We
(P-3) had mechanical difficulties of some kind and did
not get to the rendezvous point in time to leave with
our squadron. The 61st Squadron was just leaving so we
joined up them. I looked out to our right at the plane
that was flying beside us and saw that it was P26 which
was the plane that two good friends of mine were in. F/O
David Donahoo was the navigator and Cpl. Conrad Vogt was
the radio operator. We had known David and his wife when
we were in Radar School in Boca Raton, FL. My wife and
David and his wife would go for long walks along the beach
in the afternoons late. Conrad Vogt was from my home town,
Victoria, Tx. and we went to high school together. He
was a year behind me, but his sister Dorothy was in my
class. So we went over the target with the 61st Squadron.
We had received only moderate flak and after we dropped
our bombs we noticed a lone Jap fighter plane at 9:00
level who was out of range of our guns. He was in contact
with their ground based anti aircraft batteries and was
giving them our altitude, speed and heading. After a few
minutes he speeded up and got out in front of our formation.
Then he turned sharply and headed right for our formation.
Up to this point we had not heard of the Kamakazies who
would dive their planes into one of our planes our one
of our ships and commit suicide by bringing us down by
ramming us. As soon as he got within range all of the
gunners in the flight opened up on him. What was alarming
to us was the fact that it looked as though we were the
one he had chosen to ram. As he got closer he must have
gotten hit and killed because he kinda rolled a little
to the left and we could see that he would miss us. But,
this threw him right into P26 who was right next to us
and he hit them. He took about six feet of their right
wing off and then he spun on down into the sea.
Although
P26 was in bad trouble the pilot did have some control
of the plane. Rather than bail out evidently they chose
to ditch. Or, they might not have had time to bail out
because they were going down pretty fast. The pilot did
a super job of ditching. With part of his right wing gone
he did get down without crashing.. The plane did break
in half as it hit the water and the front end went under
the water, but it popped back up right away. The rear
half did not go under.
We
went down right after them to kick out our emergency gear.
I called the nearest sub, but there was not one within
about 50-75 miles. We flew low and kicked out our stuff
and we could see the guys climbing out of the pilots window.
I had a K-6 camera on board because your Dad and I were
trying to help make a Radar map of the coastline of Japan.
He would get a good picture and I would take a picture
of my repeater scope. I got this camera and took some
pictures of the guys that were in the front end of the
airplane standing on the wing of the floating aircraft
trying to get into the big dinghy that they had popped
out of its storage place on the left side of the fuselage.
We kept circling them and I took some more pictures of
them after they all got into the dinghy. There was no
activity at all from the rear section of the plane. I
guess they must have all been killed or knocked out, but
we never did see any of them try to get out.
We
circled them for quite a while and there still had not
been a sub show up. We were beginning to get a little
low on gas and we still had about eight hours of flying
time left to get back to Guam. We hated like the devil
to go off and leave them, but we had no other choice.
So, we waggled our wings at them and departed for home.
When
we got back to Guam I went over Group Hqs. to see if they
had any word on these guys. They did not. I went back
every day for a week and they never did get any information
on them. I am sure that Japs came out after the raid and
strafed these guys and killed them. They usually would
do this. After every raid they would send out planes to
look for downed airmen and shoot them up.
This
was quite a blow to loose two good friends at one time.
I went over to the Photo Section and they gave me prints
of the pictures that I took and after the war was over
and I got back home I went over to Mrs. Vogt's house and
gave her and Dorothy a picture of Conrad along with the
other guys in the dinghy. I explained everything that
had happened which they were appreciated because they
had no knowledge at all of what had happened to Conrad.
They had just received the telegram saying that he was
missing in action.
In
Feb. of 1946 after I returned to Texas A & M to finsh
my education, David Donahoo's wife came by College Station
to see my wife and I and I gave her a picture and the
story of what had happened top David. This was tough to
do.
We
did not have any other contacts with the Air Sea Rescue
folks, but it was good to know that they were there and
would try their best to save you. |