Part II, Chapters 9-11 Summary and Analysis

Chapter 9 is entitled "Five Hundred and Ninety-four Holes," in reference to the number of bullet holes sustained by Super Man during a harrowing bombing mission over the island of Nauru. Louis' bomber crew and 22 other bombers were sent from the island of Funafuti to bomb Nauru which had been captured by the Japanese and where they had built a phosphate mining operation.

Their orders were to bomb the island from 8,000 feet, well within the reach of anti-aircraft weapons on the ground. The crew was nervous as they approached. Louis, the bombardier, carefully sighted a Japanese airfield in his bombsight, but the plane was thrown to one side by a shell striking the rear rudder. Shells continued to explode around the plane, sometimes hitting it, but Louis was able to successfully target and hit a fuel...