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ARLY IN AUGUST 1945 THREE U.S.A.A.F. BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESSES APPROACHED THE JAPANESE MAINLAND AT THE END OF A SIX-HOUR FLIGHT FROM THEIR BASE ON TINIAN IN THE MARIANAS ISLANDS. THE HOSTILE SKIES AHEAD OF THEM REMAINED CALM AND EMPTY.

E

NO SIGN OF ANY BANDIT ACTIVITY SO FAR.

NO SURPRISES THERE.

STORY ALAN HEBDEN ART JOHN RIDGWAY COVER JOHN RIDGWAY

4 THE LEADING BOMBER HAD BEEN CHRISTENED “FLYING FURY.” HER COMMANDER, MAJOR KIT DESALLE, KNEW WHY NO ENEMY AIRCRAFT WERE COMING TO ENGAGE THEM. THE JAPANESE HAD PLENTY OF PLANES LEFT, BUT HARDLY ANY FUEL FOR THEM THANKS TO THE ALLIES BLOCKADE OF THEIR SUPPLY ROUTES.

THEY’D SEND UP INTERCEPTORS AND KAMIKAZES IF WE WERE RAIDING IN FORCE BUT THEY’LL RECKON THREE SUPERFORTS CAN’T DO ENOUGH DAMAGE TO JUSTIFY THE EFFORT.

THEY’RE GONNA GET A SHOCK WHEN THEY FIND OUT HOW MUCH DAMAGE JUST ONE B-29 CAN HAND DOWN!

THE BIG BOMBERS CLOSED ON THEIR TARGET — A SPRAWLING INDUSTRIAL PORT SO FAR SPARED THE FIRE RAIDS THAT HAD RAVAGED OTHER JAPANESE CITIES. TARGET IN SIGHT. INSTRUMENT AND PHOTOGRAPHY AIRCRAFT IN POSITION.

OK, LET’S GIVE ‘EM A SHOW TO REMEMBER! BEGINNING FINAL BOMB RUN!

5

AT THAT MOMENT, KIT’S REAR GUNNER SHADED HIS EYES AGAINST THE MORNING SUN AND GAVE A WORRIED FROWN.

WHAT’S THAT…?

BANDIT AT...AAARGH!

THE SUSTAINED BLAST OF CANNON FIRE THAT KILLED THE GUNNER CAUSED FEARFUL DAMAGE AND LEFT KIT STRUGGLING WITH THE CONTROLS. HOLY TOLEDO, THE RUDDER AND TAILPLANE CONTROLS ARE SHOT! ABORTING BOMB RUN!

RADIO’S KAPUT!

WHAT IN BLAZES HIT US?

6 THE FIGHTER WHICH HAD HIT THEM WAS AN AIRCRAFT NEITHER KIT NOR HIS CO-PILOT HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE.

THE ENGINE’S AT THE BACK, BEHIND THE TAIL!

AND IT AIN’T ALONE!

ANOTHER OF THE UNLIKELY AIRCRAFT WAS ALREADY DIVING AT GREAT SPEED TOWARDS THE SECOND B-29 AND STRAFING IT WITH CANNON FIRE WHILE THE ONE WHICH HAD STRUCK FLYING FURY WAS TURNING TOWARDS THE THIRD BOMBER.

IT’S GOT THE INSTRUMENT AIRCRAFT!

THIS IS A DISASTER!

7 THE THIRD B-29, KNOWN AS THE PHOTOGRAPHY AIRCRAFT, TRIED TO ESCAPE, BUT THE REARENGINED INTERCEPTOR DIVED BENEATH IT AND FIRED ANOTHER WITHERING BURST OF CANNON FIRE.

THE WING OF THE BOEING WAS ALL BUT RIPPED OFF

BY THE SHELLS.

IN A LITTLE OVER TWO MINUTES THE TWO SLEEK-NOSED, REARENGINED INTERCEPTORS HAD SHOT DOWN TWO SUPERFORTRESSES AND BADLY DAMAGED A THIRD. AS THE JAPANESE PILOTS BROKE OFF, KIT GAVE A SIGH OF RELIEF, ALBEIT A MUTED ONE.

PROBABLY OUT OF FUEL. NOT THAT IT MATTERS. THEY’VE SURE DEALT THIS MISSION A DEATH BLOW!

