In the Time-Life Epic of Flight series, the volume Soldiers of Fortune (Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1981) mentions that one pilot in the Flying Tigers "had five American flags painted on his aircraft; he had personally crashed five P-40s and thus qualified as a Japanese ace."On the fourth day he finally met a party of three natives roasting a pig on the beach. Using a combination of pantomime and pidgin English, he tried to explain that he was an American aviator. He put on, he felt, a very good show: spreading his arms like wings … “flying” up and down the beach … pointing his fingers like machine guns … and adding sound effects. The natives watched for about 30 seconds, then the youngest spoke up with flawless British accent: “I understand. You are an American aviator. We work for Mr. Geoffrey Kuper, who is the Coastwatcher on the island, and we will take care of you.”
Two funny stories from the Pacific war
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Two funny stories from the Pacific war
In his book Lonely Vigil: Coastwatchers of the Solomons (New York: Viking Press, 1977), Walter Lord told of an American flyer, 2nd Lt. Michael Yunck. He was shot down and paddled his raft to Santa Isabel.
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Re: Two funny stories from the Pacific war
I'll just be borrowing that. Citation will be intact.