by Griff Hosker
The North Koreans had cleared the snow from the runway which made it easier for us to run across the tarmac which had yet to freeze properly. I led them to the aircraft and sheltered by the wheel. I kicked the chocks from the port wheel and, gesturing for my men to stay where they were, I ran to the other wheel and did the same. When we reached the fuselage, I went to the hatch and opened it. I signalled for them to enter. They had questions written all over their faces but their training kicked in and they obeyed. I dropped my Bergen in the rear of the fuselage, well away from the bomb doors and said, “We are going to steal this aeroplane. Ashcroft, find the radio and find out how to work it. The rest of you make yourselves as comfortable as you can. There are neither seats nor harnesses. There may be a seat on the dorsal turret and there is a seat behind the cockpit where the navigator sits. It will be the take-off and landing where problems might occur. When and if we land, I cannot guarantee a smooth one. This could be a bumpy ride.”
Corporal Dixon asked, “You can fly this, can’t you, sir?”
I grinned, “We will soon find out. Dixon, take charge and tie down what you can. Williams and Ashcroft come with me to the cockpit!”
They followed me and dropped their bags while the others took the bags to the safe place behind the cockpit before exploring the interior of the aircraft. The moon had come out and bathed the airfield in light. The control tower and the buildings were in darkness. I saw the glows of two cigarettes which marked the sentries. They were at the main gate barrier and at least four hundred yards from us. I pointed to the radio and Ashcroft sat on the seat. “Williams, take the co-pilot’s seat. Just do exactly what I do. I just need help to get the beastie in the air!” I pointed to the throttles. “You will be pushing those with me and,” I pointed to the joysticks, “then pulling back on these with me. Now strap yourselves in and hold on tight, it will be noisy and we will slip and slide all over the place!”
We would not have the luxury of headphones and flying helmets except for Ashcroft as there was a set attached to the radio. This would be seat of the pants flying. I intended to head south until we reached an allied airfield and try, if I could, to land. I knew that the runway would be slick. I doubted that it would have been gritted. Once I was ready, I fired the starboard engine. It was still warm from the test run and it fired. The port one struggled and hunted but eventually, when I tweaked the fuel, it fired. I saw lights come on in the building; they had been alerted and we were now on the clock. The wind was from the north and the runway was east-west. It would be a crosswind take-off which was always risky and I would not have the luxury of a long taxi. I nodded to Williams, “Hands on!”
I began to push the throttles and the pitch of the engine grew. We began to move along the runway. I did not want to go too fast and risk a skid. The danger was that the North Koreans would find some way to stop us. There were at least two of the biplanes which could fly and they had machine guns! I took us all the way to the western end of the runway and turned the Hudson so that we had the full length of the runway for the take-off; it also meant we were as far away from the men with guns as we could be. That would change when we tried to take off. I saw men racing from the buildings. They were armed and they would not let us leave without a fight.
“Ready, Williams?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Off we go then!”
We pushed the throttles and we began to bounce down the runway. I had my hands ready for the flaps but I concentrated on the joystick. The aeroplane wanted to slip and slide and I had to fight it. I saw the muzzles of the North Korean rifles spit flame and heard bullets strike the fuselage. Then I heard the chatter of the twin Brownings in the dorsal turret. Corporal Dixon had placed someone there. The North Korean fire stopped as they took cover. We were halfway down the runway and picking up speed. I knew that we were laden with bombs and would be heavier than we ought to be. Timing the take-off would be crucial. If I missed it then we would end up in the river! Suddenly the Brownings fired again and this time, whoever was firing them, fired at the Henschels. They had been fuelled and the two recently repaired aeroplanes burst into flames, setting alight the others. I had no time to look for the end of the runway was approaching. When I heard the explosions, I knew that the bombs had exploded.
“Williams, grab the joystick and be prepared to pull!”
He was quick and he held on to the joystick as though his life depended upon it.
