BEATEN OFF WITH CAMERA

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXX, Issue 13669, 17 June 1942, Page 4

BEATEN OFF WITH CAMERA

JAPANESE PLANES

U.S. BOMBER'S ESCAPE

An American bomber arriving from the mainland at the height of the Japanese attack on Oahu Island last December 7 drove off atacking enemy planes with a movie camera and an automatic pistol, then landed safely at Hickam Field, states the “Christian Science Monitor.”

The story was related by technical Sergeant Jesse Schneider, veteran crew chief of several incoming bombers which encountered Japanese aircraft while still 3 0 miles from Oahu.

The crews of the bombers did not know hostilities had broken out and at first thought they were having a bird’s-eye view of a sham battle. Sergeant Schneider, looking for a first glimpse of the Hawaiian Islands, saw a flight of 12 torpedo planes. “All of a sudden,” he said, “three peeled off and came after us. AVe waved, thinking they were some of the Hickam Field boys coming out to greet us.

“Then Johnny Meeks (staff sergeant), our photographer, decided to take pictures of them. He got out his movie outfit and pointed the camera through a side window. The Japs had started pouring lead at us, but the minute Johnny, aimed the camera they scattered. They must have thought it was a machine-gun.”

Corporal Don McCord emptied his automatic pistol at the planes.

“A few minutes later, Sergeant Schneider said, “we saw flames on Oahu. Even then we had not realised what actually had happened. One crew member said it might be a sugar cane field afire.

“Then we saw ships lined up on the field afire and recognised one of them as a plane that had flown over from the mainland with us. That really had us puzzled.

“AVe decided not to land for a while and circled over Pearl Harbour. Ships in the harbour were being attacked and heavy blasts shook our plane. AVe determined then and there that if this was mock war it was a pretty real one and that we didn’t care for any part in it.

“After we landed we saw another ship that come over with us trying to land. It made three attempts and each time enemy planes were on its tail. The plane’s pilot said later he did not know whether to land because the Japs might have control of the airfields.” ‘