60 Japanese Fighters Attacked 2 American Pilots — 15 Died, All Japanese

October 24th, 1944, 9:14 a.m. Somewhere over the Philippine Sea, Commander David Mccell is climbing through 12,000 ft when the radio crackles, 60 enemy aircraft bearing 270, closing on the fleet. Mccell looks at his instrument panel. His F6F Hellcat wasn't even supposed to fly today. The deck crew rushed to fuel it when radar detected the incoming strike. The tanks aren't full. He has maybe 90 minutes of flight time before his engine dies. He keys the radio, requests backup. The response comes back flat. Sorry, none available. Every other fighter is either engaged or out of position. Mccell looks to his right. His wingman, Enen Roy Rushing, flies off his wing. One other Hellcat. That's it. Two American pilots against 60 Japanese fighters and bombers heading straight for the fleet. The carriers below them, the Essex, the Langley, the Lexington. 15,000 sailors who will die if those planes get through. Mccell does the math. 60-2 30 to1 odds. His fuel is low. His backup isn't coming. The rational move is to shadow the formation, report their position, wait for reinforcements. Instead, Mccamell pushes the throttle forward and attacks. What happens next takes 90 minutes. 15 Japanese planes will fall from the sky. Nine of them killed by Mccell, six by his wingman. The rest of the formation will scatter and flee, never reaching the American fleet. When Mccell finally lands, his engine will sputter and die from fuel exhaustion the instant his wheels touch the deck. His six machine guns will have exactly two rounds remaining. Two bullets between him and an empty aircraft.