“Now pull back!”
We both pulled back although nothing seemed to happen. The end of the runway was less than eighty yards away and beyond that lay the road and the river. We bounced up and down. My father would have tutted at such a poor attempt and then we started to lift. I do not think we had ten yards to spare but we rose above the ground, then the road and, finally, the river. I was aware that the river was the best marker we had for it led due south and so I banked towards the south.
“You can take your hands off now, Williams. Well done.”
This time the dials were in English. The Hudson had been a gift from the Royal Air Force and I was able to use the information before me to climb above the height of the mountains and to get the airspeed up. We had a full tank. That was a mixed blessing. If we crash-landed then it increased the chances of a fiery end. In addition, we had eight bombs aboard! I would use maximum fuel and climb to burn off as much fuel as I could. As I retracted the wheels and the flight became smoother I realised my original plan would not work. I needed to rid the aeroplane of the bombs and that meant heading out to sea first.
“How is the radio coming on, Ashcroft?” I glanced over my shoulder and saw that it was not a British radio. It was Chinese and had Chinese characters. There was a headset with built-in mike and Ashcroft had the headphone over one ear.
“Sir, I can’t read it.”
I shouted, “You don’t need to read it. Just keep turning the dial until you hear English and then transmit.”
“Sir.”
Williams, looking out of the starboard windscreen, shouted, excitedly, “Sir, I can see the barge!”
I was relieved. The Lieutenant and his precious charges had not been attacked, not yet anyway! We were ten minutes from the field when we reached two hundred and thirty miles an hour. She was flat out but this was not the top speed she had had when new. This was a tired old bus at the end of her life. I knew that it was over a hundred miles to the sea and I intended to fly south until we reached the sea and then turn east and head for Seoul. I turned to Williams, “Go under the cockpit, through the hatch behind us. Crawl to the bubble at the front of the aircraft and see if there is a bomb door release and bomb release device.”
“How will I know if I find it, sir?”
“You might not in which case we won’t be able to dump the bombs at sea but have a good look and then come back and tell me. You might check on the lads in the back and see if any were hurt when the Koreans fired at us.”
“Sir!”
One advantage we had was that we were flying at night and I did not expect too much air traffic. The river turned west by Pyongyang and it was just after there that anti-aircraft fire sent flak into the air. They missed, for we were high and alone. We were soon in darkness once more. I would now have to use the compass for direction. It would be slightly out but that did not matter. I had enough margin for error; I was aiming for the sea!
Williams returned, “Sir, the lads are all okay and I have found the bomb switch. It is red! There is a sign that says bomb doors. It was covered in a piece of paper with Chinese writing. I tore it off and found it.”
“Good, now sit back in the co-pilot’s seat. When we get over the sea and it is clear I want you to dump the bombs!”
“Sir!” he seemed excited at the prospect.
We flew over a dark land. There were no landmarks, except for the river, to be seen. There was a blackout in place from both armies and I had to hope that the compass was accurate. There were soldiers below us and no doubt some were fighting but up at eighteen tho
usand feet it was peaceful.
Sam suddenly pointed ahead and shouted, “Sir, the sea!”
He was right. “Get below and tell the others that I am going to descend. Then get into the bubble and wait; you shout when the sea is clear below us and I will give you the orders.” I would get well away from the coast before I dropped my bombs. It was safer that way and would burn off fuel.
“Right sir.” He disappeared through the hatch.
“Sir!”
“Ashcroft?”
“I have found some English chatter, sir, but I am still looking for the transmit switch.”
“When you find it, speak in clear language. Identify us and tell them that we are flying a Lockheed Hudson with North Korean colours. I will lower my wheels when we are near allied airspace.” Lowering the wheels while in the air was a universal signal of surrender.
I saw the land slip by and we were over the water. We were down to eight thousand feet when Williams shouted, “Clear!”
