Just Dropping in to Say Hello

[MIflyer]

In August 1945, a week after the second atomic bomb had been dropped on Nagasak,i two USAAF P-38 fighters landed at an airfield near Tokyo. They were greeted by an embarrassed Japanese operations officer who bowed and explained that, "The war was not over yet." The Army pilots said they had run low on fuel and thought they would stop in and gas up.

The Japanese refueled the P-38's and gave the pilots chewing gum and little packages of cigarettes that obviously had come from US K ration packages.

The P-38's cranked up and took off. On the way home the pilots shared a good laugh. US forces had been told to stay away from Japan until the proper preparations had been made, but hey, what can you do when you're about to run out of gas?

 

[Shinpachi]

They didn't land but circled to fly away.
Location: Tama airfield.
Date: August 17, 1945.
Purpose: Inspection of disarmament.

 

[N4521U]

It was a good story.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I think that's a Martin Caidin story

 

[MIflyer]

Nope, not Marty Caiden. "Great American Fighter Pilots of World War II" by Robert D. Loomis, 1961. A book I read in elementary school and just had to have a copy for myself, back around 1962.

Since that time I have red of some cases where some Hellcat pilots pulled the same thing.

 

[Gnomey]

Good story!

 

[Barrett]

WAY late to this one
but
Yeah, Bob Looomis (since deceased) GAFPOWWT was among my early-early books. Still have the worn copy.
The P-38 leader was Col. Clay T-i-c-e (damn autofill) of the 49th. Interesting gent whom I met in the 80s. He'd flown his first tour in the Pacific, recycled to the with 9th AF, and returned to the Pacific in '45. He said that he could respect the Germans but had no respect for the Japanese.