Maryana 1944 chikamu 1
USS Lexington, mureza weVice Adm. Marc Mitscher, mukuru weHigh-Speed Aircraft Team (TF 58).
Kunyange zvazvo kurwisana kweNormandy kwakamuka muEurope, kune rumwe rutivi rwepasi, Marian Islands yakava nzvimbo yehondo huru panyika, mumhepo, uye mugungwa iyo pakupedzisira yakagumisa Umambo hweJapan muPacific.
Manheru emusi waChikumi 19, 1944, pazuva rekutanga reHondo yeGungwa rePhilippine, huremu hwekurwa hwakatamira kuGuam, chimwe chezvitsuwa zviri kumucheto kwekumaodzanyemba kweMarian archipelago. Masikati, pfuti dzeJapan dzinorwisa ndege dzakadonhedza mabhomba akati wandei eUS Navy ipapo, uye Curtiss SOC Seagull anoyangarara akamhanyira kununura ndege dzakanga dzapfurwa. Ens. Wendell Twelves weEssex Fighter Squadron naLt. George Duncan akayeuka kuti:
Sezvo maHellcats mana aiswedera pedyo neOrote, takaona varwi vaviri veJapan Zeke pamusoro. Duncan akatumira vaviri vaviri kuti vavachengete. Nguva yakatevera takanzwa kudanwa kuti tibatsirwe pamafambiro ataishandisa. Mutyairi weSeagull, ndege yekununura, akaburitsa radio kuti iye neimwe Seagull vaive pamvura padhuze neRota Point paGuam, 1000 mayadhi kumahombekombe. Vakapfurwa naZeke vaviri. Mukomana akatya. Paive nekupererwa munzwi rake.
Panguva imwe cheteyo takarwiswa naZeke vaviri. Vakasvetuka kubva mumakore vachititarisa. Takanzvenga mutsara wemoto. Duncan akandidaidza neredhiyo kuti ndibhururuke ndichinonunura maSeagulls, achibva atora aZeke ari maviri.
Ndakanga ndave mamaira masere kuenda kuRota Point, kana kuti angangoita maminetsi maviri ekubhururuka. Ndakaisa ndege kubapiro rekuruboshwe, ndokusaidzira throttle nzira yose, uye ndakamhanyira panzvimbo. Ndakanyatsozembera mberi, ndichikwenya mabhandi ezvigaro sekunge zvingabatsira. Kana ndaifanira kuita chero chinhu kune idzi ndege mbiri dzekununura, ndaifanira kusvikako nekukurumidza. Kupikisana naZeke havana kumbomira.
Apo ndakanga ndakanangidzira ngwariro yokusvika kuRota Point nokukurumidza sezvandaibvira, ndakaramba ndichitarira-tarira. Hapana wandaizobatsira kana ndikapfurwa manje. Hondo yakarwiwa. Ndakaona gumi nevaviri vachifambisa uye vachirwa. Vashoma vaikweva hova dzehutsi shure kwavo. Wairesi yakarira nenzwi remufaro.
Hapana chandaigona kuona chaive chekutyisidzira ipapo. Rota Point ndaiiona nechekure. Makombi machena eparachuti aipenya akayangarara pamusoro pemvura. Vaive vatatu kana vana. Dzaive dzevatyairi vendege vakaponeswa nendege dzemugungwa. Ndichiswedera padhuze ndakavaona. Vakasuduruka kubva kumahombekombe vachidzedzereka pamusoro pegungwa. Gombe rakanga rine chinoyangarara chimwe chikuru pasi pefuselage kuti rirambe richiyangarara. Ndakaona tumapepa twakanunurwa twakanamira pazviyangarara izvi. Ndakatarisa nzvimbo iyi zvakare ndokuona imwe Zeke. Aiva pamberi pangu nepazasi. Mapapiro ayo erima aipenya muzuva. Akanga achingotenderera, akaita mudungwe achida kurwisa ndege dzemugungwa. Ndakanzwa kusvinwa mudimple. Ndakatoona kuti moto wainge usati wasvika painge pasisina nguva yekuti ndipfure pavari.
Zeke aibhururuka mazana mashoma emafiti pamusoro pemvura - ini ndiri muzviuru zvina. Makosi edu aiitirwa panzvimbo yaive nendege dzemugungwa. Ndaive naro kurudyi rwangu. Ndakasaidzira mhino yendege pasi ndokuita njiva. Pfuti dzangu dzemuchina dzakanga dzakakiyiwa, maziso angu akanga akasvinura, uye sipidhi yangu yakanga ichiwedzera nokukurumidza. Ndakanyatsotapudza chinhambwe pakati pedu. Speedometer yairatidza 360 knots. Ndakabva ndangocheuka cheuka ndichitsvaga umwe Zeke asi hapana kwandakamuona. Ndakaisa pfungwa dzangu pane izvi zvaiva pamberi pangu.
