Piloting

Pilot to gunner—the flak’s getting pretty thick, Frank, but we’ve got to make it.”

His goggles fitted closely over his eyes, Josh held the Dauntless dive bomber, a torpedo plane, straight on its course. He ignored the black explosive clouds and the shell bursts that flowered around them. He felt the bullets from the guns of the enemy carrier shake the plane violently.

“Right on target. Go in and get that tin can!”

Josh held to the controls tightly. The cumbersome aircraft was only thirty feet above the water, which crawled beneath him in green waves. He had taken off from the U.S. aircraft carrier Hornet two hours ago, and, one by one, the members of his flight made a torpedo run at the huge Japanese ship.

“Got to get it. We just got one chance.” Josh gritted his teeth and poised his thumb over the release switch for the torpedo. Every gun on the carrier, it seemed, was aimed directly at him. Even as he watched, a piece of lead tore through the plastic windshield so that it spider-webbed. “Can’t see where we’re going, Frank,” he yelled, “but I’m going to ram this tin fish right down where she lives.”

The world exploded with noise, and Josh felt a bullet rake the top of his right shoulder, numbing his hand. Then he saw the target looming ahead. Desperately he pushed the control that released the torpedo. Instantly the bomber, freed from its heavy weight, roared toward the carrier.

We’re going to hit it! Josh thought wildly. He could barely see out the shattered canopy. As the bulk of the warship flashed by, he saw streaks of gunfire and could make out small figures running around the flight deck. Then, as he cleared the ship, he heard a tremendous explosion. Looking back, he saw a huge plume of smoke rise into the air, accompanied by fragments of steel.

“We got it, Frank! We got it!” he yelled. “She’s gonna go down!”

He pulled the battered aircraft up as quickly as possible. The guns below still hammered, and he felt the plane vibrate as it tried to rise. But then he saw the carrier begin to list to one side. A swell of satisfaction came over him, and he whispered, “We got it. We got a whole aircraft carrier.”

Then the vessel below started to fade from view. The sea turned from brilliant emerald green to a formless gray shape . . .