FP_2015_05_

May 2015 FLYPAST 75

Men Behind

the Lightning

were operated by the Chinese Air Force

“I was diving so fast that when

I tried to pull out my plane just

kept going straight down. I had

been flying the P-38 in combat for

eight months, but this was the first

time I was unable to pull out of a

dive. I instinctively rolled in trim,

cut power and pulled the control

column back. It didn’t help; I was

still going straight down toward the

water.

“I put my feet on the instrument

panel and pulled back on the yoke,

but still nothing happened. I said

my prayers as I figured this was it.

Then I hit the denser air at lower

altitude and the Lightning recovered

and started right back up. By the

time I rolled out the extra trim

and added power, I was back up to

25,000ft, right in the middle of the

Japanese formation!”

High-speed

shoot-out

“I shot as best I could and went into

a shallow dive. I then pulled up and

looked around: there was no other

aircraft about. I followed the course

the bombers had been taking and

saw one of them. He was a straggler

and I crept up behind him. From

about 20 degrees off the tail, I fired

three short bursts and observed

strikes on the fuselage, wing section

and left engine, which began trailing

smoke. He lost altitude and crashed

into a hillside.

“I put my feet on the instrument

panel and pulled back on

the yoke, but still nothing

happened. I said my prayers as I

 gured this was it”

Left

P-38J instrument panel.

LOCKHEED

Below

Ordnance personnel

loading the ammo for

a sortie over the fi ring

range. LOCKHEED

Bottom

Lt Ed Cragg’s ‘Porky II’

of the 80th FS based at

Nadzab, New Guinea.

NORB RUFF

1515

72-78_Spot men_fpSBB.indd 75 06/03/2015 16:20