1275psi -> RE: BATTLE!!! (10/7/2006 12:50:00 PM)
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23/5/43 How can I relate today? Why am I relating today? Just how did Hori and I survive today, when so many of us died. Then again, as i smell the smoke, and listen to the chaos down aft -death has probably only been delayed 12 more hrs for us. midnight -and already the thudding of depth charges had spli the night twice, as we charged north. at Midnight, the tanoy blared -a huge naval battle at rangoon, and reports of a desperate british army trapped in the dock area. have they overeached themselves again! 3 am And the motors roar, our Jakes already report several burning ships near entiwok. And then the electrifying news -a enemy battle line! But even as the light grows , the action starts our CAP roars away, and frantically we begin to bring the strike onto the deck -how vulnerable we are Even as our strike leaves the deck, action is occuring around us, corsairs and lightings in a tangle -right over the fleet. To our south Junyo is being hit!, and other ships burn as well. The kates clear away so slowly, our guns are hammering away -KAga cannot turn -we must stay into the wind The deck is clear ahead!, throttle to the floor -a tremandous crash as a huge bomb hammers right beside the deck, a mountain of water -and i am away! I turn violently, we are to gather, if we can, over the shokaka. Horror! kaga has been hit -where there once was guns, now a column of fire! We climb hard, all around fighters whirl, we must gather our bombers in this madness, and strike back. Shokaka, and zuikaka have been hit But they have launched. and we turn east -towards the enemy fleet. 88 zeros, 74 val, 44 kate Corsairs! they dive into us, and we desperately weave, trying to protect the bombers. it is pitiful, again and again our planes fall, streamers of smoke. The corsairs are just too good. The island is ahead, and there -a great line of battleships. I turn my flight towards the corsairs, banno, Hori, and I Banno dissapears in a flash, and we turn frantically, I pull and kick, upside down, vertical, desperate to avoid the tracer streaming my way. A Flash in front, I fire -The wildcat explodes!!! And suddenly I am alone, low down A dozen kates to my left , I tuck in close, we go in -a great wall of steel ahead on the horizon Throttle to the wall -I will lead them in! 4000 yrds, the water racing so close underneath -abruptly it erupts as the guns turn to us! I flinch -i cannot possibly survive this! An explosion on the battleship -huge, mushrooming in her guts-and another -our Vals hit the battlewagon again and again the firing against us abruptly stops -and i scream across the BBs aft guns -her admidships on fire Exhualtation as my guns hammer empty -i zoom up -and a great cry as the kates torpedoes arrive!! We turn for home, climbing. The battle line is a mess -3 burning battlewagons! and there, there, BANZIA -the nagato and all her brethren -a great wall of fire as the broadsides begin! Go brother! Our fleet is easy to find -great walls of smoke mark it, and clouds of AA fire. I am hit, a tremendous bang on the engine. Dead stick landing! Fire is out on the kaga -and somehow I get down -wrecking my plane as I pile into the island. Silence I live! men pulling me out, out into the chaos of battle! Guns hammering, and bullets, glimpses of Mitchells flashing across our decks. I am dragged into the island, flung about as Kaga shudders too mighty bomb hits aft. the stern is a gaping hole -a torrent of fire. The rest is a night mare So few of us survived. I am the senior pilot left!. Just 8 of us are left -Hori, somehow has survived as well through the smoke, i go to the bridge. Yamaguchi listens to my report -carefully. Am I sure? how many torpedoes.? The bridge is such a hive of activity. In Horror I look around. 6 huge pillars of smoke Our carriers.! Our deck is closed Onboard we have a few orphans. i am senior officer now, Hori is hurt. I must gather how many planes we have left. It is pitifully few. And still the crew fight the fires aft. And steadily from the horizon -the pounding of great naval guns, fight well brother. It is midnight The struggle to survive continues The fleet limps northwest What will tomorrow bring. I am shattered, pyhsically, mentally destroyed. it hardly seems anything that finally, i am a fighter pilot. I cannot go into the ready room -too many ghosts there. i hope banno felt nothing.
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