We had a worn out B-25C assigned to our P-38 Squadron at Nadzab, New Guinea. It was used for administrative runs and our squadron would get it for two weeks at a time on a rotating basis. I got one hour training in it and was considered fully checked out (P-38s are twins). One day, we decided to make what we called a "Fat Cat" run to Australia to get fresh fruits and vegetables for our troops.

We flew to Townsville, Australia so our NCOs could go into town and get the goods to load on the aircraft. At that point, a Lieutenant Colonel from the B-25 major maintenance facility located at the base noticed that the fuel bladders on one of the wings were worn out and there was fuel dripping from the underside of the wing between the engine and the nacelle. The "C" had collector rings at the exhaust so this could cause a fire. He asked who we were and where we were going and then told us we were not taking that aircraft anywhere since it was not airworthy. We told him we had flown it for hours that way and he asked what outfit we were in. He told us that he was a classmate of our commander and ordered us not to fly. Meanwhile, our fresh fruit and vegetables were baking on the ramp. I asked him if we could borrow one of the new B-25s that were sitting there waiting to be delivered to the front. I told him that after we delivered the cargo to our base, we would fly it to the intended destination. He told me "absolutely not."

After he left, I picked out one of the new B-25s (it was a single pilot aircraft with the 75 mm cannon in the nose). I told my crew to go down there and load the vegetables/fruit in it while I stayed where I was since I knew the Lieutenant Colonel was watching me. After all was loaded, we all got on board and started taxiing toward the runway. We could see security coming up behind us so we went to the nearest runway and took off with them in hot pursuit.

We flew to Nadzab and unloaded the precious cargo. It was then time to get the aircraft to "14 Mile Strip" at Port Moresby, the aircraft’s original destination. I decided to fly the aircraft by myself so that if I got caught there would only be one person in trouble. I flew to Port Moresby and, while in the pattern, saw a taxiway close to the other newly delivered aircraft that was also close to the jungle. I landed and taxied to that spot, shut down, and disappeared into the jungle making my way undercover to Base Operations where I caught a ride home.

Do you know, I never ever heard anything about the incident after that!!

Note: Warren Lewis is a Pacific theatre ace in the P-38 with seven confirmed Japanese aircraft shot down.