FREAK FLYING

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 164, 13 July 1945, Page 5

FREAK FLYING

Returning Bombs Flip Super Fortress On Its Back

CURRENTS OVER JAP CITY

Rec. 11 a.m. NEW YORK, July 12

„ Strong thermal' updrafts over Wakayama, on Honshu Island, on July 1, caused fused -incendiary bombs to return to the Super Fortress from which, they had just been released and flipped the bomber over on its back so that it was headed back toward its target, says the New York Times Guam correspondent. The crew, who managed to get the plane back on its course, said that the Super Fortress reached the target after huge fires had been started by earlier planes, creating powerful scorching hot waves which rose thousands of feet. The bombardier pressed the bomb release over the target but as the bombs dropped the crew was amazed to see them climb back into the bomb bay, tear away the bomb bay door and damage the horizontal stabiliser. The Super Fortress then nipped over on its back.

A member of the crew said: "I looked down, expecting to see fires and I saw stars and the moon. Then I looked up and saw fires'. For a brief moment I wondered if I was dead."

"While the plane was out of control," he added, "waterfiasks and loose equipment inside the ship floated around in midair and sometimes hit us when we were not looking." The pilot brought the plane on to its course, dropped his bombs and headed for the base.'