Tokyo Raid April 18, 1942

[Gil Boyd]

Bob,
When you see those aircraft taking off from the carrier, I was so surprised they managed it with their respective loads in that head wind. The took off from the end of the flight deck and seemed to struggle for a few moments, like slow motion.............brave men indeed.

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[Bob Womack]

Bob,
When you see those aircraft taking off from the carrier, I was so surprised they managed it with their respective loads in that head wind. The took off from the end of the flight deck and seemed to struggle for a few moments, like slow motion.............brave men indeed.

Number seven in line, Ted Lawson, in the Ruptured Duck (serial No. 40-2261), got distracted and left his flaps up. In the complete reel you can see him drop below the level of the flight deck and then rear back up with water dripping from the plane. He went on to co-write the book, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, telling about the mission from his perspective.

Bob