Skeptic

Not all air gunners win their medals by shooting the enemy out of the air. In a story released last week in Air Force (official service journal of the A.A.F.), the Army told how one gunner rang the gong by using his wits and the lore he had learned in radio school.

On the way out to a bombing target the gunner-operator picked up a message in the proper code of the day. Its instruction: change course and attack a different objective. Said Air Force:

"The message seemed proper enough . . . but [Technical Sergeant] Sachnoff became suspicious. At that particular spot over Africa he had never been able to get strong signals from his base, and this message came in surprisingly clear. By using his radio compass [he] was able to determine that this message was coming from a direction ahead of his position . . . he radioed back to his base, warning them of the fake. . . .

"On the way home the Sergeant's flight passed about 150 Allied fighters heading at 30,000 ft. towards the false target. When these fighters reached the area . . . they found 45 Messerschmitts circling at 20,000 ft. . . . The Allies dove on the Me's, destroyed 30 of them. Sergeant Sachnoff received the D.F.C.--for being the type of guy who doesn't believe everything he hears."

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