AWARD
OF THE DISTINGUISHED-FLYING-CROSS--By direction
of the President, under the provisions of the Act
of Congress, approved 2 July 1926 (Bull 8, WD 1926),
and persuant to authority delegated by Headquaters
United States Army Strategic Air Forces in letter,
file AG 323; subject: "Ddefinitions of Administrative
Responsibilities", dated 6 August 1945, announcement
is made of the award of the Distinguished-Flying-Cross
to the following named officers and enlisted men:
For
extraordinary achievement while participating in
aerial flight 11 May 1945. These individuals were
members of the combat crew of a B-29 aircraft in
the highly successful strike at the important Kawanishi
aircraft factory at Kob, Japan. From the inital
point into the target area, they were subjected
to a withering concentration of heavy anti-aircraft
fire and phosphorus bursts. So accurate was the
enemy flak that numerous hits were sustained by
their airplane, causing serious damage to the hydraulic
system and rendering the radio inoperative. Inspite
of this determined opposition and the damage inflicted,
these crewmen, withoutstanding courage and skill,
maintained their aircraft exactly on the briefed
heading to the target without evasion tactics. At
the target, where the enemy's defenses were most
highly concentrated, they released their bombs with
such accuracy that they fell squarely on the target
with devastating effect. Shortly after the bombs
were dropped, they were viciously attacked by an
estimated 15 interceptor planes. These attacks were
succuessfully repullsed with severe damage to the
enemy fighters. The crew memebers of this Superfortress
alone were credited with the damaging of two. Arriving
at the home base in the Marianas, they brought the
bomber to a safe landing in spite of the fact that
the damaged hydraulic system had rendered the brakes
useless. The courage and fortitude displayed by
these veteran crewmen, together with their outstanding
professional skill in carrying out an important
assignment which contributed materially to the successful
prosecution the war, reflect great credit on themselves
and the Army Air Forces.
Captain
EDMOND T. ARVIN, JR., (Then First Lieutenant), Air
Corps, United States Army, as Airplane Commander.
First
Lieutenant STANLEY A. LAPINSKI, (Then
Second Lieutenant), Air
Corps, United States Army, as Radar Observer.
Staff
Sergeant J C WILKES JR, (Then
Corporal), Air
Corps, United States Army, as Radio Operator.
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