Guys
Just something I wrote while bored at work... what do you think.
The sun is bright, the sky clear as I walk out to the flight line. The white crushed coral of the strip crunches as we head down the line. The crew chief for number 9 nods to me and I begin pre-flighting the big F4U-1 Corsair. I walk around checking the control surfaces and cowl looking for leaks.
“Anything wrong with her Chuck?” I ask. Chuck, is the crew chief for 9 and I fly his plane a fair amount. He is a technical sergeant with about 15 year’s service. He’s wearing cut-off utilities and no shirt. The salty old bastard has a massive marine globe and anchor on his chest.
“Nah lieutenant she will do fine.” He says with a smile.
I climb up into the cockpit, sitting down in the seat I make sure the seat is all the way up, some pilots like to drop it down. They like being deeper down so there head is more protected by the armor. Chuck helps me strap in and then watches as I check the controls and make sure all the switches are in place.
The radio crackles and the wind them up command comes over it. Chuck has jumped down and I yell clear, the engine rumbles as the huge 13 foot prop spins slowly at first then with a belch of white smoke it rumbles to life. I keep the RPMs under 750 until it warms up and smoothes out.
Chuck pulls the chocks and I look to my left. My wingman Second Lt Dave Rivers nods and gives me a thumbs up. I turn and look to the right and my best buddy Jason Stevens nods. I taxi out onto the runway and Dave follows me slightly behind and to the right. The huge propellers are kicking up clouds of white dust.
Today we have 2 divisions of 4 planes heading to Rabaul. It’s an escort mission. We will link up with the B25 bombers about half way there. The first division of 4 planes is ahead of us and they begin taking off. I am the leader of the second division. Steve the second section leader in my division. I stand on the breaks and run the engine up the back then up again making sure its going to stay running and then radio the tower, telling them we are rolling.
I push the throttle slowly forward and then slip the brakes, the plane rolls down the crush coral, the dust is terrible. I glance to my right and make sure Dave is back there.
Dave just joined VMF-217. He came strait over from the states. Since he is about as green as you can get I will keep track of him.
As the speed picks up and I pass 95 knots I lift off, Dave is right with me as I go into a climbing right turn to link up with the rest of the squad. I hear the landing gear thump and the doors close.
I look back and make sure Jason and Rob are with me, Rob being second lieutenant Robert Jones. He is a good pilot reliable.
We form up with the rest of the squad, in a loose formation. Paired up, a leader and a wing man who hangs back and above, these in turn are paired forming 4 plane divisions.
The CO comes over the radio, “Test your guns.”
I flip the switches to arm the guns and pull the trigger, all six .50 machine guns fire. No one reports a problem.
I relax in my seat my eyes scanning from the instruments, to Dave, to around the sky. We link up with the 9 B25 bombers just west of Vella Levella Island; they are low, down at 5000 feet and will get lower. We will fly cover for the up at 15,000.
Everything goes well, until we reach Rabaul the B25s start the run and we stay high. The bomber head in down on the deck the guns in there noses raking the airfield.
“Zeros! 9o clock low!” someone yells.
Capt Mike Barton the squad leader comes over the radio. “John, I am taking my section down, keep your section up here for cover.”
“Aye Aye Sir” I Reply, My eyes scanning.
Jason comes over the radio “More zeros! 12 o’clock level!”
“Ok follow me! And drop your drop tanks!” I jam the throttle to War emergency power, and center my sight on one of the zeros as my drop tank flutters away below me. We are closing rapidly and I open fire. The Jap opens fire an instant later his aim spoiled by my rounds flashing by him then in to him. His plane snap rolls and dives, smoking all the way into the sea. Tracers flack by on my right at the same time as Dave fires, His rounds going wide.
We pass through the formation of enemies and I yank the stick back going into a vertical climb.. My head tilted back looking for the Zeros. I see two and pull it through a half loop and roll over.. Dropping the nose and diving on them, I glance back and see Dave is still back there with me.
The pair of Zeros is turning and lining up on Jason, and his wingman. Jason is lining up on another Zero.
“Check Six Jason!” Jason’s plane doesn’t waver! “Dave can you take the right one?”
Dave’s Voice comes over the radio, sounding exited and scared all at once. “Yes sir!”
I bore down on the leading zero, my big hog gaining speed in the dive. The zero grows in my sights and then it starts to fire.. I watch as the rounds hit Jason’s F4U and he Snap rolls and dives, his wing man breaking to the right.
I pull the triggers and watch the tracers fly into the zero. My rounds hitting the wing and lighting it on fire. A second later the zero disappears into a fireball. I pull back on the stick and go into a shallow climb looking around for Dave,
BANG,BANG BANG THUNK! I feel rounds hitting my seat armor! diddly!
I yank the stick back into my lap and jam the right rudder all the way foreword throwing the plane into a snap roll. Getting the nose down I continue to roll… another burst of rounds hits the plane… THUNK THUNK THUNK! My speed has picked up and I roll, then roll around again and pull the plane hard out of the dive looking back and up I watch the zero try and follow but the high speed has locked his controls. I pull it around and fall back onto his tail and he tried to go into a hard right turn, but at 400knots plus his zero cant turn away from my Corsair. I fire and walk the rounds into him with the ruder. His plane comes apart, the wings and engine breaking away from the fuselage and crashing into the sea.
I pull the throttle back and look around…The fight seems to be over, I spot New Britain to the west. I fly east a bit and Spot Dave with 2 zeros chasing him down on the deck. I dive and once more put the throttle all the way into WEP. Coming in low behind the second zero I put a burst into him and he rolls over and makes a huge splash! The second tried to break into a climbing right hand turn, pull the F4u around hard and get another burst into him but he manages to evade and run, I check my fuel and I do not have enough to chase.
“Dave you hear me?” I say over the radio
“Yes sir” he says, his plane staying level and heading east.
“Ok Dave throttle back and form on me, where heading home”
He waggles his wings, having spotted me in his rear view mirror. We form up and climb up to 10,000 feet and have an uneventful flight back to Vella Lavella.
Other F4Us are landing as we fly over the base, looks like only one of us is missing. I tell Dave to land first then follow him in, landing the F4U-1 can be a bit tough, you cant see over the nose and it has a tendency to want to dart of the runway…I touch down in a 3 point attitude of a simulated CV landing.. And with a small bounce roll down the runway and to the parking area, spinning the plane around so it can be pushed into its revetment I cut the engine and undo my seat belt.
I climb out and Chuck looks up at me “Jeez lieutenant! How many japs did you let shoot you” he says and points.
I turn and look , the back of the Corsair is riddled with bullet holes at least 60 rounds from an machine gun and maybe 7 hits from the 20mm that the Zero carries. I lost half the tail wheel door, and one of my elevators is pretty damaged.
“Can you fix it Sergeant?” He looks at me rolling his eyes. “Maybe! Did you at least get one of them?”
I smile “yeah, I got 3 maybe 4 “turning I head for the post flight debrief. I turn back “who didn’t make it?”
Chuck shakes his head, “That new kid that flew with the Captain.”
I nod and walk of down the line.