Zeke akavhura pfuti paSeagull yaitungamira. Ndainyatsoona matracer kubva papfuti dzake dzemuchina 7,7mm akananga kundege yegungwa. Vatyairi vendege vakanga vakabatirira payangarara vakanyura pasi pemvura. Mutyairi weSeagull akapa injini simba rakazara ndokutanga kuita denderedzwa kuti zvinyanye kuinanga. Mvura yakatenderedza Seagull yakatubuka chena kubva mukurova kwemabara. Ndakaziva kuti mutyairi wendege Zeke aishandisa pfuti kuti azvipfure asati arova pfuti mumapapiro, uye kuti 20mm rounds idzodzo dzaizoparadza. Pakarepo, zvitubu zvaipupuma zvakatubuka zvakatenderedza Seagull mutyairi wendege Zeke achivhura pfuti kubva mumakanononi. Ndakanga ndichiri kure kuti ndimumise.
Ndakaisa pfungwa dzangu dzose pamurwi wechiJapan. Mutyairi wake akamisa moto. Ndege dzose dziri mbiri dzegungwa dzakapenya mumunda wangu wekuona payaibhururuka yakananga pamusoro padzo. Akabva atanga kucheukira kuruboshwe zvinyoro nyoro. Zvino ndakanga ndava nayo pakona ye45-degree. Ndakanga ndangova mayadhi 400 kubva paari paakandiona. Tighted the turn, but too late. Panguva iyoyo ndakanga ndakutosvisvina. Ndakaridza pfuti yakasimba, masekonzi matatu akazara. Hova dzemitsara dzinopenya dzakamutevera munzira. Ndichinyatsocherechedza, ndakaona kuti ndaisa gadziriso parutivi yakakwana - iyo hits yainyatsooneka.
Our courses crossed and Zeke flopped past me. Ndakaisa ndege kubapiro rekuruboshwe kuti ndipinde munzvimbo yekurwisa kunotevera. Akanga achiri pasi, akareba mamita 200 chete. Ndakanga ndisisafaniri kumupfura. Yakatanga kupisa. Pashure pemasekonzi mashoma, yakadzikisa uta hwayo ndokurova gungwa nekona yakati sandara. Yakabva yati dhuma dhuma dhuma dhuma dhuma dhuma, ichisiya mupata wemoto uri mumvura.
Nguva pfupi gare gare, Ens. Gumi nembiri vakapfura Zeke wechipiri, ane mutyairi wendege akatarisana nendege yekununura.
Ndichangotanga kutsvaga dzimwe ndege pandakazviwana ndiri pakati pegore revatracer! Dzakapenya dzichipfuura nepane cockpit dzichiita sechamupupuri. Mumwe Zeke akandishamisa nekurwisa nekumashure. Ndakacheukira kuruboshwe zvine simba zvekuti overload yakasvika six G. Ndakatozobuda mumutsara wemoto mutyairi Zeke asati awana 20mm cannons kwandiri. Akatora chinangwa zvakanaka. Ndainzwa mabara epfuti dzake dze7,7mm dzichirira mundege yese. Ndakanga ndiri mudambudziko guru. Zeke aigona kunditevera zviri nyore nemukati me arc. Ndege yangu yaidedera pedyo nedanga. Ndakatadza kuomesa nguva zvakanyanya. Ndakavhetemesa ndege ipapo ndichibva ndabuda nesimba rangu rose. Ndaiziva kuti kana murume iyeye aikwanisa kuita chinangwa, pfuti dziya dzaizondibvarura. Hapana chimwe chandaigona kuita. Ndakanga ndadzikira zvikuru zvokusagona kutiza nendege yokunyura. Kwakanga kusina makore kupi nokupi kwokutizira.
Mitambo yakaerekana yamira. Ndakatenderedza musoro kuti ndione paiva naZeke. Zvaive nekusununguka kusingatsananguriki uye kufara kuti imwe F6F yakanga ichangobva kumubata. Nzira yekuenda! Inguva yakadini!
Ndakagadzirisa ndege yangu ndokutarisa-tarisa kuti ndione kana pakanga pasisina njodzi. Ndakaita kakufemereka, ndopandakaona kuti ndaiva ndatura mafemo. Kuzorodza kwakadini! Zeke uya aindipfura akaburuka achitevera chiutsi kumashure kwake. Iyo Hellcat yaibvisa muswe wangu yanyangarika kumwe. Kunze kweF6F yaDuncan kumusoro kumusoro, denga rakanga risina chinhu uye rakanyarara. Ndakatarisa tarisa zvakare. Vese vaZeke vaenda. Pamwe papera maminitsi maviri ndasvika pano. Ndakatarisa kuverengwa kwezviridzwa ndokuongorora ndege. Paive nepfuti dzakawanda mumapapiro, asi zvese zvaishanda zvakanaka. Maita basa, VaGrumman, nokuda kwendiro yezvombo iya kuseri kwechigaro uye nematangi ekuzvivharisa.
