipper.

That's right into the sunrise.

- Right into the sunrise.

- Over here, major.

That's all, boys.

Well, let's get going, fellas.

We got a lot to do.

- Corporal?

- There's something wrong.

- Yeah? What?

- I don't know.

But there's something wrong.

- What are you talking about?

- We was to burn them airplanes.

- Well, did you?

- No, not all of them, sir.

- Why not?

- They're being stolen.

- What?

- Japs are stealing it.

Don't talk nonsense, man.

There have been Japanese

through but they're snipers.

- They're not stealing.

- But...

Now, wait a minute, Mallory.

Let's get this straight.

- You had five B-17s to demolish.

- Yes, sir.

- What is it you wanna tell us?

- They're missing.

- You mean parts of them?

- Sure. I mean, yes, sir.

- Why on earth would anybody...?

- Now, look.

There's a B-17,

the one that came in yesterday.

- The Mary Ann.

- Have you burned it?

- No, sir.

- Why not?

We was, but I told the boys

I ought to report them Japs.

Well, you've reported.

You better burn it.

Yes, sir.

What was he talking about?

I don't know, sir,

but I'd better go out and have a look.

I'll go with you.

There's the stuff we've been missing.

- How's it coming, chief?

- All right.

- All right, Weinberg, lower away.

- Okay.

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