mac.thepearlharbormurders-第35部分

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with　ammo　belts　while　a　boy　from　Michigan　fired　away　at　the　diving　planes。
　Standing　near　a　hangar；　Corporal　Jack　Stanton…one　eye　slightly　swollen；　even　blackened；　from　his　Hotel　Street　brawl　of　the　night　before…saw　the　friend　standing　next　to　him　strafed　into　explosive　splashes　of　blood；　bone　and　flesh。　Horrified；　then　energized　into　action；　Stanton　ran　across　the　tarmac…not　even　pausing　when　another　bomb　blew　a　khaki…clad　soldier　in　two…and　managed　to　climb　up　into　a　bomber。
　Stanton　began　firing　the　machine　gun　in　the　nose　of　the　bomber；　its　deadly　chatter　knocking　one　of　the　silver　planes　out　of　the　sky。
　But　when　a　Zero　swooped　down；　delivering　its　own　machine…gun　fire；　the　fuel　tank　ignited　and　Stanton　was　trapped　in　the　cockpit；　flames　all　around　him；　caged　in　a　crackling　hell。
　Stanton　didn't　bother　trying　to　get　out。　As　the　flames　slowly　consumed　him；　he　kept　firing　up　at　the　sons　of　bitches；　and　witnesses　said　his　red　tracer　bullets　could　be　seen　zinging　skyward；　long　after　flames　had　enpassed　the　nose　of　the　plane。
　Winging　eastward　in　groups　of　three；　past　the　Pearl　Harbor　entry；　cutting　inland　at　an　altitude　of　a　mere　sixty　feet；　twenty…four　torpedo　planes　threw　their　supple　blue　shadows　across　the　Navy　Yard　and　the　Southeast　Loch；　closing　in　on　Battleship　Row…where　those　gray　behemoths；　the　Arizona；　California；　Maryland；　Nevada；　Oklahoma；　Tennessee；　and　West　Virginia；　pride　of　the　Navy；　slumbered　in　the　sunlight。　In　groups　of　two；　ing　from　the　west；　sixteen　more　torpedo　planes　took　a　direct　route　across　the　island；　their　targets　the　ships　docked　on　the　far　side　of　Ford　Island；　as　well　as　those　at　the　Navy　Yard　piers　over　the　east　channel。
　Aboard　the　battleships；　barely　awake　sailors　perceived　the　approaching　attack　planes　as　nothing　more　than　specks…but　those　specks　grew　ever　larger　as　they　zeroed　in　on　the　harbor；　crisscrossing。　Swabbies…like　civilians…at　first　dismissed　the　planes。。。　crazy　Army　pilots；　damn　Navy　fliers　showboating；　ain't　that　a　hell　of　a　drill。。。。
　〃That's　no　star　on　the　wing！〃　a　sailor　or　two；　on　every　ship；　would　finally　say；　more　or　less。　〃That's　a　red　ball！〃
　And　sailors；　scattering　like　naughty　kids　caught　in　some　act；　yelled；　〃It's　the　Japs！　It's　for　real！　It's　war！〃
　PA　systems　barked　orders；　bugles　blared；　ships'　alarms　trilled；　and　on　every　vessel　in　the　harbor…130　of　them…all　hell　broke　loose；　from　the　startled　sailors　on　deck　who　had　seen　the　planes　〃dropping　fish〃　（torpedoes）　to　the　poor　bastards　sleeping　in　on　Sunday　who　had　to　tumble　out　of　their　racks；　and　scurry　to　then…battle　stations；　pulling　on　their　clothes　as　they　went。
　Five　torpedoes；　in　rapid　succession；　blasted　the　Oklahoma；　sending　the　battleship　rolling　slowly；　inevitably　to　port。　Breakfast　dishes　went　flying；　shattering；　mess　tables　upended；　lockers　spilled　open；　and　in　the　belowdeck　barbettes；　massive　gun　turrets　tore　free　from　their　housings　and　tumbled　grindingly　down　the　slanting　platforms；　crushing　crewmen。
　When　eleven…year…old　Don　Morton…frightened　by　the　low…flying；　strafing　planes…came　scooting　back　home　without　his　brother　Jerry；　his　mom　wasn't　mad。　She　just　hustled　him　into　their　car　and　they　drove　down　to　the　landing；　where　Don　and　Jerry　had　been　fishing。
　No　other　cars　were　around；　but　she　honked　her　horn　all　the　way；　and　Don　thought　maybe　she　was　scared；　too…they　were　driving　right　toward　where　all　the　explosions　were　ing　from。
　Suddenly　Jerry　came　bursting　out　from　some　algar…roba　bushes；　calling；　〃Mom！　Mom！〃
　She　stopped　the　car；　let　Jerry　in；　and　hugged　him。
　〃A　man　helped　me；〃　Jerry　said。　〃He　pushed　me　into　the　bushes　when　a　plane　was　ing。〃
　〃What　man？〃　his　mother　asked。
　〃That　man；〃　Jerry　said；　and　pointed　to　the　body　of　a　Marine　corporal　alongside　the　dirt　road。
　Don's　mom　turned　their　car　around　and　headed　for　Honolulu；　as　explosions　shook　the　world　all　around　them。
　Bill　Fielder；　in　the　borrowed　Pierce　Arrow　convertible；　had　a　hell　of　a　time　trying　to　get　to　Pearl。　He　was　crazy　with　desperation…all　he　could　think　of　was　getting　back　to　his　ship！
