Air Force the Official Service Journal - Air Force Historical Studies ...

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Interception Begins
on the Ground
By CHARLOTTE KNIGHT
AI1Z FORCE Staff
Fighter control positions our planes for the
kill -at the right place, time, and altitude
NOVEMBER,1944
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TIll: report from the Llt,lio dctcct iou ,ta t iou ;111110\1lllTdt,he
apl)[o~leh of four uu iclcut ificcl uircr.rft. :'\othin!.; to !.;d
cxci ted abon t. Or 11;1\ it:'
"Cct nlmin!.;, hovx," xaicl CIPt. ]}I\id I l.ubour. ,t1\ .\ir
I,'oree tI!.;hter pilot then on clutv as contro.lcr in the J)"b,\dura
tighter sccl or, "here couic« the "hole J;IP air force!"
'\,or \las he bein!.; hediom--as the next half hour proved.
\\'itho\1t a mouu-n ts hcsit.rt ion he xcr.un hlcd cvcrv lighter
sqn.rdrnu in his .uca. .uic] even then feared it wouklu't be:
'ttl1ieil'nt oppovit ion to tluow ag;limt the raid that lIas COIlling,
li,in!.; his prero!.;;ltile a, controller, Cup t.un J Iurbour
gWIlllded ;1 flight of tr.m-port- due to t.rl«. otf at th.rt s.uuc
t nuc .md n-ed their tI!.;hter c-cort to reinforce his tle,ignated
an dcfeme tighter, for the interception,
A]I became of "four \1nidentitiul .urrr.rf t."
Actu.illv. -I" J~IP pl.mcs raided ;\llied ,hipping in Ora Huv
that tLI\', And -Ih of them were shot clown ;1, detlnites. the
other two as probable"~ :'\ot one ship of ours \las sunk or
dalllagccL not one of our men \I:\S killed, \\ c 1mt one 1'- :;",
Hv all counts this ";IS one of the movt xucccssf ul interceptions
in th.it theater. j':ight dal's l.itc-r it lIas followed bv
.mothcr. cqu.illv spectleular. this tunc durin!.; the liuclih.rfcu
landings on October 22. 1c)-f:;, when all the controlling Il'as
clone frum a destroyer acting as "control" ship, The box
score speaL for itself: Our tighter, not oul , prevented the
Japs from ,inkin!.; a ,ingle ship but nLlllaged to shoot clown
8-1 enemy planes in the bargain.
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