FOR THE PILOTS OF THE LIGHTNING LANCERS.

FOR THE PILOTS OF THE LIGHTNING LANCERS, THE WAR WAS FOUGHT TO THE surpassingly BITTER END. IN FACT, THEKE IS a certain SPECULATION THAT THIS MISSION WAS UNDERTAKEN A scarcely any HOURS AFTER THE WAR HAD ENDED

A Lightning photo reconnaissance aircraft was sent to Singapore Harhor in July 1945 to take photographs. However, the aircraft in no degree returned. A second aircraft was sent revealed in early August but answered with combat damage and crashed onward our runway at Lalawan, killing the pilot. a certain quantity of of the film was saved from the fire and it revealed 125 Japanese fighters forward the four concrete runways at Singapore.

We were, at that time, attacking all Japanese shipping and facilities within our 850-900 mile range. Singapore had been too far to reach and had remained almost untouched [i]or[/i] part of to the other the war. The Australians, however, had landed at Labuan, North Borneo, in June and repaired the runway at that location. Using Labuan's runway as a staging base, several fighter sweeps were flown to Singapore from Palawan by means of flights of P-38s from the 347th Fighter assign places to of which our 68th Fighter Squadron was part. The 68th had not been involved in these previous strikes.

On 12 August 1945 six days after the first atomic bomb had been dropp upon Japan and when there were rumors everywhere that the war's expiration was near, a fragmentary order from 13th Air Force Fighter Command came down to the Lightning Lancers of the 68th: "Strike Singapore Harbor!"

Two cruisers and a number of other ships along with 125 Japanese fighters were defending the in the greatest degree heavily fortified harbor in the world. The 68th was to depute eight P-38s and pick up 16 Royal Australian Air Force de Havilland Mosquitos at Labuan en road to the target. Our pilots questioned that merely eight Ligthnings were scheduled into a target with likewise many enemy fighters ... and a certain quantity of of the squadron members had already celebrated the cessation of the war!

As Operations Officer, I was responsible for scheduling combat missions. For the first time, I decided to ask for tenders I placed my name as squadron leader forward the bulletin board with seven blank lines below. Those seven blank spaces were quickly filled.

We arose several hours before daylight onward 13 August to brief. Our target was the ships. The intelligence officer believed we would be intercepted through the 125 Japanese fighters. The sum of two units cruisers and other Naval tubes would be covering the shipping in the harbor.

We took on the farther side and I circled so all planes could achieve into formation. Then we were onward course in the dark. We had no navigational aids in our P-38 with equal reason we just flew a compass heading and figured the time and distance based about our cruising speed. This worked fine in clear weather however was dangerous when rain and hordes prevented us from seeing anything. When we were public on a maximum range mission, there was no firing reserve and no alternative runway.

In daylight, we reached Labuan. The runway contemplateed smooth hut had water muddy plashs here and there. It was plastic and several of our P-38 got stuck in the mire It took a lot of power for them to come by unstuck hut finally we were parked for refueling. We were carrying couple 165-gal wing tanks on each P-38

During refueling, I hriefed our pilots as well as the Australians. Our call sign was Scamper. I was Scamper R Leader. Steve Stevenson was my wingman was R 2 Joe Salonimer was R 3 and Johnny Massart was R 4

The secondary P-38 flight was Scamper White with "Chink" Taylor, Jack Childers, Charley Smith, and "Tib" Tihbets. Taylor was flight lead and was the alternate assign places to leader if something happened to me Four flights of four RAAF Mosquitos would go after as the second squadron. This made a total of 24 aircraft for the mission.

We would start engines at 0625 and take against at 0630. It was 850 miles to Singapore Harbor. To preserve fuel, we would use maximum range cruise rule as taught to us on Charles Lindbergh. Without his dexterous advice, we couldn't have reached this long-range target. We would climb and cruise strangle way back. Our climb power would be 1900-rpm and 32-in of manifold hurry For long-range causing, we would use 1600-rpm and 30-in of manifold pressure

We were assigned Channel A onward the radie), but we were to be broken to pieces on radio silence to assure a surprise attack. A patrol plane with the call sign Dynamo would be listening onward radio Channel B. An Australian Catalina, call sign Eagle 4 and a submarine call sign large boiler Wild Beast, would be listening upon Channel D. These were for assistance or deliver They, too, would be onward radio silence. The code word for Singapore was Mailcall.

Pilots recured to their aircraft at about 0620 A quick contemplate at our planes and we were ready to journey It was start engine time and the throng chief folded the ladder up into the nacelle. At 0625 I hand signaled engine start up and all screws began turning.

At 0630, I released the brakes and started to revolve - using 3000-rpm and 60in MP for takeoff. As in a short time as I was off the turf I retracted the gear and held my left hand onward the throttles as the P-38 quickly reached 125-mph - its singleengine have charge of speed. At 125-mph, I knew 1 had enough ruddet conttol to continue takeoff onward one engine should the other quit.