　But　it　was　a　slow　go。　At　first　the　streets　were　empty；　but　quickly　they　became　clogged　with　cars　and　taxis；　as　well　as　emergency　vehicles。　Bill　would　whip　his　car　around　the　jams；　whenever　possible；　riding　on　the　sidewalk　if　he　had　to。　The　sky　boiled　with　black　oil　smoke；　and　it　seemed　like　the　end　of　the　world…he　passed　by　several　water　mains　that　had　broken；　shooting　geysers　fifty　feet　in　the　air；　and　people　had　loaded　their　cars　up　with　toys　and　clothes；　sometimes　with　baby　buggies　or　bicycles　strapped　on　the　roof；　like　European　war　refugees；　heading　for　the　hills。
　The　rolling　lanes　of　the　Kamehameha　Highway　were　choked　with　civiUan　cars　and　taxis　piled　with　servicemen　scrambling　to　get　to　their　posts。　It　seemed　to　take　forever；　crawling　toward　Pearl　Harbor。　Finally；　when　he　came　over　a　rise；　at　the　highway's　highest　point；　he　got　a　panoramic　view：　silver　planes　skimming　over　the　sea　toward　battleships；　bombs　whistling　down；　dive…bombers　howling　in　on　their　targets；　shells　exploding　in　midair；　machine　guns　chattering；　low…flying　fighters　strafing　anything　and　everything；　the　harbor　a　mass　of　fuel　oil；　smoke　and　flames。　Even　from　this　distance；　the　acrid　smell　of　burning　and　battle　seemed　to　singe　his　nostrils。
　The　worst　of　it　was　the　battleships　getting　hit　so　hard…the　Oklahoma　had　already　capsized；　and　the　Arizona　could　be　next。
　He　felt　sick…at　heart；　to　his　stomach。
　〃e　on；　e　on；　e　on！〃　Bill　yelled；　and　he　laid　on　his　horn…not　that　honking　would　do　any　good。　Everyone　caught　in　this　jam　wanted　it　to　move　along　just　as　badly　as　Bill　did。　But　he　was　frustrated；　knowing　that　time　was　running　out。
　He　just　wasn't　aware　how　soon。
　A　bomb　hit　the　Pierce　Arrow；　obliterating　it；　and　Bill；　leaving　a　charred；　flaming　husk　of　an　automobile　and　very　little　of　its　driver。
　Bill　Fielder　had　just　bee　the　first　Arizona　fatality。
　Moored　aft　of　the　Tennessee；　a　massive　608　feet　long；　the　Arizona　carried　a　main　armament　of　twelve　fourteen…inch　guns；　her　hull　shielded　at　the　waterline　by　a　thirteen…inch　thickness　of　steel；　with　twenty　inches　of　armor　housing　her　four　turrets。　No　more　formidable　weapon　of　war…at…sea　was　known　to　man　than　a　battleship　such　as　this。
　An　armor…piercing　bomb　hit　the　ship　between　its　number…two　gun　turret　and　bow；　punching　a　hundred…foot　hole　in　the　deck；　then　exploding　in　a　fuel　tank　below。　Within　seconds；　almost　two　million　pounds　of　explosives　detonated；　forming　a　fireball　of　red；　yellow　and　black；　the　ship　lifting　twenty　feet　in　the　air；　tossing　men　like　rag　dolls；　ship's　steel　opening　like　a　blossoming　flower　to　spread　petals　of　huge　red　flame。
　The　halves　of　the　ship　tumbled　into　the　water；　where　her　skewed　decks　were　walked　by　burning　men；　a　ghostly；　ghastly　crew　staggering　out　of　the　flames；　one　by　one；　dropping　dead。
　Seaman　First　Class　Dan　Pressman…whose　previous　battle　had　been　on　Hotel　Street；　last　night…had　been　manning　a　gun…director　unit　above　the　bridge；　when　he　sustained　burns　over　most　of　his　body；　still；　he　managed　to　make　use　of　a　line　that　had　been　made　fast　to　the　mast　of　a　repair　ship　moored　alongside　the　Arizona。
　Pressman　and　five　other　badly　burned　sailors…suffering　shock；　but　wanting　to　live…swung　high　above　the　water　on　the　line；　going　hand　over　hand　to　safety；　even　as　their　ears　were　filled　with　the　screams　of　fellow　crew　members　on　the　burning；　dying　halves　of　the　ship；　or　in　the　water　beneath；　which；　surrealistically；　was　on　fire；　too。
　Her　superstructure　enfolded　in　flame；　the　Arizona…　her　shattered　foremast　tipping　forward…settled　to　the　bottom　of　the　harbor；　three…quarters　of　her　crew。。。。　some　1；177　officers　and　enlisted　men　。。。　dead　in　the　most　devastating　of　all　the　blows　delivered　by　Japan　in　the　surprise　air　attack　on　Pearl　Harbor。
　In　his　quarters　at　Fort　Shafter；　General　Short　had　just　gotten　into　his　golfing　gear；　for　the　planned　eighteen　holes　with　Kimmel；　Fielder　and　Throckmorton；　when　he　heard　explosions…which　he　recognized　at　once　as　bombs　going　off。
　He　didn't　think　anything　of　it…the　Navy　was　obviously　having　some　sort　of　battle　practice；　and　he　was　mildly　annoyed　that　no　one　on　Kimmel's　team　had　warned　him　about　it。。。　unless　the