American Valor Quarterly Issue 9 - Summer 2012 | Page 35

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responded, and in
that instant I rolled
the plane on its
right side and flew
between
the
cruiser’s second gun
turret and the
bridge.

sinking, and they’re trying to take the
admiral’s staff off on a cruiser. Go down
and strafe it.”
We didn’t need a second invitation. We
peeled off and dove on the Oyodo, which
had pulled up at the stern of the carrier.
Officers were jumping from the carrier
to the forward deck of the cruiser. They
were huddled together. We tore them to
pieces. No one could have survived the
fire from our machine guns. I only hoped
this was the same staff that was aboard
when they attacked Pearl Harbor. When
that attack took place and I was a student
in college, I never in my wildest
imagination thought that I would have
the chance to avenge that attack. I felt the
greatest satisfaction I’d ever felt in my life.

I was perhaps three
feet from the
windows on the
bridge and could
see the Japanese
and
The crew of the doomed Zuikaku salute, as their flag is lowered. The last officers
carrier to take part in the Pearl Harbor attack was now finished.
enlisted
men
commanding the
Once again my luck held as I screamed ship. There was an admiral in dress whites,
down on the carrier, which now complete with sword. The other officers
completely filled my gunsight. I rested and men were also in dress whites. I was
my finger on the bomb-release button. I going 530 miles an hour, and I only got a Flying back to our carrier from the Battle
kept going. I wanted to make absolutely glimpse, but that image is impressed on off Cape Engaño, I thought of the way
I’d struggled to take those cans of peas
sure I got a hit. When it seemed I was my mind forever.
to school to feed the Japanese. What if
going to hit the ship, I pushed the release
and pulled out. I had not looked at my I quickly distanced myself from the ship some of the Japanese I fed were on that
altimeter or air speed. I was way over and slowed to a reasonable speed. I made ship? I cursed the fact that my mother
the red line of the aircraft, and of course no effort to take evasive action, as I knew wasn’t the ordnance officer on the carrier.
blacked out from the G forces on the no one was paying special attention to I wouldn’t have had a 500-pound bomb;
me any longer. Somehow, my it would have been at least 1,000 pounds
pullout.
subconscious alerted me that I shouldn’t or maybe 2,000 pounds, even if I could
After a moment, I was conscious but be flying in a straight line, regardless. At barely fly with it.
couldn’t see. I heard a slight change in the speed I was going, it was painful to
the pitch of the noise and eased forward make a sharp turn, but I
on the stick. Blood instantly returned to did. Moments later, there
my brain, and I could see again, and what was a gigantic explosion
I saw scared me to death. I was so low I where I would have been.
was clipping the spray from the waves. I That cruiser had turned one
was also forty knots over the maximum of its 8-inch gun turrets
speed for the plane. But the main thing and fired at me. If I hadn’t
was, I made it—until I looked up ahead. taken evasive action, they
I was flying right into the side of the would have hit me. I made
Oyodo, a Japanese light cruiser. I pulled another turn, with the same
back on the stick, and nothing happened. results. They were really
I couldn’t gain altitude. The elevator determined. One more
control must have been frozen due to shot and I pulled up into a
the speed. Putting both hands on the stick cloud, where I circled, then
and bracing myself against the rudder came down in another
pedals, I pulled with all of my strength. direction.
The nose rose slightly, enough to clear
the hull, but not enough to clear the We had barely rendezsuperstructure. I was going to hit the ship. voused when Hugh called
Bill Davis receives the Navy Cross on the deck of the USS
Lexington for his role in sinking the Zuikaku.
At the last moment I tried the aileron. It on the radio. “The carrier’s

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