Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo Page #6

Nine...

Attention, all personnel. You have been

wondering about the mission we are on.

I think you might like to know

that the Army personnel on the

Hornet are going to bomb Japan.

We of the Navy are going to take them

in as close to the enemy as possible.

This is a chance for all of us

to give the Japs a dose

of their own medicine.

It's an Army-Navy show.

Let's extend every courtesy

to the Army men on the Hornet

who are going to do the job.

Good luck, good hunting

and may God speed us on our mission.

Have some?

Thanks, buddy.

You're awfully lucky for guys who

never heard of Seven-Toed Pete.

They tell me Virginia's a

great hunting country, too.

What's that? Oh, yeah. Let's play, fellows.

- What's the bet?

- It's up to you, Manch.

Don't they call Virginia

the Mother of Presidents?

Yeah. I mean... Bet five.

Up ten.

Thomas Jefferson lived there, too, didn't he?

I drop.

A lot of guys lived there.

Are you sure you never

played Seven-Toed Pete before?

Makes it ten to you, Manch.

Have they finally gotten that hookworm

situation under control down there?

There never has been a case

of hookworm in Virginia.

- I've got a small straight.

- Mine's seven to the jack.

All pink.

Well, that beats. I think I'll turn in.

- Somebody's won a lot of dough.

- A little.

- You just had a run of bad cards, Manch.

- Yeah.

What say we get together again pretty soon?

Oh, sure. See you later.

Say, you haven't got any books

on Virginia, have you, Manch?

You Army guys are real pigeons.

I wish you were in the Navy.

You take the bunk, Lawson. I'll

sleep here, if you don't mind.

- What's the idea?

- That thing's as soft as a feather bed.

I never could sleep in it.

Yeah. It's not bad. Thanks. Thanks a lot.

Lieutenant Randall is going to tell

us something about a carrier takeoff.

Mr. Randall.

From the minute you're in your

planes, I'm the man to watch.

Have your engines turning over as soon

as the man in front of you starts taxiing.

When I want you to rev

up, I'll give you this.

Now, if your engines don't sound right to me,

I may have to keep you revved up

longer than you think necessary,

I can hear your engines and tell when

they're missing better than you can.

When I want you to start

taxiing, I'll give you this.

Now you're in position.

I give you a final rev.

And when I drop it, you're off.

We'll aim you straight

for Japan. One more thing.

Once we're lined up for the takeoffs,

there can be no delays.

If your plane stalls, if it

doesn't start immediately,

if you have any trouble of any kind,

we won't have time to do anything about it.

The Navy crew has orders

to push the ship overboard

and make way for the next one.

Lieutenant Jurika has

detailed maps and pictures

of cities and specified targets.

Mr. Jurika spent a great many years in Japan.

I think it might be a good

idea if he gave you some idea

of what kind of people

you're going to run up against

in case you're forced down.

Mr. Jurika.

I was Assistant Naval Attach

at our embassy in Japan,

long enough to learn a few

things about the Orient.

Just what should we do, Mr. Jurika?

How should we conduct ourselves in

case we are forced down over Japan?

My advice is, see that you're

not forced down over Japan.

The run I've got figured

out for you starts here.

The smokestacks are bright red

brick, and you can't miss them.

One of the largest smelters in Japan.

Then, following the line of the bay

and allowing 10 seconds between bombs

you should take out this and this.

Both of them are machine

shops owned by brothers,

I forget their names but I

remember I didn't like them.

Then on out here to drop your incendiary.

How does this line up for you, Lawson?

Well, you're going to drop them, Clever.

The run seems all right

for me if it's okay for you.

- We can take them out.

- Fine.

Jones, have you got the

course laid out for this run?

Yes. Over here, fellows.

Now you'll take off about

here. You go due west to Tokyo

at minimum cruising speed,

flying at about 50 feet.

When you hit the bay, get up to about 1,500

complete your bombing run,

then down again and out to sea,

- south by southeast to Yakushima.

- Can we take the maps with us?

All you need.

Be sure there are no marks on them though,

which might show the Japs where you came from

in case you're captured.

By the way, I'm taking off

first with four incendiaries.

That should light up

Tokyo pretty well for you.

Suppose by the time we get to China, the

Japs have taken over the landing field?

The Chinese will arrange a signal

for you when you get to the field

if the Japs have captured it.

If that's the case you've got to keep

right on going until you've run out of gas

then bail out and destroy your planes.

Yes.

There's just been a change in the disposition

of the barrage balloons over Tokyo.

This balloon and this one

were moved this morning to here and here.

You know, the changes in

those balloons threw me.

Just think, a bunch of guys

sweating all day in a sub

down under Tokyo bay, guys just like us

sneaking up at night to

radio balloon positions.

Just let me hear anybody

talk about the Navy again.

Boy, they're good.

Plenty. They're not bad at poker either.

Oh, you're not kidding.

I kind of figured on getting Ellen

a present in Chungking, you know,

a kimono or something.

But these Navy guys have cleaned me.

Believe it or not, I've only got 14 bucks.

Well, I got $8 or $10 I could let you have.

Oh, no. No. I've been thinking,

cigarettes sell for 60 cents

a carton on the boat here.

But in Chungking, I hear the

boys will pay seven bucks.

Yeah?

So I figure I may load

the duck with coffin nails.

Hey, that's an idea.

- It's a good night for subs.

- Yeah.

You know, it's funny.

When I was a kid I used to dream

about going someplace on a ship.

Well, here I am.

And out there is Japan.

My mother had a Jap gardener once.

He seemed like a nice little guy.

You know, I don't hate Japs, yet.

It's a funny thing. I don't

like them, but I don't hate them.

I guess I don't either.

You get kind of mixed up.

Yeah.

It's hard to figure. Yet here we are.

All I ever wanted to be was

an aeronautical engineer.

I joined the Army in '40 because I

figured it was the best way to learn.

I wasn't sore at anybody.

But here you suddenly

realize you're going to drop

a ton of high explosives on one

of the biggest cities in the world.

You're not getting squeamish, are you?

Oh, no, of course not.

I don't pretend to like the

idea of killing a bunch of people

but it's the case of drop a bomb on them

or pretty soon they'll

be dropping one on Ellen.

Yeah, that's right.

I wonder how many of us will pull through.

Oh, they figure about half.

- And everybody thinks he'll be in that half.

- Yeah.

- When are you going to get married, Bob?

- Oh, when I find somebody like Ellen.

It'd be swell, you know. The four of us.

You know, when this is over I'd

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