This is not a joke
John M. Neuhauser
86th Observation Squadron
“The head of my (transportation) section went on a sailing trip to Molokai on Friday while I served a double shift. I talked a friend into working for me until 11 p.m. Saturday while I went to a movie in Kailua. I then was on (dispatcher) duty until 6 a.m. Dec. 7.”
After eating breakfast of two pancakes, two eggs and two cups of coffee, Neuhauser said he went to bed in a four-man tent behind the squadron’s garage.
“I was in a deep sleep … when a buddy came into the tent, opened my mosquito net and shook me awake.”
After groggily dismissing urgent talk about the raid, Neuhauser said his buddy “reached in and gave me a slap and said, ‘I’m not kidding. Get the hell out of bed. Something’s wrong.’ When I realized he was serious, I got up and donned a pair of coveralls.”
The men went outside, jumped into a 1935 Plymouth pickup and drove to the top of a hill where they could see a B-17 that had just crashed in a gully.
“We would have proceeded farther to check out the plane, but at that moment … Zeros came in low on a strafing run. Then all hell broke loose. We watched in horror as the Japanese made one pass after another. We could see the tracers as they tore into the planes.”
(All of the squadron’s P-40s as well as 0-47s, P-36s and B-18s were parked wingtip to wingtip along the runway.)
“Our guys were running everywhere just to get out of the way. When a tracer hit a gasoline truck parked in front of the operations office, it sent a geyser of flame and heavy black smoke straight up.”
Then, Neuhauser said, “some of the planes headed … in our direction, and we made a quick retreat back” to the squadron’s garage. There the men dived under a firetruck parked for repairs. “During the next few minutes, several in our section showed up and joined us under the truck. We had no guns to fight back with.”
Neuhauser continued, “I can still vividly recall my thoughts as I lay under the firetruck: ‘Will the bullets hurt if they hit me?’ I also remember that my knees were shaking violently when we all crawled out after the attack was over and the realization of what had happened hit me.”
Trying to get airborne
Cosmo Robert Mannino
44th Pursuit Squadron
When the raid was underway, Mannino said, “Our line chief told us to pre-flight and combat-load all aircraft. We tried to do that. … Two 44th squadron pilots taxied out on the runway for takeoff — and were swarmed by the Zeros.”
Mannino said the attempts to get airborne were “heroic” and “saved our lives.” He added in his written account, “Had the Zeros been able to concentrate on us, I don’t believe that I would be typing this.”
Looking for a safe landing
Malcolm William Pettet
86th Observation Squadron
“Sunday night at Bellows Field was nearly as bad as Sunday morning. We were notified to be prepared to receive and park a goodly number of Navy aircraft” from the USS Enterprise. At 9 p.m. a portable runway lighting system was switched on. … As is well known now, it appeared that everybody on the island knew the aircraft were supposed to land at Bellows except the pilots. So they were shot at every place they tried to land.”
