American Under Attack

by Jeff Kildow

  His dad had turned Joel’s thin shoulders towards him, and looked him straight in the eye.

  “Now’s the hard part, Joel, confess to Him exactly what you have done; be a man, son, don’t try to pass off some generality as a confession. Don’t think you can say ‘I was bad and I’m sorry.’ Nope, that won’t do. You tell Him ‘I confess that I did thus and so, and I beg your forgiveness.’ Don’t use fancy words, and don’t act like you’re a lawyer – you have no excuse. Just tell Him what’s come between Him and you; you must be honest, because remember, He already knows.

  “You’ve already reminded Him that you’re saved; now’s the time, after you have humbly confessed your sin, to plead the blood of Jesus. Remember what it says in 1 John 1:9, ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’ Then, ask Him for forgiveness. Straight up. When you finish you thank Him for his forgiving grace. Can you do that?”

  “Yes, sir.” Joel remembered feeling clean afterward; that was what he needed now.

  He hesitated, part of him fighting against what his dad had told him.

  It isn’t like what you’ve done is so bad; you haven’t gambled away your paycheck like some of those guys; you didn’t chase off to the whorehouses like those other guys in the Philippines, you’ve never smoked; you don’t drink a drop. You’ve never cheated on expense reports or smuggled stuff past customs. You’re a straight arrow, Joel! You don’t need to confess anything.

  He thought for a moment, then realized what he’d just played in his mind was self-justification, fancy excuses. There was only one reason for the sense of spiritual isolation he felt: he’d let sin come between himself and God. Joel got off the chair and kneeled on the floor in front of it and began to pray.

  “Dear God, thank you for that quality of mercy that is your very essence. Thank you for how longsuffering, patient, and loving you are toward your own, and toward me especially. Most of all, I thank you for your perfect salvation through Jesus Christ, my Lord. I praise you, God, for your greatness, for your mighty acts of love. You are deserving of all the praise that man can give and far more.

  “You know I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior those many years ago, as a boy. My belief was genuine and that salvation was real, and I count myself as one of your own, a Child of God.”

  He swallowed hard, knowing what was next.

  “I confess to you, Lord, that I willfully turned away from you, and put my own interests, especially flying, ahead of you for all these years. Contrary to what it says in Proverbs, I did walk in my own understanding. You’ve kept me safe in all the situations I’ve been in despite the fact I turned my back on you. I failed to recognize your hand of mercy on me, and acted as if I was the reason I am alive. I have neglected to give you the praise and thanksgiving you deserve, and avoided worshiping with your people, all the while claiming to be Christian whenever it seemed to be to my advantage. I am ashamed of that. Worst of all, I’ve acted as if I don’t need you in my life. Now, I am alone and lost, and feel a desperate need to be back in communion with you, to reestablish the loving relationship we had before.

  “Please, Dear God, in the Name of Jesus, whose shed blood I plead, forgive these sins, and restore me back to my right place with you. Thank you for your Grace, which flows so freely. In the holy and righteous name of Jesus I pray, Amen.”

  He got up, and wiped away the tears he hadn’t even felt run down his cheeks. He knew without question that he had been heard. Inside him, there was a feeling of being clean, being set right.

  Chapter 75

  Saturday, 15 April 1944

  Central Command, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  Main Conference Room

  0800 Hours Eastern Time

  Post Mortem

  Major General White and several other field grade officers sat at the conference table speaking in low tones. Beside Joel in the audience was the silver-haired Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel who commanded the P-400 detachment in New York. Lieutenant Commander John Bell Higgins and Marine Captain Mark Best from Pawtuxent Naval Air Station, representing the Marine Corps F6Fs were in the next row. Everyone was waiting for the commander of the P-47 squadron based at Bolling Field, Washington, D.C. Various staff members, aids and senior enlisted made up the audience.

  All the “guilty parties,” Joel thought sardonically. It’s like waiting for the other shoe to fall, or worse, the axe.

