Sparky's Pics - Page 2

Etsyl Sparkman photo collection continued...

Possible "Milky Way" medium bomber - Gusap

This wreck at Gusap may be a Yokosuka P1Y “Milky Way” medium bomber/night fighter of a type used later against the 9^th FS encampment on Biak.

Of Biak Island, then SSgt Sparkman recalled:

“My outfit had just moved up from Hollandia to Biak Island. At the time of our arrival, the island was not secured. The Japanese occupied some parts, we the others. We used a water hole in the daytime that the Japanese used at night.

Normally, the first thing we did when we arrived at a new location was to dig a foxhole which provided some safety from bombs. This time, I did not because the area was coral and it was too hard to dig. Our squadron was crowded into a very small area on the beach because the airstrip had not been taken.

That night, an enemy plane came over very low and dropped some bombs directly on us. When I heard the bombs falling and the following explosions, my first reaction was to roll off my cot and lie on the ground. The next morning I could see that the mosquito netting over my cot had shrapnel holes in it. I was glad that I had not set straight up when I heard the bomb run. By the way, that morning I found that the coral was not nearly as hard as I remembered it being the day before.”

9FS Gusap camp grounds

You may note the wreckage of enemy planes in the foreground. The jungle in the background is typical of the area where Sparkman contracted both Dengue Fever and Malaria.

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