I found this interesting response in my mailbox this a.m. from a WWII pilot. These guys were and still are an amazing and special breed of men. It was in response to my question regarding use of the RDF in the trans-Pacific flight to Hawaii by aircraft crews in the 345th Bombardment Group of the 5th Air Force during WWII:
"My crew and I flew a B-25J to Hawaii from Susuin Fairfield, now called Travis, to Hawaii in the fall of 1944. We waited for prevailing winds and lifted off at about 2 o'clock in the morning using nothing more than celestial navigatioin and dead reckoning. Our only consolation was that picket ships were positioned on our course to be contacted only in a May Day situation. Hawaii had complete radio silence at that time. We were instructed to fly at 6000 ft and cruise at an air speed of 160 mph to conserve fuel. My navigator was one of the best. From Hawaii we flew on to Christmas Island, Canton, Tarawa, Guadalcanal, and to our final destination, Nadzab in New Guinea using nothing more our maps and dead reckoning and without any radio contact. The rumor floating around was that a few of the crews were lost at sea although I knew of none. I was assigned to the 499th Squadron of the 345th Bomb Group and completed my 50 combat missions." 73, Gil NN4CW _______________________________________________ IRCA mailing list [email protected] http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org To Post a message: [email protected]