  A low, subdued murmur of conversation buzzed among the men. Everyone knew this session would be rough; no one in the military was happy with the responses made to these last two attacks, to say nothing of the civilian “movers and shakers.” If General White decided to find a scapegoat, many could suffer severe consequences. Losses had been high, and the enemy had bombed their intended targets, even if they had also suffered losses.

  The conference room door opened; conversation halted and every head turned, expecting the missing squadron commander. Instead, a Navy yeoman in sharply creased whites took a message form to General White.

  The silver-haired man read it, cleared his throat, and said to the silent group,

  “Well, now, men, here’s a bit of good news. The Maryland State Police report that a large aircraft with German markings crash landed in western Maryland. The pilot and co-pilot are dead.”

  He looked up. Joel, like everyone, was hanging on his words.

  “Must be the plane those captured crewmen jumped from. Here’s the best part: the plane is essentially intact. We’ll finally get a good look at one of these behemoths!”

  The mood in the room brightened immediately.

  Now, Joel thought, maybe we come up with a way to counter those rocket guns.

  Long minutes passed. A harried-looking Army Major entered, “General White, Major Thorton, James L., reporting as ordered. My apologies for being late, sir, and respects from General Arnold. He asked me to brief him before I flew up here. We ran a little long.”

  “Apology accepted, Major. I can’t fault you for speaking to Hap first, if he asked you to. Please take a seat, and we’ll begin.”

  “To review, fires are still burning along the Baltimore waterfront. Civilian losses are being tallied, but they will probably be over 300. Military losses –, we don’t have a final number yet either, but they will be painfully high.

  “What we’ll do next – well, it’s a lot like going over your game plan after you’ve been whipped playing football, men,” he said. “No, it’s an awful lot worse than that, but take the analogy. Command knows most of you have barely been stood up, and we haven’t provided operational protocols or even well defined chains of command. Given all that, and more, you responded resolutely and bravely. My heart-felt consolations on your losses.” he said with empathy.

  “Now,” he went on, his voice determined and strict. “Here’s what we’re going to do. Each commander will write on this blackboard what went wrong in his district. When he’s done, we’ll add in anything anyone else wants to add, have it recorded by this yeoman, and go on to the next man. I’m not interested in inter-service rivalries, but if a sister service let you down, get the facts out without finger pointing. Are we agreed on this point, gentlemen?”

  He looked pointedly at a scowling Rear Admiral and a stony-faced one-star Marine.

  “Yes, sir,” the men chorused, with seeming reluctance.

  Joel become increasingly nervous as they waited; as the sergeants often said, he had “screwed up by the numbers,” and this was his day of reckoning. It came as a shock when he was called on first. Somewhat shakily, he went to the blackboard and wrote:

  What Went Wrong at Philadelphia:

  Warning too late

  Under strength/Too few alert aircraft /Too few aircraft flyable

  Poor tactics [attacked from rear of formation]

  Inadequate weapons

  Incorrect ammunition (P-400s)

  Inadequate fuel (P-400s)

  Too few backup aircraft called in /too
late

  No backup for ACP aircraft

  Communications poor

  Training inadequate, top to bottom

  He turned to the men at the table, his hands wet with sweat.

  “General White, sirs, I am Lieutenant Colonel Knight, Joel T. I command the 160th Coastal Defense Fighter Group at Millville Army Air Field, New Jersey. On the morning of the attack, I was flying a P-61 as commander, Aerial Command Post, Region 2, call sign ACP 2.”

  Feeling steadier, he said, “To begin, the first problem was that we were only warned about the attack as bombs were falling. The question must arise as to why the coastal observers didn’t notify us sooner.

  “My group is under strength; we only had four aircraft on alert. They launched immediately, but were too little, too late. Our flight-ready aircraft were nearly all were destroyed in the attack, even though they were in revetments. When the alert planes caught the enemy, they attacked from the rear, and were beaten up pretty badly.

