Lunga Point (CVE 94) - Naval Cruise Book

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PRESS RELEASE 16 April 1945 By Lt. William H. Kearns, USNR fAboard a combat support aircraft carrier in the western Pacificj I5 April 1945 CDelayedj. V How it feels to be shot down by anti-air- craft fire behind the Japanese lines on the en- emy-held bastion of Okinawa scarcely more than 300 miles from the Jap mainland, to then be chased by Jap soldiers who shot at them with rifies, and to subsequently make good their escape and return to their own aircraft carrier was relatedtoday by two of this ship's airmen, Lt. Robert H. Oron, USNR, of Worcester, Mass., pilot of an Avenger torpedo bomber, and Rual W. Melton, aviation radio- man, second class, of Detroit, Michigan. As one of the formation of carrier-based fighter and bomber planes attacking gun po- sitions and other enemy targets on Okinawa, Lt. tfjgj Oronis plane was hit by Jap anti-air- craft fire as he was pulling out of his first dive. He had just launched a salvo of rockets on a group of enemy guns when he saw his engine begin to smoke profusely, apparently due to a severed oil line. His vision obscured by oil which covered the windshield, he leaned out of the cockpit to get a view of the terrain below. He had only goo feet altitude at the time his engine was hit and he was now losing altitude at an alarming rate. Knowing that he could not remain airborne more than a few minutes, he headed the plane toward a small bay which jutted inland from the coast, intending to make a water landing. But the sea was too far away and it became obvious that he couldn't stretch his glide that far. Turning north, the pilot determined to land as near to the American lines as his waning power would allow. But the friendly lines were still about three miles away and there was now no alternative but to put the plane down in Jap territory. Skilfully avoiding crashing into la small vil- lage, Lt. C Oron made a perfect landing in a level field. The plane skidded along for a short distance, then slewed into a mound of earth and stopped abruptly. Lt. Oron released his safety belt and shoulder straps, climbed out of the cockpit and made a quick check on his crew 5 the turret gun- ner and Melton. The radioman, reported UAH safe. The plane was now enveloped with smoke and the engine was on fire. The flames licked their way aft along the fuselage. Speed was now of the essence, for in the Aven- ger's belly were ten live bombs. At any second the mounting heat would detonate them. Lt. Cjgb Cron and his crewmen unstrapped the leg straps of their parachute harness and the three airmen ran like rabbits for the safety of a drain- age ditch 150 yards away. They had scarcely dived into this shelter when the bombs went off. The torpedo bomber literally disappeared in the cataclysmic blast, which tore a crater in the ground loo feet in diameter and rained debris on the countryside for hundreds of yards in all directions. The detonation occurred one minute after the plane came to a stop on the ground. A close call. But they were to have other close calls that day. Lt. Cron and his comrades now took stock of the situation. They knew that an un- reckoned number of almond-eyed Nips had watched the descent of their crippled plane, many more had doubtless seen and heard the explosion. They prayed that the Japs would believe that the pilot and crew had been des- troyed in the blast, otherwise, armed patrols would even now be scouring the vicinity for them. And they knew that the cornered, desperate Japs on Okinawa were taking no prisoners. Melton fished a battered map from his flying suit. Lt. Cron pointed to a spot on the eastern side of the southern part of the island, indicating their present position. They were about 3 X4 of a mile from Yonabaru Wan, the bay the pilot had tried to reach before going down. About QM miles to the north were the nearest American lines. Obviously, their best chance lay in making the beach and then push- ing north to friendly territory. Between them and this friendly haven, however, lay a sizable unit of the Jap army. About loo feet to the north they could see several native huts, evidently the beginning of a small village. So the trio headed east toward the coast, skirting the village. Walking through fields and vegetable gardens, they took ad- vantage of what scant cover was available, re- alizing that their bright yellow ffMae Westi' life jackets would be easy to spot from a dis- tance. After progressing eastward for about 5oo yards, the escapers turned north and about