· RUEL SK

58 CRUEL SKY
flashing by. "Everywhere I looked I saw the Swastika-marked aircraft. The sky seemed to
be full of them. In horror, I saw our right wingman take many hits. Debris was showering
from the B-24. As it started to peal off it suddenly broke in two just aft of the wing and the
two pieces plummeted toward the earth. No parachutes emerged from the flaming pieces."
"Pivoting my stool around, I looked out through the windshield between Lt. William
Golden and Lt. Robert Christie just as the lead ship of our element disintegrated. Debris
from the stricken bomber was streaming back straight toward our aircraft. mstinctively I
put my arms up to shield my face. I believe that none of the debris hit our ship as the
slipstream apparently carried it above us."
"The voices of our gunners were screaming fighter locations over the intercom. Our
Liberator was shaking and vibrating from the recoil ofthe machine gun frre."
The DEWEY crew
Top turret gunner T/Sgt. Charles Craig, reported that there were enemy fighters on
their tail. The pilot could see Lt. Smith's tail gunner motioning to him to tuck A Wallet A
Abel in closer.
His own tail gunner, S/Sgt. Reuben Montanez, was dealing with three FW-190s
attacking from 6 o'clock low. He singled out the element leader and fired at approximately
450 yards away. Two hundred rounds and 300 yards later, the FW-190 engine caught frre.
It peeled off to his right, his right wing catching fire. Then the enemy aircraft blew up in
mid-air. The other two fighters broke offthe attack
Both waist gunners went down. S/Sgt. George R. Jolmson, manning the right waist
gun, was hit in the leg but managed to climb back to his gun. The left waist gunner, S/Sgt.
Walther J. Bartkow, was also wounded, but was far from out.
The JONES crew
Suddenly it was the turn of A Roughhouse Kate, piloted by 2nd Lt. Howard A.
Jones. Waist gunner, Sgt. Willis Meier spotted an FW-190 and frred a long burst. He
scored several hits, and the fighter began to smoke. The Germans still pressed their attacks
on the high-right squadron. Their wingman was lit up like a Christmas tree from the 20-mm
shells exploding.