YOU’RE NOT WRONG. THAT’S TWO DOWN AND US ALL BUT READY TO FOLLOW THEM.

8 WHILE THE AMERICANS STRUGGLED TO KEEP THE BIG BOMBER AIRBORNE, THE TWO DEADLY INTERCEPTORS LANDED AT A NEARBY AIRFIELD. AS KIT HAD SURMISED LACK OF FUEL HAD CAUSED THEM TO BREAK OFF THE ATTACK.

ANOTHER FEW MINUTES’ FLYING TIME AND WE WOULD HAVE SHOT DOWN ALL THREE OF THOSE DEVIL BOMBERS. BUT WHY WERE THERE ONLY THREE OF THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE?

HAVING LANDED, JAPANESE ARMY AIR FORCE CAPTAIN KEI YOSHIDA, THE FLIGHT COMMANDER, PUT THAT POINT TO HIS WINGMAN, LIEUTENANT SABURO HAMADA. A TRIO OF BOMBERS WAS AN UNUSUALLY SMALL FORCE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A RECONNAISSANCE MISSION, BUT SURELY ONE WOULD BE ENOUGH FOR THAT. IT SEEMED TO ME THAT THE AIRCRAFT YOU DAMAGED AT THE START WAS BEGINNING A BOMBING RUN OVER THE CITY.

THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE, BUT WHAT DAMAGE COULD ONE PLANE HAVE DONE? IT’S A MYSTERY.

YOU ARE TO REPORT TO COLONEL SASAKI, CAPTAINSAN.

9 SASAKI CONGRATULATED KEI ON THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TWO B-29s BUT, AS HE CONTINUED, THE PILOT’S FACE FELL.

THE COLONEL EXPLAINED WITH A SMILE.

YOU WILL BE ALLOTTED SUFFICIENT FUEL TO FLY BOTH AIRCRAFT TO A SECRET BASE IN THE SEA OF JAPAN WHERE IMPROVEMENTS WILL BE CARRIED OUT.

BUT, COLONEL-SAN, THE SHINDENS HAVE PROVED THAT WITH MORE FUEL THEY WILL RUN RINGS AROUND THE DEVIL BOMBERS AND THEIR FIGHTER ESCORTS.

THE SHINDEN WAS DESIGNED WITH A REAR-MOUNTED ENGINE SO IT COULD BE CHANGED FOR SOMETHING BETTER. NEW ENGINES ARE NOW READY TO BE INSTALLED. ENGINES WHICH WILL MAKE THE SHINDENS THE FASTEST PLANES ON EARTH!

KEI MIGHT HAVE BEEN SMILING BUT THE AMERICAN CREW HE’D TANGLED WITH WEREN’T. AS THEY LIMPED OVER THE SEA OF JAPAN, KIT KNEW THEY WOULD NEVER MAKE IT TO TINIAN. BUT THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY DESTINATION MUCH CLOSER THAT HAD BEEN USED BEFORE BY CRIPPLED AMERICAN AIRCRAFT. LOOKS LIKE WE’RE BOUND FOR VLADIVOSTOK AND THE TENDER EMBRACE OF THE RUSSIAN BEAR. NO WAY WE CAN DELIVER OUR CARGO INTO THEIR HANDS, THOUGH. DISARM THE FUSES AND DROP IT INTO THE SEA.

10 A FEW MINUTES LATER THE SUPERFORTRESS RELEASED ITS UNUSED CARGO — A SINGLE BOMB.

IT’LL SOON BE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA.

A SUDDEN BREAK IN THE CLOUD COVER REVEALED THAT IT WAS NOT SEA BELOW THEM, BUT A MEDIUM-SIZED ISLAND. KIT REALISED IMMEDIATELY THAT THIS UNFORTUNATE MISCHANCE COULD HAVE FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES.

SKIPPER, LOOK!

BETTER PRAY OUR EGG FELL IN THE WATER AND MISSED THE ISLAND. THE ALTERNATIVE DOESN’T BEAR THINKING ABOUT!

IT’S CALLED TAKASHIMA. MARKED HERE AS A MINOR MILITARY OUTPOST AND AIRFIELD.