We kept sweeping through the predicted zone but didn’t see a thing. The second section stayed in sight and above us, while the third group of bombers was somewhere off to our right…I couldn’t keep them in sight. About half way through the search zone, the escorts called out a lone Zero. Must have been a picket guard, so we figured we were getting close to that flattop…but where was it? Another ten minutes with nothing, and then another lone Zero. I’m not ashamed to say that my heart got to pounding from the tension, the waiting, knowing that they could be right out…there, or that we could get bounced by a swarm of Zekes called in by the scouts.
Suddenly, we were at the edge of the search zone, still without any ships seen. The CO signaled back and forth with the section leaders, and next we hear we’re supposed to swing back to the south and search some more. That put our center group on the southern edge, with a group above and to the north and the third group a bit lower and farther north yet. Minutes go by, without any sightings. We were getting worried – did they get past us? Did we let the team down?
Then came the call, and I don’t know who made it. Carrier group spotted behind us and far to the northern edge of our search box. Everything happened fast from then on! Each group swung around toward the reported location, and with all the repositioning we ended up with our sections 5-7 minutes apart in line astern, charging towards the enemy. We had no fighters with us, since those few guys all charged to help the lead group of bombers. I didn’t envy their chances, but they never hesitated. Not the flashy heroes you read about on the front page, but real ones all the same.
So we’re throttles to the stops, making the best time we can to hit that carrier. For the sake of the attack, radio silence was broken, and we all got to listen.
“Ghosth here, Baker section. We have definite contact with a large carrier, heavy cruiser, with escorts. Sighting was dead on! OK, boys, remember that you’re faster than those Zeros on the deck…Firewall it! Down to the deck, keep those ack gunners from all hitting you at once!”
Ghosth had Baker section all primed for wavetop bombing. They’d talked about it all the time, planning how to approach and when to pull up, how to judge the drop timing without a bombsight. It was money time, and the plan was coming together.
“Yea—ah, Yea—ah! Zeros on the deck! They’re landing and rearming! Drop em right, boys, and you’ll get some fighter kills to go with the carrier!” (TeeRex always says "yea-ah" like that.)
But for every one in the landing pattern, there seemed like three or four waiting to jump those boys in Baker. They made their run, pulling up to 800 feet and letting the bombs go…but by the time they got to the drop point, there weren’t many of them left. I don’t think any of those guys made it out.
They did their jobs so well, though, that it made the next group’s success possible. Charlie section came in at mid alt, and most of the fighters were down on the deck hammering Baker. There was a window of opportunity, open for just a few minutes. But it was long enough to let TeeRex charge in and do the job. He led Baker right down into the fight, with AA thick enough to walk on. In less than a minute, the carrier was down, and the cruiser had taken hits.
But by then Daddog was leading Able into the fray. Most of the guys went right down on the deck to build up speed, but I kept the bird on a steady sloped glide path. They shot ahead, and made their drops just seconds before me. I saw the old man salvo his whole load right down the cruiser’s smokestack, and by the time mine hit she already had here bow slipping under the waves. Mission accomplished!
But now the real fun started. When I looked around, the guys were spread out all over the far side of the enemy task group, having picked different targets and broken away at different angles. We tried to get closer together, but we all had fighters on us or near us, and that made things tough.
Right on the deck I saw one of the Baker boys with a pair of zekes all over him. I was higher and faster, so I nosed over and let him know we were coming. Our bird acted like she was thrilled to get to play fighter – she screamed in, plowed through the air and closed up on the trailing Zero. My top gunner and I opened up at the same time, and though we may not have gotten hits the tracers scared the first one off. I knew time was running out since I could see the flashes on d0gma’s wing, but the zero must have been out of cannons. d0gma seemed to shrug the hits off, and kept maneuvering to stay out of his sights. At the last second, the zero saw me coming and broke off his attack.
But he made a mistake. If he’d broken to the side, I’d never have stayed with him. Since he pulled up we got a chance to shoot – and we got to make HIS wing flash as we went by! Too bad we didn’t have more firepower, or he’d have blown up for sure. Maybe someday someone will put some really big guns in the B-25’s nose!
Well, even though that was exciting things were about to turn scary. When I followed that plane up just a few hundred feet, my Mitchell slcwed down enough that the zeros behind me came into range in a hurry, I may have overreacted, but I gave the boys in back a big thrill by starting a tight roll till we were upside down, then pulling that yoke into my belly until that nose was pointed back to the deck. We rolled upright, and started making best time possible back to base. (Mikey didn’t get wounded then, but the coffee he keeps at the navigator’s table didn’t come out so well. He’s still mad about what he calls “the roller coaster thing,” so I wouldn’t bring it up.)
Now I’ve got two zeros closing in on me, and I’m really wishing I’d just blown past that first zero instead of trying to shoot at it. The top gunner was plinking away, but in seconds a round from the Zeke knocks the guns out. If we’re going to get home, I’m going to have to out fly the pursuers long enough to get out of range.