  “We almost immediately discovered that the German rocket guns have much greater range than our 0.50 calibre machine guns. It was suicidal to fly into range for the 0.50s. Worst of all, the German rocket guns were deadly; in several cases, a single rocket downed a fighter.”

  He looked General White in the eye, with bravado he didn’t feel.

  “As Commander, ACP 2, I waited too long to call in reserves, and failed to account for their flight time; I refer to the New York Air National Guard P-400s. To their credit, they launched promptly when I called. When the P-400s arrived, the enemy was already over the Atlantic. Again, we faced a stern-chase situation. Then we discovered the P-400 cannons were armed with AP rounds, which initially proved ineffective. When they got hits, the rounds just punched through the Gotha’s skin, and failed to detonate. They attacked again, concentrating on the engines, and consequently got two kills. They ran low on fuel and had to recover; they were not equipped with drop tanks. Also, the enemy was steadily climbing, and the P-400s had reached their service ceiling.

  “The Marine Corps response from Pawtuxent Naval Air Station was timely, and in reasonable numbers, but like the other fighters, their guns were too short on range to get inside the perimeter the Germans could protect with their rocket guns. They, too, were generally in a stern-chase situation.”

  He paused, swallowing his pride.

  “I erred in using the P-61 I was flying to attack the formation; I should have preserved it as the sole ACP 2 flying command post. Not having a replacement aircraft or crew contributed to the losses over Baltimore in the subsequent attack.

  “Finally, the level of training and readiness was inadequate from top to bottom in my command; we had not so much as practiced an interception scramble, or the tasks necessary to coordinate a counterattack.”

  He stood silently, waiting for the response, his heart pounding in his chest.

  General White looked up from the notes he was making.

  “Good brief, Colonel Knight. In addition to no advance warning, there’s another fundamental problem; the bases under your command were not notified of the attack; that could have reduced response times for both the P-400s and the F6Fs. Further, I observed that the anti-aircraft batteries at Millville Air Field and elsewhere were ineffective and inaccurate. I will address that issue with the artillery commanders later.

  “Your mea culpa regarding the use of your P-61 is noted, Colonel, though one can hardly fault your courage or perseverance in pursuing the enemy. One also notes that four enemy aircraft were downed by you and your crew. In case you were unaware, the ship MV Conrad Conyers saw the two Gothas crash, and subsequently picked up four bodies and some important wreckage. She’ll dock in Philadelphia tomorrow, and we’ll see what they have. Some of it is documents of some sort.

  “Command let you down by not providing a back-up ACP 2 aircraft; we should have foreseen that combat damage or even ordinary maintenance could have caused the same situation. As to training, your statements are true for every element of this organization; none of us had properly prepared. That must and shall be addressed immediately. You may be seated, Colonel.”

  Joel walked toward his chair in surprised relief.

  General White turned to the New York Air National Guard Lieutenant Colonel, “Colonel Graham, would you care to comment?”

  “Yes, sir. Sirs, I am Lieutenant Colonel Graham, Toland L., U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve. I command the New York State Air National Guard. Our unit flies the Bell P-400s Colonel Knight mentioned. One of my soldiers was monitoring the Central Command radio frequency when the Millville attack began. He immediately notified his superior, and we were ready when Colonel Knight called. Had that advance notice not been received, we could have been ten or fifteen minutes later in responding.

  “As to the AP rounds in the P-400 cannons, we had prepared for live fire training against simulated armored vehicles, at the Millville Air Field range. There simply wasn’t time to have the aircraft rearmed even if we had been so advised.

  “In defense of my pilots, sirs, they are not trained for air-to-air combat. Instead, they provide close support to infantry and artillery troops on the ground. If we are to use them against enemy bombers, may I suggest, sirs, that we be provided HE cannon rounds with proximity fuses. My unit has not been issued external fuel tanks. In addition, I must say that Colonel Knight is correct; our P-400s are altitude restricted to about 20,000 feet.”

  General White said, “Your request is noted, and agreed with, Colonel Graham. Your men responded admirably. We’ll get the communication situation taken care of as soon as possible. As part of that fix, I will direct all units in District 2 to monitor Central Command radio around the clock. We’ll also train your men in aerial combat. You’ll have drop tanks within a day or so. As an aside, Colonel, I’ll also look into reequipping your unit with fighters capable of supporting your new responsibilities. Please convey my congratulations to your unit; they responded most professionally. You may be seated, Colonel.”

  White turned to a Brigadier General sitting at the front table with him.

  “General Furston, I understand that the defense against the attack on Baltimore was controlled by you here at Central Command, in the absence of Colonel Knight’s ACP 2 function.”

  “That is correct, General White,” the crag faced man replied in a deep voice. He reminded Joel of the actor Victor Jory. He stood to address the panel.

  “Even if Colonel Knight’s ACP 2 aircraft hadn’t been damaged, it would’ve needed refueling and rearming before going aloft again. Given the timing of the raid on Baltimore relative to the one on Millville and Philadelphia, it was all but inevitable that his P-61 would be caught on the ground. I tip my hat to Major Thorton from Bolling Air Field. He launched his P-47s on his own recognizance, and I have to say, they saved the day. Without them, it would have been much, much worse; well done, Major.”

  General Furston walked to the blackboard, which had been copied. Standing ram-rod straight, he said, “I’ll only expand on what is different from Colonel Knight’s brief,”

  What Went Wrong at Baltimore:

  Poor anti-aircraft gunnery & too few guns

  No fighter aircraft reserves

  No plan for dealing with POWs

  ACP function poorly handled; never asked for help from the

  Navy/Marines – why?

  No prior coordination between flights from different locales

  and services (who’s in charge, what are the

  combined tactics?)

  Joel was surprised; general officers rarely, if ever, took the blame for a foul up, and especially not in public.

  This General Furston shows a lot of courage.

  Furston turned to the men in front, his voice a low growl, eyes nearly shut with the intensity of his message.

  “Sirs, like Colonel Knight, we were notified of this attack as it began. To my embarrassment, I discovered later that a priority message detailing the enemy formation had been sent to us fifteen minutes befor
e the attack by the Ground Observer Corps [GOC] in Delaware. Since it came from a civilian source, it was handled as an ordinary message. It reached the staff hours after the raid. It could have given Colonel Knight a few precious moments more to respond. This was a failure in procedure that has already been corrected.”

  His face hardened and his voice rumbled even lower.

  “Because of the earlier raid on Millville and Philadelphia, the available fighter force was significantly depleted. Surviving aircraft were being serviced and rearmed as the Baltimore raid began, but on a peace-time basis – slowly, no sense of urgency. There were no reserve aircraft; none. We re-launched only seven aircraft, and they went aloft when the raid was nearly over. Without Major Thorton’s fighters, the Germans would have been unopposed.”

  He rapped on the blackboard, “In common with Millville and Philadelphia, the anti-aircraft gunnery in and around Baltimore was grossly ineffective; more damage was caused by dropping shells than to the Germans. The gunners seemed to be firing blindly.

  “While Colonel Graham’s P-400s were not involved, it is my contention that we also were fighting with the wrong ammunition, or better said, the wrong weapons. These two raids have demonstrated clearly that our 0.50 cals are no match for the rocket guns. Somebody had better come up with a solution to this, and soon, or we’ll continue to take it on the chin. Make no mistake, gentlemen, the Germans will only improve this weapon. If we don’t counter it quickly, we could end up essentially defenseless.”

  Several heads nodded in agreement at the front table.

  Joel thought, I sure like his candor. He’s got real moxie.

  Furston manfully stuck out his chin; “I am embarrassed to tell this panel that I had made no provisions for dealing with enemy prisoners. The need to deal with them took us – more correctly, me – by surprise. The four men who bailed out of the Gotha were captured and arrested by the Baltimore police. The prisoners will be taken to Fort George Mead, Maryland for interrogations and assignment to a POW facility.”