Word: benne
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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Lieut. General George Kenney, the Southwest Pacific's air commander, announced the loss of his fourth key airman in three months: Major Kenneth Mc-Cullar of Batesville, Miss., partner with the late Major William Benn in developing low-level skip-bombing (TIME, Jan. 18). Major Benn and Brigadier Generals Kenneth Walker and Howard Ramey were lost in action, but Major McCullar's death was due to a freak accident...
...Bill Benn was a flying archeologist in Persia in 1938 when he decided to join the Air Forces. He went to Australia as aide to George Kenney, forthwith began his first experiment on skip-bombing when he had heard the R.A.F. was using...
...those days in the Southwest Pacific, much was done by trial & error. There was no low-altitude bombsight. Bill Benn improvised one by riding in the nose of a Fortress, marking crosses on the bombardier's plexiglass windshield until he got what he wanted. Then he made a few runs against an old hulk stranded off Port Moresby, found that his marks were good enough for accurate sights...
First, delay fuses-to make the bomb detonate below the waterline-were improvised with the help of the Royal Australian Air Force. They have now been replaced by the real thing. Meanwhile Bill Benn had explained his technique to his superiors, had beamed from large, humorous hazel eyes when he was told he had better lead the first raids himself...
Since then he has been on many. Best record is three cargo ships, two light cruisers and three destroyers sunk with 30 bombs. Bill Benn himself holds the D.S.C. for being our in front when 100,000 tons of Jap shipping were sunk...