The pilots had just recieved their briefing. They were eager for action, ready for the kill. They climbed aboard their P-38's and went through the preflight checks. Now both the pilots and the aircraft were ready.
Once in the air, they grouped into formation, preparing for the long cold flight to their objective. It was lonely there in the air. Even though surrounded by comrads. Observing radio silence, they could only look over and wave. After all, they didn't want to forewarn the enemy of their arrival.
After a few hours they hear it: Bogey! 1 o'clock high! The surprise was over! And now they were into the fight, trying to kill and survive. The air battle was intense! Diving, and turning! Evading and moving in for the kill, quickly losing track of their comrads, concentrating on their immediate 6 and the target before them.
Well it was over, taking seemingly forever. Low on fuel and nearly out of ammo, they each head back to base with their buddies who were lucky enough, and skilled enough to survive. But there are those who are still missing. As they see the base they each breathe a sigh of relief to themselves. They've made it back. Once on the ground the head count began-three missing. Not too bad, but they were three of their guys, their friends, three who might not ever see home.
Hours pass, beyond any possible time an aircraft can make it back. Fuel calculations tell the sad story, Three men are gone. They can only hope that the men bailed and eventually would be found.
A few more hours pass, they've gone through the debriefing and are sitting on their bunks relaxing. Then they hear it! A P-38!......It's unmistakeable sound! Impossible as it sounds, they all run out of the barracks. There it is! High in the sky and coming fast! but to their horror, when the aircraft was exactly over the base, the P-38 stopped and crumbled, in midair! Like it ran into an invisible wall! They can see the seemingly lifeless body, along with the wreckage, fall to the ground. Running over to the wreckage, with little hope, they find him. His skin color is grey. One of them reaching down realizes his body is cold to the touch, and that rigor has set in...........He's been dead for hours!
The report, was of course, sealed and hidden away. All their investigations lead to the same conclusion. The aircraft had no fuel in it, the body had been dead for hours. Now tell me....How does an aircraft with no fuel and a dead pilot fly back to base. Impossible! Unless, that is, you believe in ghosts..........Hehehehehe!
