Helped Fight Colin Kelly's Final Battle

KELLY, ROBINS, LEVIN

Posted By: Volunteer: Sherri
Date: 3/9/2014 at 08:53:42

Helped Fight Colin Kelly's Final Battle

Colin Kelly.
In a Tough Spot But Didn't Swear.

Here, written by his co-pilot, is the full story of the last flight of Capt. Colin Kelly, No. 1 hero of the United States army air corps, who gave his life to destroy a Japanese battleship off the Philippine islands.

By Second Lietenant Donald Robins.
(Copyright, 1942, by the United Press.)

CORREGIDOR, THE PHILIPPINES (U.P.) - I flew with Kelly.

After moving from field to field eluding Jap attacks in the first two days of the war and even sleeping under the wing of our B-17 (Flying Fortress) one night, we preceeded to badly-bombed Clark field (north of Manila) Dec. 10 for a load of bombs and gasoline.

Warning.

When we were about half finished(loading) an air raid warning sounded. It was then 9:35 a.m.

I started all four motors at once-something highly unconventional-and we took off as soon as possible. We had time to load only three bombs but those were big babies.

We cleared the field safely, proceeded east of Lingayen gulf and waited for other planes which were scheduled to join us.

Missed Others.

Colin, who was deputy squadron leader, told me our mission was to get an aircraft carrier believed off north Luzon.

Other B-17's apparently received a different last-minute order so we started looking for the enemy alone, and flew as far as a small island north of Luzon, where we observed two small Jap transports.

But we were after bigger game so we changed our course and traveled south, hitting Luzon at Aparri (at the north tip of Luzon).

There we saw seven ships-three transports, three destroyers and one big fat son-of-a-gun.

Three pursuits took after us. We climbed up to 20,000 feet and the pursuits left us, leaving the field open on a perfect bombing day, at a choice altitude.

"Perfect."

Kelly, myself and the navigator took turns looking through the glasses and concurred that the fat boy couldn't be anything but a battleship, so we decided to let go.

Over the battleship we started
Kelly-
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COLLIN KELLY'S LAST FLIGHT
Kelly--
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again and dropped our three bombs in the trail.

It was perfect-one hit very near the starboard side, so close it was almost a miss; the second hit amidships near the funnel, and the other explosion occurred near the port side.

It was a bombardier's dream. The gods of luck were with us and when we left, the battleship was already burning fiercely.

The bombardier, Corp. M. Levin, deserves special credit since he was using an untried bomb sight of a type slightly different than he usually operated.

Highly satisfied with the accomplishment, we started back to Clark field and let down to 10,000 feet. Kelly instructed the radio operator to call the field for instructions and while the operator was doing so, two or three pursuits came out of a low bank of clouds immediately below Clark field and attacked us.

Set Afire.

Their machine-gun and cannon set our ship afire. Evidently they came up underneath, and if the radio operator had been at his usual battle position he would likely have seen them in time.

The Japs hit our radio compartment and also our oxygen supply was blown up and out left wing set afire. The ship was burning like a holocaust.

When we were hit we dove for a scud of clouds and got below it. Kelly ordered the men to bail out and the rear crew jumped first, with the bombardier and radio operator leaving next from the frontal escape.

Out of Control.

A minute later the plane went completely out of control and threw us-Kelly and me-against the cabin. I thought, "Well, this is it."

All the time Kelly had been hollering to the machine-gunners to do their stuff and best'em off. Kelly, a fighter to the last, as usual didn't swear, even though he knew we were in a plenty tough spot.

The rest of the story is vague. I tried to make my way to a nearby overhead escape but couldn't seem to move. I believe I was thrown out of the plane by an explosion, and through no volition of my own.

Six of the eight members of the crew landed safely. Kelly's body was found near the plane, while the engineer manning one of the side guns was killed by one of the first bursts from the Jap pursuits.

"A Real Man"

I flew with Kelly from Hawaii, and even with only one day's notice concerning his unexpected transfer to the Philippines he didn't seem to mind.

He was a real man, he acted calmly and deliberately, and I am confident he died with a smile of satisfaction on his lips because he knew the Haruna never survived those three wounds.

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