Bomber, in flames, scores direct hit on Jap carrier
By Frank Tremaine, United Press staff writer
A Marine air base, somewhere in Hawaii –
His dive bomber was in flames, riddled by anti-aircraft fire. He was near exhaustion from two previous attacks. One arm was bandaged. But he never flinched.
Down, down, down his plane hurtled toward a Jap warship steaming toward Midway Island.
The blazing bomber was only 300 feet above the target when he released his death load. There was a deafening explosion, the enemy vessel rocked and began to sink.
And the plane crashed just off the bow of its target.
That was the story Cpl. Eugene T. Card, 24, of Oakland, Cal., and Salem, Utah, told today from a hospital bed. The hero was his squadron leader, Marine Capt. Richard Fleming of St. Paul, now listed as “missing in action.”
Wounded before crash
Cpl. Card detailed one of the war’s greatest tales of individual heroism. Capt. Fleming, he said, had already scored a direct hit on a Jap aircraft carrier and a “near miss” on another vessel before his third – and final attack.
Other members of the squadron said the captain led them directly over the target on the third raid, but made the first dive himself. It was believed he had been wounded seriously before he crashed.
Cpl. Card said none of the Marine pilots dropped their bombs from above 500 feet.
He said:
It’s hard to miss at that height. I guess we had been waiting for that kind of a chance for so long we were kind of blowing off steam.
Served as rear gunner
Cpl. Card served as Capt. Fleming’s rear gunner on the first raid against a fleet of enemy cruisers and destroyers.
The Japs didn’t even know we were there at first. But the carriers soon turned into the wind and launched several Zero fighter planes, so we took refuge in a cloud.
From a hole in the cloud, Cpl. Card spotted one enemy carrier and the captain ordered an attack.
The captain was sure intent on getting it. We dropped one bomb at 300 feet and made a direct hit. Then we leveled out about even with the deck, went out over the bow and headed back toward Midway close to the water.
Pursued by Zeros
For 15 miles, three Zeros pursued the dive bomber, but finally gave up the chase near Midway.
Cpl. Card said:
We got hit twice when we leveled over the carrier. One blast burst through the cockpit and knocked out the instrument panel. The captain told me later he was spitting glass and alcohol for five minutes. One whole side of our ship was ablaze when we landed.
Cpl. Card, suffering from a leg wound, was sent to the hospital. The captain had a scratched arm, but insisted on returning in another bomber for a second attack.