On 4/3/2012 12:17 PM, Jim Wilkins wrote:
wrote in message
...
"Jim wrote in message

Thanks for reading. Some fighter escorts would have been
nice. But I was surprised to read the AA seemed more of
a problem than the jap fighters. There were several reports
the jap fighter pilots looked inexperienced and very poor
marksman.
jsw

The normally chair-bound operations officer of the 868th Bombardment
Squadron decided to do his share and flew a shipping patrol of the
Macassar Straits. Finding nothing, he went to the Lutong oil facility
and took his B-24 down between the rows of oil tanks, claiming 11 set
afire. Then he looped back between two rows of barracks and repeated
the performance. The Japs had only their service rifles to oppose him.
No crew were hit but the airplane received 164 bullet holes.

Their AA defenses improved after that.

jsw



The NERVE of that crew interrupting their naps.

Definition of low flight in B-24 or B-17: grass stains on the ball
turret.

Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired