At 5:15 pm on March 9, Wei Ran and Brad, who had already changed into a high-altitude flight suit, boarded the Dumbo bomber as bombers and tail gunners respectively.

At the same time, Robert, the original tail gunner of Dumbo crew and Ryan, also changed into uniforms, each holding a Kodak winner camera that Brad gave them, drove the jeep that Brad and Wei Ran used, and began to wait at the airport as reporters to film the bomber's takeoff.

This was agreed in advance, and even the camera position and angle of the shooting were not trained in advance by Brad.

In the cab of Dumbo bomber, Wei Ran also took a photo of the chief and deputy captain, and then sat in the position of the bomber with the best view, holding the camera in one hand and preparing.

At 5:35 pm, at the order of Brigadier General Thomas Ball, commander of the 314th Bombing Wing, the first batch of B29 bombers took off from airports in Saipan or Guam in a row of engines.

At 49 minutes, Dumbo began to glide on the runway under the driving of Charles and Baker, and in the bumps, Wei Ran successfully lifted off towards the shutters pressed by the two of them.

At the same time, the tail turret with a good vision as the bomber's position, Brad, who had a cigar in his mouth, generously pressed the shutter again and again, and took pictures of the B29s waiting to take off at the airport and the ground crew vaguely waving at them.

In the record of loyalty of silver-salt photo paper, Dumbo is getting farther and farther away from Saipan and eventually rushes into the clouds.

Just like historical records, this bombing did not require formation flights, which undoubtedly saved a lot of fuel, but also made the crew members worried.

“Have any of you ever experienced having to skydiving?”

In the internal communication, wireless telegrapher Jack opened a topic that was not so appropriate.

“I’ve experienced it,” said the mechanic Arthur, “and it has been done twice.”

"I've experienced it once," responded by deputy captain Baker.

“I’ve experienced it once too”

Captain Charles joined the topic, "My skydiving was a success, but I almost drowned by the paracord around my neck."

"I'm lucky and have never experienced it before," said Navigator Bob.

"Keep your record"

Baker said, "Where are the other two?"

"I skip twice"

Brad in the tail turret said, "I gave up on the third time, but I survived."

"Your luck is better than Bob, you must keep it up." Baker said happily.

If you knew his experience, I wouldn't have said that...

Wei Ran curled his lips secretly and scattered the memory that was scattered in the English Channel, "I have never before."

"You won't experience it on Dumbo," Captain Charles said, "never".

"We might as well change the topic"

Mechanic Arthur suggested, “For example, when we reach the bombing area, should we pull the height to ten thousand feet.”

"The guide's height is 25,000 feet"

Navigator Bob reminded, "We climbed so high that we will not only be noticed, but maybe our bombs will also hit other crews, especially our bomb droppers are a junior brother."

“If we fly to ten thousand feet we will be the laughing stock of Saipan”

Charles also said, "I would rather go skydiving again than shame my Dumbo."

"Bomb-dropper, are you nervous?" Arthur asked worriedly.

"My excited dick is saluting General Li Mei," Wei Ran responded with a joke, "Don't worry, I won't make any mistakes."

"Victor"

At this time, Charles disconnected his headphones, handed a cigar in the rumbling noise and shouted, "The time before and after the bombing is actually you are controlling the direction of the bomber, so you have to complete your work as soon as possible, and then we return immediately. It is about whether we can go back alive, so don't waste time."

"Don't worry," Wei Ran shouted and gave a response, and took the cigar and lighter.

He bit off one end of the cigar and ignited it, and he also handed the lighter to the co-pilot Baker on the other side behind him.

After a while, the heavy smoke of cigars gradually spread in the cabin that had already started to pressurize.

"Don't mind if I go to various places to take a few photos now?" Wei Ran asked loudly with a cigar in his mouth.

"Of course, as long as you come back before the bombing," Captain Charles said casually.

Hearing this, Wei Ran smiled, took out the disposable hand-held flash prepared in advance from his arms and connected it to the camera, crossed the driver's and deputy captain, and called the shutter to turn around and pressed the shutter at them.

The first photo was completed in the highlight provided by the flash bulb. He immediately replaced the new flash bulb and took a photo of Navigator Bob, Mechanic Arthur and Wireless Telegrapher Jack.

Replaced with a new flash bulb, he climbed along the passage to the bomb bay with difficulty, but did not rush to take pictures of the cluster incendiary bombs full of sincere greetings, but walked towards the tail of the machine.

At this time, Brad sat in the tail gunner's position, covering his chest with one hand, pinching the gold coin with the other hand and praying for something devoutly with his eyes closed.

Obviously, he was afraid that he would kill everyone in the crew and the bomber again.

He chose an angle and pressed the shutter towards the other party, and the dazzling flash also alarmed Brad.

Turning his head and looking at Wei Ran, Brad stuffed his lucky gold coins back into his neck with a little embarrassed expression, and explained in a pale tone, "This is my habit, I... well... I am a devout believer, yes, a devout believer."

"Believe in the Statue of Liberty or Believe in the Philadelphia Coin?"

Wei Ran teased with kindness, then turned around, raised the camera that had been replaced with a new light bulb, and pressed the shutter towards the aviation camera fixed in the bomb bay and the cluster incendiary bombs full of blessings.

This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! Turning around again, he shook the large keychain with two streamers at Brad, who was embarrassed, and said loudly, "Brad, we will all go back! Return to Saipan alive! I promised Robert and you to help you wash the negatives, so you don't have to be so nervous!"

"Thank you!" Brad responded with a smile, as if he had become more nervous because of Wei Ran's words just now.

"With time left, why not take a few photos of you in front of you."

Wei Ran suggested that without waiting for the other party to agree, he raised his camera again and found the cluster incendiary bomb with the traditional Chinese greetings "I have an acquaintance in Tokyo" and took a close-up shot again.

Climbing back to the cockpit the same way, he sat back in the position of the bomber, and then noticed Brad who was climbing over.

"Gentlemen, let me take a photo of you!"

Brad, who was lying in the passage, held his camera and shouted, "So he took a few seconds to see how I was?"

Everyone holding the cigar in their mouths did as they said, Brad also shouted enthusiastically, "Danbo!"

"Danbo!"

Amid the cheers of everyone, the cabin was filled with the strong light of the flash at a certain moment, and everyone in the cockpit was also recorded.

After all, this was a combat mission. Brad didn't stay for a long time. After taking the photos, he immediately climbed back. The cockpit was left with only the cigar light that was undecided, as well as the chattering from time to time, and even the correction orders of the navigator Bob on the heading.

Amid the rumbling noise, Brad from the tail turret was praying devoutly, but Wei Ran at the nose was asleep in the slightly noisy white noise.

After nearly five hours of flight, Baker woke Wei Ran up, "Victor, wake up, we're about to start."

"How long will it take?" Wei Ran asked, rubbing his face hard.

"At most half an hour"

Navigator Bob answered the question in an internal communication, "Pathfinder is almost here. Today, the clouds over Tokyo are thin and visibility is very high. Southeast gusts of 45 to 67 miles per hour are generally a good weather for beginners to drop bombs and take photos."

“I’ll take a few more photos”

Wei Ran said as he removed the camera's flash and stuffed it into his arms, then replaced the camera with a new piece of film.

"I'll take a few more photos, too," Brad, who was at the tail turret, promised in an internal communication.

“We will pick the best one to keep as a souvenir, and the wireless telegrapher Jack suggested, “Everyone signs his name on it.”

“It’s a good proposal”

Mechanic Arthur agreed, “I’ll hang it in my living room, I mean, when I have my own house and there’s a living room in it.”

"You'll have a house with a living room," Baker responded with a smile.

In the new round of teasing, Dumbo, full of sincerity, is getting closer to Tokyo, and the wireless telegrapher Jack also gave a series of prompts.

"The guide has arrived in the target airspace"

Jack reminded in the communication with clear and loud words, "They are 25,000 feet and the visibility of the surface is very high!"

"Pathfinder is ready to enter the field! The bomber is ready. Our goal is to take the current course at 12 o'clock and the direction of the black area at three o'clock in the flames!"

"Pathfinder comes in!"

At 12:08, Jack shouted, "The X-scribing starts! Keep the height of 5,000 feet!"

"Prepare to enter!"

At 12:11, Navigator Arthur shouted and gave an order, "Arrival in the target airspace! Correct the course, starboard five degrees!"

"Bomb-dropper!"

Charles, who had corrected his course, shouted loudly.

"receive!"

Wei Ran, who had already put his eyes on the sight, responded.

At this time, in the sighting device, he could clearly see two vertical crosses drawn by flames on the surface of the ground, and even more so the anti-aircraft gun smoke ball exploded directly under them.

"Hurry up! We're going to leave here as soon as possible!" Charles urged.

"immediately!"

Wei Ran stared at the marked explosion point in the aiming instrument, and temporarily controlled the plane, and began to drop bombs along the right side of the X marked with flames on the ground, along a track that could form an isosceles triangle with the two flames.

"The bomb drop ends!"

In just a few seconds, a total of 40 cluster incendiary bombs left Dumbo's bomb bay and cracked into a total of 1,520 M69 incendiary bombs at a height of two thousand feet from the surface!

In the night sky lit by the flames and flares, each M69 incendiary bomb released a one-meter-long cotton float to guide them to fall, and splashed beautiful ripples of flames on the surface of Tokyo.

Earlier, the bomb drop ports of the bomb bay rushed to the surface with the temptation of gravity. Brad also pressed the remote shutter and controlled the K18 aviation camera produced by Fairchild. In the flashing shutter, he took pictures of the cluster bombs from leaving the bomb bay to falling to the ground, and finally drew the entire process of the flame triangle oblique edge.

As the bomb hatch closed, Brad immediately released the remote shutter, unbuttoned the seat belt and ran back to the tail turret skillfully and quickly.

He did not stop shooting, but like Wei Ran at this time, he raised their Kodak cameras and pressed the shutter again and again toward the surface at the two best view positions of the bomber.

I don’t know whose luck we should attribute to, from entering the field, dropping bombs, hovering into air, Dumbo did not encounter any damage from enemy planes or anti-aircraft guns.

This undoubtedly made everyone in the cockpit cheer and also made Brad in the tail turret completely relieved and collapsed in his original position.

"I'm not a home run..."
To be continued...