“Open bomb bay doors.” I heard the electric motor groan as the doors opened. “Bombs away!” It was only two hundred pounds we dropped but the aeroplane rose a little as we did so. I began to bank towards the east. I would fly towards the rising sun. I pulled back the throttle to slow down. I wanted a landing in daylight. If I had to, I would circle Seoul until I found an airfield in daylight. I knew there were two: a military and a civilian. We had taken off from the military one and I would prefer to land there. However, the important thing was to get down; I would land at either! I had pushed our collective luck enough already! As we banked, we saw the bombs explode as they hit the water. Some lucky fisherman would be able to collect fish from the surface.
My compass told me we were heading east but I wanted daylight to land. I had been lucky in the take-off and it would not do to count on it for the landing. We had almost half a tank of fuel left. I intended to climb when we neared the coast and burn off more fuel. Williams rejoined me. He was grinning like a child on Christmas day. “I got to drop bombs!”
“Well done! Now keep your eyes peeled for the coast.”
“Sir!”
Silence filled the cockpit. We were accustomed to the drone of engines and when Ashcroft suddenly shouted it came as a real shock, “Sir! I have a contact! It is a battlewagon off Inchon.”
“Good, then tell them we are coming in from the west. They should find me on the radar at, “I checked the altimeter, “at ten thousand feet and I will climb to fourteen thousand when we near the coast. Use Captain Warwick as our identification.”
A few minutes later and Sam said, “Sir, I can see a line I think might be the coast.”
“We will wait until we get a little closer.”
“Sir, the battleship has confirmed that she can see us on radar. To confirm that it is us that they see they want you to climb to twenty thousand feet and then descend when they give the order.”
I nodded. It made sense. We could be a threat to the fleet. Blair had been a Communist agent and Colonel Churchill had told me that they were using radio operators. Twenty thousand feet would make it harder for us to bomb the fleet. I climbed and levelled out; it did not take long as the Hudson had a good rate of climb. I flew straight and level for a minute.
“Sir, I can see the coast.”
Before I could respond to Williams, Ashcroft shouted, “They want you to descend to eight thousand feet and take a heading of 275. They are sending a couple of P51 Mustangs to escort us in.”
“That is to be expected. When they come, they will close with us to make sure we are who we say we are.”
Dipping the nose, I began a gradual descent. I saw the sun begin to rise in the east as the two Mustangs came on either side of us. Williams and I waved, showing our Caucasian faces. The pilots waggled their wings and gestured for me to lower my undercarriage. I did so and felt the drag immediately. I increased the power. They made the sign for us to descend. When we did so they followed us, one on each side of us. I breathed a sigh of relief. The flight was now uncomfortable but it was safe.
“Sir, I have the pilot of the Mustang. He said we are heading for the field we used when we took off.”
I nodded. That too, made sense for Captain Warwick was there. I almost cheered when I saw Seoul in the distance and the Mustang pilot instructed me to land! “Brace yourselves, lads, we are going to land and this could be bumpy!”
“Right sir!”
The Dakotas which had taken us were now in their hangars and I brought the Hudson down on an empty runway. It was not the best landing I had ever made but when the propellers stopped and we did not burst into flames, I smiled. I took out my pipe. “Get the hatch open! Not a great landing but any landing you walk away from is a good one!”
My men cheered. They could not have expected this outcome when our barge had sunk!
Chapter 10
There were armed guards facing the aircraft but they did not point their guns at us. I filled my pipe and waited for someone to come to us. Being stationary seemed the best option. I struck a match and drew on the tobacco. Captain Warwick and Colonel White rushed out to greet us. The Colonel shook his head, “When we received the first message, I was certain that it was a trick! I can see there is a tale here but, first, where are the others? Not…”
I shook my head, “We had two barges, sir. The majority were in the first one which was powered. Ours sank and I improvised. I estimate that they should be approaching Pyongyang. Is it still in North Korean hands?”
