Posted on 08/14/2019 4:02:50 PM PDT by fugazi
Before dawn on 14 August 1942 a lone B-17 Flying Fortress taxied to the end of the runway at a remote jungle airstrip seven miles from Port Moresby, New Guinea to scout for Japanese shipping. Aboard are four veterans of the attack on Pearl Harbor, a Royal Australian Air Force copilot, a former cavalry trooper, a Scottish gunner, and a navigator that, despite having just turned 21, was already a veteran of 45 sorties. The pilot runs up the throttles and the bomber disappears into the pre-dawn sky for a nine-hour reconnaissance patrol.
The crew will never be seen again.
Back on 6 December, Gen. “Hap” Arnold personally met with 16 B-17 crews that were departing Hamilton Field (Calif.) on a 2,400-mile leg to Oahu before reaching their final destination in the Philippines. He told them “War is imminent. You may run into a war during your flight.”
Hap was right. First to reach Hawaii was the San Antonio Rose, and copilot 2nd Lt. Wilson L. Cook quickly discovered they had flown into a hornet’s nest. They could see ships ablaze in Pearl Harbor and were receiving ground fire. Unarmed, they had to shake off nine Zeroes and by then were nearly out of fuel and badly shot up. Everywhere they tried to land was swarming with enemy fighters, so the pilot (1st Lt. Frank P. Bostrom) landed on a fairway at Kahuku Golf Course.
Aviation Cadet Hubert S. Mobley and Sgt. Irving W. McMichael crewed Naughty but Nice, which was another B-17 that arrived during the Japanese attack. Their pilot landed on a small, unpaved emergency fighter strip, where they loaded fuel, guns, and ammunition before flying to Hickam Field.
Sgt. Elwyn O. Rahier was on
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A good reminder for me to say thank you for your service to all FReepers who served to protect us all.
Thank you.
the planes had no guns. they were left behind to lighten the planes to make the 2400 mile trip to Hawaii. nothing they could do but take it.
Ditto here, thank you.
I don’t like sitting in a plane that ISNT being shot at!
The way I speak of my trip to the grand canyon by Cessna, you’d think I was talking about the battle of Midway!
A man that was a navigator in B17s flying over Germany in WW2 told me , you didn’t shoot at planes trying to shoot you. You stayed in formation and shot at planes shooting at your fellow group mates and hoped they were doing the same for you. The German fighters flew to fast to hit the ones hitting you, you had to rely on your fellows. Stay in formation, close, and fight, it’s all you had. L Lawrence, RIP. A great friend, and great man.
One of my college professors was a navigator in a B 24. He said that the German fighters were so fast, he was useless firing at them.
I am on vacation at Lake Chelan in Easter Washington.
This is the 3rd deepest lake in all of the States and is fed by the mighty Columbia River.
My son and I were fishing off a ferry dock this a.m. and two C17 airlift craft came flying down the canyon VERY low and slow.
I go so excited as I knew they were practicing sneaking into a drop zone with S.F. probably on the way to Moses Lake.
I was pumping my fists yelling “Hell Yeah!!” And feeling so proud of my country as these pilots and crews... making piddling money were working and training to protect our nation.
I was also amazed at how quiet they were having grown up adjacent to Mcchord AFB near Tacoma and I know how loud the C130s and C10s were....just amazing how quiet these newer engines are.
The C-17 is just awesome.
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