On July 16, 1945 Replacement Crew 6 was put
on combat orders. The briefer exposed the map of Japan and
pointed to a city south of Tokyo, Handa, a shipyard center
was our target for the night. As synchronized watches we were
told there would be radio silence from that time on, in order
not to tip off the enemy of our intentions. We were to start
engines, taxi and line up in takeoff position at exact time
intervals. We would wait in takeoff position until we got
the green light before we commenced our takeoff roll. Other
crews had emphasized the point about waiting for the green
light. Flying at dusk from a mile and half long runway, we
may not be able to see if the previous plane got off all right,
and spacing was of paramount importance. We would be flying
at staggered altitudes and we wanted to keep an assured clear
distance from the plane ahead of us. With only our dim running
lights, we wouldn’t be able to see other planes after
dark. At the conclusion of our briefing they told the new
crew to stay for further information. The officer announced:
We want to tell you what to do if you have wounded aboard.”
That added to the drama.
Trucks were waiting outside the theater to
take us to the flight line where the ground crews had been
hard at work, making sure the planes were in tip-top shape
for the fifteen hour flight. The crew chief assured us that
the plane was ready. We hoped we were.
We didn’t just climb aboard and turn
a key and go. There was about an hour’s worth of pre-flight
preparation. One of the important jobs of the co-pilot was
to figure weight and balance. Using charts and calculator,
we have to be sure the load is in correct balance for takeoff
and flight. Finding the exact weight of fuel, bombs ammunition
crew members and their equipment, we find the critical center
of balance. More than once, I moved a crew member from a forward
to a rear position for the takeoff. Each member was busy with
their preparations.
Dick Donovan, the Radar Officer became violently
ill. We were not only concerned for him, but we couldn’t
go without a man in his crew position. He insisted he would
be okay, probably a bad case of nerves. He felt better after
we got under way.
After we all got strapped in, I started reading
the checklist, page after page of items that I would call
out over the intercom and wait for the appropriate response
from the crew.
Getting the thumbs up from the ground crew,
we got in line with the other planes. We watched as each plane
ahead of us took off, and at our turn we took our position
on the runway. Eleven pairs of eyes stared at the tower awaiting
the aforementioned IMPORTANT GREEN LIGHT. Time went by but
no green light! A jeep came speeding up to the nose of our
airplane. I opened the window to see what the shouting was
about. “What the *#@* are you waiting for?” he
yelled. I pointed to the tower and shouted back, “We
are waiting for the green light!” The ramp officer pointed
to the far end of the runway and bellowed, “There’s
your *#@* green light! Now get going!” No one had thought
to mention where the green light was going to be. The ramp
officer scurried to get out of the way as we applied full
power to our four Wright-Cyclone engines. We just had to get
away from all that shouting.
During the takeoff roll of this our first
loaded-to-the max bomber; I was concerned about my calculations.
As per our procedure, I called out the speeds as we sped down
the runway. At 95 MPH the nose wheel lifted slightly. We continued
at this attitude until we reached flying speed. I called out
the speed: 100, 105, 110, 115, etc. We are fast running out
of runway. We reached 120 and Bill Tapp calls for gear up.
I have my own safety factor – I waited a second or two
until the rumble of tires stops and the altimeter shows a
climb. Then with gear up we barely skim the ground until we
reach the end of the island. There a 200-foot cliff that drops
off into the ocean. Tapp eases the plane down until the waves
are nearly lapping at the belly of the bomber as we pick up
airspeed and the cylinder heads cool down. Then we start our
long climb to our cruising altitude.
We finally reached cruising altitude and got
everything set, we let the autopilot hold our course while
we relaxed for a few hours. Bill (Tapp) told me to lean back
and take a nap. He would flying the first part of the mission,
and take a nap on the way back. I was too keyed up to sleep
so I would while away the time stargazing – literally.
On a moonless night away from any lights I could see billons
of starts. My thoughts were: If there is a God up there, why
are we on the way to destroy some of his people? Or my thoughts
turned to home and loved ones.