is no weather service. We would very seldom run into an overcast. They 
 
have tropical type of weather. The rain season had not started. We had 
 
ground warning system only, that is ground observers. No radar equipment. 
 
This ground warning system was very effective. It would give 
 
the number and type of airplane and whether it was high or low.
 
Col. Hoag: What about friend or foe identification?
 
Major Fisher: No, the difficulty was to know the position of friendly opera-
 
tions. We were using motor bombers and theirs were bi-motor bombers. Our 
 
fleet called for fighter protection several times.
 
Col. Borum: About the B-17's, what range did you get out of them? How much 
 
did you have left in your tanks when you got across?
 
Major Fisher: From Hawaii I went to Midway, Wake. From Wake Island to Port 
 
Moresby-- 2100  nautical miles -- 2500 miles, and we had 500 gallons of gaso-
 
line left. The bathtub was already on the D. The E with the 2 tail guns 
 
gained an awful superiority.
 
Col. Hoag: Does the Japanese stuff begin to compare in bombardment with the 
 
B-17' s?
 
Major Fisher: No sir, They can't touch it Their ceiling is 26,000 feet, 
 
speed 160 miles an hour. They have wonderful discipline. If you shot down 
 
the leader another files in at once.  
 
          : Can Jap fighters get up to the B-17's?
 
Major Fisher: They can get up to 30,000 feet but the B-17 can outrun them.  
 
But the B-17's get 30,000 feet, go in as fast as they can and get out. 
          :Was there any trouble with wire cutting by Jap agents, etc., 
 
at Java?                                                                   
 
Major Fisher: Not so terribly much. In the Philippines every time we took 
 
off at night there was smoke columns going up. Flares and signals.
 
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