The Colonel shook his head. “It fell as you were heading north in the Dakotas and the Marine Division defeated a large force which was being sent to relieve the city. I am not certain yet about the security of the town but I will get on the radio and warn them to watch out for a barge filled with Commandos.” He pointed to a truck with an American corporal behind the wheel. “That is the transport for you and your men.”
“And there are some survivors from the Middlesex Regiment. Sir, if I could see to my men and then I can give you all the details!”
“Of course, and I have a bottle of rye to help us celebrate!”
Captain Warwick said, “I will walk with you, sir.” I had my pipe going and I saw that my men were unloading Bergens from the fuselage. “You can fly a plane then, sir.”
I nodded, “My father and I run a small charter company. It would have been easier with a co-pilot but Lance Corporal Williams did well.” We reached my men, “Well done, lads! You can have a couple of days off. There is your transport.”
Corporal Dixon spoke for them all when he said, “The others, sir? What about them?”
“We have no word yet but I believe they should be safe. Pyongyang has fallen and that is the largest place they will pass. The Colonel has sent a message. However, if they are lost then I will go back out and find them.”
They all nodded, “And we will come with you, sir!”
They headed for the waiting truck. I would make my own way back. I knew that this debrief would be a long one. What I had learned from the prisoners of war was disturbing. The Captain lit a cigarette as we headed back to the Colonel’s office, “The Americans are racing for the border, sir. I believe that they intend to cross.”
I stopped, “Into China?”
“I think so! I mention it here because, well I am not sure of the views of the Colonel on the matter. This is just something I picked up in the mess.”
“Suicide! The North Koreans are one thing but the Chinese! Let us hope that someone sees sense before they try that.” What worried me was not so much that MacArthur might attempt to invade China, there were enough level heads in Washington to stop that, but that the Chinese might suspect that the UN-led forces might do so. The sleeping dragon that was China was best left asleep!
“When I reached Colonel White’s office there was just the duty sergeant at the desk. He beamed at us, “Step inside sir and the Colonel will be with you momentarily. Congratulations, sir. That sure was ballsy.”
Captain Warwick aske
d, “Ballsy?”
I nodded, “An American expression and I think it is complimentary. Thank you, Sergeant. Is that coffee?” I gestured to the pot.
He nodded, “I think the Colonel has some rye waiting for you as well, sir.”
“And I will enjoy that but I have been awake for almost forty-eight hours and if I am to be in any way coherent then I need coffee.”
“Of course, sir!” He leapt to his feet and poured me a mug. “Cream and sugar, sir?”
“Just the way it comes.”
He returned to his desk, picked up the phone and dialled, “Have a plate of ham sandwiches brought up to the Colonel’s office, pronto!”
The coffee was good and I had drunk two mugs by the time the Colonel appeared, “Good news, Major, your boys made it. They are with the Marines and Major Poulson is being airlifted to the hospital here in Seoul. They have good people. The others are being sent south by truck. You did fine work. The aerial photographs of Sunchon came in. It was a truly remarkable piece of work. You held off half a battalion and your losses were minimal.”
I poured myself a third cup and shook my head, “Not in our opinion, sir. There are eight brave men buried there.”
Both the Colonel and the Captain were desk men and they could never understand the bond between fighting men. There was an embarrassed silence which was, thankfully, broken with the arrival of the sandwiches. There were enough to feed a platoon! The Colonel gestured for us to enter his office and the Sergeant brought a spare chair. He had a stenographer’s note pad with him.
“I thought that Sergeant Houlihan could take notes, it will be easier than you writing a report.”
I smiled, “Thank you, sir.” As I ploughed my way through the ham sandwiches I went through the events in order. I gave the facts and tried to avoid any emotive language. I finished with our landing. I saw the Sergeant shake his head.
The Colonel said, “Get that typed up, Sergeant and the Major can read and amend it.”
“Sir.” The Sergeant looked at me, “This would make a helluva movie, sir.”