His Very Own Bomber (1 Viewer)

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MIflyer

1st Lieutenant
6,155
11,716
May 30, 2011
Cape Canaveral
In the late 1930's, at Hickam Field in HI, a Martin B-10 bomber came out of an extensive refurbishment. But there was no requirement for it, no unit that needed it and it sat unused. But an Air Corps Captain came up with a use for the bomber. He and his family lived in a house on the beach, a lovely and secluded spot, but one which required about an hour commute each way going to and from the base. Behind the house was a huge grassy field that easily accommodated the B-10, and by using the bomber to travel to and from work his commmute was cut down to 10 minutes.

It was all very nice, but word got to DC that there was a captain in HI that had his own personal B-10 he used for commuting and the word came down; it was unacceptable. They took the newly referbed bomber, hoisted it aboard a ship, went out of the harbor to deep water, and pushed it overboard.

I'll bet that on 7 Dec 1941 some wished that B-10 had been sitting in a field away from the base instead of at the bottom of the ocean. In the days after the Japanese attack they resorted to flying P-26's on patrols.
 

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