Whip by Martin Caidin Read Free Book Online

for a few moments, I imagine he was sizing up the situation.
    Suddenly he shouted, 'I need a goodamned pilot!' Just like that. No preamble, no how-do-you-do, my-name-is-so-and-so. Just opened his mouth and out came this bellow as from a drill sergeant. If his intent was shock, he succeeded. Certainly he attracted my attention. I attracted his, it seems. Or rather, the wings on my tunic. Everyone stared at him, but he was staring at me."
    Alex Bartimo sighed, mixing the sound with a smile. "He came slowly up to me until we were only inches apart. I'd never felt the aura from another human being as I felt that moment. His eyes were wild. I imagine the look on my face by now was one of mild shock, or whatever, but the wildness went out of his face, and he knew quite precisely what he was doing. I was suddenly aware that I was a white sheep in a room filled with very dark and woolly animals. There I stood in all my glory, resplendent in my white uniform and R.A.A.F. wings and all that sort.
    "The little captain tapped the wings on my chest. 'Do you fly?' he demanded. I mean demanded. He didn't ask.
    " 'Not without an airplane, old chap, I told him.' He quite ignored my quick wit, I should add. I'll never forget his reply.
    " 'I got a goddamned airplane and a copilot who's in the barracks throwing up blood and he can't walk and the Japanese fleet is out there just waiting for you and me to show up.
    You want something to do to get the crease out of those goddamned clothes?'
    "Some high-ranking officer, I really forget what he was, had listened to us, and he finally came over and told Whip Russel he couldn't take me in his machine, that it was against regulations. He had quite a bit of horsepoop to say, but somewhere in the middle of his speech my new-found friend offered to kill him right on the spot. Grabbed his attention, it did. Then he turned to me. 'You know where we are on the flight line. We take off in twenty minutes.' He turned around without saying another word and walked out the door and I thought to myself, My God, that's the kind of man who may yet win this bloody war."
    Bartimo shook his head and smiled. "Would you believe it really happened, just as I've said it? I did fly with him that day, you know. Flew the right seat as copilot in a machine the inside of which I'd never seen until I climbed through the ruddy hatch. Ridiculous, really, you must understand. But I will lay claim to one distinction for the Battle of Midway."
    They waited through his pause. "I'll tell you this, gentlemen. I was the best-dressed pilot in that entire battle."
    He lapsed into silence, another quiet long swallow of his beer and lighting a cigarette.
    Pilots and crewmen in the club looked at one another, not speaking, waiting for one man to say the words for all of them.
    "Lieutenant."
    Alex turned to the major who'd said only that one word. He simply waited for the other man to go on. The question came quietly and it came with total sincerity.
    "What was it like… on the deck, out there?"
    Alex fingered the beer can. "I was afraid someone might get around to that," he said.
    He was surprised when Psycho nudged him, gently, with a thick forefinger. "It's all right, Alex. Just tell them."

6
    "Well. You all know, of course, what those machines look like. The short-winged killers.
    It's difficult to describe, but they gained a special sense of a killing machine with those torps slung beneath. Of course we were all feeling the tremendous tension from the day before. The Fortresses had gone after the enemy from high altitude, and the Nips simply shrugged them off. During the night following some very brave idiots went out in PBYs, flying as close to the water as they could, and I imagine they were doing all of ninety miles an hour when they drove right at the Japanese. They were using radar, as I recall, and they managed to put a tin fish into the side of a tanker. Of course, none of this really bothered the Japanese, when you consider the