BOMBER GUNNER'S REPORT:"There was heavy interception ..."
In combats which raged from Vunakanau airdrome to Wide Bay, bomber gunners repeatedly repulsed the enemy, destroying 27 Jap aircraft in the air. In addition, 16 Japanese airplanes were destroyed on the ground. "We hit land and saw antiaircraft fire coming from Vunakanau.. We passed over the southwest corner of the strip and at the same time were intercepted by seven to nine Zekes and Tonys. The rest of our formation was about 2 miles ahead of us. They started their passes our of my range and when I would give them a couple of bursts they would pull away and not come in. The last plane I saw was coming in our blind spot. He came within two hundred yards firing all the way. He pulled away to the left with his belly to me. I saw tracers entering his plane back of the cockpit. The whole tail section broke into flame and the pilot bailed out while the plane was in a 90' bank." (From sergeant Emmor Mullenhour.) BUT: "We held them at bay ..."
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MITCHELLS FOUGHT BACK: Even the heroic efforts of the Lightning pilots to provide continuous close cover for Mitchell bombers could not prevent attacks by numerically superior fighters.
